ENIGMA-MAG.COM

Post by: Dahan

Spelunking: the hobby or practice of exploring caves.

Aside from admiring their beauty, one of the simpler joys of visiting caves is feeling their chilly interior. In the summer especially, entering the cool darkness from a burning hot exterior is a paramount experience. Many caves also possess historical and cultural value.

In Egypt there are three notable caves worth visiting:

Sannur Cave

10km south of Beni Suef, this cave was accidentally discovered in the 1980s when quarrymen looking for gold blasted open its entrance. A unique combination of limestone covered with a cast of alabaster, the cavern’s peculiar geology and gorgeous formations brought it protected status in 1992.

Stretching 700m long and spanning 15m at its widest point, Sannur Cave offers a brilliant tour through Egyptian nature.

St. Anthony’s Cave

Because it’s only two hours away, Ain Sokhna is the perfect spot for Cairenes looking to relax by the sea.

But while you’re there, don’t forget to visit St. Anthony’s Cave. As the story goes, he devoted his life to Christ aged 34 and frequented the cave to meditate for 40 years. First visit his Monastery and then one of the monks will guide you in the direction of his cave.

At 680m above sea level, reaching the cave will have you climbing 1,200 steps and entering a dark narrow break that leads to a 7m wide chasm, decorated in ode to its most faithful visitor.

The Cave Of Swimmers

In the south west of Egypt, tucked away in Wadi Sura in the mountainous region of Gilf Kebir, you’ll find the remote Cave of Swimmers.

8,000 years ago, Neolithic Egyptians witnessed the Earth transition from an ice age to the world we know today. In a wetter world, swimming was an inevitable skill for the survival of our species.

The Neolithic man felt compelled to draw his new hobby on the walls of his home. The artistic efforts gave the cave its title when it was discovered by Hungarian explorer László Almásy in 1933. A fictitious Almásy portrayed by Ralph Fiennes was shown finding the caves in the Oscar winning movie “The English Patient”.

The Cave of Swimmers is the hardest to reach in Egypt since Gilf Kebir is a harsh, relatively inaccessible region of the Sahara Desert. But the expedition is highly worth the hassle because the region also includes two other caves with ancient wall art, El-Mestikawi and Mogharat El Kantara, known to English speakers as Shaw’s cave. Of all the destinations, Gilf Kebir is not to be missed by the serious spelunker!

Post by: Dahan

Not too skimpy but definitely a teaser, JLo’s curves are snug in the white of her new Kaufman Franco dress courtesy of the 2013 collection.

The illusion that the dress is held up exclusively by JLo’s *petite* derriere is mustered by two pieces of fabric conjoined with a (much to our joy) transparent mesh.

The final touches to the singer’s toga-like style are bare glistening lips, kohl-rimmed eyes, silver jewellery and a black Ferragamo clutch, topping it off with a subtle up-do.

Post by: Dahan

Legend has it not so long ago our grandfathers played a bad hand in Monopoly and the banker handed them a card reading: “You live in Cairo, pay your tax in time.” One thing’s for sure…that tax keeps rising as the card gets passed down the generations.

In vast clouds of smog we sit in mechanical gridlock, striving to mute our body’s humming aches and pains. There are those drivers who feel that the sound of their horn is the key to their freedom. Truth be told, we all know it’s nothing more than a ticket to resentment. Ferociously weaving through rush hour(s), we find ourselves in the middle of a vile pool of tumultuous chaos.

The traffic situation is bleak and there’s little we can do about it. Some may call it a sadistic outlook, but we can find mild comfort in the knowledge that we aren’t the only ones with agonising traffic. There’s many a city whose motorists and pedestrians could use a cool pillow to scream in.

Although more famous for its beer, chocolate, and waffles, Brussels is the city widely regarded to have the worst traffic jams in the world. The average Belgian loses 65 hours a year in traffic (still feels like a regular week for Cairo Traffic). Furthermore Los Angeles, Paris, and Manchester, all match Cairo in their traffic setbacks.

The Vietnamese are an interesting case, the lofty price of cars in their country leaves the average citizen no choice but to commute on a bicycle or scooter. The privileged automobile owners find themselves wrestling through junctions infested with two-wheelers. You can see the final concoction here.

