Dan Jackson/Manifest Photography -Haggadah Project

Mohammed had arranged for a friend from a nearby village to meet us in Disuq. He was more familiar with the area than Mohammed. When we arrived at the Disuq bus station I bought water and biscuits at a roadside kiosk. The woman kept speaking directly to me in Arabic. I smiled at her blankly. Finally Mohammed translated “she’s saying hello, and welcome to the country.” She said something to Mohammed that made him laugh. As we walked away he told me she said my hat was “very gorgeous.”

Mohammed’s friend called and said he was delayed. I was content to wait but Mohammed wanted to show me around Disuq. We walked along the Nile (Corniche El Disuq -such as it is.) While in the caravan on the way to the Temple in Edfu I had attempted to photograph a potter’s shop from the bus. When I saw one here I had to stop. Pottery will be composited into a few images in my book. Mohammed seemed pleased that I had finally started grabbing my gear. He kept encouraging me to shoot and got quite animated. “It’s okay to shoot this, it’s okay to shoot here!” There were three young men sitting on chairs outside the shop and a few girls milling about nearby. When they saw my camera the woman scampered off, but the men started asking all kinds of questions of Mohammed. When he explained where I was from and why I had come to Disuq they sprung into action.