#desouk

[hassannasrx]

‏‎#egypt #desouk ‎‏ https://www.instagram.com/p/B_k4EULnJEB/?igshid=t2rz96hv5hav

[myprayerroom]

Captured by @0s0s2 in #Desouk, #Egypt.

[letymakesmusic-blog]

Eid Al-Adha Road Trip

After arriving and spending 3 days on the streets looking for an apartment, Amir and I headed up to spend Eid al-Adha (the feast of sacrifice, commemorating the story of Abraham sacrificing a lamb rather than his only son) with my family in our town called Dirshabah, located in the Delta, Egypt's fertile countryside: 

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Dirshabah is located across the Rashid branch of the Nile from Desouk, a relatively well-known city because of Sidi Ibrahim El-Desouky. He is a famous Sufi saint from Desouk, said to be descended from Imam Ali ibn Ali Talib (the Prophet SAW's cousin and son-in-law). We visited the mausoleum under which he is buried in the main Masjid in Desouk:

The Masjid is beautiful and cavernous, and it was wonderful to visit. There is a mawlid (festival) to celebrate Sidi Ibrahim El-Desouky every year, and we were distraught to find out that it happened just a week before we arrived in Egypt! We're hoping to attend mawlids and other celebrations throughout Egypt this year, especially ones where there might be live musical performances of Egyptian folk music in its natural context.

After visiting my cousins who live further out in rural Egypt, closer to the desert, on a huge farm where they grow many different crops, have a fish farm, raise goats, and have a pickles business, we made our way back to Cairo and began our musical adventures.