Al-Ahram Weekly

The Egyptian Economy - 27 December 2007 - El Ahram Weekly
The Egyptian Economy - 1 January 2009 - El Ahram Weekly
"Market Report" - 24 December 2009 - El Ahram Weekly

El Ahram Weekly on Egyptian economics, politics, society and culture

Having taken a risk on Washington and agreed to talks with Israel, Palestinians are wondering what Obama will do about Israel's murderous aggression

Plans to build yet more illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem emerge on the eve of proximity talks

Current US peace proposals are just as alarming to Jordan as would be any regional war

For a large portion of Americans, the balanced facts of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not known

Build, build, build: as Israel annexes Palestinian property to build yet more illegal settlements it seems no one has the will to stop them

Forget the peace process. Only world public opinion can put an end to Israeli apartheid, just as it did in South Africa

The only beneficiary from the US government returning to the rhetoric of the war on terror is Al-Qaeda

"I have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual respect," said Obama in Cairo. His deeds since then have reaped the opposite -- mistrust and disrespect.

While the political horizon in 2010 is still open, few are expecting much from America's current president

The peace enemy within - Ramzy Baroud December 2009 Is it too late for Obama? - Hassan Nafaa December 2009 Palestinian Christians urge Israel boycott - December 2009
Al-Qaeda reconsidered - Khalil El-Anani October 2009 Wanted for murder - Dina Ezzat October 2009
Evasive moves - Khaled Amayreh June 2009
Moment of truth - Barack Obama at the table - Nicola Nasser April 2009
New US thinking? - Azmi Bishara March 2009
Will Obama listen? - El-Sayed Amin Shalabi March 2009
Washington continuing discredited policies - Abdus Sattar Ghazali March 2009
Imposing sanctions on Israel - Ezzedine Choukri Fishere February 2009
America's new(?) foreign policy - Muqtedar Khan February 2009
Obama is not going to change the essence of America's Middle East course
- Azmi Bishara February 2009
For Palestinians, so far, the new US president represents no change whatsoever
- Ramzy Baroud January 2009
"The Arabs are trapped between the anvil of Israeli belligerency and the hammer of US indifference to their concerns" - Ayman El-Amir January 2009
Isreal's Gaza myths - Jonathon Cook January 2009
PLO sells out Gaza - Curtis Doebbler January 2009
Accountability and the rule of law in America - James Zogby December 2008
Has the American neo-con riot run its course? - Stuart Reigeluth December 2008
Obama and Israel - Hassan Nafaa November 2008
The Republican campaign seems to be benefiting from, and stoking, religious defamation and hate speech - Abdus Sattar Ghazali October 2008

Open letter to President Obama - August 2008

Bush must twist Israel's arm - April 2008
Opening to Hamas - April 2008
Israel cheerleading genocide - April 2008
Bush not clarifying Lebanon issues - March 2008

Fixing the Gaza crossing (without much American help)

Egyptians' low opinion of the American gov't - November 2007
Failure of peace talks predicted - October 2007
Israel playing loose with the law  - September 2007
Calling Israel's bluff - September 2007
The misery of the Gaza siege - August 2007
Events in Ramallah -July 2007
Failure of Palestine Embargo - May 2007

Google Earth map of
Independence Square ("Midan Tahrir") area

The Nile is on the left - the green circle towards the center is "Midan" Tahrir (Independence "Square") - The old Hilton (now The Ritz-Carlton Hotel) is the white rectangular building northwest of Midan Tahrir - the Egyptian Museum is the building north and a bit east across the street from the Ritz-Carlton. The American University in Cairo is the block with green spaces south-southeast of Midan Tahrir - northeast of Midan Tahrir, all roads lead to Midan Talat Harb (Talat Harb Square) - shops and street vendors line the streets leading outward from Midan Talat Harb.

The large building at the center of the three pictures at the top of this page is the slightly curved building with the bright white sidewalks immediately south-southwest of Midan Tahrir and is a major administrative building - one gets one's visas renewed there.



Talat Harb street connects Midan Tahrir and Midan Talat Harb to its northwest and then continues into further shopping streets.

The bridge over the Nile on the road from Midan Tahrir has broad sidewalks which fill with quiet crowds of families and friends who walk the length of it on a hot summer's evening and, less so, through much of the rest of the year as well.

The Cairo Nile tour boats are boarded on the beach straight out from the Nile Hotel area. Some can be chartered in the evening for a very low cost per person to your group (even six or eight). "Evening" runs to 2am and 4am on hot summer nights as whole families are drawn to the fresh air of the river's bank where they walk the wide sidewalk.

The Google Earth map to the left captures the area between the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel (the old Hilton) and "Islamic Cairo". The Google Earth map below it is centered on the Citadel area.

In the upper map, the Nile Hotel is the white rectangular building on the east bank of the Nile between the two bridges in the upper left of the picture - Islamic Cairo is the area with numerous blue dots towards the right edge of the picture, just above the picture's center line - the blue dots represent such attractions as the Citadel and the Muhammed Ali Mosque.

Islamic Cairo is ancient Cairo and an area about which Egyptians feel a great deal of pride. They will be a disappointed if you haven't visited the main sights.

The TourEgypt.net web page for Islamic Cairo is very complete and will make it clear to you how much there is to do and see.

The upper picture provides a good view of the walk from the Midan Tahrir area to Islamic Cairo. A beeline takes you through a lot of twists and turns but there are the routes by way of the arch of main avenues to the east-northeast and then southeast or the southern route - southeast and then east-northeast. Better to take a taxi and save your energy for the vast spread of Islamic Cairo itself. Or try walking back to Midan Tahrir from Islamic Cairo if you still have the time and energy. The walk is worth it - once at least - the industry and humanity on the beeline between the two areas is very absorbing.

Everywhere people will tell you, "Welcome to Egypt." And they mean it.

Plan to drink several liters of water if it's a hot summer day. Sit down someplace and drink lots of water if you start feeling disoriented and confused. It will probably be dehydration although it may come on so quickly you may wonder if it is "heat stroke". Dehydration will catch up with you quickly on a hot summer day... and everybody wears long underwear in the winter. Don't be a fool and try to be different. "You'll be sooooorry."