For those that have never traveled to Egypt it is definitely a destination you must put on your bucket list. We have all seen the images of foreign countries on TV or in magazines, but I have always been curious how they represent the respective city or country.
During my previous visit to Egypt I had the opportunity to visit some of it's historical sites such as the Great Pyramids of Giza, The Valley of the Kings, The Cairo Museum, and sailed the Nile River from Aswan to Luxor. However, this time I wanted to see parts of Egypt that were not on a tourists' map or in an article in Wikipedia.
During our visit we stayed at my mother-in-law's apartment (condo) in Alexandria, just one block from the beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean Sea. A vast majority of the city is multilevel buildings, some upwards of 20 stories high. Each building has at least one working elevator, no more than about 15 square feet. Many have no door on the car itself and you can literally watch the floors whizzing by as you travel up and down the elevator shaft.
(Now, as I blog about these adventures I do not intend to paint the city of Alexandria or the country of Egypt with a broad brush. My intention was to seek out what I perceived as extraordinary, but normal and acceptable to the locals.)
The weather at the time of our visit it was a balmy 82 degrees during the day and down to around 72 at night. The humidity topped out around 80% on most days. Keep this in mind as I tell you about the day I walked down the street and around the corner where I meet Rami, a 26 year old butcher working at his family’s butcher shop, just as his father did before him. Rami has been working here for more than 14 years and is quite skilled in his profession.
What first caught my eye was the carcass of what I later found out was a lamb, hanging from a chain as Rami and his partner took turns removing the precious meat. Tied up next to the hanging meat was another lamb, alive and well, watching as Rami wielded his razor sharp knife, obviously completely oblivious to his destiny.
The table they practice their trade on is a waist high wooden bench much like the one my dad built in our garage when I was a kid for his workbench. The bench sits right out on the sidewalk and under a canopy hanging above the roll up door of their "store front" shop. Surprisingly, there are no foul odors or swarms of flies attacking me as I ventured closer. Over a cup of tea we chatted about him and his business as well as me and my visit to Egypt. I asked to shoot some pictures of him and his storefront and he was more than willing to allow me to capture this unique scene.
Rami (Blue and White shirt) works at the table as an unsuspecting sheep lingers beneath the recent kill.
Rami sharpening his knife as his Uncle trims the meat.
"The Butcher Shop" with Rami and some of the locals.
Everyone was real friendly (and attracted to the American with a camera)
Did you enjoy this post? Be sure to look for more in the near future as we visit with some local boys playing soccer in the street, the watermelon vendor, corn on the cob on the corner, and more.
Also be sure to visit my webpage for my Portrait and Wedding Photography.
www.HackworthPhotography.com
