No cars, no carts, few people. You only saw old Cairo like that early in the morning, perhaps on a feast day or during times of political unrest during the Mamluk era. The buildings themselves are from that period, the 13th Century and following, which you can see by their large limestone blocks and arched windows sealed with iron bars. It was less common to see Cairo like this in the last years of Sadat, when the city was bursting at the seams at all hours. So yes, it must have been early morning, and perhaps Daoud had been out all night.
©David Melody