Cairo / Old Cairo

Without a doubt the highlight of our sightseeing in Cairo, as well as the entire trip to Egypt, was riding the horses at the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. But we did see a some other very interesting sites in the surrounding Cairo area. Before showing you the highlights, let me set the scene and remind you of my overall impressions of Cairo. However, I'd like to preface these comments by saying that we only spent 2 short days here; clearly, we were not able to scratch the surface of all the city had to offer. I'm sure that there are some very lovely areas - we just didn't get to see them. With that said...

Imagine being stuck in traffic in a city of seventeen million people. In addition to only a couple traffic lights, there are few (very few) traffic police in all of the city. There are no lanes - cars are squeezed in trying to get by in any way they can. You see poverty, run down buildings, trash littering the streets.

Horns honking, cars blowing exhaust, people piled into sedans holding infants on their laps. Your window stays up, for there is at times a unpleasant smell that lingers in the slightly humid air. In the van next to yours, Egyptian children are nudging each other and pointing to you.





And as with many sprawling world capitals, this is a city of contrasts. On top of apartment buildings that are in such terrible shape they look uninhabitable, there are satellite dishes lined up like soldiers. A donkey cart carrying God only knows is going down the road beside a shiny Mercedes. There is very obvious lack of wealth in most of the city, but millions (maybe billions) of tourist dollars are pouring in to some one's pockets.


There was a stark difference in the different districts: Old Cairo with it's stone buildings, old churches and narrow alleys. The business district filled with sky scrapers, major hotel chains, upscale restaurants, and nice landscaping. And the rest of the city...apartment buildings, cranes, and millions of ordinary people.


Keeping those images in mind, come along with me as I start your abbreviated tour...

The Cairo Museum was a large stone building with lots of steps, ponds with lily pads and benches outside to rest your weary feet. The museum was filled with more ancient Egyptian treasures than you can imagine, most fairly crudely displayed, dusty and without much description. The creme de la creme of the exhibits was the "King Tut" floor, which housed the world's largest collection of artifacts removed from his tomb. King Tutankhamen, "the boy King," was only 9-10 years old when he died presumably in a chariot accident. He wasn't a great pharaoh, nor was he an evil, notorious one - he did absolutely nothing special. He is only famous now simply because his tomb was the only one found to date that had not been robbed, but was still completely intact.


The Cairo area was at one time a stronghold for Christianity until the Islamic era. In the Old Cairo District are still several old Coptic Christian Churches, which include the Church of St. Sergius , where according to tradition, the Holy Family was hidden while they were in Egypt. Another interesting church is the Hanging Church, built during the 7 th century. It was named for it's location above a gatehouse and is suspended over a passage. The art, architecture and carvings inside this church were amazing. The church is back in use today by Coptic Christians.







Prior to walking up the steps into the Hanging Church, there was a courtyard lined with benches and absolutely beautiful mosaics.





In the same general part of Cairo as the Coptic district, we found the medieval Citadel of Saladin. Situated prominently on a hilltop, it is said that this fortress was constructed in the 12th century with fallen stones from the Great Pyramid. (As a side note, this picture is a good illustration of how many less conservative, modern Muslim women dress outside of Saudi - click on it to get a closer look.)



Inside the citadel walls was the mosque pictured to the right, the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali (no, not the Mohammed Ali you're thinking of!). Designed by a Greek architect from Turkey in the early 19th century, it was very impressive and elaborate inside. The prayer hall (like a sanctuary) is open to a large, central dome, four semi-domes and four smaller domes that are all very ornately decorated . On the citadel grounds there were also several other smaller mosques, squares, museums, and a palace.


And what trip to Cairo would be complete without souvenirs? Never fear, my shoppers, for tacky trinkets are always just a few steps away! There must be a factory in China that reproduces gazillions of cheap statues, necklaces, lamps, mini-pyramids, post cards and countless other "treasures" to help you commemorate your trip to Egypt. The little shop in the photo to left had more unique items than most of the other stalls we saw. Most of the time it was the same old crap! We had some difficulty pulling Jake away from golden cat statues and Michael came home with a chess set made of Egyptian figurines.


Before getting on the train our last night in Cairo we went to a popular night market. This post is already getting a bit long, so I will save the pictures and description of that fun evening for another post. So go get some rest...we still have five more days in Egypt together!