The pottery school
Founded by Evelyne Porret in 1989.
Summering2018 — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hatem Moushir — CC BY-SA 3.0
Tunis Village is a quiet village in the Youssef el-Seddik district of Fayoum, looking over Lake Qarun from its green slopes, known for pottery workshops and domed mud-brick houses. It is a favourite weekend escape from Cairo, especially for buying ceramics and staying in small guesthouses among the trees. The village is young. It began to take shape in the 1960s, when the poet Sayed Hegab and the writer Abdou Gobeir settled here. The Swiss potter Evelyne Porret came too, and in 1989 she founded the pottery school after seeing village children shaping clay. Many of her pupils became potters with workshops of their own, turning Tunis into a handicrafts centre. You wander between workshops and small galleries, watch potters at work and buy hand-painted plates and cups, and some workshops let you try the clay. At the village entrance, the Caricature Museum founded by artist Mohamed Abla holds about 500 works, the oldest from 1927, as part of the Fayoum Art Center. A pottery and handicrafts festival takes place in autumn, with dates changing each year; several editions fell in November. The village lies 35 km west of Fayoum city and 7 km east of the Qasr Qarun temple in a straight line, and about 22 km from Wadi El Rayan. Give it a full day or a night; spring, autumn and winter suit it best.
Founded by Evelyne Porret in 1989.
About 500 works at the village entrance.
Domes with views of Lake Qarun.
Youssef el-Seddik district, near the south-western shore of Lake Qarun, Fayoum
Usually in autumn. Past editions fell in October and November and the dates change each year, so check the organisers' announcement before planning.
Yes: the village is about 100 km from Cairo in a straight line. A night, though, lets you add Wadi El Rayan and Qasr Qarun without rushing.