Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly sequence through which NPR’s worldwide crew shares moments from their lives and work all over the world.
Downtown Cairo, or Wust el-Balad because it’s recognized regionally, is a treasure trove of hidden gems. Imprinted on each high-ceilinged constructing, arched balcony and iconic roundabout are relics that really feel like love letters from the previous. Relics just like the greater than century-old Greek Membership’s veranda that overlooks a roundabout with a bronze statue of Talaat Harb, who championed Egyptian financial independence from international affect. The neighborhood’s outdated cinemas and teahouses nonetheless stand the place Cairo’s elites and British officers as soon as sat.
Wust el-Balad was designed when automobiles had been nonetheless a luxurious, and life moved extra slowly. Solely by strolling its extensive pedestrian streets can the size and element of its neoclassical, Artwork Deco and Baroque-inspired structure be totally witnessed.
Wust el-Balad’s allure unfolds in layers, a few of it discreet and tucked down facet streets just like the one on this image I took on a go to this winter.
Right here, at this no-frills sheesha (hookah) café, all are welcome. And it is right here, on plastic chairs, with out trending hashtags and filters, that connection and dialog stay timeless. It is right here the place downtown Cairo’s truest treasure — pleasure — is unlocked.
See extra Far-Flung Postcards from all over the world:
