yasser elsheshtawy

Cities rarely arrive as finished ideas. This short film, developed alongside Arab Modernism(s), traces modernism’s unfinished journey across Arab cities. It sets the stage for the chapters that follow, beginning with Gourna. yasserelsheshtawy.com/intro-movie

Introducing Najd Archives — the latest addition to my photography archive, photographed in 2024. Featuring Riyadh, and smaller town, captured with a medium-format Fujifilm GFX100S II. A visual record of a region in transition. 📷 yasserelsheshtawy.com/najd

Amid tensions, Arab cities reveal how they reflect power, identity, and uncertainty. My book Arab Modernism(s) traces this journey from Gourna to Cairo, Algiers, Beirut, and the Gulf. I will be posting about its contents — one post, one chapter, one city. Stay tuned. 1/

Welcome to my photography archive built over decades of travel and urban exploration—analog and digital images capturing cities, architecture, and everyday life. A visual chronicle of memory, change, and lived urban experience. yasserelsheshtawy.com/photography-00

@yasserelsheshtawy/note/c-233654806?r=rt9x0&utm_medium=ios&utm_source=notes-share-action" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">substack.com/@yasserelshesh…

‘Participation in Crisis: Professional Lessons from the International Participatory Charter’, paper by Dimitrios Panayotopoulos-Tsiros, Dominique Lancrenon & Lucy Natarajan in #BuiltEnvironment #journal #Global #Participation #Democracy #Disaster #Recovery ingentaconnect.com/contentone/ale…

“He’s never held a rifle, never dodged a shell But he’s real good at sending other boys to hell”

What is the value of memory in times of conflict? In my latest blog I examine the recently announced closure of Dubai’s Iranian Hospital, and its repercussions. yasserelsheshtawy.com/blog/the-unbea…

ما قيمة الذاكرة في أوقات النزاع؟ في تدوينتي الأخيرة، أتناول بالبحث قرار الإغلاق الذي أُعلن عنه مؤخراً للمستشفي الإيراني في دبي، وتداعياته. yasserelsheshtawy.com/250262656163/-2

@PinkTaxiRunner Thanks for this info! And I didn’t think you just ran 🙂

@yasser09 Let me tell you my grandfather Dr Mehra built this hospital in 1972 and its public health program . See I am very much a part of the dubai community ! And you thought I just ran #everysinglestreet ?

Dubai’s Iranian Hospital. Closed, shuttered and … poof … gone for good (took these images and many others in 2008).

ترقبًا لصدور كتابي القادم «قاهرتي» والمقرر نشره في أوائل عام 2027، (AUC PRESS) أكتب سلسلة من المقالات ضمن مدونة «مدن خفية». أحدث هذه المقالات بعنوان «خان الخليلي يناديني: الذاكرة، والحِرفة، واستمرار البيت بصمت» yasserelsheshtawy.com/250262656163/-1

In anticipation of my upcoming book My Cairo (AUC Press) slated for publication in early 2027, I am writing a series of blog posts for Hidden Cities. My latest piece is “Khan el-Khalili Beckons: Memory, Craft, and the Quiet Persistence of Home.” yasserelsheshtawy.com/blog/khan-el-k…

During my last trip to Saudi Arabia a friend gave me a gift: a piece of the Ka’aba covering or Kiswa. I had it professionally framed A great symbolic gesture reminding me of the generosity and kindness of people in Saudi Arabia — and may they overcome these difficult times.

Here it is

Side note: the image in this article, ordinary people looking across Dubai’s creek, no longer exists. Replaced by a fake heritage touristic district called Marsa al Seef. What was once public is no more.

Outstanding article by Emirati scholar Mira Al Hussein on the current conflict. If there is one article to read — this is the one. “The question that will outlast this war is whether our societies will emerge from it capable of … 1/ jadaliyya.com/Details/47249

Interesting article by @Richard_Florida ! I do share the underlying premise (eg the notion of dubaization or dubaification which I coined) but one hopes that this is not the end but an opportunity to reassess a successful albeit flawed model @nytimes nytimes.com/2026/03/16/opi…