Sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the capital’s unforgiving traffic and surrounded by street vendors in Attaba Square, the unassuming shop housed under the arcades of an old Haussmannian building is a time capsule of Cairo’s rich cosmopolitan history.It is a rare museum-like site where old clocks, watches and timepieces are meticulously repaired.

“I have spare parts from my grandfather’s days,” Ashod Papazian, the current 64-year-old owner who inherited the family business, told AFP.The shopfront with patinated wooden frames boasts an impressive array of pocket watches and wrist models with ageing bracelets, as well as yellowed advertisements of the vaunted watchmaker.At the turn of the 19th century, Egypt had become a popular destination for Armenians who specialised in del…