After leaving her engineering job to teach pottery in Abu Dhabi, Dalia Mobasher started dreaming of opening her own studio back home in Egypt. It was one thing to turn your passion into a business - for Mobasher to take a hobby she started to relieve stress like pottery, and transform it into a dream job - but it was another thing entirely to do so in a home that you love. In 2018, Mobasher was finally able to open the doors to Fokhara Studios in New Cairo, which has already built a name for itself as a central shop and studio.

“Nobody here teaches pottery making at the quality of craftsmanship that we’re capable of producing, apart from Tunis Village which is so far away," Mobasher tells #CairoScene. "I want to make sure that Fokhara isn’t just a place for people to come take a fun class, I want people to leave here as true artisans.”

The studio teaches people the whole pottery-making process from beginning to end, focusing on two primary schools: hand building and wheel throwing.

“There is something so gratifying about forming a shape that serves real function from just a ball of clay," Mobasher says. "It’s a way to release anxiety, and you can really find yourself through putting your soul into creating something out of nothing. In pottery, there is no right and wrong. It’s all about your natural movement and making something that feels natural to you."

Fokhara also hopes to expand into a more comprehensive arts studio, including crystal making, candle making, jewelry-making, and all kinds of sustainable arts into their schedule. For the time being, you can visit them in the First Settlement in New Cairo.