Cairo

The Middle East summit in Cairo Thursday was as splendid in symbolism as it was meager in substance. It would be hard to say which is more important.In one sense, this was the first Middle East summit ever. That is, the first in which Israel's prime minister sat down with his regional counterparts, not just one-on-one; the first in which the others congregated as Middle East rather than exclusively Arab leaders.It began with the prime minister of Israel, the president of Egypt, the king of Jordan and the head of the Palestinian authority sitting down for the festive meal ending the daytime fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, a traditional hour of sharing with family and close friends.

Each week The Sun's John McIntyre presents a moderately obscure but evocative word with which you may not be familiar — another brick to add to the wall of your working vocabulary. This week's word: FUSTIAN If you come across a piece of writing that is so over-the-top, so bombastic, so pompous and pretentious that it seems more like upholstery than writing, there's a label you can pin on it: fustian (pronounced FUST-yun or FUSS-chen). Fustian was originally a coarse cloth, later a higher-grade twill.

CAIRO -A bomb exploded yesterday in a bazaar near the historic Hussein mosque in Cairo, killing a French woman, wounding 18 others and raising fears that Islamic militants might be targeting Egypt's tourism industry after several years of relative quiet. The blast was small, but it reverberated through the tight alleys of the centuries-old Khan El-Khalili bazaar and sent shopkeepers, coffee shop waiters, worshipers and tourists scrambling for cover. Egyptian state-owned TV reported that a French tourist was killed and the other victims, mostly foreigners, were injured when two masked women tossed a bomb from the roof of a motel just after dusk.

The high hopes of the Egyptian people for a peaceful transition to democracy are being thwarted by the brutal tactics of the country's military rulers, who in recent days have launched a bloody campaign of repression against protesters demanding an immediate turnover of power to an elected civilian government. The armed forces, once revered as guardians of the popular uprising that overthrew longtime dictator Hosni Mubarak in February, now appear desperate to cling to power at any cost.

CAIRO -- Necessary accessories for every tourist in Egypt:* A money dispenser so the merchants who flock around you can help themselves. Why bother rooting through your wallet each time when they can do it for you?* A baseball cap with two flashing signs that can be illuminated at the wearer's choice: "Tourist Open for Business" or "Tourist Closed Now, Try Again Later."Every first-time tourist in Egypt must run the gamut of entrepreneurs with an outstretched hand. The requirement apparently is stamped in your passport in some invisible ink.There is Ahmed, owner of the camel-of-a-thousand-pictures who will hoist you upon a humpy back for a souvenir photo in front of the Pyramids.

CAIRO, Egypt -- Ambushers with machine guns raked an armored car carrying Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Ethiopia yesterday, but he was not hurt and hurried back to Cairo.Mr. Mubarak promptly blamed the attack on Muslim radicals who assassinated his predecessor and are trying to overthrow his 14-year-old regime.Two of the alleged attackers and two Ethiopian security officers were killed in the gunfight that erupted as Mr. Mubarak's motorcade drove from the airport into Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, for a meeting of African leaders.

CAIRO -- Seemingly confident but increasingly reticent, Secretary of State James A. Baker III arrived in the Middle East yesterday to try to soothe Arab and Israeli anxiety over conditions for a peace conference.During Mr. Baker's 12-hour flight from Washington to Cairo, the State Department announced that he would confer Friday with Soviet Foreign Minister Boris D. Pankin.There is nothing unusual about that: Mr. Baker has met 12 times this year with Mr. Pankin or his predecessor, Alexander A. Bessmertnykh.

Cairo, Egypt -- Slick leans over the green baize, squinting at the six ball for an easy shot to the corner pocket. He jabs smartly with his cue . . . and the ball careens four inches from the corner.Specs is next. Another simple shot, a virtual gimmie. His ball, too, spins wildly off mark.Finally Muscles sinks a ball. His buddies snap their fingers -- Egyptian cool for applause.Egypt's latest craze is pool, but the spiraling popularity of the game is no reflection of the skill with which it is played.

CAIRO, Egypt -- Suspected Muslim radicals answered the Egyptian government's crackdown on terrorism with a bold assassination attempt yesterday that killed four people and wounded 15, including their target, a top minister.A bomb strapped to a parked motorcycle exploded near the city's main Tahrir Square just as a motorcade passed carrying Hassan el-Alfy, the minister of interior. He is in charge of combating the 19-month wave of attacks by Islamic fundamentalists.Mr. el-Alfy was wounded in the arm and later appeared on national television from his hospital bed to denounce the attackers as "killers and butchers who have no religion."

