Egyptian architect-turned production designer Mohamed Attia has worked with many of the country’s acclaimed film directors, including the late Mohamed Khan, Yousry Nasrallah, Tarek Alarian and Marwan Hamed.
But he never expected the brief given to him a year and a half ago: design the visual aspects of a parade that will transport 22 royal mummies from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square to their new resting place at the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation.
"I was very happy that the officials trusted me to do such a job. But at the same time, I was so worried about the big responsibility and it was something I've never done before," Attia, 48, tells The National.
It was something I've never done before
The monumental task included transforming army trucks into climate-controlled floats decorated in pharaonic style, recreating ancient Egyptian boats and carriages, lighting the parade route and designing majestic gates.
He need not have worried; the spectacular Pharaohs' Golden Parade that took place on April 3 garnered positive reviews from around the world and instilled nationalistic pride among Egyptians.
Attia is an example of the homegrown talent that was showcased to a global audience on that day, as Egypt highlighted its ancient heritage and signaled to the world that its was open to tourists.
“It was one of the highlights of my career,” he says.
From dentistry to cinema
The journey that led Attia to the mummies parade was a winding one.
As a university student he spent five months studying dentistry at Cairo University before deciding it was not for him.
“It was the dream of my family for me to become a doctor, but I love architecture,” he recalls.
He transferred to the Faculty of Fine Arts in Zamalek and in his first year did an internship on the set of Al Mohager (The Emigrant), a 1994 film directed by Youssef Chahine.
He “started falling in love with cinema” but finished his studies in architecture in 1995 and began work as a draftsman in France.
“I believe that any production designer in the cinema has to have an architectural background through education or experience,” he says.
Still, architecture was not his true calling.
“I suffered working there. It was so depressing for me.”
After over three years of producing drawings, he jumped on the opportunity to return to Cairo to help renovate buildings at the 1930s-era production complex Studio Misr.
It was there that he met production designer and art director Salah Marei, who encouraged him to make a career change and introduced him to film director Khan.
In parallel Attia established his own film production design company called 35 Champollion Studio, named after its address in Downtown Cairo.
“I was so lucky,” he says. “My first chance was with Mohamed Khan, who was one of the biggest names in the 80s and 90s.”
Attia worked on three films with Khan followed by two films with Nasrallah.
More recently, Attia has been the production designer on four films by Palestinian-Egyptian director Tarek Alarian and another four from young director Marwan Hamad.
A new challenge
For Attia, the parade presented a unique challenge: creating an event that is not “kitsch” or “cliché” and reflects the prestige of a royal procession.
“We didn’t have a zero line based on references. The closest thing one could compare it to is the Rio de Janeiro carnival or Venice carnival, but this was more of a celebration of a deep history,” Attia says.
“There is a sense of respect and magnificence, more than a colourful party for the masses.”
He emphasises that the production design was a team effort, including his entire events company Kokoro and 35 people outsourced from elsewhere.
Other challenges included contending with delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and operating within a limited budget.
“Army trucks are not the best solution for a designer – they’re bulky. But we didn’t have the budget to buy or rent 22 cars just for the parade,” he says.
Decorated in black and gold, each lorry included the name of the king or queen written in English, Arabic and hieroglyphics. The mummies were protected in nitrogen-sealed capsules.
The event “renewed the link between contemporary Egyptians and their pharaonic ancestors”, Attia says, and the positive reviews gave Egyptians a “confidence boost”.
“We have this assumption that Egyptians can’t put on a big event like this – that we have to get foreigners from abroad. But I believe there was pride and joy that Egyptians can do this.”
Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Khaled El Anany said there are plans to hold another royal parade later this year to transfer King Tutankhamun to the yet-to-be-opened Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza.
Would Attia take part again if asked?
“Of course,” he says, without missing a beat.
The specs
Engine: 1.5-litre turbo
Power: 181hp
Torque: 230Nm
Transmission: 6-speed automatic
Starting price: Dh79,000
On sale: Now
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
How to help or find other cats to adopt
Strait of Hormuz
Fujairah is a crucial hub for fuel storage and is just outside the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route linking Middle East oil producers to markets in Asia, Europe, North America and beyond.
