A narrow alley cuts between deteriorating multi-story buildings in the old district of Al-Qusayr, a historic port city on Egypt's Red Sea coast. Exposed wooden balconies, crumbling plaster walls, and an LG washing machine cardboard box are visible, while a solitary man sits silhouetted at the alley's end with the turquoise Red Sea stretching behind him. Al-Qusayr (القصير) has served as a significant commercial and pilgrimage port since ancient times, with its old urban fabric reflecting layers of trade history between Egypt, Arabia, and East Africa.