In these pages you will hopefully find interesting tips on how to take advantage of Cairo's many cultural opportunities, with particular attention to live events. Cairo Live Events Guide does not pretend to be exhaustive but will try to cover main events open to the public.

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Thursday, October 23, 2008

MAKAN

This place is the closest you get to the feeling of attending a real underground performance. The cellar-like atmosphere blends perfectly with the performances of the Mazaher Ensemble rendered regularly in this venue and conjure to make it a mesmerizing experience.
The hall is nothing more than a big living room with carpets to sit on just in front of the performers for the ones more inclined towards the “baladi” experience, and chairs for the others. There is as well a gallery with chairs along the balustrade. I would say that the place does not contain more than a hundred people. The atmosphere is very relaxed and invites you to “belong” to the place. Tea and karkade are on offer for free in the intermission of the show, which starts at 9:00 PM and goes on until around 11:00 PM. Entrance fee is 30 EGP if you buy the ticket at the door or 20 EGP if you reserve beforehand (at makan@egyptmusic.org ). Reservation are kept until 9:00 PM. Smoking not allowed. There are toilet facilities inside. A/C and fans makes sure that there is a nice, if a bit chilly, temperature inside the hall; I advise those sensible to air currents to bring a shawl or a scarf. CDs of the Mazaher Ensemble and of other artists are on sale at the ticket counter.

Makan is on 1, Saad Zaghloul St., 11461, El Dawaween, Tel. 27920878. It is not a problem to park there at the time of the performances but it is so close to the Metro Station that I prefer to use this form of transportation. To reach “The Place” (that’s what Makan means in Arabic), get out at the Saad Zaghloul Station, then follow the exit indication for Sharia Mansour. Once above ground, locate the well lit Mausoleum of Saad Zaghloul and walk toward its entrance. Walk past it and continue until you reach the corner of the plot. In front of you, on the opposite side of the road stands Makan. It has a sign and you will surely see people standing there waiting for the performance to begin.

Press articles:
Al Ahram Weekly, December 2009
Al Masry Al Youm, August 2010

1 comment:

  1. This guid is very wonderfull,am apperciate for this guid and wish more successfull for you .




    With my beast wishes,
    (your markting previsly,,,,, sayed abdel magied)

    ReplyDelete