Egypt: downtown Cairo 1989

[Deleted]

1989 was the year that I spent the longest time in Cairo, living in the Ramses Hilton, a dreary skyscraper along the banks of the Nile.



I will, however, say that it was excellent for one thing -- the breathtaking view of the Pyramids at sunset from the rooftop bar.

My own view was a little more mundane, although I had a gigantic corner room as big as a suite. But I had a fantastic view of the building next door and spied on everything that the family living on the roof did.







The central downtown area was not very far away, but it was a major expedition to get across the horrendous snakepit of roadways to the other side.



But whenever I survived the crossing, I was happy to see the streets of the city and none of the tourist hawkers that infest the "pretty" sites.











This is the main synagogue of Cairo.



There were also some backpackers hotels in the center of town.



Naturally, the markets are always an attraction to us visitors.













I visited the train station, too. I always love train stations.





Just outside is what I seem to recall was the tallest minaret in the city, even though you can't see how tall from this photo.



Almost every day, I would escape from the hotel and wander the streets.

















I may be mistaken, but Cairo seemed like a much friendlier place 20 years ago. For one thing, the women did not need to adopt Islamic dress codes if they did not want to. This is much less the case today among the ordinary people on the street. Strangely enough, the people that you see on Egyptian television do not reflect this change at all -- the women all have extravagant hairstyles, sometimes dyed blonde.

After a couple of hours out on the street, I needed a shower, even though the water running out of the taps was dark brown. The flags of international commerce were there to reassure me that it was all right.

[onlymark]

Wonderful.
Pictures 2,3 and 4 have now changed in that it is all built up around there. You've probably seen that in further visits.
The rest though could easily have been taken today. Even with the same cars.

I don't know what the exchange rate was back in 1989 but the prices on the fruit and veg are interesting. I ought to check what they are now. I do know that imported bananas are 10LE a kilo and imported green apples are 20LE a kilo, tomatoes are 2LE a kilo and cucumber 3LE a kilo.

The 18th picture, with the small fruit stand on a counter and the side turned Policeman must have not been taken in the winter, the policeman has got his summer uniform on. In winter they wear black.
That 'hole in the wall' shop is a juice bar (I know you and others know that K2 but I thought I'd mention it). Any seasonal fruit is used, including carrots, to make a glass of juice for a couple of pounds.
They also have a small fridge where they have ready prepared yoghurt and fruit deserts.

[Deleted]

Yes, Mark, this was almost the entire month of August -- a delightful time to spend time in Cairo, so the summer uniform was definitely called for.

[onlymark]

August can be very hot and traditionally is the month that Cairo gets quieter as people leave for cooler areas. It's actually not too bad driving round there in that month.
The 8th picture from the bottom, the place on Adly Street, is still very much the same. It's just round the corner from where my wife works.
Further along the same street is the synagogue in your picture, it's called the Shaar Hashamayim Synagogue, built in 1905(?) and apparently there are too few Jewish males around for it to be regularly used.

A couple of your pictures are, probably, taken along Talaat Harb street. A famous book, well to Egyptians anyway, is set in a building there called "The Yacoubian Building" and by Alaa Al Aswany. It's about the comings and goings of residents of that apartment building and is quite entertaining.

[onlymark]

Good pictures and I like to see the details in them.

[Deleted]

"The Yacoubian Building" is very famous throughout Europe. I regret enormously that I have not had a chance to see the film yet. When it came out, it was at a time when I was stuck caring for my mother, and even though I took her to see some films far beyond her powers of comprehension (due to Alzheimer's), I couldn't take her to see a move that lasted so long.

[onlymark]

Never saw the film, never had the opportunity to. Read the book and enjoyed it though.
Maybe DVD time then.

[Jazz]

These are great photos Kerouac, and as I looked at them, I thought of The Yacoubian Building...very much so! It is an excellent film.

[Deleted]

I still dream of living on that roof, although I would not have liked to live under the scrutiny of the clients of the Ramses Hilton.

[bixaorellana]

I don't know why, but I am always so shocked by the amount of crowding and traffic shown in the photos of Cairo. But the architecture ~~ wow, just beautiful!
You take such great pictures. Thanks for this.

