The Mediterranean as seen by the Mediterraneans XI

The Mediterranean is rich. Sure, there are fancy villas and beach resorts, but we mean rich with culture and diversity. Twenty-two countries have a shore on the Mediterranean sea for a total of 46,000 km of coast, per EEA. This body of water represents the hundreds of cultures and traditions today — and of yesterday.

In our previous editions, we’ve often explored and interviewed photographers mainly in Europe. But the truth is the Mediterranean expands far beyond Europe. We long to tell a bigger, more complete story of artists’ perspectives of this blue sea. And for this edition, we decided to expand our horizons and team up with photographers from Egypt and Lebanon to learn their stories. And, of course, their best travel recommendations in their home countries.

Moustafa Hussein

I was born and raised in Alexandria in north Egypt, while my ancestors are from Aswan in southern Egypt.

I’m a street photographer who is seeking improvement all the time. This passion started originally from my love of the Mediterranean sea where I lived all my life by the coast and became fond of the amazing landscapes, especially the amazing sunsets and these shades of blues. After that, I started searching for a deeper way to express the spirit of my hometown Alexandria, and I found this North African spirit within people and streets.

My favorite Mediterranean spots in Alexandria, Egypt:

The Cecil Steigenberger Hotel is located in the old downtown with a perfect view of the sea.
Alexandria is also famous for the best seafood restaurants due to its geographical location and one of these restaurants is Arous El Bahr, which means “mermaid” in English. This restaurant is also located in the old downtown and serves the freshest seafood in the town.
One of my favorite places are the vintage boutiques that sell old antiques, and there are many of them in the beautiful Fouad Street, one of the oldest main streets in Alexandria that is full of old-style architecture, boutiques and magical alleys.
You can’t miss the historical Citadel of Qaitbay, which was built in the 1400s.

Nony Nasser

I’m Nony Nasser, a passionate girl who grew up in Egypt, which I’m proud of because it has always inspired me. Egypt has a bit of a unique culture, and I assume it has the best location as well as it’s located between Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea — it also has the Nile River. The Mediterranean Sea always provides me with the needed atmosphere and always brings me in the mood for everything. It has waves that could take away my negative energy.

I was always looking to explore the whole world’s cultures, not only mine, and to do this I found a way to achieve this through photography. So, I took the decision and became a photographer to save every memory, places I visit, and every moment I capture with my eyes also to send a message to the whole world about my culture and what it looks like through these photos.

My favorite Mediterranean places in Egypt:

Al Alamein Hotel, an amazing place to meditate.
Al-Mu’izz Street, a place that has so much meaning in Egyptian culture.
Fares Seafood, it’s an awesome place because it has a different taste.
Maq’ad of Sultan Qaitbey, a cultural center with art and music.
Ellie Home, a place that makes handicrafts.

Costa Costi

My name is Costa Costi: Greek origin with Lebanese nationality. I have a masters degree in advertising, and I work as a senior art director. My passion is for photography, colors and design, and I try to reflect it on my Instagram. Traveling for me is like oxygen, therapy and escape. I’m a positive thinker and love positive vibes and good energy.

I always enjoy natural, genuine moments where you feel it can’t happen again, in this time and day. Those moments I love to capture for people, objects etc … It began by taking pictures for family members at different occasions, then at university where I had many projects based on photography. Later smartphones helped a lot to experiment.

I appreciate beautiful scenery, and I always enjoy clouds and sunsets. If there are beautiful clouds in the sky, you’ll find me taking pictures.

My favorite Mediterranean spots in Lebanon:

Smallville Hotel. It’s very modern, in the center of the city and has everything: pool, bar, and restaurant
Batroun, an old city and yet modern with hipster areas from cafes, restaurants, beach resorts, and clubs and has many touristic places
Beirut. The energy in this city is beautiful, the people are so friendly, and there are nice pubs, clubs, restaurants, cafes and shopping areas.