Turathna 2026, the exhibition for handicrafts and heritage products held under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, continued to attract thousands of visitors for the fourth consecutive day, including Egyptians, Arabs and foreign visitors, diplomats, university delegations and members of the House of Representatives.
Mostafa Hassan, CEO of the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (MSMEDA), said the agency was keen to establish Turathna as an Arab and international platform for exchanging expertise and opening overseas markets to Egyptian heritage products.
He said the exhibition featured strong participation and distinctive pavilions from Arab and foreign countries, fostering co-operation to develop the heritage crafts sector and facilitate the exchange of expertise with organisations working in the field worldwide. Such co-operation, he added, could create new marketing opportunities and export contracts for Egyptian heritage businesses, either through participation in similar international exhibitions or by introducing overseas buyers to their products at Turathna.
MSMEDA provides networking, marketing and export-support services through its Turathna Development Centre, which operates alongside the exhibition. The centre receives large numbers of heritage business owners seeking to expand their activities, as well as young people interested in establishing new businesses in the sector.
Algerian Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Sofiane Berrabah visited the exhibition and toured Algeria’s pavilion, accompanied by Mohamed Medhat, MSMEDA’s Deputy CEO, and agency officials.
The ambassador expressed his pleasure at attending Turathna 2026, describing it as a major gathering for manufacturers and craftspeople. He praised Egypt’s efforts to strengthen cultural and heritage ties between peoples, noting that the exhibition highlights the cultural traditions and traditional industries of Arab countries. Algeria previously participated as the exhibition’s guest of honour.
He said Algeria was keen to participate to showcase the diversity of its heritage, bring Algerian craftspeople closer to their counterparts across the Arab world, encourage the exchange of expertise and highlight the aesthetic value of traditional crafts. He added that Algeria seeks to ensure that most of its provinces are represented at the heritage events in which the country takes part.
Meanwhile, Ammar Sekman, communications adviser at the Turkish Embassy in Cairo, welcomed Türkiye’s participation in Turathna for the first time. He explained that the Turkish pavilion is overseen by the Ministry of Family and Social Services, which provides women working from home with training in handicrafts and heritage crafts through workshops held in their homes. The initiative aims to help homemakers become entrepreneurs and establish their own businesses.
More than 30 exhibitors from North Sinai Governorate are also taking part in the exhibition. Several members of the House of Representatives visited Turathna and toured its pavilions, including those showcasing products from North Sinai. The visiting delegation included MPs Moussa Okairish, Saeed El-Omary and Adel El-Kashef, as well as Mohamed Habib El-Deeb, secretary of the National Front Party in North Sinai, and Haggag El-Saeedi, the party’s assistant secretary in the governorate and director of the North Sinai Federation of NGOs.
North Sinai exhibitors are displaying a variety of products, including embroidered handicrafts, natural therapeutic products, food items such as herbs and olive oil, and beadwork.
