Check out my hood - Korba
5 Comments Published by Tom Gara on Monday, November 27 at Monday, November 27, 2006.
I live in the city centre of Cairo, but I work in a place called Korba, which is the old, European style centre of Heliopolis, the big suburban apartment jungle on the edge of Cairo. Heliopolis started out with good intentions, a crazy Belgian aristocrat decided to build a newer, classier city for the rich Cairenes, out on the edges of the dilapidated inner city. The epicentre of Heliopolis is Korba, a very cosmopolitan styled urban centre, much more relaxed, pedestrian-oriented and clean than the rest of Cairo. It has a really laid back feeling about it - and features a bunch of things you don't see in other areas of Cairo - lots of Churches, thanks to the area's early Christian character, beer being sold everywhere (hat tip again to the Christians), and lots of big green trees, throwing generous shade over colonial style mansions, villas and promenades.
Korba is home to one of Cairo's best Fuul and Taamaya (Felafel) joints - the legendary original Shaabrawy, who make as good a felafel sandwich as you are likely to get anywhere in this fine city. I have enjoyed many a 2LE (30 cent) lunches thanks to Shabraawy's high quality sandwiches - the Taamaya (felafel) and Eggplant sandwiches are my favourites.
In celebration of the wonderful digital camera that had now come into my possession, I went and took a few pictures of the area where I spend my working hours. Here are a few of my favourites, and you can check them all out here.....
Baghdad Street in Korba, home of my daily lunch pilgrimage to Shaabrawy.
The Basilica Notre Dame, one of the biggest Churches in Cairo.
A pretty looking Church, I have no idea what it is called.
Beware of Armenian Cult. Clubs!
A fruit seller inspecting his goods on Baghdad Street
This tree had such soft, shiny needles, waving in the breeze - it reminded me of a girl who has just shampooed her hair. I wanted to run my fingers through it. The building behind it is pretty classy as well....
More photos here, including a bunch of photos from some amazing places we went to last weekend, that I still haven't gotten around to blogging about.
Korba is home to one of Cairo's best Fuul and Taamaya (Felafel) joints - the legendary original Shaabrawy, who make as good a felafel sandwich as you are likely to get anywhere in this fine city. I have enjoyed many a 2LE (30 cent) lunches thanks to Shabraawy's high quality sandwiches - the Taamaya (felafel) and Eggplant sandwiches are my favourites.
In celebration of the wonderful digital camera that had now come into my possession, I went and took a few pictures of the area where I spend my working hours. Here are a few of my favourites, and you can check them all out here.....
Baghdad Street in Korba, home of my daily lunch pilgrimage to Shaabrawy.
The Basilica Notre Dame, one of the biggest Churches in Cairo.
A pretty looking Church, I have no idea what it is called.
Beware of Armenian Cult. Clubs!
A fruit seller inspecting his goods on Baghdad Street
This tree had such soft, shiny needles, waving in the breeze - it reminded me of a girl who has just shampooed her hair. I wanted to run my fingers through it. The building behind it is pretty classy as well....
More photos here, including a bunch of photos from some amazing places we went to last weekend, that I still haven't gotten around to blogging about.
Bloody Korba.....I love this place, except one historical fact about it. When it was built as part of Heliopolis, was meant to be a residential area for the workers at the "Metro" tram company, and the old buildings in the main street are built on the style of continuous residential blocks to be a cheaper option, but now it's one of the most expensive places to live in Heliopolis.....except that the meaning of the name "Korba" in Russian/Polish isn't that attractive....hehehee
It is real nice to see some pics of Cairo! Perhaps you can persuade Kent to take (and post) some before his last week in Cairo.
Kent's Mom
I was just there last week. Nice place, for sure. Too bad my camera died soon after I started taking pics.
And, mom, why are you offloading your dirty work on Tom?
dude! Korba is amazing! Did you get to see the synagogue in Korba?
Yeah man i work there too it is really nice....but I Dis agree on the chrstian charcter part ......as I think korba has an absolutly andalusian islamic charcter