Heading Home: A Few Parting Thoughts and Observations

How could  two weeks have gone by so quickly? With over 1000 photographs behind us, we have sampled much of what Egypt has to offer while still leaving many new adventures for our next visit. It only seems fitting that our last Egyptian blog share with you some general and specific impresssions that we have come away with.

1.  We're really glad that the pyramids were on our bucket list. There is no doubt why, even in ancient times, they were one of the 7 Wonders of the World. If any structure was built to last another thousand years or two, it is the great pyramids of Giza.

The Sphinx and Great Pyramid of Cheops

2.  Egypt is a land of such great history and antiquity that we didn't even scratch the surface in our short time here. Overall, we have been awed by what people created as long ago as 4500 years. It's preservation can only be thought of as a gift to all of human kind and many generations yet to come. In many respects, it's hard to imagine a greater civilization than ancient Egypt at its zenith.

Pharaonic stature at Luxor

3.  We still know very little about Islam. However, we have enjoyed the beauty brought to this area through the architecture found in mosques and minarets in every city and town we visited. Some of the most peaceful places we visited were the Islamic places of worship. As outsiders we felt most welcomed by people with very different beliefs than our own.

The Mosques of Sultan Hassan and Rifai seen from the Citadel

4.  The best way to see any city or country is to get away from the tourist areas and walk the streets where at times you might be the only foreigner. Cairo is a very safe city, annoying at times, but safe. In the tourist areas, as in the bizarre of Khan al-Khalili, there is a non-stop attempt at trying to sell you something. Our favorite expression from one of the sellers was, "If you have any money left, I'll help you spend it here." Away from where the tour buses stop, the real Egypt can be found around nearly every corner. The Hotel Windsor was located perfectly to experience the real Cairo.

Food cart on a street in Islamic Cairo

5.  Cairo is a city of contrasts: old versus new, wealthy versus poor, modern versus ancient, and Western versus Islamic. Sorry not to have a photo of this, but one of our favorite images came as we were riding the train from Luxor to Cairo. Picture this, atop a donkey is an Egyptian in a traditional galabya. In his right hand, a whipping stick for the donkey; in his left hand, a cell phone. A real study of contrasts.

An Egyptian pharmacy: a mix of modern medicine and ancient alchemy

6.  More than anything else, we were most surprised by the wonderful foods we tasted over the past two weeks. Egyptian cuisine is excellent! From tasty shawarma sandwiches to tahina dip and felafel to stuffed pigeon, we ate very well. Some of the best food we ate came from tiny, inconspicious spots far off the beaten path. One has to be selective about street food, but, in general, one can eat like a king for very little if you eat where the Egyptians eat.

Our daily bread! Low in calories? I think not!

7.  It's always difficult to come to a country where you don't speak the language. However, after just a short couple of weeks, we've mastered a few of the important basics in Arabic: please and thank you; hello and good-bye; coffee, tea, and water; restaurant ordering; giving directions to cab drivers, numbers (including reading them). Of course, understanding what they say back is a whole different story. As we have found elsewhere, a few words of the local language, puts smiles on people's faces and breaks down certain barriers. Outside the tourist areas, we found very little English spoken. All in all, we managed pretty darn well!

Inlaid ivory and exotic hardwood design (Rifai Mosque)

8.  Cairo is one of the most populated cities in the world. As of 2008, its census was 18 million people, similar to Paris, but confined in one-ninth the area. Streets are crowded most hours of the day.Traffic is horrendous. Traffic lights and cross-walks (real Western luxuries we now see) are almost non-existent. With such overcrowding (25,000 people per square kilometer in the city) streets are as dirty as we have found anywhere. Finding a place for all the trash is more than a challenge. Outside the tourist areas, sanitation doesn't always meet to our standards or preferences. Nonetheless, a good attitude about these challenges will create great stories to share later. It's not everyones cup of tea, but if you add a bit of mint, it becomes fairly tasty.

