Frontline World

EGYPT - Inside Cairo's Living Room, December 2003
a FRONTLINE/World Fellows project
Cairo's Streets: Sights, Sounds, Smells
One of the cooks behind the bar
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Ahlan wa sahlan! Welcome! In the 'ahwa, the café, everyone is welcome -- every man, that is. Women do not go to cafés in Cairo. Says 'ahwa denizen Ibrahim Mohamed, 68, "It's a matter of culture. It is not acceptable here. If a woman comes and sits down -- well, sometimes it happens, but rarely... It is the culture of the neighborhood, really."
Cairo's Cafes: Go