Get to know Assem Yassin, a Cairo-based tour leader, guide and Egyptologist.
I was born in October 1949 by the River Nile in Cairo. My maternal grandfather Hamdan gave me my name, Assem.
I was not born with a silver spoon in my mouth, but I guess you could say that it was a stainless steel one because my family was wealthy enough to enrol me in a good private school in Cairo.
Life was good when I was little.
I came home with medals and prizes often because I was a good student. In the '60s, Egypt faced economic problems because of nationalisation and segregation, and I was forced to change schools.
My family fragmented as my parents divorced and I was sent to a boarding school, which was not of the same standard as my first one.
I graduated in 1965 and joined the Cairo Police Academy to continue my studies. I was in the technology division but that didn't last long because the war broke out.
I didn't want to join the Egyptian Army in '67, so I continued my studies in Cairo University and changed my specialisation from technology to agriculture and science. Then I went on to study business administration.
There was another war in 1973.
I had to join the Egyptian Army in '76, for fear of being termed a deserter. I was drafted as a soldier and during that one year I lost my hair!
By that time, I had started helping my mother Samiha Hamdan to publish her book Pharaonic Egypt Illuminated in English.
It took us three years to get the book ready; we published it in '78. She was one of the earliest licensed tour guides in Egypt. She was also the first guide from the north of Egypt to work as a guide in Cairo.
Her knowledge of Egypt's history was very thorough and helping her with the book increased my interest in Egypt's past. I helped her with research and typed up the pages of the book. (We didn't have computers then.)
I finally graduated in 1978 after taking several breaks to work in hotels in Egypt and England, and for my army duty. After graduation I worked as assistant manager on a ship travelling from Aswan to Cairo and back. I would travel 10 days up the Nile and 10 days down the Nile.
I used to work three months in a row without a day off! But I'm still not tired of the scenery when we're on the Nile. I am so attached to the river that I can't stay away for long. I've travelled to many places – Canada, Italy, the Netherlands, England and Greece – sometimes even thinking that I wouldn't return, but I've always come back to my beloved Nile.
I started as a tour leader in the '80s.
I started my profession to help French tourists understand Egypt better. Egypt was in demand as a tourist destination year-round at the time. There were many groups coming in and tour guides who spoke different languages were highly sought after.
I guided exclusively in French for about 12 years and then started in English and Greek.
I fell in love in the '90s. I met a Greek lady called Vivi at the Greek consulate. She was very cultured and patriotic and very good-looking, too. I fell in love with her and we got married, but we couldn't stay together and divorced a few years later.
My knowledge of Greek comes from that connection.
I try to impart my love for and knowledge of Egypt's glorious past to tourists. I spend several days with each group in their travels around Egypt and provide them with not only historical details, but also how geography and the Nile have contributed to what Egypt is today.
I've also learnt a lot from the people I guide, especially the French. By the time I started guiding in English, guiding had become very specialised. Today, many people are in the profession and it's almost a fully fledged industry.
My job as a tour guide is usually fun. But sometimes incidents have thrown everything into disorder. Once there was no water in the Nile and the ships couldn't sail so we had to make all our long trips by bus and then return to the ship, which was stuck near Luxor.
And I'll never forget what happened in '86! I was guiding a big Swiss group consisting of elite Swiss citizens including Parliament members and officials. We were cruising the Nile in one of the best and newest boats called Neptune.
There was a disturbance in Egypt following a flare-up of attacks by a few malcontent army personnel on hotels. The government declared a curfew and all the tourists were gathered together and shut up in hotels near the airport for their security before being sent back to their countries.
The group I was guiding were really enjoying themselves and this development made us all very disappointed.
My mother and grandfather influenced me the most.
I lost my mother in '92. She had worked on some more books but none of them were printed. I plan to work on them when I get the time.
I have learnt much from my mother who encouraged me to read and find the treasure of information in books. She was a wise person and also very devout.
My maternal grandfather Hamdan, who considered himself an independent capitalist, was a self-made man and a pioneer in the glass industry of Egypt.
He owned the largest modern glass factory here. He was also a very pious man.
I'm happy that I've lived this long.
Many of my childhood friends are already dead and I am grateful that I am still healthy. I think it's a special blessing that I can still work and enjoy my work as a tour leader. I intend to continue working for as long as I can.
