Aragoz: Part of Egypt’s Disappearing Culture
Aragoz: Egyptian puppeteering that has been disappearing throughout Egypt The Aragoz is a long-standing artistic practice that cannot be traced precisely, however, as historians and scholars have argued that the Egyptian Aragozis a version of the Turkish Karagozintroduced to the country when the Ottomans conquered Egypt in the 16th century. The Turkish Karagoz (“black eyes”) shadow puppet, the name of a wooden puppet usually dressed in red, is derived from Qaraqosh, a vizier during the reign of the sultan Saladin in Egypt, who was known for his harshness and bad judgement.
It is a small puppet of a man, usually wearing a funny pointy hat and bright clothes. The puppet appears on a small stage or stand behind which the artist hides. There are usually other characters, such as his wife, lover, ruler, policeman, etc. The Aragozstories usually criticize one or more aspects of Egyptian life and culture. In any case, the Aragozis not a particularly brave or strong character, but a very funny one indeed. Often, he finds himself in trouble and finds a way out using some sort of trick.
Egypt registered its Aragoz traditional puppet show on UN cultural body UNESCO’s List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding during the 13th session of the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage held early this week in Mauritius.
According to the UNESCO website, the Aragoz “used to be presented by groups of traveling performers, who moved from one folk celebration to another. However, when these performances began to dwindle, performers and their assistants settled permanently in fixed places, mostly in Cairo.”