Portsaid's ElToratheyah: The Semsemeya Harp Museum Documenting A City's Musical Heritage

A city's winding past often finds itself echoed back in its musical DNA, tracing itself through critical points of history, shaping its current form. Portsaid, a Mediterranean coastal city in Egypt, found its establishment on April 25th, 1859 during the construction of the then British-French-owned mega waterway project the Suez Canal. Thriving and flourishing for many years, Portsaid became a buzzing metropolitan port-city throughout the 20th century until the '50s and '60s where it witnessed its fair share of political conflict and war after Egyptian President Nasser's decision to nationalize the Suez Canal. In between Britain, France and Israel's tripartite aggression, a city wide evacuation and a long awaited triumph, Portsaid and its natives experienced the city's fabric drastically shift throughout those years, a fabric that was historically documented in songs of war, victory and resilience - Watch our video feature with ElToratheyah cultural center founder and semsemeya aficionado Mohamed Ghali as he takes on his mission to  equally restore, revive and sustain Portsaid's unique musical landscape.

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