All posts tagged Bedouin

WEDNESDAY NOSTALGIA: LANTERN SLIDES WEEK XII

By Islam El Shazly

The photographers who visited Egypt in the late 19th century where explorers in their own right, they travelled the length and breadth of the country and spent hours upon hours chronicling with their cameras the sights and the lives of Egypt and the Egyptians. They left us a treasure trove of imagery, with subjects that have have almost completely disappeared from our lives.

Temples that have either sunk or moved, entire neighbourhoods that were levelled and rebuilt, ancient trees that were uprooted or disfigured, and lifestyles that all but vanished. Read more…

SAILING THE NILE: LUXOR TO ASWAN

By Islam El Shazly

Back in 2009, before I started Al Rahalah, my wife and I went on a Nile cruise courtesy of Radamis Travel*. It was on one of their two cruise ships: Radamis II, back then it was operated by the Mövenpick Hotels & Resorts, and on the top 10 list of Nile cruises in the Eyewitness Top 10 Travel Guide: Cairo and the Nile. It is now operated by Swiss Inn Hotels & Resorts.

Before then I had only been to Aswan once for a quick two day trip; my wife on the other hand had never been anywhere south of Cairo. This proved to be one of those experiences that you never forget. In a great kind of way! Read more…

SURVIVAL – BEDOUIN STYLE

By Islam El Shazly

Since the Napoleon’s ill-fated campaign against Egypt in the late 18th century and the world became enthralled with everything Pharaonic. Especially Europeans and Americans, they came by the boat load to see the tombs, temples, and palaces that were long forgotten or half-covered in sand, they came, saw, and recorded what they saw in vivid illustrations; the only record of what a lot of these ancient monuments looked like. Since then many of these monuments became lost again under the waters of Lake Nasser, or just simply collapsed for neglect. Read more…

A WEEK IN MATROUH

The beach at the Heliopolis Sporting Club Summer Resort.

By Islam El Shazly

It’s 14:30 on a Friday, time to hit the road for our family’s summer vacation: A week in Marsa Matrouh, 550km away from all the chaos that is Cairo. Crystal clear, all-shades-of-blue water, white sandy beaches, the perfect detox to the stress of day-to-day life.

My first visit to Marsa Matrouh was back around 1984, I was 10 years old, and the very first thing I did within a day of our 1 week vacation was attempt to get on a moving swing; it had two benches and a wood platform underneath. It was not a successful attempt. I got 13 stitches to the back of my head as a reward for my effort. My vacation ended before it even started. Read more…