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Dalia Rabbah

About this Interview

Dalia Rabbah was interviewed by her AAST 3151/HIST 3672 classmate, Jordan Aguilara,  via Zoom on February 2nd, 2022. Born and raised in Michigan, Rabbah is of Egyptian and Indonesian descent. She has traveled to Western Europe and the Middle East. In this interview, she discusses her travels to Egypt and her experiences both as a tourist and a woman of Egyptian heritage. Heritage sites of the city, such as the Karnak Temple, sounds of the city, like the horse-drawn carriages of Cairo mingle with her appreciation of local food and culture to convey a sense of connection to the Egyptian, Arab, and Muslim parts of her identity.  Rabbah also reflects on the perceptions of her fellow Americans about Egypt and how those perceptions affected her identity growing up.
 
Rabbah, who was also a student in AAST 3151/HIST 3672 interviewed her father, Khaled Rabbah, in the Autumn of 2022 for MMETOHP. Click here to explore the interview with Khaled Rabbah.
 
Note: This interview is audio only.
 

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Development Notes

Photographs

Small Part of Philae Temple

A small part of Philae Temple. Rabbah describes how Southern Egyptians are very proud of this because, until some years ago, the Temple Complex was underwater in the Nile River due to the High Dam of Lake Nasser. It took great effort to remove the structures from the Nile and reconstruct it in Aswan, Egypt.

 

Horse-Drawn Carriages in the Southernmost Point of Egypt

Rabbah describes how she saw many horse-drawn carriages during her visit to the southernmost point of Egypt. She recalls how the horses were skinny and believes this is likely due to the financial constraints of the owners.

 

Russian Note from the City of Sharm el-Sheikh

While visiting the city of Sharm el-Sheikh, Rabbah found this note written in Russian. She notes the large presence of Russian and Ukrainian presence tourists. She described that most Egyptians in the area also speak Russian and how many storefront signs are in Russian to accommodate Russian-speaking tourists.

 

Northernmost Coast of Egypt

Dalia Rabbah comes from this coastal area in the northernmost point of Egypt. She talks about how many people in the area fish for a living. Despite being a nice ocean coast, Rabbah states that the area is not very commercialized or a popular tourist site. 

 

Desert in Sinai

Rabbah visited the desert in Sinai, Egypt. She comments on the hospitable nature of the Bedouin people whom she met. She also describes being served tea by locals. 

 

El-Nasr Boys’ School (EBS) in Alexandria, Egypt

While in Alexandria, Dalia Rabbah visited El-Nasr Boys' School (EBS), built in 1929 during the British Occupation of Egypt. Her father, Khaled Rabbah, attended EBS as a child.

As a student in AAST 3151/HIST 3672 Dalia interviewed her father for MMEOHP. Click here to explore Khaled Rabbah's interview.

 

For Further Reading

Bakir, Reem A., and Sahar A. Attia. "Changing use of Public Spaces in Cairo during COVID-19." Urban Research & Practice 14, no. 5 (2021): 576-593. Link.

Malmström, Maria Frederika. "Making and Unmaking Masculinities in Cairo through Sonic Infrastructural Violence." Urban Studies (Edinburgh, Scotland) 59, no. 3 (2022; 2021;): 591-607. Link.

Ibrahim, Mohamed R. "How do People Select their Residential Locations in Egypt? The Case of Alexandria." Cities 62, (2017): 96-106. Link