
FirstLook: Rain in Fayoum
- Arts
- Photography
Reading time:1min
Photograph by Hesham Elsherif
I took this photo during a rainy day in November 2018 from the window of my family home in Fayoum, Egypt, located about 100 kilometers southwest of the capital. It hardly rains but a few times in the year in most parts of Egypt, and when it does, it is always something special, bringing joy and happiness particularly for the local children.
That day I was in my room when I noticed it raining. I looked out the window and saw children running out of their homes to play in the rain. I quickly reached for my camera and headed to the window to capture this scene. The children were jumping for joy as they ran through the rain while singing traditional Egyptian songs. Some of them even tried catching raindrops on their tongues. Women in the background were trying to make their way home quickly and not get wet.
I’m happy I was able to capture this moment. It reminds me of my own childhood and how I use to play as a child. I take photos like this because it shows how simple a joyful life can be.
—Hesham Elsherif
@hesham.a.elsherif
You may also be interested in...
FirstLook: "Arabs In America: Native Sons"
Arts
In 1975 AramcoWorld dedicated an entire issue to celebrating the lives of Arab Americans and their impact—from renowned heart surgeon Michael DeBakey to White House correspondent Helen Thomas to entertainer and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital founder Danny Thomas.Reflections on Journeys
Arts
History
Part 2 of our series celebrating AramcoWorld’s 75th anniversary this year highlights “visual vagabonding”—the magazine’s expanded use of vibrant images over the decades to fulfill the mission of cultural connection.Hijrah: A Journey That Changed the World
History
Arts
Avoiding main roads due to threats to his life, in 622 CE the Prophet Muhammad and his followers escaped north from Makkah to Madinah by riding through the rugged western Arabian Peninsula along path whose precise contours have been traced only recently. Known as the Hijrah, or migration, their eight-day journey became the beginning of the Islamic calendar, and this spring, the exhibition "Hijrah: In the Footsteps of the Prophet," at Ithra in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, explored the journey itself and its memories-as-story to expand understandings of what the Hijrah has meant both for Muslims and the rest of a the world. "This is a story that addresses universal human themes," says co-curator Idries Trevathan.