By Marwan Kamal, contributor, EgyptianStreets.com I vividly remember sitting down with a Syrian man and his eldest son shortly after he started renting my old apartment in the northern city of Alexandria. We discussed many topics, including his occupation, his schooling, even his ex-wife and how he met his current wife. However it was the situation in Syria that grasped the conversation. Historically, Syria and Egypt have always been allies. Historians and Egyptians’ grandparents may even recall Syria uniting with Egypt under the United Arab Republic during Gamal Abdel-Nasser’s reign. Short lived as it was, the friendship did not end there: countless wars and cooperative activities convinced the people of Syria and Egypt that they are very much friends. Knowing this it is no surprise how many Syrians fled to Egypt. Official reports indicate that more than 100,000 Syrians have settled in Egypt since 2011. Despite difficulties in safely leaving Syria, the 50-something-year-old man, Faisal*, his wife, and his two children, aged 10 and 13, both managed to escape the violence. Faisal and his family traveled by car to Saudi Arabia through Jordan. Upon arrival to Saudi, he sold his…