The worst traffic jam in history was endured by the Chinese three years ago. On the China National Highway a surge of trucks coupled with long drawn maintenance work choked the flow of traffic for 12 days straight. The jam covered more than 100km and each car only covered around 1km per day! The locals living near the highway took a shot at entrepreneurship selling food, water and cigarettes at rip-off rates to the drivers.

But for those of us suffering with this traffic, we can find great company in each other and the misery that comes along with it. Traffic jams as stressful as they may be, can be a great time to bond, share stories, and have a laugh. Just don’t make any prank calls!

Posted by: Emma Harrison

If you can’t jet off on holiday this summer but are still hoping to get that summer glow, why not give some of these tinted moisturisers a try? Whether your skin is pale, dark, oily, or dry, we’ve got you covered!

DRY: If your skin tends to be on the drier side, try Estée Lauder’s DayWear Plus Multi Protection Tinted Moisturiser. It’s a lightweight, super sheer moisturiser that comes in one shade, but when applied, it matches your skin tone perfectly. It will give you a healthy, even glow and nourish your skin throughout the day, which will prevent it from going dry.

OILY: This oil-free NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturiser is perfect if your skin type tends to hold a little too much moisture. It is available in 9 shades so it is suitable for any skin tone. It is also light enough to have more than one layer on, for the days you feel need a little more coverage.

PALE: If your complexion is on the paler side and you’re looking to go a bit darker this summer, try Clinique’s Moisture Surge Tinted Moisturiser with SPF 15, it won’t disappoint. This three-in-one moisturiser hydrates and protects skin while offering sheer, natural looking coverage, which will leave your skin feeling soft and supple.

DARK: If you have a darker, more olive skin tone, elf Tinted Moisturiser may be just the thing for you. It contains Aloe, cucumber and vitamins A, C and E which are all great for your skin.

Everything in this city is much easier said than done. Sometimes I feel like the people responsible for the infrastructure and social behaviour of Cairo purposely formulated a difficult framework so we can develop strong characters. But every cloud has a silver lining, and for this city, it can not be more appropriately located than on the island we’ve all grown to love, Zamalek.

In 1991, Mrs. Guzine Aref-Kassem and fourteen other Zamalek residents saw some changes in their city that they weren’t too happy with. It was an unsettling feeling that they felt should be addressed. They formed the Zamalek Association for Services Development as an NGO to protect the foundation and life of their treasured neighbourhood. Ever since, they’ve been a growing force of good with a loud and clear mission: to ensure that Zamalek provides safe, clean, economically dynamic, and aesthetically pleasing places in which to live, work and visit. From planting trees to an organised night watch, these projects maintain progressive and positive growth for the island.

With the addition of Committees that regulate the safety and services of Zamalek, the Association was given a strong push recently. Community Development is the committee responsible for community building, fundraising, and preparing special events. Last March, 5000 members of the community attended an event hosted by the Zamalek Association at the Aquarium Grotto Garden suitably titled “Taste of Zamalek”. The community came together for a day of fun, music and food to raise funds for future Association projects. With the event being such a monumental success, the announcement of them hosting a second one came as no surprise.

This Saturday from 4 to 10pm at the Equestrian Club Gezira, the Zamalek Association is preparing quite a day for its guests with an open-air cinema, a pony-ride, a children’s corner setup by Cairo Sitters, shopping booths, a live performance by Cairo’s premier jazz entertainer, Ahmed Harfoush, and much more. The residents want to make the best of their district and who are we to disagree.

Posted by: Dahan

Gone are the days where we have to look deep into each other’s eyes and risk facing rejection before we go in for that anxious first kiss. Those poor dads who lock up their daughters away from the neighbourhood boys are going to love this because Burberry Kisses has digital smooches flying all around the globe.

After providing their lip print by kissing their smart phone, those suffering from instant gratification syndrome will take pleasure in selecting their lip colour from Burberry’s new line up of lipsticks, and then watch as their kiss is placed on an envelope. The site even lets you monitor the envelope as it leaves you, destined for the lips of your loved one.

Try it now before it gets old at kisses.burberry.com.

