Colonizer and Colonized

​I’m sometimes asked about my favorite building.
​If I had to pick one and only one building I think I would point at the building on the right.
I first came across with it browsing a book in a library (a library is an earlier version of Google). “Paris along the Nile” is a book on French-inspired architecture in Cairo. The building has a scent of 19th century beaux-arts architecture and a bit of local adaptations – the porch seems to be a great space to take a seat in the scorching heat of the summer months in Egypt, adding  depth and grandeur to this palatial building. The structure is raised from the street level, distancing itself from the by-passers.
Colonialism has been praised and criticized through times, but whichever side is chosen, the superimposition of cultures frequently yields creative and unexpected outcomes.