The strait is 33 km wide at its narrowest point, but the shipping lane is just three km wide in either direction. Almost a fifth of oil consumed across the world passes through the strait.
Iran has repeatedly threatened to close the strait, a move that would risk inviting geopolitical and economic turmoil.
Last month, Iran issued a new warning that it would block the strait, if it was prevented from using the waterway following a US decision to end exemptions from sanctions for major Iranian oil importers.
The%20specs
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2021 World Triathlon Championship Series
May 15: Yokohama, Japan
June 5: Leeds, UK
June 24: Montreal, Canada
July 10: Hamburg, Germany
Aug 17-22: Edmonton, Canada (World Triathlon Championship Final)
Nov 5-6 : Abu Dhabi, UAE
Date TBC: Chengdu, China
Dr Graham's three goals
Short term
Establish logistics and systems needed to globally deploy vaccines
Intermediate term
Build biomedical workforces in low- and middle-income nations
Long term
A prototype pathogen approach for pandemic preparedness
FIXTURES
UAE’s remaining fixtures in World Cup qualification R2
Oct 8: Malaysia (h)
Oct 13: Indonesia (a)
Nov 12: Thailand (h)
Nov 17: Vietnam (h)
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Company profile
Company: Rent Your Wardrobe
Date started: May 2021
Founder: Mamta Arora
Based: Dubai
Sector: Clothes rental subscription
Stage: Bootstrapped, self-funded
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%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ogram%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2017%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Karim%20Kouatly%20and%20Shafiq%20Khartabil%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EDubai%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20On-demand%20staffing%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2050%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMore%20than%20%244%20million%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%20round%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Series%20A%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EGlobal%20Ventures%2C%20Aditum%20and%20Oraseya%20Capital%3Cbr%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Three ways to boost your credit score
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;
3. Don't max out all your debts: how much you maximise those credit facilities will have an impact. If you have five credit cards and utilise 90 per cent of that credit, it will negatively affect your score.
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
Defined benefit and defined contribution schemes explained
Defined Benefit Plan (DB)
A defined benefit plan is where the benefit is defined by a formula, typically length of service to and salary at date of leaving.
Defined Contribution Plan (DC)
A defined contribution plan is where the benefit depends on the amount of money put into the plan for an employee, and how much investment return is earned on those contributions.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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ACC%20T20%20Women%E2%80%99s%20Championship
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Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Canada
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2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Sub Regional Qualifier
Event info: The tournament in Kuwait is the first phase of the qualifying process for sides from Asia for the 2020 World T20 in Australia. The UAE must finish within the top three teams out of the six at the competition to advance to the Asia regional finals. Success at regional finals would mean progression to the World T20 Qualifier.
Teams: UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Maldives, Qatar
Friday fixtures: 9.30am (UAE time) - Kuwait v Maldives, Qatar v UAE; 3pm - Saudi Arabia v Bahrain
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The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Porsche Taycan Turbo specs
Engine: Two permanent-magnet synchronous AC motors
Transmission: two-speed
Power: 671hp
Torque: 1050Nm
Range: 450km
Price: Dh601,800
On sale: now
SCORES
Yorkshire Vikings 144-1 in 12.5 overs
(Tom Kohler 72 not out, Harry Broook 42 not out)
bt Hobart Hurricanes 140-7 in 20 overs
(Caleb Jewell 38, Sean Willis 35, Karl Carver 2-29, Josh Shaw 2-39)
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
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German intelligence warnings
- 2002: "Hezbollah supporters feared becoming a target of security services because of the effects of [9/11] ... discussions on Hezbollah policy moved from mosques into smaller circles in private homes." Supporters in Germany: 800
- 2013: "Financial and logistical support from Germany for Hezbollah in Lebanon supports the armed struggle against Israel ... Hezbollah supporters in Germany hold back from actions that would gain publicity." Supporters in Germany: 950
- 2023: "It must be reckoned with that Hezbollah will continue to plan terrorist actions outside the Middle East against Israel or Israeli interests." Supporters in Germany: 1,250
Source: Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution
