Feature: "Little Damascus" in Cairo reminds past good days in Syria

Special food smells, groceries' decoration and the Syrian-styled life in the "Little Damascus" district on the outskirt of Egypt's capital of Cairo now have become famous among local people.

The "Syrian Street," which embraces thousands of Syrian refugees, isn't the only "Little Damascus" in the 6th of October City of Cairo, but the most welcomed one.

"The Syrian Street reminded me of good days in Syria when I sit with my friends eating and laughing before the U.S.-led forces' bombs demolished our houses on route to destroy the Islamic State targets," Abdl Manan, a Syrian sweets shop owner told Xinhua.

Manan fled Damascus in the end of 2011, and stayed for several months without work in Cairo.

"Like in the other countries, it's not easy for Syrian refugees to find jobs. But I found that Egyptians like Syrian-styled sweets, so I opened this oriental desert shop and set up my life here," he said.

Like Manan, most of the Syrian refugees escaped their country four years ago with their families, as the conflict in Syria has now driven more than four million people, a sixth of the population, to seek sanctuary in neighboring countries, making it the largest refugee crisis for a quarter of a century, according to the United Nations.

Officially, the number of the Syrian refugees registered with the UN refugee Agency in Egypt is 118,512 to January 2016.

However, according to the Egyptian government, the number of Syrian refugees in Egypt now could reach half a million, and a large number of those homeless ones don't register with the UN or other refugee agencies, in order to have more freedom of movement.

"In the first period after we arrived in Egypt, we can't earn money until we understood the way of life in Egypt then we were able to integrate ourselves with the Egyptians," another "Syrian Street" resident named Yasser Quately said.

Quately told Xinhua that not like in Jordan or Turkey, Syrians with renewable residence permits in Egypt don't worry about deportation.

"Now I finally have a stable life by work to feed the whole family," he added.

Like thousands people in this street with similar experience, Abou Karam told Xinhua, "I used to live in Hama, north of Damascus, with my family. But I had to leave when fierce battles took place."

"My country is now a theatre for multinational forces who seek personal benefits rather than helping the Syrian residents, " Karam said in agony.

Comparing to other districts, Syrians in Egypt prefer October City, a district outside Giza province, because living there matches all budgets. Renting an apartment here ranges from 800 Egyptian pounds (about 80 U.S. dollars) to 1600 pounds (160 dollars).

And now their shelters far away from Damascus provide them not only affordable life but also memories of the old and peaceful days in their beloved hometown.

"I feel home in this street, the food, the flavors, the residents, every tinny details surrounding me remind me of Syria," Karam added.

While cutting pieces of sweets for clients in his store, Abou Amar said he used work as a civil engineer in Aleppo which is totally destroyed now.

"When I decided to come to Egypt with my wife and children, my mother and sisters refused to leave, mostly they were either killed or detained now," the young man said with sorrowful voice.

Amar told Xinhua that the Syrian Street revives him the feelings of homeland and those happy days years ago.

"My conditions now are stable in Egypt and my children were enrolled in Egyptian school without any fees, I don't want to risk moving to other places anymore," he said. Endit