Last Words. A Final Song with My Friend at the Taverne
A tribute to my late friend, brother, and soulmate—Amr Hawas, son of the renowned Egyptian architect Zaki Hawas.
Our journey together began at UAE University in 1996. We explored the Emirates in his old Chevrolet, discovering Dubai in the 1990s before the city became what it is today. Later, he returned to Egypt, but we met frequently whenever I was there on vacation. One of our regular haunts was Hilton’s Taverne Bar, which I have written about earlier in this collection.
I remember one night in particular. Amr ordered his favorite Coke, and I had a beer. We sat there, joking, reminiscing about our time in the UAE, and watching the crowd around us. It was karaoke night, and at some point a middle-aged American man got up to sing. When the opening notes of Frank Sinatra’s My Way came on, we both leaned in and . The words remain etched in my memory:
And now the end is near
And so I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Amr was captivated, turned to me, and with a smile said: “He is really going for it!” It was a moment of pure joy. There we were in downtown Cairo, inside one of the city’s most iconic modernist buildings, surrounded by a cosmopolitan crowd. And yet, at that moment, we could have been anywhere in the world. The city receded into the background, and all that mattered was our companionship.
Amr passed away in 2018. To this day, one of my deepest regrets is that I never had the chance to say a proper goodbye.
Rest in peace, my friend. You remain in my heart, and Cairo—my city—is no longer the same without you. But for a brief and luminous moment, we did it our way.