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Baladi Women of Cairo: Playing With an Egg and a Stone

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I read this book about 10 years ago, and it is one of very few books that have left their marks on me. This book was a wake-up call for me, having been born and raised in Cairo, 3 miles from the site of this excellent research by Evelyn Early, on the other side of the tracks (so to speak). Baladi women are the hearts and souls of Egypt. The title of the book itself ("playing with an egg and a stone"), shows how well the author defined the Baladi women, in a nutshell. If you want to understand the essence of the true Egypt (present and ancient), you must read this book.

I reserced Ancient Egypt for about three years. I had always wondered what happened to the desendants of these wonderful people. People have said that because of the Islamic invasion much of the customs of the pharoahs were dead,but this does not seem to be the case. Rituals,relgious pratices,and even cultural mores can be found interwoven with modern Egyptian pratices.

Baladi are a very interesting sub-culture of people that exist between the older traditions of Ancient Kmt,and Modern Islamic Egypt. The Baladi represent rual Egyptians from both Upper and Lower Egypt who came into the cities during the 50's to find a better opportunity for themselves. Baladi,even though many are urbanized,still cling to their village existances. Many times the Baladi will indetify themselves with their village that they come from.

Evenlyn Early takes this case study to a place known as Bulaq Abu Ala. What we would call in America the inner city,where most tourist probally have never seen. The study cuts into the the struggles of Baladi life and provides and indepth study of what Baladiu life is like.
One interesting thing I find about the Baladi people is their ability to keep so much of older traditions with combining Islam with more traditional relgions. The old relgion of the Ancient Kemetians[Egyptians] has long faded away,but the people commonly refer to them as Zars. I have witness Zar rituals and much remind of Vodun,Yoruba,and other African disporian traditions.

The Baladi,like their ancestors,have reverence for the dead. The Ancient Egyptians would often have ancestrial shrines in their house,and provide food for their dead ancestors. The Baladi still continue to pratice this,and just shows how much continuity there is in Modern Egypt.

When reading this book,I would also sugest you pick up Fellahin of Upper Egypt by Winfreid S Blackman,Shahhat:an Egyptian by Richard Critchfield,and also Edward Lane's Manners and Customs of the Modern Egyptians. The following books will give you a insight into a cultural experiance thought by many people to be lost.