On a rooftop high above Cairo , Moustafa Hassan tenderly cares for his babies -- all 350 of them . Hassan keeps a rooftop loft with both racing and `` fancy '' pigeons , and his birds are like family to him . `` This is my son , '' he said , picking up his favorite pigeon . `` I deal with all the pigeons like my son or my children . '' Hassan 's pigeons cost him $ 600 a month in food alone , but he says it 's a hobby that unites people of all backgrounds , rich and poor , conservative and liberal . `` Every type of people in Egypt can breed the pigeon , '' he said . `` It 's a hobby and a very good hobby in Egypt . '' Hassan is far from alone in his hobby . He says there are two million Egyptians breeding pigeons and that it gives them an escape from the country 's political turmoil . The age-old hobby is a constant despite the revolution , protests and elections of the past year and a half . `` The pigeon is joined with our culture in Egypt , '' said Hassan . `` It is very important in Egypt . '' But it is not all peace and harmony between breeders . Some breeders will capture each other 's birds if they fly too close . Ramadan Mohamed , who lives across town , has an elaborate net for catching pigeons that stray into his patch . `` In the hobby of breeding pigeons , there are friends and foes , '' said Mohamed . `` If I capture a friend 's pigeon , I let it go . If he 's a competitor , then I keep it . ''
There are two million pigeon breeders in Egypt , according to Moustafa Hassan . Cairo has rooftop pigeon lofts where breeders find escape from the hustle and bustle below . Breeders sometimes capture each other 's birds if they stray into their territory .