Rooftops
Rating
Title
Rooftops
Country
Egypt
Geographic Location
Cairo
Photographer
Connerton , Timothy
Program
Middle East Studies Program (MESP)
Contest Category
Landscapes
Description/Reflection
My Egyptian Arabic instructor Mediha often spoke of the dust storms that occasionally strike Cairo with little warning in the winter and spring months . Her descriptions of these natural phenomena (dictated in a thick Middle-Eastern accent) always invoked images of the raging desert winds in Aladdin , The Mummy or Lawrence of Arabia , and I hoped I’d get to play Indiana Jones at some point through my semester . Well it turns out that romanticized Hollywood impressions sometimes actually parallel the first-hand experience , and towards the end of my semester , I found myself in the middle of one of those surreal experiences . While all native Cairenes are smart enough to stay inside during one of these dust storms , I was confused that my entire neighborhood was closed up this day . But as the storm set in, whirling gusts of sand and hot air roared down the streets , violently rattling the window shutters and blowing garbage everywhere . The sheer volume of sand and dust in the air drastically reduced visibility and coated everything in sight with a fine dust . As I braved the volatile conditions to capture this view from the rooftop of my flat , I felt the grit clinging to my skin , nostrils , lungs , and eyelids , irritating everything . The powerful wind even brought a full size tree down right across the street . By evening , the storm had made its sluggish course and left Cairo dirtier than I had previously believed possible . And I thought blizzards were exclusive to Minnesota…
Date Created
2007-01-27
Term of Study Abroad
2007 Spring
Award Date
2007-11-15
Subject
Dust storms Flat roofs
Keywords
Sun ; Rooftops
Bethel Affiliation
Student
Photo Scene
General view
Resource Type
image/still image
Format
image/jpeg
Copyright Statement
Images and metadata in the Bethel University Study Abroad Collection are provided with permission by the Office of Off-Campus Programs/International Studies. Content for this collection is licensed under a Creative Commons license 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ for attributed, non-commercial, non-derivative works. Any exceptions to this must be approved by Melanie Eslinger at m-eslinger@bethel.edu.
Publisher
Bethel University
Source
Office of Off-Campus Programs/International Studies
Language
English
Filename
2007fConTRoo.jpg
Geographic Coordinates
30.0771, 31.2859
Contributing Institution
Bethel University
Your comment:
Your Name:
...
