A man taps his cigarette against the balcony railing, balances his qahwa turki along sparse wood. A woman flares her living room carpet over a different, iron-wrought railing three floors from him, beats the dust from its fringes. A group of children stand on tiptoe, peering down at a Harraniya street just past their family laundry; they giggle when the street vendor hollers back.
Balconies are a mundane, simple pleasure in Egypt: they are portals that marry city and home, patience and playfulness. Egyptians seek refuge high above the violent turbulence of Cairo, or the zooming straits of Alexandria in their miss-matched balconies, inviting guests into the simple overview of local stores and sweltering summer heat.
In cities particularly, where the outdoors are a scarce resource, balconies provide Egyptians with an escape and an opportunity.
Here is a visual exploration of balconies across Egypt, and the subtle beauties that carry wind from the sweeping gardens of Fayoum to the tight, cobblestone streets of al-Sayeda Zeinab.
![Adham 8](https://d1b3667xvzs6rz.cloudfront.net/2018/09/Adham-8.png)
![](https://live.staticflickr.com/2291/2125019401_2a441c8558_h.jpg)
![No photo description available.](https://scontent.faly3-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.6435-9/164915349_10159122022732184_6196834052673670777_n.jpg?_nc_cat=106&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=2c4854&_nc_ohc=RQG-6zmg7uEAX_fDId-&_nc_oc=AQnWRHD5_ULiZ-02mdh4l6HSGHeibxgf9GlkV_mgJlD4pZNJbzEMpHeLx2fTGd6UnX4&_nc_ht=scontent.faly3-1.fna&oh=00_AT_MIVjbgBQAampx8qvYEUrLG7F3RX6OiCYX6rcs77j5TA&oe=630E7391)
![Egyptian transgender woman and activist Malak el-Kashif smokes a cigarette in the balcony of her apartment in Cairo, Egypt, October 28, 2019. (AP Photo/Nariman El-Mofty)](https://static.timesofisrael.com/www/uploads/2020/03/AP20084389935767-1024x640.jpg)
![Facade of the modern residential building in hurghada egypt](https://img.freepik.com/premium-photo/facade-modern-residential-building-hurghada-egypt_508659-5044.jpg)
![Detail of white wall of a house and red flower tree on the street of egypt in sharm el sheikh](https://img.freepik.com/premium-photo/detail-white-wall-house-red-flower-tree-street-egypt-sharm-el-sheikh_185094-5845.jpg)
![113 Egypt Balcony Cairo Photos - Free & Royalty-Free Stock Photos from Dreamstime](https://thumbs.dreamstime.com/b/sharm-el-sheikh-egypt-july-child-sitting-balcony-house-85998913.jpg)
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