Cairo.
Cairo has to be the friendliest, most generous city I've visited yet. I thought I'd get some funny looks or cold shoulders when I said I'm an American, but it hasn't happened yet.

The Egyptian Museum was celebrating its Centennial with lasers and lights.







A neon-lit mosque I passed while searching for a hotel.





In retrospect, I'm not sure why I snapped this. Perhaps it was because it was the one of the first picturesque things I saw in the downtown area I was passing through.




A policeman catching up on the news.

I had the taxi drop me off at the Nile Hilton where I knew I'd be able to change money, use the toilet and access the Internet. From there I walked down Taalat Harb St. where I took this photo.


The lift in the lobby of my hotel's building.


"Coptic" Cairo, center of Old Cairo and religious shome to Cairo's Christian (Coptic - Coptic is really Egyptian from the Greek.) This is a picture of the outside of the Hanging Church building.





Inside the Hanging Church.

St. George slaying the dragon. This is at the church build atop the ruins of one of the Roman towers.





St. George again





And again.





At St. Barbara's church.



I believe this image is called the Coptic Mona Lisa or at least I think I overheard a guide say something to that effect.


The marquetry around some of the icons was quite beautiful, as were the icons.

I slipped upstairs and snapped this view of a neighboring minaret.


A view of the Hanging Church and the "Water Gate".






Inside the small chapel at a convent. The door to the left is supposedly crafted from one tree and is eight meters tall.


Another shot taken after slipping up stairs not really open to the public.



In an upstairs hallway where, I suppose, several families live within the Coptic "compound."


Within another Coptic church. The altar is behind the screen.


An external wall decoration at an unremarkable mosque just north of the Coptic area.


In and around the Kahn al Khalili, the large, labraynthine market area just West of downtown. I've been there twice and still have not scratched the surface of its many stalls, alleys and streets.








I have a night shot of this in the Ibn Tulun page.


A vegetable market area.







I headed upstairs in some random building to see what kind of views I could find.


THe door to this room was open. I liked the blue stainbed glass and the light.


This butcher didn't want me to photograph him when I asked, so I walked past and snapped this from down the street. His stall was white and clean and would have made a nice backdrop to a proper portrait.


The vendor is just visible behind the counter. I liked his setting in this niche and the glow from the neon.








This family/group of children were playing on the other side of an iron fence just beside the al Hussein mosque near the kahn. I drew their attention (and laughs) when I mimiced the dance one of the women was doing. Some of the children came around the fence and pulled me over. The following photos were the result.










The woman who was dancing when I walked up. She repeated her hip-shaking for this photo.


Kid-camera pandemonium.


This was taken "secretly," but I suspect he knew what was going on.


This man insisted that I take his photo.



Another lurking photo.


Ditto.




















Counting the day's income.


Some more views from above.





In the square near the al Hussein mosque.








A wedding party. The groom is clapping his hands and looking down.








Inside a mosque down one of the market streets.