On reaching the Emilio Hotel in Luxor, we flopped on the beds and were amazed at how tired you can become after just sitting on your duff in a minivan for several hours. But its true, you do get tired from this, somehow.
The last time Carrie and I were in Luxor (March 0f 2000), we went with my sister Jennifer to the Old Arkashom Shop, now called Aladdin’s Hule (cave). The same (Coptic) family has run this shop over four generations now, and with an eye to a fifth the current main proprietor’s son at 2.5 years is already matching his father’s movements and techniques in the shop. Jen and I first came upon Badra’s Arkashom Shop in 1992 – twenty years ago for those mathematically-challenged, like me. Badra is a very amiable fellow and kind to a fault. Jen has been stopping in for tea with him and reviewing his collections’ additions with each visit to Egypt. Over the past few years, when she has brought 18 or more New Zealand students with her on field assignments, he has been especially pleased with the business. But this year, the University administration dis-allowed the fieldwork aspect in taking students to Egypt, and so poor Badra had to make due with just us. But he made out reasonably well… : ) He was most gracious in allowing me to photograph as much as I wished and I have a number of images below from his shop.
It was a short day, really and so there isn’t much else to add.
