Duwaji to travel to Portugal for third Islamic Retreat

NYC first lady Rama Duwaji heads to Portugal for third luxury Islamic retreat of 2026

New York City's first lady is set to spend nearly two weeks at a posh Islamic calligraphy retreat in the Portuguese countryside this September, her third European getaway with the same organization this year, while critics say she has shown more interest in overseas travel than in the city her husband governs.

Rama Duwaji, the 29-year-old wife of Mayor Zohran Mamdani, will serve as "artist-in-residence" at a "Journey through Islamic Calligraphy" retreat hosted by The Women Sanctuary at a manor house in Arcos de Valdevez, near Porto, Portugal. The retreat runs two sessions, September 16, 21 and September 25, 30, and costs attendees between $4,300 for a shared room and $5,260 for a private room with a private bathroom, the New York Post reported.

The manor's amenities include a heated outdoor pool, a heated indoor pool, and landscaped gardens. The retreat's website promises days spent "exploring the rich history of Islam in Portugal" alongside calligraphy workshops, picnics, poolside hangouts, and walks, all wrapped in language about "spiritual reflection" and "suhbah," an Arabic term for spiritual companionship.

Three Islamic retreats in three months, and a September packed with travel--

The Portugal trip marks Duwaji's third Women Sanctuary retreat in 2026. She attended the first on the Spanish resort island of Mallorca over the Fourth of July weekend, skipping America's 250th birthday celebration. The second ran July 9, 14 in Corsica, France, honoring what the organization described as "the legacy of Mary, the most honored woman in the Quran."

Duwaji is also slated to visit Lebanon and Syria at some point in September, though the specific dates have not been disclosed. Both countries sit on the U.S. State Department's "Do Not Travel" list for Americans.

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