Cairo, as I Remember

A few years back, I could not resist an invitation to go to Cairo. It had been a while since my last trip and the city, the Pyramids and the Valley of the Kings were calling me back.

Well, like many other trips, I ended up taking pictures of the people and streets and left the great shots of ancient sites to postcards and other photographers. After all, the Pyramids do not change much from trip to trip…

I wanted to post a few pictures, all taken in 35mm, as I suspect they may or may not represent the Cairo of today. So, these photos are more “historical” than artistic.

Cairo by night

From my hotel balcony, in the Zamalek area.  On this trip I took a 1981 Olympus OM-1 loaded with ASA 100 film. Needless to say long exposures are practically impossible to make with such slow film, but I do like this one. The Nile, the city are all there and the slight vibration of the camera’s mirror gave”coma-like” blurs of the city and cars' lights that somehow fit nicely with the Arabic calligraphy!

The Nile as home

I was looking for that angle each photographer searches. After all a river is a river, no matter how majestic.  At sunset, I saw this river boat’s silhouette and it represented the Nile for me.

 I was not sure who was on that boat, so waited a while for a closer shot (I do not use zooms…!). I then found out it was a house-boat, and the woman was doing the dishes using the Nile as her sink….

The Streets of Cairo

I assume it is still the same today, but somehow the vintage cars, the horse and buggy remain in my mind as the paradox of Cairo: tall, modern buildings surrounded by 4000 years of history, customs and architecture.

Talking about customs, this shot is among my favorites. Sure, it is not artistic, I could have come closer, perhaps used the light better, but still, it is a street photo capturing that split second. Here, the woman is drying cloths on a line she tied from her building to the street. I had a second only to get her in the right posture and not shielded by the cloths. Then, I passed under the cloths and got a few drops of water on my face. Yes, I could have walked on the left of the street pole, but I thought the boardwalk should be shared...

The Old and the New

Well, at least then, a few years ago.

It would be great if I could go back soon and retake pictures from each spot. It would not surprise me if the shots came out quite similar. After all, 4000 years of history and customs still surround those tall buildings, downtown Cairo.

April 17, 2014

©Vahé Kazandjian, 2014