Cairo
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Egyptian author Youssef Rakha"The Cairo I've known is being eroded"
Youssef Rakha revisits Egypt's 2011 uprising and its aftermath in "The Dissenters", the author's first novel written in English. The Arab Spring failed, he argues in this interview, because it was a neoliberal movement with no compelling vision for the future.
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Cairo's Jewish QuarterThe neighbourhood that shaped a nation
In his new book, Egyptian author Ahmed Zakaria Zaki explores the 19th-century history of Cairo's Jewish Quarter, tracing the social transformations within the city's Jewish community and its reaction to the emergent Zionist movement.
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Egypt's broken justice system"My approach was to joke about prison"
In 2016, Egyptian author Ahmed Naji was imprisoned for one year, his writing allegedly "harming public morals". His new book "Rotten Evidence" chronicles his journey to and through prison. Darkly humorous, it offers vivid insights into the cruel and mundane world of Egyptian prison. Interview by Hannah El-Hitami
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10 years after Egypt's Rabaa massacreStill waiting for justice
The massacre of protesters in Cairo under Abdul Fattah al-Sisi's watch was one of the worst in modern history – and one of the best documented. But 10 years on, no-one has been held accountable. By Cathrin Schaer
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Exclusive: Egyptian activist Sanaa Seif"Egypt's regime must overcome its paranoia"
President Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi is driven by the fear of a new uprising, says activist Sanaa Seif. In interview, she talks about the fight to release her brother Alaa Abdel Fattah – and why the West should exert more pressure. Andrea Backhaus met up with her in London
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Economic crisis in EgyptRising costs spell doom for Egyptian village traditions
Multi-day weddings, feeding the bereaved and homemade bread are all becoming things of the past in rural Egypt, as centuries-old traditions are steadily squeezed by a punishing economic crisis
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Cairo's crisisEgypt needs democracy to fix its economy
Sisi’s mismanagement has plunged the country into crisis. Both political and economic reform is needed to save it, writes Abdelrahman Mansour
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Economic crisis on the NileIs Egypt the 'new Lebanon'?
Food prices doubled, salaries halved, banks restricting withdrawals: Egyptians now have the same problems as the Lebanese. But if things get worse here, the fallout will be far more damaging. By Cathrin Schaer
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Egypt’s economic crisisEgyptians in dire straits
The devaluation of the Egyptian pound combined with rising food prices is taking its toll on Egypt. More and more people are slipping into poverty. Karim El-Gawhary reports from Cairo
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Women's rights in EgyptWe need to talk about abortion
Abortions are illegal in Egypt unless they are necessary to save a married woman's life. But that doesn't stop local women from having one. Egyptian society needs to acknowledge this, activists say. By Diana Hodali
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Sufism in EgyptCairo's mystic revival
Egyptian Sufis have been on the defensive against the country's Islamists for decades. Meanwhile, interest in mysticism is growing among the young members of Cairo’s middle and upper classes. By Marian Brehmer
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Football in the Middle EastFreedom vs. oppression
"Rebel Game: The Power of Football in the Middle East and the Qatar World Cup", an anthology published by Middle East researchers Jan Busse and Rene Wildangel, takes the upcoming FIFA World Cup in Qatar as its basis for grappling with the socio-political and historical relevance of football in the Middle East. By Mirjam Schmidt