Monday, we went downtown during out class time and shot a little bit. Some people had Arabic class that afternoon, but Annalise and I didn't, so we went to Bab Zuweyla to photograph some more. Bab Zuwayla itself is the gate to the south that used to contain Fatimid Cairo, but now it's used to refer to that area in general. Nearby, there's a tent market, where people sell cotton and make and weave different items - purses, murals, scarves, just about everything you can think of. It was pretty amazing to walk down the streets, but overwhelming at the same time. There was a market for food as well, with not just fruit and veggies, but live chickens, rabbits, and even ducks. The people there were very friendly and there was little hassle, mostly because it wasn't a tourist's market. We also got to stop by Abd el-Zaher, a book-binding shop that makes and binds every part of their books. Their work was beautiful, and I made a few purchases there, including a few gifts for people and a photo album for myself, which I'll use to scrapbook this trip when I return to the states.
Tuesday was relatively uneventful (we had class as normal) and Wednesday we went shooting again. We went back to Bab Zuwayla, but this time with Denis and Abduh there with us. We climbed up the two minarets at the Bab Zuwalya gates, and the view from the top was absolutely gorgeous. After climbing to the concourse level, there was a set of steep stone stairs leading to the top of the minaret, or so I thought. Turns out they stopped about 50 feet from the top and were replaced by a metal spiral staircase. The steps were no more than two inches thick at most, and there was at least a foot and a half's height difference between each. Oh, and they fanned out about 60 degrees away from one another. Scary as hell. Did I climb up anyway? Of course. Easily the best adrenaline rush I've had in a long time. At the top, there wasn't much to keep you from falling off the top - the wall around the highest concourse didn't rise past your knee, only about a foot away from the minaret itself (little room to walk, basically), and it happened to be pretty windy that morning. One slip and things wouldn't have ended well. Totally worth it though - the view was absolutely incredible.
We walked back through the tent market, but since it was earlier in the morning, things were still pretty quiet. Soon enough though, the market became a lot busier, with people opening their shops and driving through to make their deliveries. The smell wasn't as pungent, but walking through past the open, fly-covered meat wasn't exactly the best scent in the world. The people were once again extremely friendly, and I got some more great pictures. That afternoon, we had another Arabic class with Hasnaa (who's awesome, by the way). We managed to have fun and learn a few things, although whether or not we'll retain any of it is a different matter entirely. The guys at the front desk of Flamenco are still trying to teach me Arabic, with slight success. My vocab is expanding, but I'm sure my accent is terrible.
Today we visited the Citadel, perhaps one of Cairo's largest tourist hotspots. The Saladin Citadel is almost a thousand years old and is absolutely beautiful. I could provide more details about its history, but instead I'll just attach the link (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Citadel). We also went to the military museum, which Robbie would have loved. There wasn't much about the pharaonic times, and there was only a little information about the Malmuks and Ottomans, but Egypt's more recent military history (seventeenth century onward, basically) was well-chronicled.
Tomorrow, we're going to Alexandria, and Saturday we're going to the Sakara pyramids. I'll post more about those this weekend - both should be a great trip. Tonight we have yet another 21st birthday to celebrate (Doug's this time). After a week of class, I'm sure it'll be an eventful night.
As the semester draws to a close, I've been thinking more and more about what direction I want to move in with my final project. I love some of the pictures I have of people, and I want to keep shooting in black and white. So I think my final book will be black and white shots, with an emphasis on portraits. Following this post are a few of the pictures I've taken of people this week.
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