Restroom facilities at a restaurant in Old Cairo. You can imagine how badly Nancy had to go to use this!

9.  Overall, this has been a very good trip. Navigating around the Middle East is not as easy as travel in Mexico or Central America (or maybe we are just more accustomed to the ways of our neighbors south of the border). Nonetheless, Nancy did very well putting up with my excursions down narrow alleys, eating street food just because it looked good, and talking to strangers (usually to get directions) to find out interesting pieces of information. Thanks for joining us these past two weeks as we explored Egypt and the Nile. Join us next year to follow our adventures in _____? (You didn't think we were going to tell you quite yet, did you?)

Still going strong at the Red Pyramid in Dashur

Maca sa leh ma!

The Oldest Pyramids: Saqqara & Dashur

Before leaving Egypt, we wanted to see some of the oldest of the pyramids. So, today our travels took us to Saqqara and Dashur both about an hour out of Cairo. Although The Rough Guide described how we could get out there independently, it didn’t look at all easy and probably wouldn’t be worth the hours of effort it would take. As we did in Luxor, we hired a car and driver for the half day excursion which again cost 200 L$ or $33 US. Considering it was nearly a six hour trip” the easy way”, I fear that we might still be out there working our way back had we tried it on our own. Since we also hit the first rain of our trip, our decision to go by car more than paid off.

Saqqara is one of the oldest pyramid sites in Egypt. It was here that Pharaoh Zoser started the whole pyramid building thing back in 2650 BCE. His step pyramid was the largest structure at the time ever built in stone.  This 180 foot high structure consists of four mastaba, rectangular solid stone buildings, placed one upon one another in descending size resembling a pyramid. Deep inside, as is true with most pyramids, was Zoser’s burial chamber.

Zoser's Step Pyramid in Saqqara

Throughout this area, numerous tombs have been discovered and excavated. Even more impressive than the step pyramid was the Mastaba of Ti just a few hundred yards away. Painted, relief carvings cover the walls from floor to ceiling depicting fishing, the feeding of cranes and geese, butchering an ox, market life, and musicians entertaining Ti.

Painted relief carving inside the Mastaba of Ti

Although the sign clearly forbid taking photos, the caretaker aggressively encouraged photography. We have come to know very well that a little baksheesh (a tip) will get you almost anything here in Egypt. More than one policeman suggested that we” help him out” for simply giving us directions.

We trundled a ways into the desert to reach the Mastaba of Ti. It must have been a bit like how Lawrence of Arabia felt as he rode across the Sahara.

We're not lost! All these sand dunes look alike. Let me check the guide book for directions.

 Further down the road was our second stop of the day at Dashur. Although we only visited the two major pyramids here, others could be seen off in the distance. Snofru’s Red Pyramid is only second in size to the Great Pyramid of Cheops in Giza. This pyramid gets its name from the color of the limestone used in its construction. One is also allowed to climb up to the entrance that accesses the inside burial chambers and then descend inside.  Most pleasant, there were no crowds here as we found at Giza. The serenity of the experience was very pleasing. The second pyramid here, the Bent Pyramid, was equally impressive.

Nancy at the Red Pyramid

From Saqqara, it is possible to cross the desert back to Giza in real Bedouin style. We thought it best to save some fun for our next trip

Where in heavens could I have bounced Nancy off?

As we have also found out, you should never judge a book by its cover. We have found some of the most delightful eateries that outwardly by their look would suggest that you just keep on walking. On the way back to Cairo our driver suggested that we stop for falafel sandwiches at a small take away place before getting back on the highway. Wow, delish! Lunch for the three of us, including bottled drinks, cost 16L$ or just $2.60 US. This was our best deal of the trip!

