Babzuwaila Gate

Mission to Egypt

April 2000 - September 2001

Week of January 21, 2001

Babzuwaila Gate: The Street of the Tent Makers

"We went shopping yesterday at a place called the street of the tent makers where they are known for their applique work. The gate you pass through is being refurbished. You can see how dirty the one spire is compared to the other. There are two huge metal doors that would have worked well to keep people out or in."

Applique Shop.

"It's amazing how intricate the patterns are, but there is quite a difference in quality of work. The one you see behind us tells a story: A man and boy are riding on a donkey which is huffing and puffing. The boy gets off and the
donkey does better. Then the man gets off and the boy gets on and the donkey does even better. Then the man carries the donkey. They meet a man who tells them how foolish that is and then they all walk."

Marble Quarry. Maadi, Egypt.

"We went to a marble quarry just a few miles from where we livewith some friends who are having some custom furniture made with granite and marble tops. Dad was like a kid in a candy store. He could hardly contain himself. He wanted to give advice on which pieces would be best, and now he wants to take some home for us."

"Granite and marble are very plentiful here and are used in building everything. They even put it on the retaining walls along the roads where they build bridges and overpasses. It all looks quite light, but that's because it has not yet been polished. There in the yard, the dust is unbelievably thick. This picture with the man polishing the slab doesn't show the water very well. Water and polishing compound come out of the buffer as it spins."

	Babzuwaila Gate: The Street of the Tent Makers "We went shopping yesterday at a place called the street of the tent makers where they are known for their applique work. The gate you pass through is being refurbished. You can see how dirty the one spire is compared to the other. There are two huge metal doors that would have worked well to keep people out or in."
	Applique Shop. "It's amazing how intricate the patterns are, but there is quite a difference in quality of work. The one you see behind us tells a story: A man and boy are riding on a donkey which is huffing and puffing. The boy gets off and the donkey does better. Then the man gets off and the boy gets on and the donkey does even better. Then the man carries the donkey. They meet a man who tells them how foolish that is and then they all walk."
	Marble Quarry. Maadi, Egypt. "We went to a marble quarry just a few miles from where we livewith some friends who are having some custom furniture made with granite and marble tops. Dad was like a kid in a candy store. He could hardly contain himself. He wanted to give advice on which pieces would be best, and now he wants to take some home for us."
	"Granite and marble are very plentiful here and are used in building everything. They even put it on the retaining walls along the roads where they build bridges and overpasses. It all looks quite light, but that's because it has not yet been polished. There in the yard, the dust is unbelievably thick. This picture with the man polishing the slab doesn't show the water very well. Water and polishing compound come out of the buffer as it spins."