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# Helwan Linux: A Made-in-Egypt Linux Distribution
- URL: https://itsfoss.com/news/helwan-linux/
- Published: 2025-05-30T03:44:56.000Z
- Updated: 2025-05-30T03:44:56.000Z
- Description: Check out what this distro out of Egypt has to offer.
- Author: Gourav Patnaik
- Tags: First Look, News, #Import 2025-11-08 21:15

A new community-led initiative has given rise to [Helwan Linux](https://helwan-linux.mystrikingly.com/?ref=itsfoss.com), an innovative Linux distribution developed by a team of software engineers from [Helwan University](https://www.helwan.edu.eg/index.php/en/home-en?ref=itsfoss.com) in Cairo, Egypt.

According to its creators, Helwan Linux was built by developers, for developers. To me, this initiative stands out as a truly unique milestone for [Egypt](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egypt?ref=itsfoss.com), showcasing the country’s growing presence in the information technology space.

Let's see what's in store.

## What's Helwan Linux All About?

![a screenshot of the helwan linux desktop view](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/2025/05/helwan-linux-desktop.jpg)

**Source: FOSS Force*

Helwan Linux (*or Helwan O.S*) is **an Arch Linux-based distribution** that features the [Cinnamon](https://github.com/linuxmint/cinnamon?ref=itsfoss.com) desktop environment, offering a well-balanced experience that emphasizes both performance and user-friendliness.

Compared to other [desktop environments](https://itsfoss.com/best-linux-desktop-environments/), Cinnamon offers a clean look that's easy to get the hang of. If the default theme does not suit your style, you have the option to change the way your desktop looks with the various pre-installed themes.

The **primary language for the distro is Arabic**. But don't worry, there are many other languages included, such as English, French, German, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian.

As per the [documentation](https://helwan-linux.mystrikingly.com/documentation?ref=itsfoss.com), Helwan Linux requires at least 3 GB of RAM, a 64-bit CPU, 16 GB of storage, and an integrated GPU to run.

## What does Helwan Linux offer?

Helwan Linux comes with an array of pre-installed software focused on developer and media use cases. Some of those include:

- [Geany](https://www.geany.org/?ref=itsfoss.com)
- [VS Code](https://itsfoss.com/vs-code-tips/)
- [Python](https://www.python.org/?ref=itsfoss.com)
- [PHP](https://www.php.net/?ref=itsfoss.com)
- [Rust](https://www.rust-lang.org/?ref=itsfoss.com)
- [SQLite](https://sqlite.org/index.html?ref=itsfoss.com)
- [MariaDB](https://mariadb.org/?ref=itsfoss.com)

There are also essentials for everyday use, like [Firefox](https://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/new/?ref=itsfoss.com), [LibreOffice](https://www.libreoffice.org/?ref=itsfoss.com), [VLC](https://www.videolan.org/?ref=itsfoss.com), [HexChat](https://hexchat.github.io/?ref=itsfoss.com), and [Geary](https://wiki.gnome.org/Apps/Geary?ref=itsfoss.com).

## 📥 Get Helwan Linux

I found the ISO to be buggy and had some issues using it in a virtual machine. Perhaps it works better on bare metal. That's the reason for the lack of screenshots in the article.

The Helwan Linux ISO is around **4.0 GB**, making it larger than typical lightweight distros, so expect a bigger download. You can get a recent build of Helwan Linux from the [official website](https://helwan-linux.mystrikingly.com/download?ref=itsfoss.com).

[Helwan Linux](https://helwan-linux.mystrikingly.com/download?ref=itsfoss.com)

**Via:** [FOSS Force](https://fossforce.com/2025/05/helwan-o-s-egypts-all-purpose-distro/?ref=itsfoss.com)

**Suggested Read** 📖

[8 Best Desktop Environments For LinuxA list of the best Linux Desktop Environments with their pros and cons. Have a look and see which desktop environment you should use.![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/icon/android-chrome-192x192-109.png)It's FOSSAnkush Das![](https://itsfoss.com/content/images/thumbnail/best-linux-desktop-environments.jpg)](https://itsfoss.com/best-linux-desktop-environments/)