North Africa Caravan pavilion moves to Moscow

Companies from North Africa took part in the VIII Moscow Interior and Design Week (Aug. 13 – 16). Their national pavilion turned on the region’s craft traditions, artistic schools and contemporary design — the same crafts, ideas and imagery that travelled with the caravans for centuries, tying together civilisations of North Africa and the East. Nearly 1,300 companies from all over the world featured across the exhibition, the business programme and citywide events. The pavilion was organised with the Egyptian Exporters Association in partnership with Cairo Design Week. Its concept cast design as a language of cultural exchange — one still very much thriving today.

The design of the stand turned was something you could move through. Visitors followed a winding route, retracing a caravan’s path across the desert. Sheer lengths of fabric fell loosely from the ceiling, suggesting tents and dunes, at once and lending the space a sense of shifting air and changing terrain. Nothing was spelled out literally — the story came through in light, texture, material and object. “Design across the region is entering a more considered and expressive phase, where materiality, individuality and a strong sense of place are becoming central to how interiors are conceived,” said Hisham Mahdy, Founder of Cairo Design Week, designer and entrepreneur, CEO of Mahdy’s Group. “We are seeing greater attention given to stone, wood, metals, textured surfaces and, importantly, how these materials evolve and age over time. This is creating spaces with greater depth, character and a sense of permanence.”

On show were furniture, woodwork, textiles, interior pieces and complete contemporary schemes. Traditional techniques got fresh reading, and centuries-old skills became the ground for design of the contemporary moment. Every object carried a clear respect for local materials, for handwork and for the region’s cultural heritage. The exhibitors included Lumberjack, Caja, Nuvelti, Georgette Antiques, Cleopatra Trading Co, Rosaline, International Textile Co. for Textile Industry and Artefacto. Their collections captured the range of contemporary North African design, where traditional craft met a modern eye. Interior designer, multidisciplinary artist and art historian Lyudmila Rozvodovskaya also had a hand in the pavilion, her deep study of the East’s artistic traditions, shaping its form and concept.

“There is a clear shift away from highly uniform interiors towards more personal environments, with colour, sculptural forms, statement lighting and distinctive objects playing a stronger role,” Mahdy said. “Technology is also expanding what designers can achieve, particularly through new fabrication and customisation methods. In Egypt, this is especially interesting as designers experiment with these technologies while continuing to draw on established craft and making traditions. Across the Gulf, we are seeing a similar balance between global design influences and a growing desire for spaces that feel connected to their cultural and geographic context. Heritage is being interpreted through contemporary materials, proportions, colours and spatial approaches rather than replicated literally.”

The pavilion formed part of Moscow — Cairo, a special project with Cairo Design Week. The format continues the international thread of the Moscow Interior and Design Week, which took its 2025 edition to the China International Furniture Fair in Shanghai. The region also featured in the business programme. Egypt’s design scene was represented by Cairo Design Week founder Hisham Mahdy and DABS Egypt architect, Hasan Fikry. The programme brought together more than 200 speakers, among them dignitaries from Belarus, Egypt, India, Turkey, the UAE and Uzbekisan.

The national pavilion of the North African countries invited visitors to see design as an unbroken journey of ideas, materials and craft. Caravan showed how traditions born on the ancient trade routes find a new voice — and become a source of inspiration for the designers and makers at work today. As Egypt’s premier design platform, Cairo Design Week stands as a pivotal hub for creatives and industry luminaries to converge and catalyse the growth of the Egyptian design industry. The celebration of art and design is a fusion of cultures and innovation, through a curated selection of events, immersive experiences, and dynamic exhibitions. The 8th Moscow Interior Design Week opened at the Manège Central Exhibition Hall in Moscow, Russia, on August 13. The theme of Week was Infinite Colors. “Summer Moscow is a source of inspiration: the piercing blue of the sky, the green of the parks, the terracotta of sunsets over the river,” said the organisers. “This season the exhibition invites participants to take the city palette as the basis of their display concept and translate it into the language of design through colour, texture and form.”