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D. Tarin has  lived in Egypt for 4 years.  He studied at the American University of Cairo, was a student orientation counselor, worked in the Khan as a Kharteyya, drove Camels up from the Sudan on the Darb el Arbayeen, worked as an unofficial tour guide and was, for a time, destitute on the Streets of Cairo.  He has first hand stories on the manners and customs of modern Egyptians, tips on efficient ways of dealing with the local government, including extensive and detailed "how-to/where-to" travel information on Egypt and surrounding areas, contact lists, as well as being a store house of practical and historical information about living in Egypt.  We will be presenting a great many articles by him in the coming months. Cairo is unlike any other city in the world. Cairo redefines ones perception of the very words “city” and “Metropolis and “Downtown”.    Although there have been settlements on the site that present day Cairo inhabits since the Egyptian Predynastic period (before 3100 B.C.E) modern Cairo was born out of the series of Muslim settlements along the Nile starting in AD 642 and culminating in the Fatimid construction of a new imperial city. The Foundation stone of Al Qahira was laid in AD 969 within walls that never contained the city that was born around it.  Before the city’s completion shops and cafes were already being set up along the walls.  Today Cairo has an estimated population somewhere between 12 and 16 million.  The flux accounts for daytime population as opposed to the population at night.  That many people come into the city in one day.

Egypt - the land of Lawrence Durrell and his famous novels of an expat who lived in Alexandria, Egypt in the 1940's. The entire series was called The Alexandria Quartet, four sensuous novels  which examine human emotions on a very deep personal level. Easily the most interesting tales of expatriate life written in the 20th century.

Cairo - Tombs of the Mamelukes - early 20th c

First consider your desired location.  Most maps of Cairo are sadly inadequate for this purpose so I recommend spending a few days just walking around.  If you get lost ask someone for directions back to your hotel or to a familiar landmark.  It’s easy to get lost Cairo but it’s also easy to get unlost.   Doing this will help orient you to the unique flow and rhythm of the streets of Cairo, which will, no doubt come as somewhat of a shock to the first time visitor. When apartment-hunting keep in mind distances to places you wish to be near.  Walking distance seems to get longer in Cairo and, after a few months in country, places that you would have considered far when you arrived will be on your daily walk route. Taxicabs tend to stick to the large thoroughfares so it might be a good idea to keep this in mind as well because the farther away from a main street you choose to live the farther away from convenient taxi service you will be.

The Egyptian bowab is like a superintendent, doorman, security guard and concierge all in one.  Almost every building in Cairo has at least one bowab and he (or she) manages the affairs of the building for the landlords that own the actual flats.  A bowab can be helpful in locating a flat once you decide on a specific area.  Simply walk back around the area in the mid afternoon and look for older men sitting in front of or in the lobby of apartment buildings.  Greet them (“masa el khier”) and ask them politely if there are any empty apartments available in the building.  ("La’u samaht…Fi sha’a fadia hena?")  Then if there is and he is inclined to help you rent it he will show it to you and you’re well on your way to getting your new flat.

15th Century Qaitbay Fortress, Alexandria

Sometimes a bowab will seem less than enthusiastic and you will go away with an abrupt and negative response.  Other times, however, they may become your zealous advocate, championing your cause to other bowabs and even a simzar. (A kind of uber Bowab who knows all the empty places.  A leasing agent of sorts.)  If this happens, don’t panic.  Know that once the deal is made he is likely to try and convince you that you now owe him a fee for his services.  He may even get the simzar and the buildings actual bowab, or the landlord to try and convince you of this.  Give him whatever you feel is fair or nothing at all.  I have been assured by sources in the know that this “standard fee” only applies to foreigners and cannot be prosecuted by law if you choose to give him nothing.  Be careful, however, not to offend someone that could very well be some one of influence on your new street.  Be fair but remember that a little grease helps the machine move smoothly. The simzar will most probably have a list of many available flats in your price range that may match as much of your criteria as possible or he may tell you to come back in a few days. People tend to vacate flats at the start and end of the month and also in June and August because of all the students.  Those are the best times to seek a flat or a simzar with a fat book fat with listings. Be prepared to do a lot of walking and the better part of a day just making your initial inquiries.

Cairo, indeed all of Egypt, runs on a timetable quite different from what westerners are accustomed. You may be asked to return in a few hours only to be told to come back in the morning. Be patient.  If it is your first time living in Cairo Patience is a quality that you will need to acquire anyway.  It will make your enculturation process much easier to bear.

Once you find a flat that fits your needs the simzar and the buildings bowab will call the owner of the flat.  Sometimes they live in the same building other times you will have to wait or set an appointment to meet with them.  Many times it is not a good idea to travel with the large amounts of cash it may take to rent a flat and one will find it better to make an appointment to meet with the landlord at a later date.  If this happens the bowab will ask for a retaining fee.  This can be as low as 50 pounds or as high as a full months rent.  Keep in mind before agreeing to anything that this fee may not always be easily refundable and, although they will hold the place, it may not go toward your rent.  Make sure that this is agreed upon before you pay out any cash.  In any case you will meet with the landlord to discuss the terms of the lease.  This is pretty much the same as in other places except that their reasons for deciding on not renting to you are a little different. Some progressively minded landlords will not mind an unmarried couple renting together while some less so probably will.  Use judgment.  If the landlord is wearing Reeboks and a metallic tee shirt you can be pretty sure you’re okay but if she shows up in hegab (head covering) then play it cool.

