Elections Come and Go

Yesterday was election day in Egypt--an historic election that, for the first time in the modern history of the country, allowed candidates from various political parties to run for office. Considered to be 'open' in poli-speak, many Egyptians I spoke to do not believe this to be a real election. Nor did anyone I know vote. The voter apathy stems from a frustration with an untenable 'free' political system, and the feeling here relates to that of Americans who feel cheated out of what we had hoped to be a free and fair election in 2004. Yesterday seemed to go off without a hitch, though all week I had been casually asking who would come into work on election day and who would not, and I took a poll on who thought the commute home would be disrupted by a demonstration or riot. A small demonstration that began downtown in the main square (called midan in Arabic, but it is actually a big round-about) made its way past the University during the day, but otherwise there were no major disruptions in the daily lives of Cairenes. The results of the election have not been released yet; perhaps that will be a better time to prove the will of the people.

If the photographs post (insha'allah!), you will see the style of campaign posters featured all around the city. Along with huge portraits, these large cloth sheets drape across main streets claiming support for the incumbent, Hosny Mubarak. Much of the city was, and still is a day later, covered with these signs. I believe, if I could understand the sign correctly, I only saw one other sign in support of a different candidate thoughtout the whole city. Though surely other signs for opposition parties exist in Cairo, the overwhelming majority of are, not surprisingly, for Mubarak. Yesterday I walked through Islamic Cairo on an informal architecture tour with some co-workers and saw a school where people vote. Schools close for the day in order to function as a polling station but I don't think people get the day off of work.

My motivation for this walk, the second impromptu tour during a weekday, is Eman, a local woman from Cairo University, who is writing her Masters thesis on the development of ornamentation of Islamic architecture. She is interested most in the crenellations, the ornaments lining the edge of the roof of the building (If the photos don't post, see the link to Archnet on the right--do a search for crenellation. I recommend this site for further searches on Islamic structures, as you like). The great thing about walking around with Eman is that she must get to the rooftops of buildings to measure the height and width of the crenellation. So, I get to places I would not otherwise go, and I have seen so many monuments I may be over-mosqued. Good thing I love the old stuff! The old town is like a medieval village with dusty streets, winding and small, where inhabitation dates back centuries. The monuments we visit date from the early 1000s to the late 19th century and exist, wall to wall, against 4-story buildings with shops on the first floor and residences above. I've discussed my visits to this area in an earlier post, the one when I thought I found a mosque not listed on the maps, currently under renovation, which I entered briefly, photographing with mouth agape. Turns out that building is the back half of a major site that is definitely on the map--an old Sufi residence, similar to a monastery, and certainly not forgotten about in the national register of antiquities.

In other news, I am still dreadfully aware of the life and times of those suffering through the cleaning up and cleaning out of New Orleans and the South. Some sort of gathering and benefit will be held by AUC folks next week, many of whom hail from various parts of the South, a significant majority from Louisiana, if you can believe. I am looking forward to making these connections, remeniscing and sharing current information. I also look forward to the day when I can be a part of the rebuild, a la tuul (in the future, as they say in colloquial Egyptian). My love to all; take care.