Cairo Book Fair: Egypt's Asil Ensemble play first show on home soil since forming in 2003

After 20 years of performing exclusively outside of their homeland, playing shows in more than 20 countries including at the Abu Dhabi Festival and London's Shubbak Festival, Egyptian folk troupe Asil Ensemble performed in Cairo on Thursday for the first show since their formation in 2003.

The concert was held at the Sultan Al-Ghuri Complex, the 16th-century mausoleum, built by one of the last of the Mamluk rulers, Sultan Al-Ashraf Qansuh Al-Ghuri.

Specialising in classical Arabic music, including Qudud Halabiya — a traditional and poetic form of Syrian folk music — the 12-piece group is led by blind oud virtuoso Mustafa Said.