Appliqué panels from the Street of the Tentmakers, Cairo.
TRC Gallery exhibition, until 2 July 2015
One of the joys of walking around the bazaars of ancient Cairo is a visit to the Street of the Tentmakers. It is a 17th century complex of buildings, with a long street with shops filled with appliqué panels of the most amazing range of colours and designs.
Man working on an appliqué panel, Street of the Tentmakers, Cairo, Egypt. Photograph: Gillian Vogelsang-Eastwood, December 2014.
The appliqués from the Street are part of a tradition that goes back to at least the time of the ancient Egyptian pharaoh, Tutankhamun (died 1323 BC). The new TRC exhibition includes historical and technical information as well as a very wide range of panels with traditional geometric designs, intricate Arabic calligraphy, ancient Egyptian tomb scenes, modern lotus designs, as well as birds, fishes, landscapes and folk stories. In fact, all aspects of traditional Egyptian life.
The exhibition at the TRC has been made possible with the help of the appliqué makers from the Street of the Tentmakers, Cairo, and the director and staff of the Netherlands-Flemish Institute, Cairo, Egypt.
The exhibition will be open to the general public, and free of charge, during the normal opening hours of the TRC (Monday-Thursday, 10.00 - 16.00). On Wednesdays and Thursdays, there are guided tours of the exhibition, starting two o'clock in the afternoon and lasting about one hour. Costs: 7.50 euro. Registration beforehand is not necessary.
For a brief film about the opening of the exhibition on 4th January, and about the exhibition itself. please click here. The film was made by Andrew Thompson, Restorient, Leiden, The Netherlands.
