A walk though Cairo’s medina is truly an enchanting, color-
ful, and noisy stroll through time. It can also be a bit disheart-
ening, because it is one of the poorer parts of the city. Some
people, such as shopkeepers, craftsmen, and taxi drivers, have
steady but not well-paying work. And there is a large and poor
underclass of beggars and street vendors (people who will, for
example, approach a rider in a car to sell a flower necklace or a
pack of tissues). The wealthier people tend to live farther west
in the newer part of the city, or in the suburbs that have cropped
up in recent decades on the city’s desert edges. Some of these
suburbs, such as Zamalek on Gezira Island, are quite affluent.
Many diplomats and successful businesspeople live here, and
their children attend Egypt’s private schools and universities.
Their homes and apartments are spacious and well furnished,
and they own automobiles. This is in great contrast with the
majority of Egyptians, inside and outside the cities, who often
live in cramped and deteriorating quarters and could only
dream of having cars and other luxuries.