Shopping in Cairo

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On my last day in Cairo, I spent most of the afternoon at the Egyptian Museum, admiring the looted contents of King Tut's tomb and wishing I were Queen Nefertiti, if only for her jewelry.

When the thought of seeing one more mummy, sarcophogi, or statue of Ramses was going to make me scream. I headed to the Mall. Really. I wasn't thinking of doing any clothes shopping for myself- OBVIOUSLY, mumus not being my thing- but I thought I might find something interesting for one of you.

I took the photo to on the main shopping street downtown. I have been largely silent regarding hijab in Egypt and Jordan, mainly because, unlike on other trips I have made to the Middle East, it has really bothered me this time. While I don't think anyone should be forced either to wear or not wear the abaya (look how poorly both worked in Iran), I find the current prevalence in Egypt distressing,especially because it is a visible symbol of other problems, especially socioeconomic ones.

Speaking of distressing, I shared a cab from the Cairo airport today with a Sudanese woman (named Dar El Salaam, according to her) who works for the UN in Darfur. She came to Cairo for a few weeks holiday. Needless to say, her report was not good. She hopes the UN presence will remain for at least ten years, as the violence from the war is quickly being replaced by violence caused by hunger and other forms of deprivation.

Gotto go...to the airport!

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