Egypt Through the Lens: 24 Years of Change (1979 – 2003)

Photography Exhibition by Norbert Schiller

The photographs in this exhibition trace my long and evolving relationship with Egypt, from my first arrival in 1979 as a backpacking student until my departure in 2003. Although I did not reside in the country continuously during those twenty-four years, I spent nearly two decades living and working there. Egypt was not simply a place I photographed — it became the landscape in which I came of age, both professionally and personally.

My first newsworthy photograph dates from that initial visit. It captured Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and U.S. President Jimmy Carter riding through the streets of Cairo in an open limousine, waving to cheering crowds. I followed the motorcade for two days before finally securing that image. The experience of pursuing that photograph ignited my determination to become a photojournalist.

Jimmy Carter and Anwar Sadat pass through Tahrir Square in an open limousine after addressing the Egyptian Parliament. 09 March 1979

Two years later, I returned to Egypt to complete my final year at the American University in Cairo. At the beginning of that academic year, another defining historical moment occurred: the assassination of President Sadat during a military parade in October 1981. While many expatriates considered leaving amid uncertainty and fear, I felt compelled to stay. Rather than retreat, I wanted to immerse myself in unfolding events, to observe, document, and better understand the forces shaping the country.

Esther Weinstein, president of Cairo’s small Jewish community, touches the tik housing the Torah scrolls during Shemini Atzeret celebrations at the Sha’ar Hashamayim Synagogue in central Cairo. Yasser Arafat confronts (left to right) Shimon Peres, Andrei Kozyrev, Yitzhak Rabin, Hosni Mubarak, and Amr Moussa (partially obscured) as they urge him to sign the Cairo agreement following a dispute over a map defining the boundaries of Jericho.

In 1984, I returned to Egypt once again, this time to pursue a career in journalism. I began writing and photographing for Cairo Today (later Egypt Today) and soon started receiving assignments from the international press. After a chance encounter, I learned that Agence France-Presse (AFP) was seeking a full-time photographer in Cairo. With limited experience, I traveled to Paris in pursuit of the position. Although I was not selected, the experience strengthened my resolve, and soon afterward I began working as a stringer alongside the newly appointed AFP photographer.

An accused Islamist militant, still wearing a handcuff on one wrist, holds up a Qur’an from behind the bars of the Haekstep Military Court. Sting performs in concert before the Great Sphinx of Giza. A sudden downpour followed by sunshine, a rainbow, and a galloping horse align for a fleeting moment at the Pyramids of Giza.

After two years of intensive fieldwork, AFP sent me on my first international assignment to Dubai to cover the “Tanker War” that was raging in the Persian Gulf. Over the next three years, I reported from across the Gulf region and North Africa.

Following Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait in August 1990, I returned to Egypt as part of an Associated Press (AP) team covering the buildup to the Gulf War. Cairo once again became my base, and for the next thirteen years it was my home and professional center as I covered the Middle East and Africa. During this period, I worked for AP as well as publications including Der Spiegel, The New York Times, Getty Images, and many others.

These photographs reflect both a personal journey and a record of a country in transformation.Egypt

 

PHOTO EXHIBITION

Egypt Through the Lens in Pictures:

Egypt Through the Lens in Pictures:

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