Tomorrow: Heading Home

Islamic Art and Architecture

Cairo is not a particularly attractive city with regard to architecture. We have visited many great cities – London, Paris, Mexico City – where immediately we have been struck by the grandeur and beauty of the buildings, parks, and monuments. Such attractiveness is generally not found in Cairo. Streets are dirty and in disrepair, most buildings are either massive,nondescript concrete blocks or, if there had been some architectural beauty, it has long faded, and parks are poorly kept and unattended. However, throughout the city hundreds of mosques and minarets can be seen dotting the skyline in nearly every neighborhood which is where the true beauty of Cairo is to be found. Some examples of Islamic art and architecture date back nearly one thousand years.

Bab Zawayla in the heart of Islamic Cairo

The medieval gate of Bab Zwalya was just one of 60 gates (although most did not survive until modern times) built around 1090 to defend the walled city of Cairo. It marks the entrance to what is today called Islamic Cairo. If you wind through some of the oldest streets of the city in this neighborhood, you end up at a cluster of mosques that are often considered the cities best examples of Islamic architecture: Mosque of Sultan Hassan, Rifai Mosque, and the Mosque of Ibn Tulun. Further up on a hilltop inside the Citadel is the Mohammed Ali  Mosque (no relation to the boxer).

Egyptian super-model posing in front of the Mosque of Mohammed Ali

One of the oldest mosques in the city is Sultan Hassan. It dates back to the 1300s and at the time was an unprecedented construction project. Splendid examples of Islamic art designs can be seen both inside and outside the mosque in nearly every nook and corner.

Inside the Mosque of Sultan Hassan

Unique to Egypt is the fact that non-Muslims can visit many if not most of the mosques except during prayers or generally on Fridays. The larger mosques do charge an admission fee or one is expected to tip the attendant who shows you around.  What one sees inside the mosque rivals many of the great cathedrals of Europe.

The interior of the Rifai Mosque

Muslims are called to prayer a number of times a day. Places of worship can be found not only in mosques, but in subway stations, on carpeted areas along the street, and even inside tourist attractions such as at the Temple of Luxor.

Men at prayer in Luxor

As with any house of worship, one is just asked to be respectful.

Mosque near Coptic (Christain)  neighborhood in Cairo

Inside the Mosque of al-Muayyad or the “Red Mosque” near Bab Zawayla

                                                             

We have now spent time most days admiring these fine examples of non-Western art and have been most pleased by the warmth of our welcome in each and every place of worship that we visited. Tipping or giving baksheesh is a way of life here that one just has to get used to, but more on that later.

The austere courtyard of Ibn Tulun

Tomorrow: More pyramids: Dashur & Saqqara

A Visit to Karnak

Aside from the pyramids at Giza, Karnak is viewed at the next largest and most important pharaonic complex in Egypt. Constructed over a period of 1300 years by successive pharoahs, Karnak is an impressive structure even though much of it today lies in ruins. The temple complex lies just north of Luxor town and was easily reached walking along the Nile approximately a mile and a half in direct line with the Luxor Temple (the two temples were also historically linked).

The First Pylon or entrance to Karnak

Approaching Karnak just in front of the First Pylon is the Avenue of Sphinxes each featuring a ram's head.

Avenue of the Sphinx

Most impressive was the Great Hypostyle Hall displaying a forest of columns in an area covering 6000 square meters. It is large enough to contain both St. Peter's Cathedral in Rome and St. Paul's Cathedral in London.

The central avenue of columns

Twelve to fourteen columns mark the center pathway through the hall. To both the east and west, smaller but no less impressive, are some 122 columns roofed over by painted lentiles.

Nancy dwarfed by the columns in the Great Hypostyle Hall

Painted ceiling lentile between columns

One could spend hours strolling amid the temple ruins. Limiting ourselves to the main sections of the temple, we filled up an entire afternoon. Aside from the hall of columns, hieroglyphic walls and quartz obelisks rise into the sky telling the stories of the ancient pharoahs.

