Friday March 29th, 2024
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Ministry of Magic: Custom-Made Magic Wands from Cairo's Own Ollivander

This might sound like it comes straight out of Hogwarts, but it’s a thing.

Staff Writer

Eight months ago, in a farm located 800 kilometers into a desert, founder of Egypt’s ‘Ministry of Magic’, Nadeem William, had some spare battery in his laptop and decided to watch the last Harry Potter film with a friend. He woke up the next day and started carving twigs with his pocket-knife. Now, William makes custom-made wands for EGP 350. This might sound like it comes straight out of Hogwarts, but it’s a thing.

This is how it works: the potential wand owner sends a 'wand request' message to the Ministry of Magic’s Instagram page. You then get sent a 'Wand Quiz', consisting of get-to-know questions helping William relate to you on a personal level. 

“I’ve always been crafty and good with tools," William told CairoScene, "I’m also a self-taught silversmith, and own Sea Alchemy (a handmade ring brand). But the hard part is that it’s literally a one-man-show."

Managing the Instagram page, general marketing, the actual making of the wands and delivery, are among the many tasks William undertakes. “The supply hunts are my favorite part as I use either organic, recycled or generally eco-friendly materials [that come from nature]."

An upcoming project William revealed is one issuing wand-owners free 'Wizarding World Passports', with every purchase. He would then award people badges on their passports for doing good things for the environment and with every badge, you get a discount. Beyond Harry Porter being an obvious influence, there's a craftsman, designer and artist.

"What inspires me behind the designs of my wands are actually my clients. My first order ever was of four wands, without them having even seen my work.” Also coming soon are potions, broomsticks and notebooks that look like tomes. What's William's most common request?

"Everyone’s favorite animal tends to be wolf for some reason."