CAIRO - FEBRUARY, 2014 - PART 2

My second day of sightseeing began at the Citadel of Salah El Din [known by Europeans as Saladin] which is a large fortified complex on the highest hill in Cairo. Construction was completed in 1183 A.D. to protect Cairo from the Crusaders. Inside the walls of the Citadel was the Mohamed Ali Alabaster Mosque, which was modeled on the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. Again, I was the only tourist there due to the ongoing political situation in Egypt which has depleted the number of foreign tourists visiting Cairo.

From the walls of the Citadel you had a panoramic view of the original area of the city of Cairo.

From the Citadel we drove to the Coptic area of Cairo. In the early A.D.'s Egypt had become a Christian nation, and there are still many Christian [Coptic] churches in Cairo. We visited the Hanging Church [or the Church of the Virgin Mary] which was built in the 9th century over the walls of the ancient Roman fortress of Babylon. We also visited the Church of St. Ignacious which was supposedly built upon the site of a crypt where the Holy Family [Jesus, Mary and Joseph] took refuge during the end of their journey into Egypt. You could enter the crypt where Mary and Jesus took shelter during their time in Egypt. Also, we visited the Ben Ezra Synagogue, the oldest synagogue in Cairo, founded in the 9th century on what is claimed to be either the site of the Temple of Jeremiah, or the site where the Pharoah's daughter found the baby Moses among the reeds of the Nile River. Cairo once had a large Jewish population, but after the founding of Israel, the Jewish population moved away, and now the synagogue is a museum.

From the Coptic area of Cairo we drove to the area of the Mosque of Sayyidna al-Husayn, one of the most important in Cairo. It was built in the 19th century over the place where Husayn, one of Mohammed's grandchildren, is buried.

In the surrounding area were numerous bazaars and shopping streets. We stopped in to the
El Fishawy cafe, which is the oldest cafe in Cairo, for some snacks and beverages. A local cat decided to jump into the lap of my guide, Amany Salem, who relocated it to the nearby chair.

We ended the day at the Egyptian Museum located on the edge of Tahrir Square. Tahrir Square is the centerpoint of the ongoing protests which resulted in the overthrow of the former government in Egypt, and the site of substantial violence. The day we were there, there were no protests, but there was a large military presence on the side streets next to the museum, which opened in 1902, and which houses 5000 years of Egyptian artifacts [including the magnificent King Tut treasures.] My guide stated that normally at this time of year, which is the high season for tourism, there would be a long line waiting to get into the museum which could last for several hours. On this day there were few tourists, and we walked right in. I was the only western tourist that I saw. You were not permitted to take cameras inside the museum, and no photos were allowed inside.

CAIRO - FEBRUARY, 2014 - PART 1

This was my first trip to Egypt. After flying from Los Angeles to Istanbul, Turkey, where I spent the night, I flew into Cairo. Because of the political turmoil that was taking place in Egypt with the overthrow of the government and violent protests, the tourism industry in Egypt was almost non-existent. On my flight from Istanbul I was the only westerner, and except for a group of about 15 Chinese tourists, the only tourist. The remaining passengers that I spoke with were businesspeople who were flying to Cairo for the day, then returning on an afternoon or evening flight. After picking up my baggage and clearing immigration and customs I entered the arrivals hall, and was the only arriving passenger there. Needless to say, I was a very popular target for taxi drivers and tour group salesmen.

I spent three days touring the historical and tourism sites in and around Cairo. I had arranged for a private driver and tour guide which was essential because of the distances between tourist sites, the lack of public transportation, the never ending traffic congestion, and the threat of political unrest and violence. My guide for the three days was Amany Salem, who was excellent, and who provided me with not only a tour guides perspective to the tour sights, but also a perspective on Egyptian life and the current political situation in Egypt.

On my first day of sightseeing we began the day at the ancient capital of Egypt for a period of three thousand years, Memphis. Not much remains of the city itself, but a small museum with a stone statue of Ramses II and a small Sphinx. I did enjoy the drive there as we drove through a more rural area outside of metropolitan Cairo, so I had a good chance to view what life is like for many Egyptians today outside of the major cities.

From Memphis we drove to the pyramids at Saqqara. Here are located the step pyramids of Zoser [Djoser]. The step pyramid of Djoser, located in the center of the funerary complex of Saqqara, is the oldest structure in the world entirely built of stone. Besides the largest step pyramid of Djoser, there were several smaller pyramids, and tombs of various pharaohs and noblemen. We were the only tourists there, and I had the run of the place to myself. Being out in the desert, without crowds, the silence was deafening!

This is the entrance to an underground tomb. For a small price the guard unlocked the security door and I followed him down into the tomb through a small tunnel. The tunnel was only about five feet high, so I had to duck-walk several hundred feet down into the tomb and then back up. I could tell how out of shape I was because my thighs hurt for days afterwards.

From Saqqara we drove into the suburbs of Cairo where we had lunch at a local Egyptian restaurant. Walking into the restaurant we passed the entrance where chickens were being grilled, and flatbread was being baked. The food was delicious. Also, a picture of one of the busboys at the restaurant.

After lunch we traveled on to the pyramids at Giza. These are the largest pyramids, and generally the pyramids that we see in pictures. Although this was the height of the tourist season, when normally thousands of tourists would be crowding the entire pyramid area, there were only local Egyptian tourists and their families. I was the only western tourist there that I saw. These are pictures of the pyramids and the surrounding area.

These are pictures taken from the base of the pyramid of the area surrounding the pyramids, where you could ride horses or camels. The suburbs of Cairo are expanding right up to the edge of the plateau where the pyramids are located.

Adjacent to the pyramids at Giza is the Sphinx, which was the first colossal statue constructed in ancient Egypt.

These are pictures of the street scene in Giza, just outside the entryway to the Sphinx.

After visiting the pyramids my driver returned me to my hotel in the eastern suburb of Heliopolis which took about one hour. We crossed the Nile River, and you can see the mix of the old, more rural, and the newer, more modern areas of Cairo.