Plant family Cactaceae

One of the privet trees in flower.

Many colours of the Hollyhock plant around in February


also many verities of cacti

Luxor Egypt

the kopak tree

Herbal fruits

There are some good spice stalls in the market area some are better than others and if the guy is not only there to take your money and knows what he is selling its quite a pleasant experiance . Like intrigued me why they sold these gourd fruits in the herbal section,
Now I know these are for rheumatic pain relief Cut the fruit in half and leave to dry into a powder then mix with oil and rub into the the infected muscles.

the lemon grass to the front is for a herbal tea for chest complaints the dark brown balls are atmrahindi another one for tummy upsets and makes a pleasant cool hot weather drink hot or cold.
The stuff that looks like tumble weed is to put in a glass bowl and while soaking lets off a pleasant aroma.
The white things that look like pieces of marble is used to soften the skin before shaving mix with hot water and apply to the face I what I was told ????
Click on these next 2 photo's most of the names are on the spices this is very well laid out and the names are on the jars etc but spices are best kept out of direct sunlight so not a stall I will be purchasing from.

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Hagag Mohamed Kassem, El Fashney Shop.
one of 4 brothers who own the hom calthoum coffee shop sells pipes and scarves
the price of the pipes range from 35 egp up to 200egp and as he expressly said not just as ornaments all can be smoked. ........and the reason this is getting a plug on here is you can smoke herbs in a sisha pipe normally the locals smoke tobacco leaves mixed with molasses and date oil or honey. but the flovours vary from most of the fruits grown in Egypt.


looking down the market towards my new home. in the tourist souk .

Plants in Luxor Centre

This not sure what it is But I think its from the Asphodelaceae family. is in a garden area between the tourist and local fruit market in Luxor Centre.

The gardens in Luxor

The only way you will get to see these gardens is if you chance not getting run over by passing traffic on this one of the busiest roads in Luxor. no walking in the gardens only by perimeter fence,

The loofa and its use

The loofa's on sale on a spice stall in the Luxor Market (SOUK)
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one of several Old World tropical vines of the genus Luffa, having cylindrical fruit with a fibrous, spongelike interior. The dried, fibrous part of the loofa fruit, used as a washing sponge or as a filter.
I had seen a loofa plant before I came to Egypt while taking the shoe box presents around the village of Kitwi in the mountainous country on Kenya but that plant was small and only had a single fruit on . these plants in Egypt are abundant and seem to grow where ever there is a wall or a scrub tree to drape over this particular plant is hanging over a half of ones gate that is always closed. The lufer's can be bought all year round from the market stalls it seems this plant has flower and fruit at the same time so there fore or maybe it will just keep growing if looked after I,E not cut down.
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this one hidden in the undergrowth is about 2ft 6" long

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the lufer in seed but this one is rotting on the tree and will be of no use.

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this one if let to grow will make a good back scrubber its almost 2ft in length and is not yet ripe
it will expand in girth until the skin pops open. then picked and dried in the sun.