Egypt Travelogue - al-Qāhirah II

THE SILENT SPHINX 

The Sphinx at Giza.
Click by Danish Henry

Click by Danish Henry

Adjacent to the Pyramids, the mythical creature Sphinx rests with its silent gaze. The Sphinx is a load of stone craved into a lion with a human head (and a damaged nose). I listen to stories, perhaps myths, about Greeks travelers who were questioned by the Sphinx and so on. The group is also shown diggings done by treasures seekers/stealers.

The Sphinx at Giza.
Click by Manthan Mehta

The favorite thing to do, for travelers, at the Sphinx, is to kiss it. This is accomplished by meticulously positioning the camera, creating a visual illusion and the impression of proximity to the Sphinx’s lips.  

There is a small square-shaped fenced crater at the entrance to the Sphinx. According to tradition, some money in to the crater can fulfill your wish.

THE LIFELINE OF EGYPT 

The Nile in Luxor.
Click by Danish Henry

Next day, we visited the Nile – the lifeline of Egypt for centuries for the famous Nile Cruise which is a night at the Nile with local cuisine and captivating Egyptian music. The oriental dance is the show stopper at the Nile cruise.

I noticed that with almost all servings, a kind of dip is served, called 'tahina'. Also, the 'shawarma' I ate in Cairo is significantly different from the one available in Karachi. In a nut shell, the Egyptian is a gustatory delight.

S for Shukriya and S for Shukran

Source: Google Images

At dinner, I meet an Egyptian girl, she introduces herself as ‘Shukriya’, and I tell her that in Urdu (the Pakistani national language), it means ‘thank you’. She replies that in Egypt ‘thank you’ is ‘shukran’.