About
AUC - Tahrir Cultural Center (TCC), is the newest addition to the cultural scene in Egypt, at the heart of it’s capital in the historical building of The American University in Cairo. TCC is an accessible full-fledged cultural center that offers affordable and meaningful wide range of conventional and innovative cultural activities, events and services that addresses the cultural needs of the community.
We have a simple clear mission; spreading, creating and preserving culture by creating a cultural movement that nurtures the past, the present and the future. Our vision is to become the leading cultural hub, inspiring and cultivating both, the public and the artists through a well-tailored engaging strategy that TCC offers to Egypt's community, while developing strong links with Egypt's, regional and international cultural.
TCC is committed to appreciating the value of our audiences, the talent of our artists, the dedication of our staff, the generosity of our funders, board, and volunteers, and the integrity of our communities
About the Palace
The historic Khairy Pasha Palace was built in 1870 by Khedive Ismail to house the Minister of Education Ahmed Khairy Pasha. After his death, the palace was sold to Greek businessman Nestor Gianaclis who briefly used it as a cigarette factory. The palace became the Egyptian university campus in 1908 (later Cairo University) until it was bought by Charles Watson, AUC's founding president, in 1919.
The American College of Arts and Sciences opened on October 5, 1920 with a class of 142 students. In 1928 and 1932, the Oriental Hall and the Ewart Memorial Hall were added to house performances and lectures. Ewart Memorial Hall has a particularly long history of distinguished guests including Om Kulthoum and Taha Hussein. Today, both Ewart Memorial Hall and Oriental Hall continue to serve as the prime downtown destination for a range of conferences, lectures, seminars and public events. Three galleries were also added: The Margo Veillon Gallery, Legacy Art Gallery, and Future Art Gallery, as well as several conference rooms and classrooms.
