Cairo Bazaar Bomb

And out of no where in the night air. A bomb. Khan el-Khalili is a major souk in the Old City of Cairo and a major tourist attraction. The district is one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike.

In addition to shops, there are several coffeehouses, restaurants, and street food vendors distributed throughout the market. The coffeeshops are generally small and quite traditional, serving Arabic coffee and usually offering shisha. The al-Hussein Mosque is also in Khan el-Khalili; Al-Azhar University and its mosque are not far away. Naguib Mahfouz's novel Midaq Alley is set in an alley in Khan el-Khalili.

The market was a target of terrorism during the spate of attacks in Cairo in April 2005. The suicide attack in the market, on April 7, killed 21 people (eleven Egyptians, two French tourists, one American, and seven foreigners of unidentified origin). It was the first attack in the series; this attack drove away tourists from Egypt in general and Khan el-Khalili in particular for some time.

Aren't we all past this type of terrorism yet? When, when will it end? We're all civilized right?

I have just got off skype. My Egypt Girl is fine. She lives very, very close to this souk. Relief.