Image of Queen Hatshepsut

Spectacular example of columned temple room with ceiling intact

Tomorrow: Islamic architecture

Egyptian Hospitality

We can't say enough about the staff and owner of the Sheherazade Hotel. As our night train back to Cairo didn't leave until 10 pm, we were going to check our bags at the station and hike around Luxor for the day. We had intended to check out of our hotel by noon, visit Karnak in the afternoon, and then pass a few long hours rambling around town before the train departed. However, Nubi, one of the hotel owners, insisted that we keep our room all day so that after our visit to the Karnak Temple, we could come back to the hotel, shower, have a drink in the garden, and then head to the station in time to catch the train. 

Entrance to the Sheherazade Hotel

In addition, I was invited to join Nubi for a coffee "ahwa" at one of the many sidewalk cafes which is where men in villages and cities start and finish their day. I'm pleased that I can now order medium sweet coffee in Arabic without the slightest confusion on their part.

Nancy napping in the hotel garden gazebo!

We have so enjoyed our meals at the Sheherazade. For example, last night our feast included a table full of salade or mezze dishes, grilled meats, rice, yummy potatoes in a tomato sauce, followed by a large plate or fresh fruit for desert.

Outdoor garden restaurant at the Sheherazade

Due to Nubi's hospitality, we were able to spend the afternoon exploring the East Bank of Luxor, visiting the temple of Karnak, and indulging in a caleche ride, before returning to the hotel to get cleaned up and have a light late afternoon snack.

Ok, tourist stuff, but we bargained for a good price! It was fun considering how much we had walked today.

Most of our afternoon was spent at the Karnak Temple. To give you just a glimps of what we'll write about tomorrow, check this out:

Colossal pharaonic statuary at Karnak

And, after a full day of sightseeing, Nancy is still peppy enough to be fooling around.

De-Nile really is a river in Egypt!

Tomorrow: Karnak

The Valley of the Kings

Our hotel, the Sheherazade, has turned out to be the Jewel of the Nile. In addition to a lovely, modern room, the staff here couldn't be friendlier. Diner here last night at the hotel, was one of the best meals that we've had in Egypt. Soup, mezze (tahini dip along and tomato and cucumber salad), flatbread, bowls of rice, vegetables, and a very tasty mild lamb, and desert (bamoussa - a very sweet cake) was 90L$ or just $15 US for two. Oink! oink!

By US standards, many things here in Egypt are very inexpensive. For example, due to remote locations and the scarcity of taxis outside the village, we hired a car and driver to take us to the tombs and temples today. We rented the car for just half a day (five hours) for the grand sum of 200L$ or just $35 US. The luxory of being dropped off at each entrance and then being picked up at a determined time was an indulgence we both very much enjoyed. Our driver spoke some English and was arranged for us by the hotel. Just touring for half a day was a good decision. Even though it is winter, the sun at mid-day is very intense. After three tomb and temple sites, we were ready to return to the holel for lunch and a bit of rest.

Our only disappointment today was that we were not allowed to bring our camera into the Valley of the Kings. From our pictures at Hatshepsut's Temple (pronounced like "hot chicken soup") you'll have a sense of the austere landscape used for the royal burials. Nonetheless, what an amazing visit to get to go down into the tombs. Our admission ticket (80L$ or $12 US) entitled us to go down into three tombs (we would have stayed there all day and gone into one after another if it had been possible). In most of the tombs, you descend stairs far into the hillside until you reach the burial chambers. Most still have well preserved painted hieroglyphs and illustrations on the walls and ceilings primarily related to the pharoah's voyage into the afterlife. A number of sarcophagi still exist in place where they were found. Although the tombs might cause a few problems for the claustraphobic, because of the crowds, we weren't down in any one tomb for very long.

Queen Hatshepsut's Temple (she was a pharaoh for a reign of 15 years) was our next stop. Crowds this time of year are big everywhere. However, with temperatures well over 100 degrees in July and August, we understand why this is peak tourist season (plus it's holiday time for many people).

Just like a second honeymoon!

Colossal architecture and walls covered with painted and carved hieroglyphs again characterize this temple.

