The question most asked is if I miss it (already?) – this I cannot answer yet, for time is passing too quick.

However, one love I will take with me from Cairo is the uncannily fabulous graffiti – this, the Egyptians have mastered into a true art form.

Here are a few capturings; for a truly insightful array of images and commentary, head over to Suzee in the City:

And had my undying loyalty to Tunisia not prevented me, I would even venture that it is the best city I have visited.

Which makes it all the more peculiar that I cannot explain why.

Likening it to a woman (for all great cities are female), Cairo is the Zsa Zsa Gabor to Tunis’ gamboling cheerleader.

Pretty, shining and radiant with a youthful glow, Tunis exudes a beauty that smacks of freshness through her white walls, turquoise shutters and winding balconies.

Cairo, on the other hand, is an aged beauty, her glamour and good-times resting under a dusting of powder, her balustrades cracking and her waters running slow.

The boathouses on the Nile evoke every Naguib Mahfouz novel consumed, while the former colonial tea rooms still ring with the (imagined) titterings of British lady-wives festooned with pearls.

The revolution continues and Tahrir lurches from positive to negative energy.

The tragedy of the martyrs of Tahrir is on every wall and the graffiti inspires amazement at the creativity and durability of Egyptian artists.

This week has brought contact with a number of the most admirable and gifted individuals: the iconic feminist Iman Bibars, the fearless Lina Attalah, the prolific Ganzeer and the insatiably revolutionary Mohamed Safi.

I feel deeply privileged to meet them all.

And then there is the food. No harissa nor knafa nabulsi – but I shall forgive this on the basis of the exquisite seafood.

My, my. I shall dream of this long after the dust of Cairo has been washed from my clothes.

And women are becoming stronger, braver and more courageous in spite of increasing barbarity:

I wake up every morning looking forward to getting sexually harassed in Cairo. Because a day gone by without being whistled at like cattle or groped like a melon at a vegetable store is a day unlived in this city. Right?

I even dress according to how often I’d like to get harassed that day. Tight white t-shirt? That’s the number one sign that I’m asking for it. Skinny jeans are obviously worn to highlight my butt so men know what to grab (some short-sighted idiots completely miss and grab my hip instead, which is just plain insulting).

And since I don’t cover my hair, then obviously I know what shit I’m getting myself into by walking on the streets of the city I call home as an equal citizen to the men that lurk on corners, outside shops, dangling from microbuses, waiting happily.

And I think it’s safe to say she speaks for all women, in Egypt and beyond.

Read the full post in all its spot-on glory, here.

An Egyptian military court on Monday sentenced political activist Mikel Nabil to three years in prison for insulting the Armed Forces.

 The court misled Nabil’s defense team and gave the sentence after the team had left the courtroom, said Gamal Eid, a rights activist and the head of The Arab Network for Human Rights Information.

 Activists say the court said it was postponing the ruling, but then Nabil was taken to prison.

 Lawyer and rights activist Negad al-Boraie, a member of the defense team, had told Al-Masry Al-Youm earlier that he feared his client was not going to have a fair trial.

 Egyptian security forces arrested Nabil on 28 March after he published an article on his blog that claimed the army was involved in torturing detainees during the 25 January revolution. The article cited international news reports as references.

 The military prosecution charged Nabil with “publishing false information” and “insulting the Armed Forces”.

 This is the first such case since the Armed Forces took over the leadership of the country on 11 February.

 Some rights activists believe Nabil’s trial is intended to curb criticism of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces, which is ruling the country for an interim period.

The above was posted in Al-Masry Al-Youm on 25 May; since then, little has been heard until this morning when his brother reported he was still imprisoned and suffering maltreatment.

With so many bloggers being persecuted by the regimes for broaching crucial issues – in Nabil’s case, the Egyptian military – it can be a challenge to keep track.

But we can try.

Visit Nabil’s site, here.

For more empowerment and insights into developments in the MENA region, visit Mona’s blog, here.

It makes for harrowing reading, but for those left in any doubt, Salwa Husseini has bravely vocalized and exposed the shamesless barbarity eked out by the military in the name of security:

Read the full report, here.