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Published: November 25th 2007
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Buildings
The buildings in Cairo are quite aesthetically challenged. Cairo lies in the middle of the Nile Valley, right before the delta that leads into the Mediterranean. It is the largest city on the African continent, the largest city in the Arab World, and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Living in the heart of Downtown Cairo is certainly a change from our previous residence of a medieval medina. The honking is incessant and the traffic, ungodly. There are more tourists than anywhere we’ve been, and the shop keepers are much more insistent. The smog is also unbelievable. It truly is something that cannot be described in a blog.
Our hotel is the Cosmopolitan Hotel, which for thirty dollars a night for three of us in a room, we pretty much get what we paid for, but it certainly has character and is in a good location. I have finished Agatha Christie’s “Death on the Nile” and the hotel has given me a good sense of style that it was written in. It was established in the heyday of British and French tourist exploration in the near east. At that time the thing to do was visit Egypt, climb the pyramids, cruise the Nile,
Giza
You can just barely make out the pyramids. and to return to either return to Europe, or venture into Syria and Palestine. This was all part of the “Grand Tour” that was very common for young adults to take in the early 20th century.
We immediately began classes at the American University. Our program, hosted by John Swanson, an American professor and now associate provost of the college, included classes in almost every topic. We have received lectures in Economics, Politics, Art, Sociology, and of course Ancient Egyptian History. We were informed that St. Olaf College was the first American institution to send students to the AUC, beginning with its term in the Middle East program over 30 years ago. Stepping into the University’s Greek campus was a little bizarre for us. After three solid months away from anything that really resembled an American college, we walked into an area where students were sitting around, eating, listening to iPods, working on computers, wearing the latest fashions, and just hanging out. It was a far cry from most of the city that surrounds it which still has a very traditional feel. Because the AUC is private tuition is around $15,000 and is well out of the range
Smog (and Pyramids)
You can barely see them in the background because the air is so polluted. This is not a city you would want to do a lot of running in... of most Egyptians. Many students are foreign and many are Egyptian-American or Egyptian-British. All classes are taught in English with the exception of Arabic literature and language courses. The school is also home to the American University in Cairo Press, which prints many books and textbook by Egyptian authors. The bookstore on campus has been a haven for all of us, and we have enjoyed perusing the wonderful selection, carefully calculating out luggage weight limits.
Of course, after a few days in Cairo we made the obligatory trip to Giza to visit the pyramids. As we were driving along the crowded streets it took me a while to realize that we were actually quite near the pyramids, however we were unable to see them due to the intense pollution. As expected, they were quite touristy--A little too much for my taste. We were some of the first 200 people to have the privilege of climbing inside. This is something that I not recommend unless you are very gung-ho about it. It is not the easiest climb, and the further you go along, the warmer it gets. If you are at all slightly claustrophobic this is really not for
you. After taking a group picture, and seeing the sphinx, we were all ready to get out of the area and head back to the AUC for afternoon classes.
The next day we had classes off to go visit the step Pyramid and other tombs in Saqqara. The step Pyramid, which lies twenty miles south of Cairo was built for the King Djoser, and was the prototype for the pyramids of Giza, which were built in the fourth dynasty. Pyramids were a fad that quickly died out in ancient Egypt, however. After the fifth dynasty it was realized that Pyramids were a blatant symbol to all grave-robbers of obvious loot. This prompted the Egyptians to begin building hidden tombs, such as in the Valley of the Kings located in Upper Egypt.
In Cairo we also made a stop to St. Andrew’s church, which runs a program teaching English to Sudanese refugees who will eventually be relocated. We plan to start helping out with an English program that the organizer Fiona will be starting in December. While predominately Muslim, Egypt has a Christian population of a little fewer than ten percent. While an accurate count has never
Stones
The pyramids' stones are actually quite large! really been taken, that is the estimated figure. Of all Christians, most are Coptic, and many Coptic monasteries and churches can be found all over Cairo. We plan on visiting one later on in an excursion to Alexandria.
The next week, we will be taking an excursion to Luxor, which lies in Upper (Southern) Egypt. (Upper Egypt is located in the south, because the Nile flows from South to North.) Luxor is famous for its Valley of the Kings where King Tut was buried and many ancient ruins from the New Kingdom can be found. So far Cairo has been great, and it has been exciting to get to know the city.
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