Fayoum’s Tourism Authority announced that one of the province’s most beloved residents, Swiss artist Evelyne Porret, passed away aged 81.
Porret was a longtime resident of Fayoum’s Tunis Village, one of the province’s most popular tourist destinations. She first visited the village in the early 1960s when she was in Egypt to see her father, a Christian missionary stationed in Cairo at the time.
On her first visit to Fayoum, she was accompanied by the renowned Egyptian lyricist Sayed Hegab, who she would later end up marrying.
Having dabbled in pottery back home, she made regular visits to ceramics workshops all over Egypt during the 1960s and 1970s, before permanently moving to Egypt in the 1980s to launch the Ptah Association for Training Urban and Rural Children in Ceramic Works, which remains the largest pottery school in Fayoum.
“She was one of the strongest and bravest women I ever met. To leave one’s home country and settle somewhere else isn’t easy, but she always told me that her strong love of the people and the village was what made her stay,” said Hussein El Saadawy, 34, a teacher at Porret’s school. Mr El Saadawy has known Porret for 20 years, having been one of her students when he was only 10 years old.
Since her death was announced on Tuesday, there has been an outpouring of grief on social media, with many of the country's top artists expressing their condolences and recounting their unanimously positive interactions with her.
"May God give her as much peace as she gave to those around her," fellow Fayoum resident and Egyptian painter Mohamed Abla wrote.
Porret was reportedly quite taken with Fayoum’s tranquillity and decided to build a country house on a large stretch of land there.
Her house, with its characteristic domed ceiling, was built entirely out of environmentally-friendly materials. The design was reportedly inspired by Hassan Fathi, a prominent Egyptian architect.
Porret is known for teaching other residents to build houses in this way, introducing them to the principles of environmentalism, which were near and dear to her heart.
During her early days in Fayoum, Porret would watch local children playing in the mud, which is quite abundant in the wet soil of the village that sits on the banks of Lake Qarun (Lake Moeris).
Inspired by how the children shaped the mud with their fingers, Porret decided to launch the village’s first pottery school which would go on to teach thousands of locals how to make a living through honing their pottery skills and selling their work to visitors of the village.
Tunis Village today is a popular haunt for many artists, who enjoy its remoteness and the craftsmanship of its people.
Porret’s fans credit her with being the first to bring this artistic spirit into the village and transform its culture and trade for the better.
Fayoum is one of Egypt’s poorest provinces and Porret’s efforts lifted thousands out of poverty as during the course of her life there, Tunis Village transformed from a sleepy locality to a popular holiday destination for wealthy Cairenes, many of whom built second homes there.
The increased interest in the village also resulted in the establishment of a number of high-end boutique hotels.
“She was singularly driven by altruism. She never turned anyone away and shared her knowledge and experience with great generosity,” said Mr El Saadawy.
Despite handicrafts being largely unexplored in Fayoum, Porret’s efforts over her decades of living there have made an annual handicrafts festival in the village one of the most popular events of its kind nationwide.
Porret’s burial service, which was attended by many of her friends and loved ones including village locals and expats, was broadcast live by a number of Egyptian media outlets.
Her body has been laid to rest at Fayoum’s Coptic cemetery.
She is survived by a son, who runs her pottery school now, and a daughter. She had both of her children from her second marriage to Swiss engineer Michel Pastori, who remains in Tunis Village until today.
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
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Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
Scorebox
Dubai Sports City Eagles 7 Bahrain 88
Eagles
Try: Penalty
Bahrain
Tries: Gibson 2, Morete 2, Bishop 2, Bell 2, Behan, Fameitau, Sanson, Roberts, Bennett, Radley
Cons: Radley 4, Whittingham 5
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Sam Smith
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Sholto Byrnes on Myanmar politics
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
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Company%20Profile
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Marwan Lutfi says the core fundamentals that drive better payment behaviour and can improve your credit score are:
1. Make sure you make your payments on time;
2. Limit the number of products you borrow on: the more loans and credit cards you have, the more it will affect your credit score;
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- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Drishyam 2
Directed by: Jeethu Joseph
Starring: Mohanlal, Meena, Ansiba, Murali Gopy
Rating: 4 stars
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
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RESULT
Uruguay 3 Russia 0
Uruguay: Suárez (10'), Cheryshev (23' og), Cavani (90')
Russia: Smolnikov (Red card: 36')
Man of the match: Diego Godin (Uruguay)
Stats at a glance:
Cost: 1.05 billion pounds (Dh 4.8 billion)
Number in service: 6
Complement 191 (space for up to 285)
Top speed: over 32 knots
Range: Over 7,000 nautical miles
Length 152.4 m
Displacement: 8,700 tonnes
Beam: 21.2 m
Draught: 7.4 m
Aldar Properties Abu Dhabi T10
*November 15 to November 24
*Venue: Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi
*Tickets: Start at Dh10, from ttensports.com
*TV: Ten Sports
*Streaming: Jio Live
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*2018 winners: Northern Warriors
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
