As our ship slows to pass through the lock at Esna, 35 miles south of Luxor, the pirates strike. An organised squadron of bearded men wearing long Egyptian galabeyas, they row their wooden dinghies alongside the ship and tie on with ropes. But these so-called “Pirates of the Nile” aren’t armed with cutlasses or wearing eyepatches, they’re vendors laden with towels and tablecloths. “Hello! Egyptian cotton!” they yell, as we watch from the top deck.
With the aim to rival any Test cricketer’s they hurl their wares up, and we catch and examine them, tossing items back or keeping something and dropping money in return. It’s a chaotic and brilliant window into local life – as much part of the story of Egypt as the tombs and temples I’ve come to see.
