Luxor Street Scenes

Our Egyptian tour guide
gave us a special treat one night,
a tour of the streets of Luxor
that tourists don't generally see.

These goats have taken up residence
on the street where he was born and where his parents
and grandparents lived before him.

This house is painted with scenes showing the sights
the owner saw on his pilgrimage to Mecca.
This is the way that people tell others about their holy pilgrimage,
publicly reveal their devotion to Islam.

The end of his old childhood street used to be walled off
so there was no direct access to the market area.
They had to take a several-block-long route to reach the market.

The wall of the neighborhood barber shop
tips us off as to the proprietor's religious affiliation.

A wide variety of goods is available
in local markets.

The horse, by the way,
is pulling the cart upon which we were riding,
Seeing American tourists riding on a farm cart
was a source of great amusement
to the citizens of Luxor.

We were more than happy
to have them see us in a new light.

The children were especially excited and amused
to see us.

All in all, it was a night of surprises,
a night of delight.