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Dragon Island

Sometimes your kids just need to jump, swing, and slide. We were having one of those days about five years ago when a friend suggested

The Field in Maadi

Eight years we’ve lived in Cairo and for all of them we’ve lived in the Maadi Grand Mall area.  It may have been random happenstance

Al Zahir Baybars Mosque

No doubt Sultan Baybars had great plans for his flagship mosque.  Like his pharaonic predecessors, Mr. Baybars almost certainly intended his mosque – built in

Diana Antique Market

Ever feel like you were born in the wrong era?  My daughters sure do.  One of them in particular feels certain she was Audrey Hepburn

The Red Sea

Face your fears.  That’s what they say, right?  Well, I don’t know about you, but the idea of swimming in the ocean terrifies me.  I’ll

The Phantom Dogwalker

I don’t know about you, but I go everywhere in Maadi on foot.  Nearly all of the places we want to go – Road 9,

Garbage City and the A.P.E.

On the morning of our first visit to “Garbage City,” I announced to my kids, in Arabic, that we were visiting the neighborhood of the

The Prophet’s Birthday

Not everyone shares a birthday with a prophet.  This year, my husband was one of the lucky few.  And when you share a birthday with

Aqua Park

While driving to points east via the Ismailia Desert Road, you may have seen something a little surprising out by Future City.  Maybe you did

Baksheesh and the Cairo Aquaduct

Nothing is impossible in Egypt…with a little bakseesh. We had this reconfirmed on a recent trip to the Cairo Citadel Aqueduct.  Are you surprised to

Author

Picture of Hilary "Jamila" Ayer

Hilary "Jamila" Ayer

A long-term resident of Cairo, Hilary works as an Arabic translator, guide, and educator, homeschools her four children, and is basically bonkers over Egypt

More About Hilary ⟶
Picture of Hilary "Jamila" Ayer

Hilary "Jamila" Ayer

A long-term resident of Cairo, Hilary works as an Arabic translator, guide, and educator, homeschools her four children, and is basically bonkers over Egypt

More About Hilary ⟶

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