I’m not sure I noticed them when I was going into Baron Empain’s palace, but I couldn’t help noticing them from the roof. There were so many of them.

Maybe it was a class. Maybe a flash mob of sorts. Maybe it was coincidence. From the rooftop I could see about fifty artists, each drawing some aspect of the palace.

I am not an artist, but I can see the appeal. It is a unique building, a little bits of India plunked into a Cairo suburb.

The two times I have visited the pyramids I saw no-one sketching the structures. Same thing with my visit to the Egypt Museum. Which is why I wonder if perhaps it was an art class taking part in a school project.

I speak no Arabic, and I generally don’t talk to strangers, so I didn’t approach anyone to ask and perhaps get a closer look at the art. From up in the roof it looked like some of the people were talented.

Cairo is a chaotic city, with hustle and bustle everywhere. The grounds of the Baron Empain Palace provide a bit of an oasis. I can understand why artists would gather here.

I wonder where they congregate in my hometown of Ottawa.