Finding the beautiful Fayyoum street art was as unexpected as it was delightful. Why? You see it is simple. As humans, most of the time we have the knack of judging a book by its cover and that is what happened in this little Egyptian village. When I say Fayyoum street art, I actually mean the graffiti in Tunis, a leading pottery center and weekend getaway destination near Cairo. The drive to Fayyoum is quintessentially Egyptian. Men on donkeys trot past trundling tractors, tuktuks, and vans. Green fields flash past and so do rows of palm trees. Little children run to wave at you, and women in traditional galabeyas are busy with their household chores as old men gurgling shisha watch the world go by.  Even as one drives up the dusty lanes of Tunis, one does not expect the potpourri of beautiful graffiti that adorns the walls of this little village.

Fayyoum street art, a social art project

The walls of Tunis are beautifully painted. The designs portray local life, flora, and fauna, or floral or geometric designs. These vibrant graffiti are everywhere, thus converting Tunis into an open-air street art exhibition. From what I understand, this effort is due to an independent public art project called New Walls. Its mission is to bring together 15 of the most revolutionary Egyptian and international graffiti artists to reclaim free space in Egypt. Their first target was the rustic walls of Tunis in Fayoum. Since it is already a village that prides itself on its craftsmanship in pottery, the residents wholeheartedly supported the project and thus transformed the drab walls into canvases of wonderful artistic expressions. Take a look at their beautiful work. The Fayyoum street art is one more reason to visit this lovely little Egyptian village.

Beautiful Fayyoum street art in floral designs

NOTE – “Writings on the Walls” is an ongoing series in which I hope to collate awesome street art from around the world. If you wish to collaborate, please email me at svetlanabaghawan@yahoo.com and we can take it from there.

Follow the rest of the street art series

RESPONSIBLE TRAVELING-BECAUSE I CARE