AUC Celebrates the Awe-Inspiring Life of Princess Fawzia in an Exhibition
arts arts & culture auc cairo city city life egypt Egyptian Women Egyptians Exhibition feature features New Cairo Princess Fawzia
Kareem Sheta
Featured image: Egyptian streets via AUC – RBSCL
Even though the days of Egyptian royals have been over for quite some time, our admiration for them will never cease to exist as they will always be a part of our history. There was a certain intrigue, mystery, and appeal in their stories, whether King Farouk’s or those of his extended family, especially Egyptian princess, former Queen of Iran, and eldest daughter of King Fouad I, Fawzia Fouad. Current generations may remember Princess Fawzia for her elegance, class, and beauty, all of which seem to radiate out of her portraits until this very day.
But why the sudden focus on this particular royal family member? Well, according to Egyptian Streets, an exhibition, dedicated to her journey, was recently launched at the American University in Cairo (AUC) in New Cairo, entitled Princess Fawzia: The Duality of Egyptian Womanhood Through Western and Egyptian Eyes.
Via Pintrest
Thanks to the collaboration and passion of Eman Morgan, Assistant Director of Special Projects at theRare Books and Special Collections Library (RBSCL) at the AUC, and Jana Amin, a 10th grade Egyptian American and the mastermind behind the project. We now have access to archives from the RBSCL, the KEW National Archive in the United Kingdom, and other national outlets, including photos, magazine covers and newspaper clippings covering the life of Princes Fawzia; from her birth, all the way to her second marriage to Egyptian diplomat, Ismail Hussein Chirine.
Amin said, “The more I researched about her accomplishments on a national level, the more I think it’s really unfortunate that we don’t know about this history today.” She added, “Researching that there were successful women doing what she was doing 100 years ago makes me feel like the same can be done today.”
The exhibition will end on the 31st of October, check out the details here. .