By: Nourhan Tomoum

New York, Paris, London, Milan, and Amsterdam fashion weeks are popular hits. Because designers display their latest collections in fashion week, people get to find out about new trends, stylish looks, and season must-haves. A couple of days ago, Mediterranean Design and Fashion Week, Madeinmedi, was held for the seventh time in Sicily, Italy.

This fashion week represented Mediterranean designers’ flair and artistic expression. It was exciting to the see the original creations by designers in photo shoots, live performances, and, catwalks. We’re proud to say that our very own Shahira Fawzy also participated in the big event. The Egyptian designer exhibited her “Sahara” collection only to wow the audience.

Shahira Fawzy’s “Sahara” collection was brought alive by the designer’s memories in both Cairo and the desert. She added her own modern touch and made these artistic designs wearable. Her inspiration and dedication manifested themselves in beautiful modern dresses and functional caftans.

Madeinmedi has presented a great opportunity for ambitious designers to continue their way to the top of the fashion industry. Hopefully, next year we’ll be seeing more local designers participating in this magnificent event. We’re thrilled to see the committed and ambitious Shahira Fawzy work hard to represent Egypt internationally.

Post by: Dahan

Hello Ladies!

The pains of bikini waxing were endured by 137 of the world’s finest ladies this year. Sadly for the contestants of Miss World however, the bikini exhibition (i.e. the only segment worth watching) of the pageant has been scrapped.

Indonesia will be housing the pageant this fall. Not far off from the mainland, the resort island Bali will be hosting the bulk of the show along with the mainland town of Sentul.

Although Indonesian media offices wore out keyboards denying rumours, word has hit the public that extremists are to blame for keeping the models covered.

The testosterone dosed bearded conservatives have gone out of their way to hurt Indonesia’s touristic performance. Over accusations of devil worshipping and overt skimpiness, Lady Gaga’s concert was cancelled last year. And just last month, Aerosmith skipped Indonesia in their Asian tour citing security concerns as the reason.

Contestants will be wearing one piece Sarongs, the appropriate beach wear for Indonesian women

Such occurrences gave Miss World Chairwoman Julia Morley a hunch that it be a wise decision to swap the bikinis with more modest sarongs; traditional wear in Bali and other parts of the region. Since this is Miss World, not any sarong will do and the contestants are getting tailor-made one pieces which will subtly outline their figures.

Conservative turmoil aside, it’ll be no surprise to see the ratings of the pageant plummet this year as men skip the Miss World pageant for something that involves guns and nudity.

Posted by Emma Harrison

Seeing as summer is just around the corner this colourful floral dress available at Topshop is ideal for a casual lunch date or a shopping trip with friends. It is the perfect item of clothing to have in your wardrobe this summer, it can be teamed up with these green cross strap sandals that really bring out the colours of the dress. Accessorising even further, this black satin bracelet with a gold eye pendant available at www.enigmashopping.com goes perfectly to add a little sparkle to your outfit. If the sun is shining you can finish this look off with these oversized sunglasses, which really bring the outfit together.

Posted by Nourhan Tomoum

An exciting collaboration between French designer Isabel Marant and H&M was announced earlier today. Marant, known for her Parisian rocker chic and elegant look, will design outfits and accessories for men and women to be sold at H&M in over 250 stores.

H&M is famous for its partnerships with designers that have resulted in frenzies and increased sales for the retailer. “We are excited to have Isabel Marant as a guest designer at H&M,” said Margareta van den Bosch, the creative director at H&M. The Swedish retailer finds Marant’s mixture of contrasting elements very modern.

Marant expressed her excitement for the collaboration in a statement this morning, “I aim to create something real, that women want to wear in their everyday lives, with a certain carelessness, which I think is very Parisian: you dress up, but do not pay too much attention and still look sexy. The collection is infused with this kind of easiness and attitude. Everything can be mixed following one’s own instincts: my take on fashion is all about personality.”

Isabel Marant SS 13

The designer’s style is simple and attractive. It represents a mixture of boho-chic and elegance. It’s the first time Marant designs for men. Her must-have pieces, to be sold in H&M, are highly anticipated and expected to be very successful. The collection will be available on the 14^th of November later this year.