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‘House of Arabic Singing’ … Cultural Tourism Destination in Egypt

Prince Bashtak Palace (Cultural Development Fund).
Prince Bashtak Palace (Cultural Development Fund).
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‘House of Arabic Singing’ … Cultural Tourism Destination in Egypt

Prince Bashtak Palace (Cultural Development Fund).
Prince Bashtak Palace (Cultural Development Fund).

It is a trip in the world of classic art, and not only a visit to an ancient palace or a unique architectural model from the Mamluk era in Egypt. Cairo’s Prince Bashtak Palace embraces a hub of creativity that truly pleases its visitors: it is the “House of Arabic Singing”, which presents charming voices and great Arabic songs.

While in Egypt, you can satisfy your crooning cravings in many prestigious places such as the Cairo Opera House and the Institute of Arabic music, yet, at the Bashtak Palace, it is a different experience, where delight goes beyond the limits, and music and singing meet civilization and history.

The connection between music and historic landmarks in Egypt is not nascent. While touring the Bashtak Palace before attending a concert, you can see engravings of cemeteries and temples on a varied collection of instruments. And if a touristic guide accompanies you on the tour, they will definitely link the palace to Egyptian musical history.

During my last visit to the “House of Arabic Singing”, guide Ahmad Abdul Samih told me: “Music was an integral part of the ancient Egyptian civilization. Many dead were buried with instruments, which indicates that music was a major aspect of the ancients’ daily life, as well as religious rituals.” Abdul Samih describes this cultural center specialized in singing as a “touristic destination boasting the Arabic musical heritage and a vital tool to preserve it.”

It offers an insight into the restoration and exploitation of the historic houses around old Cairo, which transformed the area into a special destination for cultural tourism. The palace also hosts concerts and workshops that aim to preserve the artistic identity and elevate the musical taste of visitors.

The House of Arabic Singing offers a monthly program of concerts that entertain visitors with diverse music colors including poems, religious chants, and crooning.

It also hosts emerging, highly-skilled talents who sing some of the greatest Arabic songs, as well as concerts that recall the masterpieces of Arab legends including Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Farid al-Atrash, Abdel Halim Hafez, Wadih el-Safi, and Fairuz.

All you have to do before visiting is to check the concert program on the website of the Cultural Development Fund. You will be so lucky if you get the chance to attend a special concert that commemorates an esteemed singer, or if your visit overlaps with the monthly event, the “Maqamat Salon”.

You are also advised to inquire about the workshops held by the palace to preserve the musical heritage, which allow you to study music with some of the best young musicians, and get the chance to explore different music genres and rare oriental instruments. And if you are a fan of paintings, you will be delighted to visit the art gallery.

You might be surprised to see such an artistic momentum in the old, popular region known as “Darb Kormoz”, but it is not a coincidence. The Egyptian culture ministry wanted to introduce the popular Arabic singing in a way that brings it closer to the mainstream audience, and upscale their musical taste.

Before leaving the place, don’t forget to stop by the library which includes rare books and valuable encyclopedias on Arabic music and singing, or you can pass by the recording store to buy some rare releases.

From the magic of music, the palace, described by Al-Maqrizi as “one of the greatest establishments in Cairo,” takes you on a trip in history. Located in Al-Muizz li-Din Allah al-Fatimi Street, the palace was built by Prince Sayf al-Din Bashtak al-Nasiri on a part of the “Grand Eastern Palace Land”, between 1334-1339 AD.

When you wander in it, the palace triggers your imagination and prompts so many questions about it and its owner, especially when you hear some of the relevant anecdotes, such as what Al-Maqrizi said about “Prince Bashtak who never lived in this palace despite its breathtaking beauty, and that he felt horrible every time he visited it, until he sold it.”

Tickets of concerts at the House of Arabic Singing sell for 65-100 Egyptian pounds ($1=31 Egyptian pounds).

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Culture

Film Commission Announces Rules, Selection Process for the Kingdom’s 2027 Best International Feature Film Oscar Submission

The Saudi Film Commission logo
The Saudi Film Commission logo
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Film Commission Announces Rules, Selection Process for the Kingdom’s 2027 Best International Feature Film Oscar Submission

The Saudi Film Commission logo
The Saudi Film Commission logo

The Film Commission has announced the official rules, eligibility criteria, and selection process for the Kingdom’s official submission to the 99th Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category.

The rules comply with the regulations established by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, covering film eligibility requirements, submission criteria and procedures, and the process for selecting the film that will officially represent the Kingdom, SPA reported.

The announcement provides a clear regulatory framework to ensure that eligibility criteria and selection procedures are applied in accordance with best practices.

An independent selection committee comprising film industry specialists and experts has been formed to review and evaluate eligible submissions and vote on the film that will officially represent the Kingdom, in line with academy guidelines.

The rules set out several eligibility requirements. Most notably, a film must be a feature-length production with a running time of more than 40 minutes, and more than 50% of its dialogue track must be in a language or languages other than English and accurate English subtitles.

It must also meet the qualifying commercial theatrical-release requirements in Saudi Arabia during the specified period, including a paid commercial theatrical run of at least seven consecutive days.

Furthermore, the film must not have been made available for streaming or distribution before its qualifying theatrical release and must satisfy all other applicable eligibility requirements.

The commission invites filmmakers wishing to be considered for selection as the Kingdom’s official submission to review the rules and eligibility criteria and ensure that all requirements are met before submission.

