Exhibition at Fustat Pottery Village to Become Permanent Fixture

In Old Cairo, amongst its enduring mediaeval buildings and just across from the Coptic Museum, you’ll be able to find the Fustat Pottery Village, a refuge of craftsmanship that first carved a space for itself in the heart of the capital in November 2021. Since then they’ve served as a nexus for traditional crafts, with 152 workshops dedicated to keeping the artform alive.

The Fustat Pottery Village recently held an exhibition starting July 3rd, which was originally scheduled to run for only three days. Thanks to its massive success as a showcase of homegrown talent and tradition, however, the Fustat Pottery Village announced that the exhibition will remain ongoing all year long.

The exhibition and by extension the village as a whole celebrates the entirety of Egyptian pottery and craftsmanship, dating back to Ancient Egypt when such pots were used for storage, transportation, and even as beer mugs. Upper Egypt bore witness to much of the craft’s evolution, innovating many styles and classifications, from the colours to the pores and the textures.

At the heart of it, the art form is one of the first tools of expressions Egyptians had, simultaneously creative and industrious, where the curves and streaks of clay weren’t just about functionality, but decor and design as well. With its year-round exhibition, people the world over have the opportunity to see this fundamentally Egyptian artform with its many forms for themselves.