From the leafy avenues of Zamalek, our five day photographic journey in Cairo began in the incredible Tintera Gallery, cameras in hand and anticipation in the air, we set out into the living tapestry of Cairo.
A short descent into the metro carried us far from calm into the chaos and the tumult of Abbassia Markets, we were instantly absorbed by Cairo’s glorious disorder — the sounds, the colours, the endless choreography of people moving through the streets.
From there we wandered on foot through the historic arteries of the city: into the labyrinth of the spice market then on to Khan el‑Khalili (a short stop at El-Fishawi of course) and along Al‑Muizz Street — which, to my dismay, lay partly under demolition amid sweeping renovations. Still, the spirit of the place constantly endures. The path carried us further north past the smells of the ovens making Egyptian bread, to the medieval gates of Bab al‑Nasr, and beyond them to the silent expanses of the cemeteries. By evening we found ourselves once again back in Zamalek, where the day concluded over much needed dinner and conversation.
The following morning began at our base, the Eileen Hotel in Bab el‑Louk downtown Cairo. From there we took black and white taxis (always an interesting experience when Cairo) toward the venerable Al‑Azhar Mosque and into the winding alleyways that stretch beyond Bab Zuweila, where the tailors of Upper Egypt — the Sa‘ayda — worked patiently at their craft, stitching lives together thread by thread.
Our wanderings continued through Mosque of Sultan al‑Ashraf Qaitbay in Darb al‑Ahmar, where pigeons wheeled in the sky above the domes. From there the city shifted character again — from the monumental presence of Cairo University to the now-vanished Umm Kulthum Garden, once dedicated to Egypt’s most beloved voice.
Night brought us to the glowing lights of Qasr El Nil Bridge, where we stepped aboard a small felucca and drifted across the dark waters of the Nile — Cairo shimmering around us like a constellation.
On the final day we explored the beauty of the Khalifa District: carpenters shaping wood in small workshops, and the serene grandeur of the Ibn Tulun Mosque rising above the neighbourhood. Surrounded by the old cafes full of charm and character.
This was the five-day journey I undertook with my camera in October 2023 in my beloved second home, Cairo — in the company of Denis Dailleux and friends.
The further we wandered from the familiar routes of tourism, the warmer and more sincere the encounters became. Cairo revealed itself not through monuments alone, but through its people: old men sipping tea, young boys running through the alleys, Yemeni refugees carving out fragile new lives in a city that never truly sleeps. A very pleasant surprise, the vast majority of people are delighted to have their photograph taken (and without asking for money) this was truely a nice surprise from the bakish hounding tourist scouts around the tourist landmarks of Egypt.
Not a single moment was dull.
Only movement, humanity, and the endless, magnetic pulse of Cairo.
