2006.05.30_Islamic Cairo in Black and White

A year after the terrorist bombing in the souk that killed 21 people, Khan el-Khalili was once again packed with locals and tourists.

2006.05.30_Islamic Cairo 2

Khan el-Khalili and Islamic Cairo in the afternoon.

2006.05.30_Islamic Cairo 1

Other than checking out bus and train schedule at the stations, I pretty much spent the entire day strolling and photographing in Islamic Cairo.

I can't say that I love the area. It was noisy, chaotic, dirty, smelly, disorganized, crowded, disorienting, confusing. However, at certain moment when I stood under the shade of a minaret during prayers or took refuge at the tranquil teashop near the souk of Khan el-Khalili, I felt being miles away from the hectic activities and imagined myself entering the world of Mahfouz's novels or The English Patient.

2006.05.29_Hanging Church

Probably the most beautiful and famous church in Coptic Cairo, the Hanging Church is also one of the oldest. Although much of what we see today of the church's exterior is from the 19th century, many of the interior elements, including over 100 of Christian icons, actually date back to various periods in history. The church was built above a gatehouse of Babylon Fortress, the ancient fortress city in Cairo.

After Coptic Cairo, we spent much of the afternoon at the Egyptian Museum. The museum is huge and filled with treasures from ancient Egypt. The exhibition spaces seem disorganized, though the artifact collection on ancient Egypt, such as the papyrus, stone statues, jewelery, and many funeral items are truly magnificent. The most impressive of all are undoubtedly the collections of royal mummies (famous pharaohs such as Ramses II) and the tomb treasures of King Tutankhamen.

We left the museum at around 17:30. We strolled around a number of gift shops and ended up approaching the riverbank of the Nile. We saw a few felucca captains were cleaning their boats along the dock. We didn't have the interest to hire a felucca. Instead, we headed to Cafe Niche for something to eat. Back at Luna, HC and AK rested a while before hopping onto the taxi heading to the train station. They were off for their journey to Upper Egypt. For me, I would have another day in Cairo before embarking my trip to the Western Desert and Siwa Oasis on my own.

2006.05.29_Coptic Quarter

We took the metro to the Coptic Quarter of Cairo, where most of the Coptic Orthodox churches are located in the Egyptian capital. Egyptian Coptic is an ancient language dated back to the time of Christ. As Islam and the language of Arabic entered Egypt in the 7th century, the significance of the Coptic language declined. Coptic Orthodox Christianity, on the other hand, continues to evolve and exist as the main stream Christianity in Egypt, ever since St. Mark found the Church of Alexandria in the 1st Century. Along with Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic, the Church of Alexandria (Coptic Church) is considered to be one of the earliest Christian churches. It is also believed that many practices of early Christians had been preserved by the Coptic Church to the modern times.

We toured the St George Church, a Jewish Temple, and the Church of Abu Serga, where it was claimed that the Holy family had once rested when Joseph, Mary and Christ arrived in Egypt. We also toured the Coptic Cemetery in the area. Every tomb in the Coptic Cemetery is like a small shrine on its own.

2006.05.28_Cairo Chat

Leisure fishing on the Nile

On our way to Cairo, I constantly hold my camera out of the bus window to take snap shots. As a metropolis with a population over 10 million people, traffic is certainly a major problem for Cairo. Indeed, I hardly saw a set of traffic lights in the city. Somehow the drivers on the road have their own way to maintain order. To be honest, we weren't sure where the bus was heading. We get off at Cairo's Opera, simply because we could somehow recognize the area and so could orient ourselves back to Madan Tahir. When we passed by the Nile, we saw a few locals fishing from a bridge. Back at Midar Tahir, we tried to find a pub called Ali Baba. A guy appeared from nowhere came over to "help" us out. He said Ali Baba no longer existed, and led us to his perfume shop. At the end AK and I each bought a tiny bottle of perfume for souvenir.

We walked back to Midar Tahir, trying to search for another pub. Another man approached us trying to give us a hand again. This guy was a swim trainer and a tourist guide (with a button of Canadian flag and a button of South Korean flag at his collar). He showed us a photo of him taken perhaps two decades ago, showing a somewhat masculine looking young man in a swimming suit. He called himself Egypt's Arnold Schwarzenegger. At that moment we were quite interested to speak to the locals. This guy was very talkative, and could speak good English. He looked very friendly, and even grabbed my arm when crossing the street. At last we arrived at a local cafe where local beer was served. Each of us three ordered a bottle, but he didn't order anything. At the cafe, we talked briefly about politics and Islam. He said he had been to Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Jordan. To him, it was very unfortunate that Arab countries never bridged the differences in order to become a unified nation. At the moment, some are pro-American while some are extremely anti-American. Talking about differences, our conversation also steered to the conflict between Sunni and Shia Islam in Iraq. After politics, he recited a few Islam stories to us, mainly about legends that involve miracles.

