Words By Allegra Salvadori

In Cairo, heritage often speaks in stone, script, or tapestry. But for Mohamed El Kahhal, it also speaks on wheels. At just 30 years old, the fifth-generation leader of Kahhal 1871—Egypt’s oldest luxury rug house—is proving that heritage doesn’t stand still. It moves, evolves, and even skates into the future.

Founded in 1871, Kahhal has long been synonymous with artisanal mastery, each rug a hand-knotted story of craft and culture. When Mohamed stepped into leadership, he inherited not just a name but a responsibility: how to honor a 150-year-old legacy while making it resonate in a fast-moving world. His answer is transformation without compromise.

Under his vision, Kahhal 1871 has expanded its footprint beyond private homes into luxury hospitality and international collaborations, infusing Arab craftsmanship into global conversations. Yet it is the brand’s bold new campaign, 150 Years Still Rolling, that crystallizes Mohamed’s ethos.

Shot entirely on film, the imagery features skateboarders mid-motion on handcrafted Kahhal rugs—a collision of counterculture energy with tradition. The result is striking: heritage reframed not as something to protect behind glass, but as a living surface where culture and contemporary life meet.

“Heritage doesn’t have to be preserved behind glass,” Mohamed reflects. “It can move, evolve, and carry meaning for the future.”

For Mohamed, recently a father, this vision is personal. It’s about what kind of world—and brand—the next generation will inherit. His leadership turns Kahhal 1871 into more than a guardian of the past; it becomes a voice of Arab design, unapologetically rooted yet globally resonant.

From Cairo to the world, Kahhal 1871 is rolling heritage forward—one rug, one story, and now, one skateboard at a time.