[Deleted]

For some reason I never had a mental picture of what downtown Cairo would look like so I am thrilled to now have an accurate one. So often I'm disappointed in what I think a place should look like. Thanks.

[Deleted]

I found the photo that I had misplaced of the tall minaret across from the train station.

[onlymark]

Kerouac - in 1989, if you can remember, when the call to prayer happened, was it through loudspeakers?
I'm looking at the minarets and I can't see any.

Modified - actually I've just spotted one on picture 25 the 7 up picture.

[Jazz]

I am fascinated by these photos. I rewatched the DVD of The Yacoubian Building and it reminds me of your sequence very much. I am confused as to which is the actual building, since apparently the one in the film is not the real Yacoubian? Is it this,



or this,


Maybe you or Mark knows? The Yacoubian Building was constructed in Art Deco style and still stands in downtown Cairo at 34, Talaat Harb Street, or, Sulieman Basha Street..."On the roof of the ten storey building are 50 small rooms (one for each apartment), no more than 2 metres by 2 metres in area, which were originally used as storage areas and not as living quarters for human beings, but after the wealthy residents began to move from downtown Cairo to the suburbs in the 1970's, the rooms were gradually taken over by overwhelmingly poor immigrants from the Egyption countryside...the rooftop community is effectively a slum neighborhood."

Here is (supposedly) a rooftop shot of the building,


This is a very good short video about the book. If you are patient, beginning at 3min, 06sec, you will see a few shots of the rooftop apartments that are much like your photos. And, yours are from 1989, these are relatively recent. The film was done in 2006.

The rooftop community seems very vital, as your absorbed spying shows

[onlymark]

Jazz, I don't have your first image.

[Jazz]

Oh...I can see it on my computer. Mark, the first image is 'squared off' at the corner of the building and the top pieces are rectangular with columns. The one that I think you see, is 'rounded' at the corner and its top pieces look to be hexagons with columns.

[onlymark]

I did walk the street a couple of years ago and I think I identified number 34 as this building -



Though this one looks more like it should be the building -



Some pictures give it as this building -

[onlymark]

However, the last building is at the junction of Talaat Harb Street and Adly Street. The white minibus in the foreground is trying to get onto Talaat Harb from Adly. Directly opposite are the posters for the Cinema that is just out of shot to the right.
In my first picture, this is looking down Talaat harb to the junction with Adly, which is on the left. You can see in between the cream Yacoubian building and the grey one with the rectangular bits on the roof, is the cinema.

Does that make sense?

[Deleted]

Here is the cover of one of the translations of the book. Of course, the photograph does not necessarily mean anything.

[Deleted]

The French wiki about the novel and film claims that this is the building.

[Jazz]

Thanks, Mark and Kerouac. I'm still confused, but it doesn't matter...I like all of the candidate buildings and one day I will see for myself.

[bixaorellana]

The second picture in Mark's Reply #16 above -- what an extravagant confection!

You can do something fun with it, too. Look slightly left of center of your computer monitor as you scroll picture two rapidly up & down the screen. Nifty, huh?

[onlymark]

Kerouac - you're right. The cover doesn't mean its the building. And in fact I am 100% certain it isn't. That style is further down Talaat Harb Street towards Midan Tahrir which is the main famous square where the Mogamma is. I obviously can't say which building it is, but it's not the right one. I also think it's an Opticians by what looks like a large pair of glasses frames above the doorway.

The link you give to a photo is, again, not it. Again I am 100% certain. The photo is of Midan Talaat Harb where the famous Groppi's cafe is. Midan means Square btw.
One day I'll just have to go back and take a photo. Most days I'm in Cairo downtown but I normally turn where the white minibus turns in your photo, the Yacoubian Building is then off to the right the wrong way along the one way system, so I'd have to work my way back round to it.

[hwinpp]

Why is the woman in reply#13 by Jazz wearing a Chinese blouse?

[onlymark]

I can only assume she works at one of the clubs that used to exist on Talaat harb Street nearby.