Egyptian people are assets not always sufficiently recognised by the authorities, especially in their contribution to the economically vital tourism sector. They are remarkable for their exceptional helpfulness, combined with other noted qualities such as their generosity, hospitality, ingenuity and a sense of humour. Family members, who were recently visiting Cairo from England, including Nikos, an 11-year-old on his first visit to Egypt, encountered these in exemplary fashion. He had learnt about and carried out projects on Pharaonic Egypt, as most British primary schoolchildren have, and recently has been studying principles of Islam in his first year at secondary school in the comparative religions course, so was well prepared. The Giza Pyramids and the Sphinx headed his "must-see" list, followed by the Egyptian Museum (of antiquities) in Tahrir Square, where the Tut Ankh Amun collection is one of the main attractions. My family had struck lucky at the airport with their taxi-driver, reasonable in price and well informed, who worked mainly in the tourist field, together with some colleagues, one of whom they subsequently booked to take them to Giza and Saqqara. Apart from the excitement of actually seeing the Giza Pyramids, the only surviving site of the Seven Wonders of the classical world, thanks to the taxi-driver, Nikos has taken away a very personal and imaginative souvenir of his visit. The taxi-driver had taken his camera and very carefully positioned Nikos, telling him how and where to hold out one of his hands. In the first photograph, the driver took Nikos looks as if he is delicately holding a pyramid suspended from his fingers, while, in the second, he is apparently cradling the pyramid in the palm of his hand. The taxi-driver himself was young and educated, and took great care in giving my family a great day out. Such drivers can be found elsewhere in the region, but the idea and execution of the cunning pyramid photos for young boy was essentially Egyptian in its humour and in giving pleasure. The driver also stopped the taxi so that Nikos could take his own optimum photos of the pyramids with a striking green and contrasting foreground of cultivated land. The legendary monuments and natural beauty entice people to visit Egypt but it is the Egyptian people combined with the way of life that so often makes visitors want to return – and return – and increasingly come to live here. Another factor for both foreign residents and visitors is the security here in the sense of the rare incidence of crime against the unknown person, which is certainly among the lowest in the world and also insufficiently stressed by the authorities. I certainly could not walk in London and many other world capitals at night, as we all can do in most areas of Cairo, freely and comfortably in dimly lit back streets. You are in greater danger of turning an ankle on a road or pavement in need of maintenance than of being the victim of a street crime. This personal sense of security owes everything to the Egyptian people, their nature, prevailing values, renowned generosity, hospitality and pride in their country, despite the current socio-economic adversities that afflict so many. Very few of the young men who try to illegally migrate would risk their lives if they could find work and a future at home. "Welcome" may seem to trip too frequently and glibly off the tongue, but the underlying sentiment is genuine. It is very characteristic of Egyptians to go out of their way and beyond the call of duty to make visitors of all ages enjoy their stay. In the Doqqi hotel my family were staying at, every morning they had a brief Arabic lesson during breakfast with the restaurant staff, who were teaching them everyday phrases and greetings while on the move. One evening, this was reinforced at a downtown coffee shop, where a busy waiter and some customers taught Nikos to write and say Arabic numbers. These and numerous other such encounters are formative memories that will always stay with him, together with some additions to his original Egyptian list, including the accessible immense 9th Century Ibn Toulon Mosque with its magnificent architecture and spiral mosque. Even at his young age, he was saddened by the neglect of surrounding beautiful old buildings and the proximity of unsightly 20th century blocks of flats. However, the latter were partially redeemed in his eyes by the intriguing and typically Cairene rooftop accumulation of household throw-outs. His last night was probably the most memorable with the inimitable Egyptian Sufi brand of fine traditional musicians and singers accompanying the whirling and colourful dancers of the Tannoura troupe, in the wonderful setting of the early 16th Century Mameluke Wikalet (caravanserai) el-Ghouri in Islamic Cairo. Faraldi has lived in Upper Egypt and then Cairo, since 1991, working in higher education and as a researcher, writer and editor.