When we finished the drink, he left with us and led us back to our hotel. Upon arrival, he finally asked us for tips, saying that he wouldn't mind to have some tips so that he could go drinking with his friends. We refused to give him any tips. I said we considered him as a nice and welcoming friend in Egypt, not a cheater of tourists. He understandingly accepted my explanation, kissed our cheek and wished us good luck on our remaining journey, and finally left.

2006.05.28_Giza Pyramids

The Great Sphinx


Solar ship of Khufu




Great Pyramids of Giza

Our journey of the necropolis region around Memphis continued on as we reached Giza. Probably the most iconic site in Egypt, the Great Pyramids and Sphinx of Giza is an obvious compulsory for all travelers in the Middle East.

The site of the Great Pyramids is quite large, despite its close proximity to the town of Giza. Unlike the image appears on most tourist brochure in which the Great Pyramids are always depicted situating in the middle of the desert, the ancient monuments are awfully close to modern roadways and bounded three sides by low-rise buildings of Giza. The site was crowded as expected, so as the plentiful tourist traps of camel rides and small attractions, and even the extra admission to get into the Great Pyramid itself seemed to us a ripoff. The small tombs dotted around the Great Pyramids were interesting, and we spent much time taking photos of the pyramids and the Sphinx. Unfortunately much of the Sphinx's body was covered with scaffolding.

The great surprise to me was the solar ship of Khufu. The life size timber boat made 4500 years ago was found in a pit at Khufu's pyramid. Supremely preserved, the ship might have carried Khufu's body from Memphis to Giza and then buried with the King. Many also believe that the ship carried symbol ritual values for the resurrected King to travel on the Nile and the heavens with the Sun God.

Outside the gate of the Great Pyramids, we waited for 1/2 hour for the bus bounded for Cairo. We told the taxi not to wait for us because we had no idea when we would be done visiting the pyramids. We weren't sure where to get off, but as long as the bus headed towards Cairo it should be fine.

2006.05.28_Dahshur and Memphis

Red Pyramid of Snofru with Bent Pyramid beyond, Dahshur


Egyptian hieroglyphics carved in granite, Memphis Museum


Statue of Ramses II, Memphis Museum

After Saqqara, we inteded to go to Abusir. We were told that Abusir was closed so we decided to go to Dahshur instead. Dahshur was another well-known necropolis that served the royal members of Memphis in the Old Kingdom. Known for the three unique pyramids, Dahshur is another unmissable site near Cairo if one is interested in Egyptian pyramids. Our taxi drove us to the three most prominent pyramids in Dahshur, including the Bent, Red and Black Pyramids. There wasn't much tourists at Dahshur, so we decided to pay the admission for entering the Red Pyramid, the oldest smooth plane pyramid.

The sloped ramp down to the burial chamber at the heart of the pyramid was narrow and dark. For the entire way I had to walk with my back bent down. The ramp was dark and there wasn't much head space in the tunnel. It was no easy feat to finally find our way into the not-so-impressive and small chambers at the heart. As predicted no artifacts were in display in the chamber. I found the chamber ceiling quite interesting. It was a neatly done ceiling coffer that reminded me of the stepped pyramid at Saqqara.

Our next stop was Memphis Museum to check out the enormous limestone statue of Ramses II. It lies in the feature gallery of small Memphis Museum.

2006.05.28_Saqqara

Entrance of a tomb


Wall painting in a tomb


Wall painting in a tomb


Main funeral complex at Saqqara


Stepped pyramid at Saqqara

At Luna Hotel, we hired a taxi for the day. Our intention was to take in a number of attractions in the outskirts of Cairo. Our first stop was Saqqara. Saqqara was a royal necropolis of some of the earliest Egyptian kings and nobles, mainly in the Old Kingdom when the administration and religious centre of the kingdom was in Memphis, the capital city of Lower Egypt. Before we headed to the world famous stepped pyramid of Djoser, a staff led us into one of the many tombs in the site. Inside the tomb, magnificent wall paintings are still preserved. Apart from reliefs that depict the royal members and divinities, I was particularly interested in the paintings that illustrate spiritual possessions and ceremonial feasts.

Outside the tomb, we reached the main funeral complex of Djoser's stepped pyramid. The complex was crowded with various tourist groups, each was led by a tour guide holding an umbrella and speaking with a microphone. We winded through the tourist groups while we passed through the funeral complex to reach the famous stepped pyramid. Out of all the mastabas and tombs in Saqqara, Djoser's stepped pyramid is certainly the most famous of all. The massive monument of cascade stone masonry, dated back to 27th century BC, is known as the earliest Egyptian pyramid in the world.

