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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 15 - 21 April 1999 Issue No. 425
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Features Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Palm city revisited
By Zeinab Abul-GheitIt was many years since I last visited the provincial capital of Fayoum, so, expecting many changes, I set out recently for the deep, fertile depression southwest of Cairo. My journey started at Giza, the same route I had taken before, but at that time, it was nothing but a dirt track in the desert. As I travelled the new highway, I recalled how times had changed. But, approaching Lake Qarun was like stepping back in time, with farmers tilling their fields, in the time-honoured fashion, with a wooden plough and a faithful donkey in tow. Life in Fayoum appears to keep step with nature; the movement of white egrets pecking gracefully at the crop, the measured walk of the brown cows and the half-ripened dates on the palm trees.
In the centre of the city, in Qarun Square, stands a huge saqqia (waterwheel). Waterwheels are a feature of the Fayoum and a source of pride to the local population. "They are made of local wood and certain families specialise in making them," a waiter in a cafe on the square told me. Ahmed Zaki, a butcher, likened the sound of the revolving wheels to "the moaning of a mother sacrificing herself to bring up her children."
It was mid-week but the pace of life on the square was slow. A traffic policeman half-heartedly directed a microbus, then a donkey and cart. A horse-drawn carriage and two motorcyclists ignored him all together. But this was hardly foolhardy behaviour given that they were the only vehicles in sight.
Travelling around was inexpensive. A microbus in Fayoum city will take you anywhere inside the city for a mere 25 piastres. And LE10 will buy you a return trip to any archaeological or tourist site: the Auberge Al-Fayoum on Lake Qarun, the pyramids of Hawara and Lahun, or the Meidum Pyramid, to the south opposite Al-Wasta on the Nile.
I decided the only way to get the full flavour of the city was to walk. In Warsha Street, which branches off the square, popular songs were being played at full-volume on cassette records, while customers piled into the small shops selling inexpensive knick-knacks, cigarettes, toys, fruit and sportswear. In a typical mix of old and new, the young people were decked out in track suits and other modern casual clothes, the peasant women wore traditional galabiyas and the men, a wide range of clothing from traditional robes to slacks and shirts, with traditional dress often being combined with a Western-style woollen jacket. Women lifted baskets of vegetables onto their heads and walked with the elegance of ancient Egyptian offering bearers depicted in Pharaonic tombs.
Some 100 metres from the centre of the city lies Anisa Wisa Palace, which some time ago had elicited a huge outcry from local residents after news circulated that plans had been drawn up to have the building demolished. I, however, found nothing to justify the palace being added to the long list of historically protected buildings in Egypt.
There is, however, a mosque, named after Sheikh Ali El-Roubi, said to be a descendant of the prophet Mohamed who is buried there, which attracts visitors from miles around. Hashem Abul-Ata, the guard, described the annual celebration that is held in the sheikh's honour: "The ailing come to seek cure, and the needy a blessing. People start to flock to the mosque from the 5th of Shaaban (the eighth month of the Muslim calendar year) and stay there until the 20th," he said. "They sleep in the courtyard, fly flags and set up swings for the children. Stalls are set up selling sweets and toys."
Fayoum is renowned for its basket weaving, and I found the vendors spreading out their colourful and varied merchandise on the ground. Woven of palm leaves, the baskets come in a various shapes and sizes. One housewife was choosing a large laundry basket, a little girl a small coloured one with a cover, perhaps to use as a jewellery box, and a group of tourists who had obviously learned the art of haggling were bargaining for coloured plates.
Bargaining for baskets on the sidewalk
photo: Magdi Abdel-Sayed
"We cater for everyone," said Sayed Abdel-Gayed, a basket-seller. "Germans have different tastes from the Dutch; Poles prefer white baskets, the French coloured," he said.
Fayoum is also famous for its food, and although the restaurants are... well... unpretentious, to say the least, they serve tasty duck, fish and chicken, along with fitir meshaltet, thin layers of pastry filled with honey and fermented cheese. Delicious. And the prices? As low as LE12 for a full meal. Fayoum is still free of the tourist boom.
Wandering around the Al-Sahraya market, I discovered produce from the Fayoum has been held in high regard ever since Greek expertise was first brought to bear on agriculture more than 2,000 years ago.
I was eager to visit another market, called Al-Qantara, which I had been told was similar to the Al-Ghouriya in Cairo and the Zanket Al-Sittat in Alexandria. Indeed, there was little difference, except for the fact that in Fayoum the filigree nightgowns, underwear, shawls and 'baladi' galabiyas had been designed to the taste of the peasant farmers rather than low-income urban dwellers. This is not surprising, given that Fayoum is primarily agricultural. In fact, among the most popular items on sale were trousseaux for brides, bedroom adornments and all that would be needed for betrothal and marriage in the country.
"Farmers prefer 'baladi' clothing, and 'baladi' adornment," said Mohamed Ali, a tailor. "My profession needs art and expertise." I suddenly realised that it is this essential rural quality, so far untouched by large-scale development, that makes Fayoum such a delightful city.
