Historic Cairo
By Dr Shamim Ahmed
We landed at Cairo International Airport in the early morning. Much to our disappointment, the airport formalities were cumbersome and resulted in unnecessary delays. We then drove for an hour through the old city and finally reached our abode for the next few days a grand hotel standing majestically along the Nile with an overview of modern Egypt.
Egypts capital Cairo is known as the city of a thousand minarets. Cairo boasts some of the finest Islamic architecture in the world, in particular the Muhammed Ali and Al-Azhar mosques. The principal draw is the nearby ancient Egyptian town of Giza with its pyramids and the famous Sphinx.
The very first day, we braved the very hot and humid weather to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, about a 20-minute drive from Cairo. The Pyramid of Khufu, built between 2580 and 2560 BC, is the oldest and only remaining wonder of the Ancient World. It is the largest of the three pyramids at the Giza necropolis. Nearby, are the two large pyramids of Khafre and Menkaure and a number of smaller satellite ones.
During my last visit more than a decade ago, there was a poorly-lit narrow passage that led to the kings chamber in the Pyramid of Khufu. At several places, we had to crawl through the winding passage and it took a lot of courage to reach the inner chambers. This time, we found a wider tunnel which led to the two chambers, one for the king and one for the queen. The tunnel is now better illuminated with an air-cooling system and security guards. It takes about 20 minutes to reach the chambers.
Nearby, is the Great Sphinx, a massive statue with a lions body and human head which was completed around 2500 BC. Later in the evening, we enjoyed a magnificent hour-long sound and light show on Egyptian civilisation at the pyramid site.
One afternoon, we availed a trip on a traditional felucca (sailing boat) down the Nile, drowned in melodious Arabian music as we viewed trendy corporate buildings, hotels and malls along the bank.
We spent almost an entire day at Saladin Citadel, perched on top of Muqattam Hill in the city centre. The citadel is a well-preserved medieval fortification complete with a number of mosques and museums. It was built by Saladin El Ayouby, founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty, at the end of the 12th Century. The citadel was used as the seat of the king and his government in Egypt for many centuries.
The citadel encloses a number of mosques, most famously the 200-year-old Mosque of Mohammad Ali Pasha. Regarded as the founder of modern Egypt, he is buried in a white marble tomb in the mosques courtyard. Constructed in the Ottoman style, it is a replica of Istanbuls famous Blue Mosque. The Mosque of Sultan al-Nasir, dating back to the 14th century, is similar to Masjid Monowara in Medina. Inside the fort complex, there are the Military Museum and the Police Museum.
One evening, we went on three-hour cruise on the Nile. We were entertained with belly dancing and whirling dervishes as we relished Arabian cuisine to our gastronomic delight and enjoyed scenic Cairo by night. Simply mind blowing!
A trip to Cairo would be incomplete without a visit to the famous Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. Housed in a distinctive red brick building on Tahrir Square, the museum contains many important pieces of ancient Egyptian history and has the worlds largest collection of Pharaonic antiquities. The museums collection extends to over 120,000 artifacts, including hundreds of mummies.
One of the museums main attractions is the royal mummy room, which houses 11 mummies. I was appalled to see the mummy of Ramses ll, considered as the greatest of the Pharaohs. But I was surprised to his head still had quite a bit of hair on it!
Another principal draw is the Kings Room, where the highlight is undoubtedly the golden mask of Tutankhamen, made of 11 kg of solid gold. It was found on kings bandaged face in his sarcophagus and is thought to represent his features. There are also a large number of other artifacts discovered in Tutankhamens tomb, including a decorated chest, ivory and gold bracelets and other jewellery and weapons.
We spent an entire day in Old Cairo, the pulse of the city. The Al-Azhar Mosque, established in 970, was the first mosque in Cairo. In 989, the mosque authorities hired 35 scholars and it has now developed into the second oldest continuously run university in the world.
Five minarets of the mosque are undergoing restoration. There are two madrasahs and a large marble-paved courtyard. We found men and women of different nationalities attending classes in the courtyard and adjoining corridors. We offered our Magreb prayers there. There are a number of places of interest around the mosque, including Masjid-al-Husein and the new campus of Al-Azhar University.
A stones throw away is Khan El-Khalili souk, Cairos biggest open-air market. Built in 1382, El-Khalili is vibrant and chaotic _ vendors occupy pavements to hawk goods such as spices, foods, lamps, and gold, silver and copper souvenirs. Random parking by public buses, taxis and private vehicles add further to the chaos. The aroma of kebabs, coffee and flavoured shisha are inviting.
Later, we had lunch at a local restaurant with different kebabs and rice and bread. The appetizers were fried eggplants and salad with handmade bread known as khubz. Later, we sipped strong Arabic coffee as we enjoyed melodious Arabian music at a roadside caf.
We found time to browse at the Papyrus Museum. The papyrus-making process is demonstrated inside the museum. Most visitors end up buying something, given the brilliant quality and variety of the works exhibited there. However, one should be careful with the hundreds of fake papyrus works on sale. The perfume gallery nearby offers several varieties of authentic preparations of herbs with medicinal values, in colourful bottles of different size and shape.
Lastly, the law and order situation is extremely disappointing in Cairo. Kidnapping for ransom, theft and snatching of mobile phones and wallets are common. We were always advised to move in groups and avoid being too adventurous. Armed security personnel always escorted us during our visit to different places of interest. Arrival of foreign tourists to Egypt has plummeted to recent incidents of terrorism and political turmoil. Thus, the hotel occupancy rate is at its lowest level, which is good news for those who would like to brave and spend a few days there at a very reasonable price.
Photos: Writer