CAIRO, Egypt - An explosion in a bustling market in the tourist-packed heart of Cairo's old city killed two people yesterday and wounded at least 18. Some witnesses reported that a motorcyclist set off the blast The old bazaar near al-Azhar mosque was sealed off last night as investigators combed the narrow alleyways for clues. Witnesses said the blast shattered shop windows, leaving the dead and wounded sprawled in the streets. The late afternoon blast was the first bombing that appeared to target tourists in Cairo since September 1997.

Matthew VanDyke — the Baltimore writer and filmmaker who was jailed in Libya for nearly six months and then remained to aid rebels seeking to overthrow dictator Moammar Gadhafi — is scheduled to return home Saturday. VanDyke, 32, is set to arrive about 7 p.m. at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, said his mother, Sharon VanDyke. He will leave Cairo on Saturday morning and fly to John F. Kennedy International Airport before coming to Baltimore, she said.

Their voices have been heard. The people have spoken. The streets of Cairo echo with the clatter of democracy and freedom. However, I wonder if freedom in Egypt is truly possible. Can a regime torn by controversy and dictatorship follow with freedom and liberty? Many Americans tend to view Muslim countries with a cautious eye. However, this past weekend I stumbled upon a very peculiar image. The image depicted was thousands of men and women praying together side-by-side after the conclusion of dictatorship in Tahrir Square in Cairo (a feat typically unusual outside of the holy city of Mecca)

As Molotov cocktails, rocks and gunshots filled the streets of Cairo last week, executives at ARINC Inc. in Annapolis fixed on their employees' safety and getting them out of Egypt. The company, which outfitted Cairo's international terminal with electronics systems and maintains U.S. Air Force jets there, decided Thursday after days of anti-government protests and clashes to pull employees, contractors and their families out. It was a harrowing time — there and here. "This is what we've been living and breathing 24/7," said Alice Lao, ARINC'S director of international human resources.

Gary Vikan, director of the Walters Art Museum , is guardedly hopeful that the unrest in Egypt won't interfere with a big exhibit planned for the fall of 2014. Long before protests broke out this week, the Walters had been working on a future exhibit that will spotlight the ancient treasures of the North African nation. So, when Vikan heard that Egypt's museums and storehouses were being looted, he was understandably concerned. But early indications are that damage to Cairo's famed Egyptian Museum was relatively minor, and that the approximately 70 items that were taken or smashed in the first 24 hours of the unrest can be repaired.

Howard Community College student Sarah Blake was in Egypt when that nation's turbulent demonstrations began, and she and her friends found themselves being pushed and shoved in Cairo's streets. "It was really scary. That's when the tear gas started coming out more and the water cannon trucks were going through. The police cars would come through, and crowds of people would just scramble," said Blake, who returned from the violence-torn nation last week after a one-month stay. Blake is among several area residents who have come home from the country with harrowing stories that mirror the images depicted on news broadcasts.

Jay VanRensselaer had photographed archaeological digs in Egypt since 1996 without ever feeling uncomfortable or unwelcome. But the Johns Hopkins University staff member sensed a seething anger in the populace last week as he finished another excavation with Hopkins graduates and undergraduates. When one of the students read Facebook posts about overthrowing the government on Friday — well, it seemed like a good time to go. "At no point did I feel threatened, but there was a certain level of anxiety," VanRensselaer said.

Matthew VanDyke — the Baltimore writer and filmmaker who was jailed in Libya for nearly six months and then remained to aid rebels seeking to overthrow dictator Moammar Gadhafi — is scheduled to return home Saturday. VanDyke, 32, is set to arrive about 7 p.m. at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, said his mother, Sharon VanDyke. He will leave Cairo on Saturday morning and fly to John F. Kennedy International Airport before coming to Baltimore, she said.

Egyptian Pizza owner Mohamed Mahmoud is reconsidering his trip to Egypt next month. Mahmoud, 55, who has owned the Belvedere Square restaurant since 1990, was planning to fly to Cairo in February to visit family but might be forced to cancel his trip as the country continues to erupt in violent unrest. More than a hundred people have died since the anti-government protests began five days ago. Mahmoud, who came to the United States in the mid-1980s and settled in Baltimore, said he frequently returns to Egypt to visit family.