Tahteeb at the Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations

The Permanent Mission of Egypt to the United Nations was the setting for a “tahteeb” performance last week. Tahteeb, originally a form of martial art, dates back to Ancient Egyptian times. It progressively became a folk practice — mainly in Upper Egypt — and is now a protected heritage, having been inscribed in UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2016. The ancient stick dance was hosted by Faika Zaki, wife of Egyptian Ambassador to the United Nations Amr Aboulatta, and the UN Delegations Women’s Club. Over 100 women from all over the world attended the performance with standing room only. Each guest left with a copy of “Scents of Egypt,” CIB’s 2017 annual book that is a collection of renowned photographs spanning across every geographic pocket of the country.