Cairo - Tahtieb, 'stick dance' or 'cane dance' is a traditional form of Egyptian folklore and martial art known in Southern Egypt for centuries. The word Tahtib comes from the Arabic word hatab which means 'dry tree branches'. At the onset, it was described as a form of martial art up till it eventually morphed into its modern-day dance form as a performance to exhibit talent, gracefulness and courage. Upper Egyptians stood out from all the others in this form of stick dance due to their physical strength, the availability of open spaces over there and their preservation of the dance for centuries by refining it from decade to another. The game particularly is considered a symbol of love, cooperation and acceptance of others. It has been called several names throughout history, most prominently, ‘the stick of love', ‘the men's passion' and ‘the duel of wit', just to mention a few.