The Syrian entrepreneurs starting new lives in Egypt
There are nearly half a million Syrian refugees living in Egypt but they aren’t confined to camps. And thanks to the more flexible approach, many are spotting opportunities and creating new businesses.
It was back in the summer of 2012 when Syrian refugee Sami Al Ahmad got off an aeroplane in a strange land, not knowing where to go.
War had broken out in Syria, and the 20-year-old dentistry student was faced with the option of fleeing or joining the armed forces.
So he flew to Cairo. On arriving he called the only Syrian acquaintance he knew in the country.
“Come to 6 of October City,” his friend said, in reference to a Cairo satellite town named after the start date of the 1973 Arab-Israeli War. “There is a community of Syrians here.” Details
