EGYPT: The endless clanging

Cairo is a symphony of clatter, ragged, loud, fuming, insane. It is relentless noise through the day — car horns, the tin hum of machines, the metal prattle of engines, the barking of vegetable vendors, the clop of hurried footsteps. The call to prayer can barely be heard through the cacophony; even the leaves shudder.

So it's not surprising to learn that, according to a study by the Egyptian National Research Center, Cairo's noise levels reach 90 decibels. Health officials advise 55 decibels as the maximum safe level. To beat the noise, one must roam deep into the night. Around 2 a.m., the clamor subsides, the traffic clears and the boats quiet on the Nile. The footsteps you hear are likely to be your own. But that can be deceptive. Cairo is a city of tricks. In the instant you're enjoying the silence, you can turn a corner, and suddenly, like a windstorm lifting from nowhere, you're scurrying through traffic.

— Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo   

Comments

[Labiba Boyd]

Egyptians bark? What kind of insidious propaganda is this? At least this article did not say that people can hear police sirens 24x7 like we do on Broadway..