Cairo

The Pyramids of Giza at the edge of the Western Desert and the great Mosque of Mohammed Ali (not the boxer) in the east ... between these two monuments sprawls a vast city, the largest in Africa and the Middle East: Cairo. Its population is estimated at around 18 million and is swollen by a thousand new migrants every day. Unlike London, the amount of green space per citizen has been calculated at 13 square centimetres only. The polluted air makes you cough on a good day and is throat-rasping on others. However, it is impossible not to find yourself carried away by the bustling street life, the dramatic sights and the cosmopolitan mix of Arab, African and European influences.

I spent a couple of days in Cairo and stayed at the cheap African House Hostel in Emad el-Din Street. They charged me some LE70 or EUR 9 per night (single B&B) and organised a full-day private tour to the pyramids of Saqqara and Dahshur (EUR 25). The hostel is conveniently located within walking distance of Midan Ramses. One of the busiest spots in Cairo, Midan Ramses is mayhem - huge amounts of cars, buses, taxis, minibuses, donkey carts and lorries, many roads and flyovers, populated by hundreds if not thousands of people and street vendors both day and night.

I stayed for three nights and itinerary included the Egyptian museum, historic Cairo and of course the pyramids.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

Simply known as the Egyptian Museum, this is one of the world's truly great museums.

The museum's most famous possessions, of course, are the treasures found by Howard Carter in the tomb of Tutankhamun, the gilded statues, the thrones, the alabaster canopic jars, the exquisite gold jewellery, and the centrepiece, the emblem of the whole collection, that fabulous, jaw-dropping, solid gold, inlaid funeral mask, all eleven kilos of it. Tut's treasures alone need a good hour or two to take in, but even without them, this would still be, for all its higgledy-piggledy dusty old layout, one of the world's top museums, and a must-see by any standards.
Cairo's Egyptian Museum in a day - The Times, 6 November 2007

I got up early and walked to the Egyptian Museum where I arrived shortly after 8am. I was prepared to queue until it opened at 9am however this was a surprisingly wet and cold winter day. Hence I changed my mind and spent some time inside the cosy Nile Hilton which is conveniently located next to the museum. They do a delicious continental breakfast buffet for non-residents for only LE65.

I was back at the museum minutes before it opened. Some 40 people had already arrived and I bought a ticket (LE 50) to join the queue. Once the doors were opened I went straight upstairs and headed for room 3 - nobody else did. Room 3 contains Tutankhamuns gold and is usually always packed with people. I was lucky and had the room to myself for 15 minutes. Due to the absence of a guard I could even take some photographs (this is not allowed anymore however using some caution it is still possible - watch out for one of the numerous guards as well as the CCTV cameras, I was caught once but the matter was settled with a LE20 note changing hands).

It took me the best parts of 2 hours to see the treasures of Tutankhamun only before I went back to the entrance area on the ground floor. Over the next couple of hours I followed the signposts which led me through the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom and the New Kingdom.

It is quite obvious that the museum has long outgrown its capacity and is not up to modern standards. Opened in 1902 for 10,000 objects it rapidly filled up as discoveries were made. Today, there are 120,000 artefacts on display with many tens of thousands in the basement store. This results in a dusty, musty old collection. No modern, well-lit, carefully laid-out exhibition this - it's a museum like they used to make them, with lots of exhibits in long galleries and precious little by way of explanation, but oh boy, what exhibits!
Cairo's Egyptian Museum in a day - The Times, 6 November 2007

Historic Cairo

Tucked away amid the modern urban area lies one of the world's oldest Islamic cities. Founded in the 10th century, it became the new centre of the Islamic world, reaching its golden age in the 14th century. Worth exploring for its maze-like streets and bazaars, historic Cairo is where you'll get to see many mosques, the citadel and the Khan el-Khalili bazaar.

The best and probably only way to explore historic Cairo is by walking. I decided to start my full day walking tour at the Northern walls which were erected in 1087 but never put to the test. I entered the old city through Bab al-Nasr . Just a short walk to the south I stopped at Beit al-Sihaymi (LE25), a vast traditional house with more than 100 rooms. It offers a unique chance to view the interior of a wealthy family home, although the family life that once filled it is missing.

Khan el-Khalili is a major souq in the old city. The district is a major tourist attraction, and is considered by many, tourists and natives alike, to be one of the most interesting parts of Cairo. The souq dates back to 1382 and is noted for selling clothing, cloth, spices, souvenirs, jewellery and perfumes at reasonable prices - if you bargain hard enough. In addition to shops, there are several Arabic coffee houses, restaurants, and street food vendors distributed throughout the market. The Muski is a narrow, incredibly congested street which runs through Khan el-Khalili. I had to worm my way through the crowds and vendors trying to sell everything from salted fish to socks. Having walked all morning I was quite happy to have some rest inside the nearby Al-Azhar mosque. Founded in 970, it is one of Cairo's oldest mosques and also the world's oldest operational university.

Climbing the minaret of the mosque helped me to get my bearings right. I left the mosque I turned south into Sharia al-Muizz. Although only 500m long this is yet another strikingly medieval passage which led me to Bab Zwayla, a beautiful medieval gate which dates back to 1090. The two minarets make Bab Zwayla look far mightier than the Northern Walls. The gate tower and both minarets are open to the public (LE20) and some finds from the site are on display. However, the main attraction is to climb to the top of the minarets for great views over historic Cairo and a bird's-eye perspective over the al-Muayyad mosque below.

Opposite the Bab Zwayla lies the Qasaba which was erected in 1650 and is is one of the best-preserved examples of a covered market left in Cairo. I followed Darb al-Ahmar towards the Blue Mosque or mosque of Aqsunqur. Built in 1347, the mosque today features beautiful indigo and turquoise tiles which were added in the 1650s. I climbed the circular minaret - the third one on that day - which offered a superb view of the citadel and even the pyramids on the far side of the city.

The Citadel of Cairo is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Cairo. It was fortified by Saladin around 1180 to protect it from the Crusaders. It is sometimes referred to as Mohamed Ali Citadel because it contains the Mosque of Mohamed Ali which was built in the early 19th century.

My second day in Cairo came to an end and I took the minibus back to Midan Ramses. Although this had been a very interesting day I was already looking forward to the next two days: I was planning to visit the pyramids of Giza, followed by the pyramids of Dahshur and Saqqara.

My other blogs on Egypt
Diving in Dahab
Egyptian pyramids - Giza, Saqqara and Dahshur
Sinai Mountains and Saint Catherine's Monastery
From Abu Simbel to Aswan, Kom Ombo and Edfu
The ancient temples of Luxor and Karnak
Tombs, temples and a hot air balloon

---

---

---