Sheik El Tayeb Moulid

One day I will write a book about life in Luxor! We all say it and we should do it!

Really, it is insane, bizarre, random and yet oddly comforting? The strangest things that happen on a daily basis, sometimes without even leaving the house!

Today was one of those days, where I was battling to do something and it was just not going to happen. A simple thing of wanting to leave the house, took some considerable hours, after a chain of events prevented me from doing so (Mainly good I must add)

When I was able to leave the house , I cycled to the village of Qurna and came across a street full of people, children, stalls and noise! It was the Moulid (Festival) of Sheik Tayeb.

Sheik El Tayeb is a well respected man on the West Bank, living in the village of Qurna. His family are well known, not just here in Luxor,but throughout Egypt. His brother Ahmed is highly respected in the Sunni Islamic World and is the Grand Imam of the Al Azhar Mosque in Cairo.

It was a rather understated celebration in the street, too many stalls, loud music and funfair rides and not enough 'Punters' though that does not mean there was not chaos, when a pale skinned European arrived on her bike! I thought I could get a few pictures, but the excitement for the local children, was too much for me....

This is one of the few photos I took. A stall selling 'Worry beads' In the background, a Madame, overlooking the Qurna cemetery.....