Design Meets Legacy at GEM Talks With Azza Fahmy & Amina Ghalil

On Monday, May 12th, the Grand Egyptian Museum will unveil its Open-Air Gallery for the second edition of GEM Talks, a cultural series exploring ideas as lasting and resonant as the artefacts housed within its monumental halls.

This edition, titled ‘A Conversation on Design and Heritage’, will bring together renowned jeweller Azza Fahmy, Head Designer Amina Ghali, and leading Egyptologist Dr. Yasmin El Shazly. Together, they will delve into how storytelling, craftsmanship, and cultural legacy intersect—tracing ancient Egyptian symbolism as it continues to shape contemporary design.

Azza Fahmy, the first woman to train in Cairo’s Khan El-Khalili Jewellery Quarter and founder of the internationally acclaimed jewellery house that bears her name, has spent decades translating Egyptian heritage into wearable art. Her approach offers a clear model of how design can bridge the past and present.

Joining her is her daughter Amina Ghali, who, as Head Designer, guides the brand’s creative direction. Together, they will offer insight into how their designs continue to evolve while staying rooted in Egypt’s rich artistic traditions.

Adding depth to the discussion, Dr. Yasmin El Shazly—Deputy Director for Research and Programmes at the American Research Center in Egypt—will provide historical and cultural context, drawing connections between the ancient narratives embedded in the museum and the symbolic language echoed in modern design.

Following themes introduced by Ismail Serageldin, Founding Director of Bibliotheca Alexandrina, during the inaugural GEM Talks session, this edition continues to view heritage not as static or distant, but as a dynamic force—alive in the objects we craft, the stories we tell, and the ways we interpret the present through the lens of the past.