Al Araba El Madfuna

In 2004, Wael Shawky embarked on an artistic research journey through his homeland in search of historical, religious and philosophical peculiarities that decisively shaped political and social life in Egypt. He traveled from his native town of Alexandria via Cairo and the Nile along to southern Egypt. Inspired by places and encounters of this journey, Shawky created the film trilogy Al Araba Al Madfuna (2012-2016), a moniker that refers to the burial of Arab history.

The village carrying the same name, located near the archaeological site of Ozorion and the ancient city of Abydos, provided the perfect setting for the films. The town has been subject to many archeological and fortune seeking visits all in search of a buried treasure that never has been proven to exist. The artist himself first came upon the village when a shaman prophesized the treasure’s location only, of course, to no avail. Shawky explores this need amongst his countrymen to find, retain, and restore the past glories of Egypt’s rich ancient history as a way to affirm a national identity and pride.