Chaotic Cairo, a photo from Cairo, Delta

Photographer's Note

Cairo is one of the most crowded and chaotic big cities I have ever seen, but I quite enjoyed it during a week or so in 1983. I spent hours and hours walking long distances, often far from the tourist tracks, sometimes into rather slummy areas, but somehow I was never scared. In spite of obvious poverty there was generally a friendly atmosphere and I felt quite safe, even late at night.

There was no Metro in 1983, and going by city bus would have been rather pointless. The traffic seemed to be at a constant standstill, every driver honking desperately all the time, to no avail.

It was better and almost faster to walk, and it probably made me less exposed to pickpockets.

I post three photos today from streets of Cairo. I have no idea where they were taken, and that's of no importance. The quality is rather poor, but capturing fleeting moments of daily life is more important to me than technical perfection.

The main photo is not really chaotic, but I found it odd to meet a flock of sheep on the pavement of a mega city.

Two more photos in the WS, all of them scanned from Kodachrome slides.

pajaran, ktanska, Fis2, ChrisJ, ikeharel, pierrefonds, jean113, jhm, ricardomattos, Royaldevon, PaulVDV, COSTANTINO, PiotrF, adramad, clic, mcmtanyel has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

pajaran (104947) 2021-03-21 1:29

Pozdrav.
Interesantan pogled i trenutak, dobarv tekst ...
Lepe ovce na ulici, dobro pokazane sa lepim bojama, kontarstom i perspektivom.
Lepa fotografija i secanje, dobro uhvacen trenutak.
Lepe fotografije ur adionici.
Zelim vam lep dan za odmor, sve najbolje.
Paja

ktanska (41025) 2021-03-21 1:51

Hej Gert,
Yes, that is a surprising picture. It does not look like a place where sheep would be brought for sale. So what they do there is a mystery. The girl on the left is well place. I also like the WS with a minaret and scooters.
Kari

Fis2 (158253) 2021-03-21 2:05

Witaj Gert!
Hello Gert!
Another interesting set of photos from the street.
I like your archival photos from everyday life.
Good reporter's job.
Good frames and interesting retro colors.
Have a nice sunday.
Krzysztof

ChrisJ (162696) 2021-03-21 2:31

Hej Gert,

This is a scene which has all but disappeared. These days the streets are choked with traffic with constantly blaring noisy horns. I think I prefer the ram's horns! Good sharpness and colour and a nice contrast between the open street market and busy bg. Tfs!

ikeharel (107117) 2021-03-21 4:24

Hello Gert,
Three daily life on the streets of cairo from 38 years ago.
Well chosen the main post, looks a bit tricky to cross the pavement when the sheep lay on it...
Good afternoon,
Ike

Silvio1953 (208625) 2021-03-21 4:51

Ciao Gert, nice street view wit a lot of sheep, splendid light, excellent clarity, fine details and wonderful colors, very well done, my friend, ciao Silvio

pierrefonds (105583) 2021-03-21 4:53

Hi Gert,

You have captured well a daily life scene. The point of view is shwowing the details of the flock of sheep. The light is bringing out the colors. Have a nice day.

Pierre

jean113 (23505) 2021-03-21 5:35

Hello Gert, I find this picture amusing, a totally unexpected flock of sheep in the city centre!
You give us a real flavour of this enormous city from 1983.
Full of details.
Excellent observation of daily life, and the scans are of good quality.
Thanks for sharing.
Kind regards, Jean.

lousat (131451) 2021-03-21 6:22

Hi Gert,i been there 12 years adter you and i saw in fact the same chaos. In the streets,in the markets...everywhere. 3 beautiful memories, i like your choice of main,in fact i haven't seen the sheep there..ehhe...have a nice Sunday and thanks,Luciano

jhm (205253) 2021-03-21 7:18

Hello Gert,

We get not much pictures of Egypt, I see here a nice image, with yet before the stricter regime.
But your picture bring nice remembrance out this time Hosni El Sayed Mubarak, I think than President.
Nice generally image about the market with different animals.
Excellent depth image too.
Very well done, TFS.

Best regards,
John.

ricardomattos (15908) 2021-03-21 8:27

Hi Gert

Lovely picture this with these brown and white lambs resting and eating in FG. The others in WS show really the chaotic streets of Cairo at this time. I really like this main photo because it gives a general and in-depth notion of this place.

Best regards

Ricardo

jmdias (105143) 2021-03-21 8:45

GERT

few days ago I said Chris I would like to walk across cairo walking but I would be afraid.
excellent these three images, they are very interesting and with many curious elements as the leg of the ox, these animals, the minaret, etc.. without covid I would be posting photos from egypt now..

take care

jorge

Royaldevon (78370) 2021-03-21 9:52

Hello Gert,

Thank you for these photographs. They show an aspect of Cairo that I have never seen before. They definitely show what you describe in your notes, streets chaotic, crammed with people and things! There is definitely no room for traffic in your w/s shots but, that is all to the good, for there are more interesting things to see.

I wonder if you would feel as safe walking the poor areas of the city nowadays!

