Putting His Shoes Back On

I have a young photographer staying with me and I've invited her to join me on this blog. This photo is one of Catherine Feeney's. A visiting Canadian friend of ours was with her at the Citadel today. He's putting his sneakers back on after visiting the main mosque...whose lights shine in the darkness behind him.

Topiary

Various types of ficus trees thrive in Egypt growing lush and green. Things like those spindly Ficus benjamina that people fuss over in the north, shoot up to massive trees in a matter of months. Since they are evergreen they make great topiary, trees and shrubs carved into shapes. This tree has the word "Allah" carved into it in counterpoint to the mosque of Mohamed Ali at the Citadel.

The Man On The Horse

The equestrian statue of Khedive Ibrahim stands in mid-town Cairo near the flyover from downtown to Khan el Khalili. Ibrahim only ruled Egypt for one year before dying but during his father's rule he was the head of an army that expanded Egypt's power through the Arabian peninsula, Palestine, Jordan, Syria, parts of Iraq and Turkey before being pushed back by the combined power of the Ottomans and their European allies.

Wish I Was Here

There are thousands of mosques in Cairo...thousands in the city and even tiny hand-built mosques scattered throughout the farmland. Mosques are wonderful places, peaceful and welcoming. This particular photo was taken in the main mosque of Mohamed Ali at the Citadel in Cairo. It isn't particularly old, only a couple hundred years or so, but when I was traveling back and forth between Toronto and Cairo with two small children it was one of our favourite stops on a busy day. I could let the kids run off steam in the park of the Citadel and then they would be happy to lay down on the carpet and just check out for an hour's nap. People come and go, some to pray and some just to admire the lovely architecture that is reminiscent of the Grand Mosque of Istanbul that was once the church of Hagia Sophia. No one ever is concerned that children sleep in a quiet corner or that an old woman sits in a sunny spot to watch passersby or that students study together somewhere else. These are truly centers of community in the old sense of the word