Egypt: Luxor festival sees Tahtib take centre stage

At a cultural festival in the Egyptian city of Luxor last week, the spotlight was primarily on tahtib, which is part sport, part traditional dance. With its moves drawn from a martial art, tahtib has its origins back in ancient Egypt, as the director of the festival's opening ceremony explained.

“Many tahtib players are participating in this festival. Tahtib is an ancient game that we discovered through Pharaonic antiquities, specifically from the carvings on the walls of the temples and tombs of Beni Hassan,'' explained Ahmad al-Shafei. ''It is an ancient Egyptian game and a major part of Egyptian heritage. It has been practiced for a very long time and continues to this day, accompanied by the mizmar, which is also an ancient instrument," he added.

In addition to the festival, the city of Luxor also has an initiative to teach tahtib to girls and young women. In the past, tahtib was limited to men, but attitudes are gradually changing according to trainer Evon Asaad.

“A woman holding the stick and playing tahtib like men? People used to think that we held the stick in traditional rural clothing merely as a performance. But when they saw us wearing sportswear and holding the stick as a combat weapon and a sport, not just a display, some people welcomed the idea and felt proud that a girl could learn and practice sports such as tahtib, like a boy. Others, however, still believe it is a right reserved only for men," Asaad explained.

For some trainees, learning tahtib has been a transformative experience, enabling them to develop their strength and confidence. Among them is Kermina Hani.

“I have a strange and special feeling. It is something new for me to be a girl who practices tahtib, and the way people look at me like 'Wow. How can you hold the stick, strike, and engage in combat with boys?' It is a wonderful experience," Hani says.

Friendship, courage, chivalry and pride are among the values championed by tahtib.