Midaq Alley Study Guide

Midaq Alley is a bygone gem, an isolated, dead-end off Sanadiqiya Street in Cairo. Enormous, balding Uncle Kamil is usually found napping outside his confectionary. His neighbor and best friend is the barber Abbas. The owner of an office, Salim Alwan, lives outside the quarter. The three-story residences at the end of the alley are shuttered against the cold. Kirsha's Café fills with patrons after work. It is dilapidated, with walls covered with arabesques, and a floor scattered with couches where patrons smoke, drink tea, and talk. (read more)