The local tack store...of sorts

One of the major blessings we had on this trip was the company and guidance of two Arabic speaking guides in Maryanne, and her driver/right hand man Mohammed. With them we could go to places western tourists don't generally see...and the mobile horse souk was certainly one of those! It began with Maryanne accosting a carriage driver in Cairo, asking him where he bought the harness decorations and tack on his horse. Horse sales move around, and whether he lied or was just wrong, he did send us in the right direction...a direction that we then pursued with Mohammed at the wheel stopping every few minutes to ask the locals in a very non-tour-type-town outside of Cairo, for directions. Finally, a tuck tuck driver (three wheeled covered taxis) offered to take us there if we'd follow him, and off we went through back streets and narrow alleys until we found ourselves in a sort of vacant lot behind the buildings of the town...the horse souk!



There were some horses being shown for sale, a lot of donkeys, and some sheep. We particularly liked this mare with her mule-son at her side.





Vendors sold harness, the decorations I was looking for, and everything from farm tools to rope on their carpets on the ground.





I doubt that they had ever had three western women poking throught their wares before, and we were a source of great interest, especially when a vendor would start trying to sell us something and Maryanne would respond in fluent Arabic. "You speak Arabic!?" one said in amazement..."yes, I have a horse farm..." "A horse farm!? Where!?" "Near Abu Sir." "You have a horses near Abu Sir?" "Yes...25 of them.." Pure amazement. :-)

In the end, with Mohammed bargaining for us we left with a bag filled with tassles and pom poms and bells and jingly things....silver hands of Fatma, decorations to mount on harness saddles in the shapes of rearing horses and crescent moons...but no...no donkeys or horses or even the adorable baby mule.