Unlike Alexandria, the impact of European colonisation on Cairo was less severe with the city staying principally Arab in feel, architecture and composition - here showing the Sultan Hassan Mosque, one of the masterpieces of the Mamluk architecture from the 14th century along with the later El Rifai Mosque (right) under construction at the time, late 19th century.

The crossroads of the junction of Shari Sarai El-Ezbekiya (the Sarai has now been dropped) and Shari Emad el Dine, looking north, shows the headquarters of Drossos & Company (its signs are clearly visible to the left). My great-grandfather Anthony Vassiadis was director of the Cairo branch of Drossos & Co. during the first two decades of the 20th century. Information courtesy of George Vassiadis.