Singles LE7. Doubles LE14. Fans LE2.) The Lotus Hotel (tel. 32 49 29), on the same street at the end close to the Nile, will do in a pinch. (Rooms with private bath LE1O per person.) The Hotel Assiout de Tourisme (tel. 32 26 15), across from the train station, has some renovated rooms and aging bathrooms in a grungy building. (Sm-gles LE8 Doubles LE12. No fans.) At the other end, the Reem Hotel (tel. 32 62 35), though poorly decorated, is a full service hotel with A/C and private baths in every room. Head south from the train station, make your first left and then your right. (Singles LE36. Doubles LE56.)

A favorite restaurant with locals is the Mattam al-Azhar, where a delicious, crispy whole chicken goes for LE7- The restaurant is on the same street as the post office, one block farther on the left. There’s no English sign; look for the ornate wooden screen above the door. Express Restaurant, in the heart of commercial Assyut, is spotless and lively and serves tiny, tasty hamburgers (75pt) and shwarma or kabab sandwiches (5Opt). To get there, walk 200m north from the station and turn left at Windsor Hotel onto Juiy 26 St. The restaurant is on the right, just after the next intersection This street is also the best place for kushari (5Opt) -mdfalafel (15-25pt).

Assyut’s souk sprawls across the area west of the main square; if you head further west from the Express Restaurant, you will eventually arrive there. This maze of covered tangled alleys houses some of the country’s better carpet shops. Unfortu-natelV without a local guide it’s all too easy to get lost. Ask at your hotel for help, or propose an expedition to one of the local university students eager to practice his English.