Cairo as seen by Laura El-Tantawy

I'm never bored when visiting one of Cairo’s greatest icons - the Great Pyramids of Giza. This is an obligatory photograph I take each time I visit my home city. This ancient place makes me daydream of the future ahead and I enjoy this time to bask in the sun, thinking about the rich heritage of my ancestors.

With a city of nearly 17 million people, Cairo never ceases to amaze me. Here, a man stands on the rooftop of a building in downtown Cairo, contemplating the city that reveals itself below his eyes. This shot was hard to capture but I love to experience and appreciate the city from different vantage points. 

A girl plays on a makeshift swing made from a lifebuoy hanging from a colourful Felouka. Cairo’s famous sail boats are found along the River Nile and are mostly appreciated because of their quieter and calmer mood than motorboats have to offer.

People rush to cross a busy intersection on the edge of Tahrir Square (Liberation Square) on a rainy afternoon in Cairo. Tahrir Square is in the heart of Cairo. It was the home of thousands of pro-democracy protesters who took to the streets on January 25, 2011 demanding “Bread, Freedom and Social Justice.” I photographed the protests at the time. Tahrir is a place I often return to, so I can remember that special time that made history.

The beautiful view from my window. The sweet lights of Cairo are quite peculiar; singing birds, palm trees, and a hint of soft light remind me that this is one of the most enjoyable cities in Egypt.

Every season in Cairo has its own light quality. Here a curtain of smoke hangs over the city as it’s about to gently enter night-time on an autumn evening, revealing a distant glimpse of the city’s vast sprawling buildings in the distance.