I really liked the description of walking taking less time than travelling by bus!

My warm regards,
Bev :-)

Tue (84044) 2021-03-21 11:29

Hej Gert,
Et godt billede fra en af de mindre kaotiske gader i storbyen, bortset fra sporvognen er gaden næsten helt tom for trafik. Menneskerne i fortovet danner en livlig atmosfære alligevel og det samme gør den store flok af får i forgrunden, som man bestemt ikke ville forvente i et sted som dette.
Lars

GyurMaster (22212) 2021-03-21 13:17

Dear Gert,

I'm happy that you opted for walk. It made possible for you to take some stunning photos during your trip. It would have been harder to make these nothing specials from a bus. I like the WS photos too, especially the one with the minaret in the far bg.

Best Wishes,
Gy

PaulVDV (56399) 2021-03-21 15:41

Hello Gert,
In 2003 and 2004 I was in Cairo. A Belgian woman in the circle of friends then worked for several years in the Egyptian capital and she showed me how rich and how poor certain parts of the metropolis were.
It was a city full of contrasts. I remember being amazed that this city never slept. At 3 a.m. you could go to a market or have a drink in a tea house.
A memory that has always stayed with me is my visit to the district with Christian Copts who were 'garbage collectors'.
The many sheep are a special sight, at least for their presence in a big city.
I also notice tram tracks on the left. However, I cannot remember that there were trams in Cairo. Alexandria was the only city in Egypt with trams, I thought until now.
Your second photo shows a minaret with beautiful shapes.
Just like you, I thought the atmosphere was very friendly. That while my first visit was very shortly after the Iraq war. My Belgian friend in Cairo had informed me that it was safe. However, there were meetings in the streets with people who asked if we were American. Of course we answered clearly in the negative :)
Best regards, Paul

COSTANTINO (106083) 2021-03-21 23:00

Hello my dearest Gert
another treasure photo from your archives..
your chosen title is the best...
I agree with you that Cairo is one
of the most crowded and chaotic
big cities...
regards
costantino

jemaflor (137482) 2021-03-22 0:40

Hi gert,
Well framed this daily life view, a street well photographed with people and sheep, a good reportage of this big town with your old photo, tfs

PiotrF (52342) 2021-03-22 13:40

Hello Gert,
Another interesting photo from your archive. I was planning to visit this place last year, but we know what the situation is.
Fine presentation
Regards
Piotr

ifege (35377) 2021-03-22 20:42

Hi Gert
A good trio from Cairo showing beautifully lots of the chaos that you expect in that region. The main one is especially good with all the sheep next to a busy street.
cheers
Ian

foxy (2453) 2021-03-23 5:12

Hello Gert,
'CHAOTIC'!!! I don't see it till I read your note :-)
You know how I dislike about Cairo......
Seeing this photo, with the flock of sheep on the roadside - 'munching' , at the same time 'snoozing' peacefully amid the 'human-traffic' noises ... kind of scene I would definitely like to see.
I see Cairo in your pictures, shall I say 'old' Cairo....is very much different from the Cairo , I saw - hard to describe ? Maybe the friendly atmosphere and you felt safe.....it was totally 'reverse' to me.
The WS photos, I definitely see a lot of changes in the street. More 'colourful' and 'varieties' , all kind of souvenirs ( mostly rubbish ) ..... not like the gloom and dirty , the pictures shown but I do like the views of the mosques :-)
Thanks for sharing the 'cheerful sheep' scene.
Loong

adramad (68178) 2021-03-23 12:37

Hi Gert.
It is certainly a chaotic city, the sheep is a very surprising image, I did not see them, but if those narrow streets that we see in the WS with so many people and motorcycles, the buildings built in a capricious way also contribute to that feeling of chaos, very interesting images of the day to day in this city almost forty years ago.
A magnificent range of colors, in very attractive tones.
Good brightness and sharpness management.
Very well done. Love it.
Have a great day.
Very best regards.
Luis.

clic (24156) 2021-03-25 13:52

Hallo Gert
Why do those sheep, probably deprived of their pasturelands, have to behave as poor wretches squatting in mid-towns; is it by respect for a religious tradition, as a leeway for cows in India!
Wearing such worn out regalias, they act as welfare recipients having found an easy way out from finding greater means of survival.
Nevertheless, you captured a memorable urban topic with the
set intention of teaching exoticism, so I'm very grateful to know!
Halsningar

mcmtanyel (59404) 2021-03-25 17:51

Hello Gert,
I wonder if this was close to Kurban Bayram (Sacrifice Fest). If it was, these are rams and sheep waiting to be sold to the faithful so that they can sacrifice.
Regards,
MT

kasianowak (16158) 2021-04-05 10:07

Interesting trio of photos. It immediately makes me wonder what these streets look like these days. I've seen sheep in several cities, sometimes for sale, sometimes on their way to their pens in the middle of the city centre.
I wonder if the sheep are marked in line with their owndership?
Well captured with sheep in the foreground and the people and vehicles lined road leading to the distant buildings.