Egypt Travelogue - al-Qāhirah IV

THE CITY OF CAIRO 

The El Hussein Mosque
Click by Danish Henry

Cairo is a city of contradictions, just like other cities of the developing world – of sorry slums (called ashwa’iyat) and soothing spas, of abject poverty and envious wealth. It has a network flyovers and underpasses to ease a crowded Cairo and Egyptians have a better civic sense than ours. 

Cairo Traffic
Click by Danish Henry

The mosques and churches of old Cairo bear testimony to the diversity of groups that have ruled this city. Infact, our good guide informed us that Cairo’s official name ‘القاهرة al-Qāhirah literally means ‘the Conqueror’.

While I was in Cairo (March 2011), I witnessed no protest or civil unrest. Banks doing business, stock exchange recovering, school buses picking up kids and leaving those who were late, patients being operated; in a net shell I witnessed normal routine life.

A number of medical students from Ain Shams asked me about how I, as a Pakistani, viewed the Egyptian uprising. I do the same when I meet someone who is not in our shoes – their analysis (if it is) from the scratch, empowers me with fresh perspective but it may also be misleading as the neighbors grass is always appear greener. Overall, it is an educating experience to watch ourselves through the lens of a foreigner and in fact an opportunity to locate similarities.

The Alleys of Khan El Khalili

Source: Google Images

The Khan El Khalili Bazaar in downtown Cairo is a centuries-old souk with small shops, coffeehouses, restaurants offering local food and the ubiquitous 'shisha'. People from across the world can easily be located here. The revered Al-Hussein Mosque is near the bazaar.

The El Hussein Mosque
Click by Danish Henry

The shops sell a plethora of collectibles and Khan El Khalili can be a shoppers’ paradise with sharp bargaining skills.

While visually scanning the shops, I wonder if the Pharaoh were to roam the alleys of Khan El Khalili with me, how would he react to the conversion of his culture to a business enterprise?

Egypt Travelogue - al-Qāhirah III

THE EGYPTIAN MUSEUM IN CAIRO 

Click by Danish Henry

 

Click by Manthan Mehta

The Egyptian Museum is housed is an orange-colored edifice where ancient Egypt is concentrated and giant statues stand to welcome you. It speaks volumes of how ancient Egyptian Kings constructed their immorality in stones. 

Click by Danish Henry

The Egyptian Museum is bottomless pit of knowledge where one can spend hours and still be left with some sections to go through. One section whose mention is essential is the mummy room. The mummy room is a large black-tiled room with transparent boxes for the scary mummies. Seeing dead bodies that are more than 2500 years old is an unexplainable experience. Our guide tells us that not only were humans mummified, animals were also, as evident from animal mummy room with their canopic jars. Canopic jars are vase-like structures which we would use for decorating garish-coloured plastic flowers.

Participants of the 19th AIMSC 2011.

The boy king Tutankhamun’s section is yet another attraction. The perfected-to-precision face mask of the king is 11.5 kilograms of pure gold. This sections has personal belongings of the King (including a beautiful scarab), the tombs items especially the gold sarcophaguses. Our guide, carrying the Egyptian flag, tell us that mummy of King Tutankhamun was damaged by it’s very own discoverer, in an attempt to remove the gold mask from the mummy’s face.

On exiting the museum, one is opened to L-shaped shop selling Egyptians books, souvenirs, alabaster statues, clothing items among others.

EL TAHRIR SQUARE

Close is the charred building of the National Democratic Party, set ablaze during the Egyptian uprising (February 2011). At a walking distance is the epicenter of the Egyptian uprising of 2011 - El Tahrir Square/Liberation Square in Downtown Cairo. 

The square is a busy piece of land ever plied by roaring vehicles of all shapes and sizes, and recently by the ordinary Egyptian who simply believed in the promise the country has to offer. The square has a gray statue of national hero Omar Makram and close by is the headquarters of the Arab league.

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’.