2006.05.27_Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai

The Burning Bush

We arrived at Saint Catherine's Monastery at around 08:00. The Saint Catherine's is one of the oldest working Christian monasteries in the world. It is still occupied by monks from Orthodox Christians. Nowadays, it also serves as a pilgrimage spot for tourists and believers from all sectors of Christianity. Within the heavy fortified walls stands a large shrub that is claimed to be the spot of the original Burning Bush mentioned in the Book of Exodus, where God revealed himself to Moses and appointed him as leader of the Israelites.

We waited outside the monastery for about an hour until 09:00. Inside, only the main church, small museum and exterior courtyard where the Burning Bush stands are opened to the public. The courtyard was very crowded. Everyone was trying to take pictures of themselves with the Burning Bush. HC and I toured around a little and slowly walked back to the Mount Sinai parking lot. We were sleepy and tired by the time we reached Bishibishi. At the hotel we grabbed a quick bite, packed our backpacks, and met up with AK in the courtyard.

We took the 14:30 bus leaving for Cairo. It was a long bus ride, passing by the Suez Canal at sunset, and reached Cairo after 8.5 hours. At the bus station in Cairo, we took a taxi to Midan Talaat Harb, a star-shaped plaza at the centre of a shopping district, where our guesthouse was located. It was 23:30 already, but it seemed like 20:00 to me since most of the shops and restaurants were still opened.

2006.05.27_Mount Sinai

Inscription on Mount Sinai


Sunrise at Mount Sinai


Pilgrims and tourists at Mount Sinai


HC and me


The 2-hour descend

We left Dahab at 23:00 to embark on the journey to Mount Sinai. An organized bus ride took HC and me and a group of tourists from Dahab onto the desert highway. On the road, it was pitch black with only occasional street lamp at road intersections. We had no idea where we were going. At 01:30 we finally arrived at the parking lot of Mount Sinai. Despite in the middle of the night, the place was crowded with tourists and pilgrims all came for the climb up to the summit to view the spectacular sunrise.

HC and I and our bus group followed a local guide towards a path that I supposed would lead us up. The guide walked extremely fast, while there were many local Bedouins and camel vendors blocking our way and persuading us to rent a camel. A German tourist in our group showed some interest of the camel ride, but he thought it was too expensive. The camel vendors followed our group, and even used their camels to block our way. Our guide couldn't get rid of the camel vendor, but luckily a tourist police appeared from nowhere, stopped the vendor, and let us through.

The hike was not easy, perhaps because it was just too dark. Between the two of us we shared a small flashlight. It took us a little over two hours to reach the end of the path. Along the way we stopped four times for rest. At the end of the winding path there came the steep stone steps, around 700 steps that led us to the top. It took us a great deal of effort to climb to the summit. We reached the top at 04:30.

On the summit there is a small chapel, and a few vendors renting out blankets and mattresses. It was quite chilly up there, but we didn't bother to rent a blanket. At first we stood in front of the chapel waiting for the sunrise. I soon discovered a piece of rock with an unbeatable view towards the east. The rock surface was a little slippery, and if we fell over it could be fatal. The sky turned white at around 05:30, and the sun finally came out at 06:00. I felt so much warmer just by witnessing the rising of the sun behind the ragged mountains. Not until the sun was out that I could realize how crowded the spot actually was. Tourists and pilgrims and their sleeping bags were everywhere: on top of the chapel, on the roof of some distant mud houses, on the path, on stone terraces, on the other side of the chapel, altogether there must be over 200 people.

Under the golden light, the scenery of Mount Sinai and its surrounding was spectacular, arid, rocky, without a single tree in front of the horizon. This is the legendary spot where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God.

At around 06:15 we began the 2-hour descend to St. Catherine's Monastery.

2006.05.26_Dahab

In the afternoon HC and I went to a diving site called "Islands" for snorkeling. The reefs there were again beautiful and sea life abundant. I swam out to the coral mounts, where I had to pass through a deeper section of open sea. The coral mounts were spectacular, and I thought that they must be what the locals refer to as the underwater "islands".

After the "Islands", HC and I went to the southern tip of Dahab to do more snorkel. There was not much corals in the area, and the water was a lot deeper and as a result colder, despite it was 40 to 45 degrees Celsius above the water. In order to reach the south beaches, we got to walk along a seaside boardwalk and passed by dozens of resort complexes facing the sea. It must be the bombing. All the resorts were extremely quiet. We could only see the local staff killing time with card games and gossips in the shade. We went into one of the complexes and asked for washroom. A staff led us into a resort room to use the toilet. It seemed to me that the entire hotel complex (with at least 50 resort suites) was completely empty. And I got the feeling that it was pretty much the same for all the resorts in the area.

In the evening HC and I returned to Bishibishi for dinner and a brief rest before leaving for our adventure to Mount Sinai. AK didn't go with us. Because of her dives she would not be able to ascend to a high altitude within short period of time.