The price of the flat will be estimated on the condition, the location and the furniture.  Almost all flats come furnished and many landlords are helpful in bringing anything that you might need or want before renting it.  Keep in mind that many western amenities are expensive and in some cases hard to come by.  In other words, if you’re paying for a little rat hole in Imbaba don’t ask the landlord for a dishwasher.  Likewise, if you are renting a downtown office/loft, you can be pretty sure that if you need a few extra chairs and a small bookshelf the landlord will be more accommodating.

Haggle.  This cannot be stressed enough.  Just because you told the bowab and the simzar and the kid that brought you the tea that you wanted to spend around 1200 pounds doesn’t mean that you must pay 1200 LE.  Point out that the flat you are taking is not exactly what you want but you will take it anyway.  Point out a little crack in the wall or some watermarks in the bathroom.  In fact those are usually your best bets, toilets, kitchens and the fact that they sometimes try and make a large one bedroom into a small two bedroom.  Point all this out to the landlord and try and knock a few hundred off your rent.

When you agree on a price keep in mind that the landlord must pay half the simzar fee.  He does not get paid for just looking.  Pay only when you rent a place. So discuss with the landlord what you must pay the simzar and how that will be divided and also what to pay the bowab.  You will have to pay the bowab a monthly wage anyway, aside from your rent.  This is usually a low fee that is payable directly to the bowab around the first of the month.  It goes towards his continued politeness and services throughout the month.  Garbage pick up is another cost to keep in mind. If it is not discussed with your bowab then soon after you move in a man will knock on your door, sometimes, if you have one, on the back door that leads to some external stairway.  This is your Zebali, or garbage man.  Pay him well because if you offend him you will be knee deep in your own garbage and remember that yes, they will probably go through your trash so you may want to be careful of what you throw away.

Electricity and gas are paid at odd intervals and they come to your door.  They check your meter and then charge you on the spot.  This is usually not more than a few pounds, cheaper than one would expect.  The phone service is something to be discussed with the landlord.  This too is not an expensive service but it is paid twice a year so depending on your lease you will have to make arraignments with your landlord about when to pay it with the rent.  Ask your landlord when the billing periods are for the phone. Do not be fooled into paying for the entire billing period if you move in the middle, as it will probably include calls made by the previous tenant who, no doubt, was already charged for it.  Prorate and explain when the time comes.

If your flat has large blue tanks of butane gas in the shower or the kitchen don’t worry.  It is a common feature of Egyptian living.  As long as you are careful it should be safe.  The bowab will explain how to use them and if he does not be sure to ask him.  You will ask him for replacements when those run out.  They should cost less than five pounds.

Extra Tips:

1) Forget about looking for a flat on a Friday.  It is the day of prayer and nothing will get done.   Better yet skip the whole weekend.  It’s always harder to do such business on the weekends in Cairo.

2) Sometimes a Bowab will help you rent the flat without the aid of a simzar.  He is cutting the simzar out of the deal and you must be aware that there may be other rival simzars in the same area so step carefully as you shop around but don’t let politics stop you from getting the best deal on the place you want.

3) So what if the bowabs are clueless and the simzar tried to make you pay for just looking?  Well there are other people to ask.  The streets of Cairo are connected by a livewire of constant information so ask people that are most likely to know about it.  Coffee shop owners are a good start, so are the people at a little neighborhood cleaners.  Ask the people that know the area.  In these cases it is less likely that you will be asked to pay a fee for their help but it is a good idea to at least offer a respectable amount for their effort and information.  Whether they accept it is up to them.

4) How should one gauge a fair price for a flat in Cairo? The same as anywhere else in the world, location has a lot to do with the cost of the rent. If your flat is in the back streets of Abbessya it will probably cost you marginally less than if it’s along the bank of the Nile in Zamalek, or the Zamalek branch of the Nile bank for that matter.   As a rule the closer to a main street you get the more the rent goes up.  Also, of course, the size.  Figure on paying at least 500 le for your basic 800 sq. ft. flat.  Add then the location and the building, figuring about a hundred LE each.  Now take into account amenities such as washing machines, water pumps, or dish washers and your rent can go up as much as another 250 Le.  So for a medium sized two bedroom flat in garden city with “deluxe features” (i.e. ceiling fan, agitating washing machine and an elevator that works most of the time” expect to pay around 1200 LE a month.

Cairo is an unpredictable city.  It is a place where life moves both quickly and slowly and one must find the rhythm quickly if one wishes to not only survive but to live well.  Once one finds a place to live one feels more at ease.  One has a base of operations from which to sally out against the magnificent and ancient streets, which teem and seethe in ways alien to the western mind.  With this information however you should be able to quickly and efficiently locate and rent a flat.  Hiring a maid to clean it is up to you.