The normally bustling streets of central Cairo are all but empty, as deadly clashes between protesters and security forces off nearby Tahrir Square continue into their fifth day.
Tens of thousands are in the square calling for Egypt's current military rulers to step down and hand over power to a civilian government.
The brutal crackdown by the police and army on the protesters has only stiffened their resolve to resist, but the violence has had a marked impact on daily life in the centre of the city.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) SHOP OWNER, GAMAL YOUSEF, SAYING:
"I am open because I still have customers, but buying and selling has definitely declined in light of the situation. As you can see some stores are open and some are closed and also there is chaos. When the protesters go towards the Interior Ministry they come back running and of course this has an impact, and if I have a customer in the shop they run away, too."
Graffiti sprayed on this monument on a major shopping street reads, "Down with military rule."
Street vendors are also seeing a drop in business.
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STREET SELLER, KHALIFA ABDEL LATIF MAHMOUD, SAYING:
"The country is at a standstill. If it weren't, you would have seen many people standing around me as I am speaking, but there isn't anyone. Everybody is afraid of Talaat Harb and Tahrir Square."
In the five days since the current protests began, Egypt's stock market has recorded losses of billions of dollars.
Nick Rowlands, Reuters.