“Cairo Inside Out” is unlike any other book. It is not a travel book, nor a guide, nor a memoir, and neither is it a history book nor a coffee-table book. It attempts to grasp what the Spanish call “el no se que” and the French, “je ne sais quoi” — expressions which have no exact equivalent in English.
From one page to another, we move on to medieval Cairo, which is mostly intact. The contrast between past and present pervades the atmosphere; you see men wearing the same clothes and eating the same food as their ancestors and yet they are talking on a smart phone.
This book takes you to the heart of Cairo. [Trevor] Naylor conveys in words and pictures the moods and light of a city steeped in history, a city that is both eternal and ever changing.
Read full review by Lisa Kaaki at Arab News
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