D for dazzle? German licence plates are the new chic on Cairo streets

On the streets of Cairo, discarded German license plates are a prized accessory. Photos: Johannes Sadek/dpa

Salim Warda has an impressive array of goods in his car accessories shop in the Egyptian capital. But what catches a foreign visitor's eye are the German number plates for sale – the latest thing in car bling, he says.

Distinct with the standard blue vertical bar on the left and a "D" – for "Deutschland" meaning Germany – plus the EU circle of stars, even a humble "ME" plate from the small town of Mettmann near Dusseldorf becomes a curious status symbol on a Cairo vehicle.