Luxor Hosts 12th Edition of "Tahteeb National Festival"

Egypt's General Authority of Culture Palaces inaugurated the 12th edition of the Tahteeb National Festival on Saturday at the Luxor Temple Square in southern Egypt.

Headed by Artist Ahmed al-Sahfei, the festival featured appearances by a number of skilled Tahteeb players who have flocked from the provinces of Upper Egypt.

The festival, which will run until December 21, featured daily Tahteeb contests, folkloric shows performed by folkloric arts bands from Sohag, Asyut, Minya, Mallawi, Beni Suef, Sharqia, and Luxor, alongside the Nile Troupe for Music & Singing, according to the Luxor Culture Department.

Tahteeb, also known as the “Baton Game”, is a prominent folkloric game practiced in community gatherings and different popular celebrations. It used to be a martial arts game, but has been turned into a performative game.

This performative game was enlisted on the list of UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2017.

It's worth mentioning that ancient Egyptians used to teach ‘Tahteeb’ to soldiers, and depicted its rituals on the walls of temples and cemeteries.