THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANAND NAIDOO, CNN ANCHOR: In Egypt, some of the tradition modes of transportation are still making their way down modern-day streets.
ASIEH NAMDAR, CNN ANCHOR: Shahira Amin of Egyptian Television looks at how the one luxurious hours-drawn carriage is surviving and finding new riders in Cairo.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SHAHIRA AMIN, EGYPTIAN TELEVISION CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): On Cairo's busy streets, the sight of traditional horse-drawn carriages or hantoors is not uncommon. Hantoor drivers can be seen braiding the heavy traffic as they transport commuters from one part of the city to another, or take visitors on a tour of the capital's famous sights.
72-year-old Amm Ali parks his hantoor in the gardens surrounding the Cairo tower, one of the city's main tourist attractions. His handsome carriage is one of several parked in the garden, where they can be easily spotted, tempting visitors to the tower to ask for a ride.
AMM ALI, HANTOOR GUIDE (through translator): I adopted this profession from my father who owned several carriages. I have been driving a hantoor for 52 years now, and I have been parked here since the Cairo tower was built.
AMIN: Ali negotiates the fare with the passengers before the ride. He says he has no fixed price. It all depends on the customer's generosity.
ALI (through translator): I get roughly 15 passengers a day on a good day, which is usually in the summer. In winter, business is slow, so I have to save for a rainy day.
AMIN (on camera): It's not just Egyptians who can enjoy a carriage ride. For tourists too, a hantoor ride is a fascinating way to see the Cairo sights.
So, how was the ride?
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It was very good, thank you.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Fantastic. Yeah, Amm Ali was a wonderful guide. AMIN (voice-over): Hantoors were first introduced to Egypt in the last century, given as gifts from European rulers to their Egyptian counterparts. The horse-drawn carriages were later imported from Europe, particularly France.
Egyptian blacksmiths soon learned to make the chassis themselves, creating new models and renovating the imported ones with new upholstery and decorating them with traditional symbols. Today, there is only one workshop in Cairo's Ardin (ph) area that makes fixes and renovates carriages -- a craft that is quickly disappearing.
At the end of a long day, Amm Ali settles in his carriage for a well-deserved rest. Hopefully tomorrow, business will be better than today.
Shahira Amin, Egyptian Television, for the CNN WORLD REPORT.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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