Queen Hatshepsut

Our third and final stop of the morning took us to Madinat Habu or the great temple of Ramesses III (1182-1151 BCE). Similar to what we found at Luxor, the entrance to the temple is marked by two intimidating walls setting the tone for what would be found inside.

The entrance at Habu Temple

We have become more and more impressed by both the quality and the quantity of Egyptian art that has survived over 3,500 years. Due to the desert climate where most of the ruins are found, good preservation has been possible giving us a wonderful glimpse of not only the art of the ancients, but of their way of life as well.

Just part of one completely covered hieroglyphic wall inside the temple.

Doesn't Nancy take a good picture?

Our time here in Luxor has gone by very quickly. After three action packed days, we take the night train back to Cairo later today. Karnak Temple will be our last major stop before heading north.

Tomorrow: Egyptian Hospitality

The Temple of Luxor

Travel to Luxor last night was quite easy. After catching the 9:30 sleeping car train at Giza Station, we had a smooth 11 hour ride some 600 miles south to the Valley of the Kings. The first class travel arrangements came complete with our own coachman who served both dinner and breakfast to us in our private room. The room easily turns from sitting room into sleeping coach for a comfortable night of rest. It's as close as we've been to knowing how Agatha Christie's Hercule Poirot felt on the Orient Express.

Nancy settling in for a night on the train.

 After a week in Cairo, what a change it was to arrive in Luxor. This, by all standards, is a small town. It is estimated that 85% of the livelihood of Luxor is based upon tourism (sounds like Lake Placid). Traffic is very manageable. We were easily ,able to walk from the train station to the ferry crossing the Nile and then on to our hotel, the Sheherazade. As lovely as all the horse drawn caleches are, there are far too many of them for a town this size. It's hard to imagine how many of them make a decent living due to the competition. Athough we've stayed away from such tourist  indulgences, we may opt for a carriage ride some evening along the Nile after a visit to McDonalds (just kidding!). We're staying on the West bank so we cross the Nile by ferry for the pultry sum of 1L$ (15 cents).

Our ferry across the Nile.

The Temple of Luxor is one of the gems of ancient Egypt. It is very understandable why so many people visit here after their stay in Cairo to see the pyramids. One is immediately struck by the size of the numerous columns and hieroglyphic art still as it was 3300 years ago when one pharaoh, Amenhotep III, built most of the complex.

Central courtyard at the temple

The front of the temple originally displayed six colossi of the pharaoh Ramesses II. Today, only one seated statue and two standing ones remain.

A tribute to the pharaoh

In the 19th century, most of Luxor temple was covered by meters of dirt and debris. It wasn't until the late 1800s that excavations began to bring the light of day once again to the marvels of Egyptian architecture, art, and design.

A visitor is immediately awed by the size of the temple columns.

As impressive as the colossi and columns is the hieroglyphic art. Many of the walls are still covered by floor to ceiling hieroglyphs and bas-relief carved images of pharaohs, the royal court, and scenes of life in ancient Egypt.

Just one of many bas-relief carvings on the temple walls

Rare painted hieroglyphs at Luxor

In such a mystical spot, there is always time to sit and contemplate how things may have once been or what archaeologists, like Howard Carter,  may have thought the night before he discovered Tutankhamun's tomb just a few miles from here.

Indiana Jones spotted in Luxor

Tomorrow: On to the Valley of the Kings

Strolling the Streets of Old Cairo

We were going to write about Coptic (Christain ) Cairo today, but since we had such a great time walking the streets, we decided instead to just share some of the extraordinary images we experienced while strolling along some of Cairo's oldest market streets.

Heading to KFC for the 3-piece meal deal.

You need carrots? I make you good price!

The Yam Man

Damn, stuck in traffic again!

Kushary, kushary, kushary!

Coal for sale!

Picking out the best fruit for sale at the market.

A great day of seeing, hearing, and unfortunately smelling Old Cairo. After a long day of hiking the streets, we grabbed a taxi back to our hotel to get ready for the night train to Luxor.

Tomorrow: The Temple of Luxor