“Al-Arbaji”... A profession against extinction
- Journalistic Translation
- Jun 15, 2022
- 2 min read
Chariots have been used as a transportation since the ancient Egyptian. In the third millennium, a number of Egyptians still own Karo carts, and used them to earn their livelihood, by transporting small goods, over short distances, or in selling vegetables and fruits. To know more about this job, read the following article.
Meaning of “Karo”:
“Karo” is an Italian word that means car, and Egyptians knew this word since the occupation. It is a cart that is pulled by either a donkey or a horse. The driver of the Karo carts is called in the Egyptian literature “Arbaji”, which is a term that has become notorious, because of the harsh qualities that “Al-Arbaji” has when dealing with people.
The strange thing is that the “Karo” is still running in the streets of Egypt for centuries, without a law governing or regulating this means of transportation.
The Problems “Al-Arbaji” face:
“Al-Arbaji” does not have licenses, and he fears the police who pursue him to hold him accountable for not complying with a law that has not been established yet. When the police catch the “Arbaji”, they take his cart and put the donkey or the horse in a zoo.
“karo” drivers earn between 50 to 150 pounds per day depending on how much work they could get, from which he has to pay taxes and the rent of the cart or the donkey if he does not own them.
Each “Arbaji” has his area:
Each “Arbaji” has his own area or territory that he works in, and they cannot work in someone else’s area. Sometimes they collect trash that can be recycled and give it to their leader to sell it. This leader is the one who divides them and gives each “Arbaji” the area that he will work in.
“Al-Arbaji” believes that he provides great services to the country, and they are proud because people resorted to them in time of fuel crisis and made “Karo” carts a means of transportation. People should encourage this job, and make it continue so it does not go extinct like many other jobs that used to exist. Tourists as well should help “Karo” drivers by trying the rides that they offer in places like pyramids.
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