In the Fold of Oblivion: Heritage Crafts in Egypt

About this book

Between the walls of old alleys that derived their names from their owners' craft, and under the shade of workshops that were never mere workplaces, but sanctums of art and identity, writer Hager Adel opens the pages of her book "In the Fold of Oblivion" to dig into Egyptian history's memory for treasures nearly buried. This work is no dry academic chronicle, but a "living elegy" and renewed hope for professions shaped by fingers that never knew fatigue; professions once stitched with "khayamiya" threads, molded from pottery clay, and engraved with the spirit of "arabesque." The book's tone progresses from the mystery of birth in the heart of ancient Egyptian civilization, where the artisan worshiped through his craft, to moments of historical fracture when craft masters were forcibly displaced, leaving behind an emptiness modernity never filled. The book takes you on an inspiring tour among "seashells" narrating the sea's tales, "tarbooshes" that fell from heads but remained in the conscience, and "leathers" that preserved the secrets of nearness and travel. It is an invitation to rediscover "alabaster" translucent with the light of truth, and the "weave" that wove coolness and peace for a people's identity. "In the Fold of Oblivion" is a bridge between past greatness and a reality in need of a pause of reverence, to protect what remains of "Egypt's soul" from being lost in oblivion's abysses.