Arts

In Pictures: Mostafa Zohdy Captures the Forgotten Beauty of Cairo’s Informal Settlements

By Marina Makary

Many old buildings in Cairo are often marginalized and viewed as old and ugly due to their sizes that are not very proportional, and the chaos and overpopulation surrounding them. Mostafa Zohdy, an Illustrator and architect, decided to break this stereotype by showing the world that there’s more to Cairo’s old towns and buildings than being deemed as informal settlements or abandoned slums.

Zohdy, or Zohdist as he likes to call himself, started a series of illustrations, as part of an individual project, to highlight these overlooked neighborhoods. “While they take up the majority of the built environment and often exist just around the corner of many attractions in Cairo, they are sparsely shown in commercial photos,” said Zohdy on his Instagram account.

His colorful yet realistic illustrations portray Cairo in an artistic light. Scroll down to see his work in this project. We’re super excited about this project and can’t wait to see his next illustration!

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I really enjoyed working on this piece, I think mostly cos its a non-commissioned work. You can check the full project on my behance account, link in bio. —— For many, #informalsettlements, or ‘#slums’, are deemed ugly and chaotic with their high density and ‘unfinished’ structures. They are often built as a result of rapid population growth coupled with a lack of urban planning. In Cairo, informal areas represent more than 60% of the #urban environment, and as a result, I decided to create these illustrations, inspired by different pockets of the #city, to emphasize these neglected neighborhoods. While they take up the majority of the built environment and often exist just around the corner of many attractions in #Cairo, they are sparsely shown in commercial photos. This #illustration is the beginning of a series, as part of an individual project, which will include further #illustrations around the same topic. Stay tuned. #illustrationoftheday #pigeonstower #egypt #egyptian #art #architecture #cityscape #artwork #illustratingCairo

A post shared by Mostafa Zohdy (@zohdism) on

View this post on Instagram

The second piece is done!! What do you think? This is by far the largest number of gradients i ever used on illustrator, so glad the file didnt fully crash as i was finalizing it. You can check the full project on my behance account, link in bio. —— For many, #informalsettlements, or ‘#slums’, are deemed ugly and chaotic with their high density and ‘unfinished’ structures. They are often built as a result of rapid population growth coupled with a lack of urban planning. In Cairo, informal areas represent more than 60% of the #urban environment, and as a result, I decided to create these illustrations, inspired by different pockets of the #city, to emphasize these neglected neighborhoods. While they take up the majority of the built environment and often exist just around the corner of many attractions in #Cairo, they are sparsely shown in commercial photos. This #illustration is the second of a series, as part of an individual project, which will include further #illustrations around the same topic. Stay tuned. #illustrationoftheday #pigeonstower #pyramids #concrete #urban #giza #egypt #egyptian #art #architecture #cityscape #artwork #adobe #adobeillustrator #illustratingCairo

A post shared by Mostafa Zohdy (@zohdism) on

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Marina Makary

Marina is an Egyptian journalist who aspires to become one of the most influential women in the Middle East. She’s spontaneous, rebellious, and not an echo. She likes to follow her heart and express that through words; her favorite form of expression.

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