In 2025, Alaa Awad began his project “Stories of Upper Egypt” in Luxor, a remarkable and evolving series of murals that forms part of his broader “Desert Chronicles.” The project opened with a monumental 17 meter long wall painting portraying a lively camel market, capturing movement, atmosphere, and everyday life with vivid detail.

From this starting point, the work has steadily expanded across walls and public spaces. Awad has increasingly turned toward portraiture, creating large scale depictions of people from Upper Egypt. These faces are powerful and deeply expressive, marked by strong features, direct gazes, and a quiet sense of dignity. Many of the murals rise more than three meters high, making them impossible to overlook and allowing viewers to encounter them almost face to face.