Cat-a-combing Cairo

There are lots of cats in the streets of Islamic Cairo but they were usually moving too quickly for me to "capture" them!

These two were quite hopeful about getting some lunch:

Welcome cat?

Shopping for "antiques":

"On the bricks" in the courtyard at the Blue Mosque:

And one "ringer" at the Gayer-Anderson Museum next door to the Ibn Tulun Mosque:

Wake-up Call!

Ah, yes! That unmistakable whoosh as the burner of a hot air balloon flares in the early morning sky overhead. I hadn't heard it for a while and it took a minute for my fuzzy morning brain to identify it. It was very loud so I knew it had to be very close. I threw on a wrap and some shoes and headed out with my camera. There it was--heading north directly over the property and almost alarmingly low. But that meant I could get some great shots. Here it is as it appears at the south end:

And as it nears my position:

Right overhead! (I have to admit I used the zoom; it wasn't really this low)

And as it drifts off to the north towards Karnak:

A truly astonishing wake-up call...

Tutankh-Obama

I stumbled across this great sign hanging on a shop display wall while wandering through Islamic Cairo in early March. Most Egyptians that I have met are very positive about our President.

A Banana Split in Al-Azhar Park

Cairo was a "tough job"--but somebody had to do it. Who better than three intrepid explorers: Sue, Rogério and moi! After a strenuous day in Islamic Cairo, we had the opportunity to spend a short while in Al-Azhar Park, a lushly green oasis in the heart of historic Cairo. Of course, we grabbed it! The park is relatively new and houses several restaurants, a children's play area, and a mini-lake. See the map below:

The park is very clean and well-maintained. Bravo to residents of Cairo for doing their part to keep it looking nice! There are nice meandering paths throughout the park that lead one to special garden areas, overlooks, restaurants, water features and the like.

The park is beginning to be known as "the gate to al-Darb al-Ahmar Historic District". On the west side lies a 1.5 km section of the Ayyubid wall, constructed in the 12th century A.D. by Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin). It was unearthed during the construction of the park and has been restored so that visitors can explore its ramparts, passageways and towers. Here are some views from the park of the wall and the area beyond.

The glorious views to the south are of the Citadel, a centuries-old bastion crowned by the minarets of the magnificent Mosque of Mohammed Ali.

As you can see, we had a strenuous day and so felt entitled to our banana split. Ah, you say, we finally get to the banana split! This final picture is of the three of us preparing to devour the tasty creation made with vanilla, hazelnut and mango ice cream!

The guy in the center looks pretty suspicious, doesn't he? Almost as if he were getting ready to run off with the whole thing... But the ladies were ever-vigilant and we all got our fair share. YUM!

Street Scenes: Luxor

Here are a few photos of typical street scenes in Luxor, mostly from this season.

This shot of "public" water jars was taken on the West Bank.

And a night shot of the Old Winter Palace in all its glory!

Massive head of pharaoh unearthed in Egypt

Hourig Sourouzian never ceases to amaze us with marvelous discoveries at the mortuary temple of Amenhotep III on the west bank here at Luxor. This is just the latest.

Wishing you love...

Happy Valentine's Day! Eid el Hob Saeed! Unfortunately the cats in this Valentine greeting are no longer with us. Tony, on the right, was one of the sweetest cats I have ever had the honor to cuddle...

West Bank Doors

I think we all need a little break from the overwhelming changes on the east bank at Luxor! Here are some doors I've shot on the west bank over the past couple of seasons.

Luxor Walkabout 1

It was on October 25, 2009 that I took my first walk around Luxor. Much of the landscape has changed dramatically since then, and it had changed quite a bit since I left at the end of our season in April. My route took me down the Corniche and along Labib Habachi Street. On the corner of Labib Habachi and Second Streets was this lovely period building:

Here it is being torn down on November 21 as part of the project to uncover the entire alley of sphinxes between Luxor and Karnak Temples:

As I proceeded south (towards Luxor Temple) along Second Street I reached the empty spot where my favorite tiny mosque used to stand:

Here is what it looked like last season:

I headed further south and was stunned to see the wide, empty boulevard:

...where there used to be interesting buildings (they would have been on the right in the picture above):

All gone! Here is a photo of the site just north of Luxor Temple where a mosque with a historic minaret once stood:

And this is a view of what it looked like last season:

I continued my progress around the eastern side of the temple and was pleased to see the newly restored Abu al Haggag mosque in Luxor Temple:

It was still under reconstruction (after a fire) last season:

I rounded the south end of the temple and returned to the Corniche where I found another hole where a building had stood at the end of last season. One of two villas, the one which housed the National Party Headquarters, had been torn down as part of the clearance around Luxor Temple:

Here is the remaining villa:

In this picture taken from the ferry last season you can see both buildings:

Yes, big changes have taken place in and around Luxor, and work is continuing. "Luxor Walkabout 2" will cover east Luxor away from the river.