Culture

Istanbul Cymbals: From Ottoman Weapon of War to Pulse of Global Music

A worker hammers a cymbal at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. (AFP)
A worker hammers a cymbal at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. (AFP)
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Istanbul Cymbals: From Ottoman Weapon of War to Pulse of Global Music

A worker hammers a cymbal at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. (AFP)
A worker hammers a cymbal at a workshop in Istanbul on July 30, 2026. (AFP)

The rhythmic clanging of hammers on bronze echoes through the Istanbul workshop where three craftsmen are landing blows with astonishing precision to transform featureless metal discs into highly prized handcrafted cymbals.

First used by Ottoman military "mehter" bands to frighten and demoralize the enemy, cymbals were a useful tool for an empire on the warpath.

But it would take the skill of a 17th-century Armenian alchemist called Avedis Zildjian to transform them into a percussion instrument whose exotic sound would first captivate Europe's classical composers and then shape the world of jazz.

Although cymbals existed long before Zildjian, he developed a unique alloy and special process for treating the metals that made them less fragile, winning plaudits in 1623 from the Ottoman sultan who let him set up a workshop.

"It's really hard to make good cymbals because they're consistently being crashed, so to make something that wasn't brittle which could withstand continuous use is quite an achievement," said ethnomusicologist Audrey Wozniak, who specializes in Turkish musical traditions.

The secret was passed down through the generations and although the original Zildjian operation left Istanbul for America in the dying days of the Ottoman Empire, others who learned from the Zildjian masters have continued the tradition.

Today, Istanbul remains the center of excellence for cymbals, where a handful of brands still produce hand-hammered bronze using techniques developed more than 400 years ago.

- 'A cymbal's soul' -

"We are producing 100-percent handmade cymbals with traditional methods, without using electricity or gas, only coal and wood," said Mehmet Ozturk, sales rep at Bosphorus Cymbals on Istanbul's northern outskirts, who said casting a cymbal takes up to a week.

First is the casting stage. Most cymbals are made of a copper and tin alloy that is melted into molten bronze which is poured into molds and cooled into disc-shaped blanks.

Moving swiftly, a worker using a long-handled peel places the blanks into the glowing furnace then removes others that are put through a rolling mill in a cycle repeated up to 15 times to compress and spread the metal which is then water tempered.

"Every stage is crucial," said master cymbalsmith Hasan Seker, a burly 56-year-old who co-founded Bosphorus Cymbals in 1996 and was sweating after hauling glowing blanks into and out of the furnace.

"We use copper and tin and one more ingredient which is secret. Even though it's in very small quantities, it gives the cymbal a different character in terms of consistency and sound," he told AFP.

After punching out the raised bell and cutting it to size, what looks like the now recognizable cymbal must undergo the all-important hammering process.

"Not a single blow is random," he said as a trio of craftsmen and their expert struck the cymbals to create the darker, more complex tones so prized by jazz drummers.

This is where a man's emotional state is poured into his work, said Seker, who began working in the trade aged 12 as a summer job.

"When someone is hammering, he might hit softly, then something comes to mind, he gets angry and hits harder. Those variations in the metal's surface, the reservations, the tension patterns diversify the sound. In a way, he gives the cymbal its soul."

Over the years, Seker has met countless grateful musicians, some of whom come on "a pilgrimage" to the workshop whose grubby walls are lined with ageing posters of jazz drummers like Jeff Hamilton, Stanton Moore and Ari Hoenig.

- 'Every one is different' -

Inside Nardis Jazz Club, a dimly lit venue with an intimate feel in the shadow of Istanbul's Galata Tower, a jazz trio is rehearsing ahead of an evening show with a singer.

For drummer Derin Bayhan, he would only ever use Istanbul-made cymbals because they're "100 percent handmade" and each one has a unique sound.

"Even if you bought two from the same series, the same weight and structure, the two cymbals wouldn't perfectly match. Because it's handmade, it's basically an adventure," the 42-year-old told AFP.

"So you search for one and when you find it, no one else will have it: that sound is yours."

As to why the Istanbul tradition remains so popular among jazz musicians despite the Zildjian family's move to America where they set up a factory, jazz historian Berk Ozler said it was the search for uniqueness.

"Mass production started when Zildjian went to the USA whereas the ones that stayed in Istanbul were handcrafted and still are. Jazz musicians chase after that uniqueness so that's why they are very valuable."

Culture

Saudi Heritage Commission Expands National Urban Heritage Register with 9,586 New Sites

The Saudi Heritage Commission logo
The Saudi Heritage Commission logo
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Saudi Heritage Commission Expands National Urban Heritage Register with 9,586 New Sites

The Saudi Heritage Commission logo
The Saudi Heritage Commission logo

The Heritage Commission announced the registration of 9,586 urban heritage sites in the National Urban Heritage Register in two consecutive phases.

 

The first phase included 3,000 sites, followed by an additional 6,586, bringing the total number of registered sites across Saudi Arabia’s regions to 59,586, SPA reported.

The registered sites in the two phases were distributed across several Saudi regions, including 169 sites in Riyadh Region, 1,755 in Makkah Region, 23 in Madinah Region, 13 in Qassim Region, 19 in Eastern Region, 4,363 in Aseer Region, two in Tabuk Region, 21 in Hail Region, one in Northern Borders Region, 673 in Najran Region, and 2,547 in Al-Baha Region.

The Heritage Commission urged citizens and residents to report unregistered urban heritage sites or any practices that may compromise their integrity through the archaeological report service, the commission’s official social media channels, by visiting one of its branches or offices across the Kingdom, or by contacting the Unified Security Operations Center at 911.