Tucked Away in Nuweiba, Dar Jan is an Organic Farm Offering Workshops on Art and Sustainable Living

Nestled between the mountains and the sea in Nuweiba, an organic farm called Dar Jan is hosting a roster of art, creativity and life skills workshops starting from September, after a hiatus due to COVID-19. The farm was founded by married couple Gihan Zakaria and Khaled Kamel, who decided to leave their corporate lives behind to pursue their dreams of tranquility and independence in Sinai. With Zakaria having grown up in Alexandria, living close to the water was almost a necessity – hence their choice for setting up their farm in the ethereally peaceful seaside town of Nuweiba.

“We wanted to give like minded people the opportunity to see what it would be like to live an alternative lifestyle like we do," Zakaria told CairoScene. “We offer workshops, where small groups of between 6 to 12 stay on our farm for 3 to 5 days, and either opt to learn all about sustainable living or arts and handicrafts."

“We offer a crash course on organic farming, and showing them how we can live this life away from the big city,” Kamel said. “We also teach a workshop on building using natural materials, as well as key survival skills in the desert that covers shelter-building, navigation, lighting a fire and so on. Dar Jan also offers a course for families with children that will teach them the basics of growing food."

The creative workshops – taught by specialized individuals across different artistic fields - include courses on pottery, jewellery-making, song-writing (with poet  Hazem Wefy), oil painting, calligraphy, calli-graffiti (like calligraphy, but your friends will be more impressed) and more. As opposed to focusing too much on the technical aspects of these skills, the instructors instead share their knowledge and encourage the participants to let their creativity loose, an ethos that Zakaria and Kamel wholeheartedly share.

To check out Dar Jan’s workshops and register, head to their Facebook page at facebook.com/darjanforce1.