Ramadan in Al Hussein by Karim Shaaban

This episode of the Ramadan 29 series is set around Al Hussein in Cairo. It's a bustling area and even busier during Ramadan. Shaaban speaks to some of the people that work in this area, who share why they find this place to special.

The video doesn't include any subtitles, but I but together a translation below the clip (to the best of my abilities) so that non-Arabic speakers can enjoy it as well.

- I've been in Al Hussein most of my life, from the age of 5. I am now 34, so it's been 29 years.

- 37 years

- I've been here for 21 years, I'm 40 years old.

- It's all good and wonderful year by year. It's only the celebrations, plays and so on that have  decreased because of construction.

- It is different from any other area. People must come to Al Hussein.

- Ramadan is a religious month and I see that Al Hussein is a meeting point for many things. People from around the world come here because the atmosphere here has a religious feeling to it.

- This is Al Hussein.

- Ramadan this year is in the summer - which is normally peak season for us

- Over here in Al Hussein it's a kingdom - you have no idea.

- You can't compare Ramadan in 2010 to Ramadan 2000. Like I told you, the situation in this area was something then and is something else now. In the old days people had freedom - whoever wants to hang decoration can do so,  whoever wants to hang lamps can do so. This is of course banned now.

of course this is now banned

- Let me tell you something, if you go to any other area - it completely differs from an Islamic area. Over  here there is worship, kind people, good people. This is all there is to it. This is what makes Ramadan special. In any other area, you rarely see or feel Ramadan.