Al Matareya: An Egyptian Tale

I hope to see a dramatic work that tells the story of the Matareya Iftar—a film or a series that immortalizes this unique human experience. It is a beautiful Egyptian tale that truly deserves to be told.

The Matareya Iftar is a special Egyptian phenomenon, an atmosphere filled with joy and delight. It is driven by young people who organize and work all year round to make this day an exceptional event. These youths have been organizing the Matareya table for over 12 years. Certainly, new blood joins every year while others move on, but those who established this system deserve to be honored.

It is a scene that gladdens the heart. Tables stretch across the streets with hundreds of thousands of meals prepared by the people—an effort that has earned this table a place in the Guinness World Records as one of the largest Iftar tables in the world.

The guests at this table are not all in need, nor are they all travelers. Many come from different regions just to participate in this moment and experience the warmth of the Egyptian gathering. They sit side-by-side as if they have known each other for years.

This year, the event was attended by staff from the German Embassy, the Turkish Ambassador, Minister Nabila Makram (Head of the Technical Secretariat of the National Alliance), while the Abou El Enein Foundation, provided both support and volunteers.

A day before the Iftar, a beautiful photo went viral showing German Embassy staff sitting among the local women of the neighborhood, helping prepare food in an atmosphere full of joy—a scene expressing the most beautiful moments of human connection among nations.

On the day of the Iftar, the scene was magnificent. Ambassadors and diplomats from various countries sat at the tables with the locals. Among them was the Turkish Ambassador, who participated with great simplicity in distributing pickles. They talked about the Matareya youth’s organizational skills and how entire streets transform into a single table.

Despite the presence of hundreds of thousands of people, no single act went out of control. The Egyptian people, by nature, have the values of ancient Egyptian civilization; they know how to maintain order and how to become part of a safety system—monitoring, preserving, and organizing.

The Matareya Iftar is one of the most beautiful images of grassroots solidarity in Egypt. Following Matareya Iftar, Imbaba is also preparing this year to organize a massive Iftar table.

In Matareya, we saw organization, order, continuity, the expansion into the world’s largest table, charitable solidarity, and the warmth of the Egyptian gathering. It is amazing that all these people—ambassadors, ministers, and ordinary citizens—gather around the same tables.

I hope the Matareya table turns into a dramatic production: how the idea started, how it grew, and how thousands of people became part of it. It is the story of an entire neighborhood that rallied around a simple idea and, through it, created one of the most beautiful images of Egypt.