Trabzon’s Cairo Visit Includes a Stop in Mohamed Salah’s Hometown

There are few things that travel quite as far as football does. A name that began in a small Egyptian village can end up carrying the weight of an entire country, finding its way into conversations thousands of kilometres away. Mohamed Salah knows this better than most. And now, a delegation from the Turkish city of Trabzon is making its way to the place where his story began.

A 158-member delegation from Trabzon has arrived in Cairo, led by Trabzon Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Ahmet Metin Genç, for a four-day visit running from November 4th to 7th. Under the banner ‘Trabzon Meets Cairo’, the programme aims to introduce the Turkish city's tourism, trade, cultural and culinary offerings while exploring opportunities to strengthen ties between Egypt and Trabzon.

Organised in collaboration with the Trabzon Chamber of Commerce and Industry (TTSO) and the Trabzon Commodity Exchange (TTB), the visit brings together an interesting mix of officials, business representatives and cultural figures. Among them are Trabzon Deputy Governor Ali Yilmaz, TTSO President Erkut Celebi, TTB President Eyup Ergan and Trabzonspor Board Member Dervis Köz, alongside district mayors, travel agencies, tourism industry representatives and journalists.

Speaking to Turkish newspapers ahead of the visit, Genç described the trip as an important opportunity to build stronger relations between Trabzon and Cairo, particularly in tourism. But there is another stop on the itinerary that gives the visit a distinctly football-shaped detour.

Genç revealed that some members of the delegation are expected to visit Nagrig, the village in Egypt's Basyoun district where Mohamed Salah grew up. It is a rather different kind of cultural exchange, one that trades meeting rooms for the streets and neighbourhoods that shaped one of football's most recognisable names.

And while the delegation is travelling south to get a glimpse of Salah's roots, the people back home have a message of their own. In interviews with Turkish newspaper Günebakış, residents of Nagrig shared their support for the Egyptian forward, speaking warmly about his career and the pride they feel watching him represent Egypt and the Arab world internationally.

Among those interviewed was Taha Shatli, one of Salah's childhood neighbours, alongside other residents who also sent messages of goodwill to Trabzon and its football club, Trabzonspor. Their message was simple: wherever Salah chooses to play, they will be behind him.

“We are happy to see Mohamed Salah wherever he goes. He is a source of pride for the Arabs and has brought honour to all of Egypt. Mohamed Salah is a hero to us,” one resident told the newspaper. “He can go wherever he wants, and we have nothing to say about that. We are simply happy because Mohamed Salah is happy.”

Residents from across Basyoun echoed the sentiment, pointing to their shared roots with the footballer and the pride his international achievements have brought to their communities.

For a visit largely centred on tourism, trade and institutional cooperation, a stop in Nagrig adds another layer to the story. Sometimes a city's most recognisable export isn't a landmark, a dish or a business opportunity. Sometimes it's a footballer whose journey has made even the smallest of hometowns worth travelling to.