The stories of the men who have guarded doorways of Egypt's city buildings for decades, but whose roles are changing.
From Cairo's narrow downtown streets and alleys to the affluent residential areas in the outer reaches of the city, nothing escapes the attention of the ever-vigilant doormen.
Sitting at the entrances of apartment blocks in Cairo and Alexandria - and often mindful of the chance to make a quick buck - the "bawabs" have been an integral part of the social fabric of Egypt's big cities for decades.
This Al Jazeera World documentary celebrates the men, their history, their job and their influence.
Of course, the bawabs are often much more than doormen. They are the all-seeing eyes and ears of the buildings they live and work in, observers of residents' "moral practices", as well as plumbers, electricians, security guards and keepers of personal secrets.
But today's doormen are disappearing. As a new wave of construction takes place in Cairo, Egyptian society is undergoing profound change. Many of today's doormen have become security guards, with smart blue uniforms replacing traditional galabeyas in what many see as the sad loss of a unique social group from Egypt's 20th century.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/al ... 23616.html
The Doormen of Egypt
Moderators: DJKeefy, 4u Network
-
- Site Administrator
- Posts: 10927
- Joined: Thu Jan 13, 2005 4:08 pm
- Location: UK
- Has thanked: 928 times
- Been thanked: 1875 times
- Gender:
-
- Top Member
- Posts: 755
- Joined: Sat Jun 13, 2015 7:54 am
- Location: Birmingham UK
- Has thanked: 103 times
- Been thanked: 307 times
- Gender:
Re: The Doormen of Egypt
Yes I watched that, I thought it very interesting. I was surprised to find that many of the doormen were Nubians having come north from the Aswan area.
-
- Senior Member
- Posts: 462
- Joined: Fri Nov 13, 2009 8:50 pm
- Location: Luxor or Windy Nook UK
- Has thanked: 1714 times
- Been thanked: 106 times
- Gender:
Re: The Doormen of Egypt
Yes, thanks for posting that Keefy. We watched it last night, and thoroughly enjoyed it here in our temporary exile.
-
- Similar Topics
- Replies
- Views
- Last post
-
- 3 Replies
- 87 Views
-
Last post by Goddess
-
- 0 Replies
- 894 Views
-
Last post by newcastle
-
- 0 Replies
- 991 Views
-
Last post by jewel
-
- 1 Replies
- 1790 Views
-
Last post by HEPZIBAH
-
- 32 Replies
- 1272 Views
-
Last post by Brian Yare