Cairo & Giza, Egypt

Ancient Egypt (lasted for almost 3000 years) had an advanced civilization 2000 years before the Greco-Roman and Chinese civilizations. It became subjugated first by Greco-Roman (for 1000 years until 641 AD), then Muslim Arab language and culture (for the last 1400 years). In both of the latter periods Egypt continues to be a major source of wealth and learning.

 before 2160 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from nearby Memphis. 2589 to 2472 BC - Great Pyramids were built.
to 343 BC - Egyptian dynasties rule from Thebes, Egypt.
to 330 BC - Persian rule from Persepolis, Iran.
to 80 BC - Greek rule from Alexandria, Egypt. 140 BC - Great Pyramids included in the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Greek traveler Antipater.
to 395 AD - Roman rule from Rome, Italy.
to 641 AD - Christian Byzantine/Greek rule from Constantinople (Istanbul, Turkey). 
619 to 629 AD - Persian rule from Ctesiphon (near Baghdad, Iraq).
to 868 AD - Muslim Arab rule from Baghdad, Iraq.
to 1517 - capital of various Muslim Arab dynasties. 1260 - Egypt defeats Mongolian invasion force.
to 1914 - Muslim Turkish rule from Istanbul, Turkey. 
1798 to 1801 - ruled by Napoleon from Paris, France.
to 1922 - under British protection from London, UK.
1922 - became capital of independent Egypt.
 
Our cruise ship gets to Alexandria by early morning and we have a 13 hour tour of Cairo and the Pyramids this day. The logistical requirements mean that we would spend 6 hours on the bus (3 hours each way) shuttling between Alexandria and Cairo. This tour also includes a lunch on a cuise boat on the Nile river in Cairo. Our tour guide is a charismatic young guy who is always joking and having fun. He's very well educated, and gave us long talks on Egypt's even longer history during the long bus rides to and from Cairo. Compared to our tour guides in Greece and Turkey, it seems this vibrant Arab man shares a lot more of American sensibilities with us.

The oldest country on Earth, a country that has weathered history's ups and downs for six millennia but essentially remained the same, the weight of this history gives Egypt a feeling of uniqueness and importance. We first arrived at the Great Pyramids of Giza. The pyramids seemed not so large in a vast backdrop of desert sand, but once we arrived close-up their huge scale became astounding. It is unbelievable that humans over 5000 years ago created this, it must have taken great confidence in man's abilities to undertake such an endeavor. Unlike pyramid temples in the Americas which attained great size after many generations of expansion, each of the Great Pyramids of Giza were built from scratch in one generation, then the architectural form of pyramids for building tombs of pharaos was abandoned forever in only a few hundred year's time. This was due to the lack of secrecy which saw the Great Pyramids being looted only a few generations after they were built. Later Egyptian pharaos opted to build their tombs in secret desert ravines. The Great Pyramids are entirely made of solid limestone blocks about 1 meter in size, however the top surfaces of the stone blocks didn't line up perfectly on each level, making it easier to refute the theory that they were constructed by space aliens. I was really impressed that they are basically indestructible, destined to last to perpetuity, which cannot be said of most of man's achievements. It is the only one of the Ancient Seven Wonders of the World still standing.

I was going to enter the Greate Pyramid of Khufu but after being told that there wasn't anything inside to see (no writing or art whatsoever) I decided to forego it to allow more time milling around the outside. The temperature was in the 90 degrees Fahrenheit, almost uncomfortably hot. The pushy sales tactics of the vendors around the pyramids can be pretty annoying. Since it was at the time when President Obama just got elected, Egyptian vendors frequently use "Mr Obama" or "Madame Obama" to address my Jamaican relatives. My uncle Chenghua got a short camel ride for much less money than I paid for just a picture atop a camel.

Our guide then told us that he had arranged for camel rides for the whole group for less money than the going rate. We went back into the bus and rode to an open desert area a short distance away. There was a great view of all three Great Pyramids of Giza, with the backdrop of vast golden desert and the green of Nile Valley with cultivated fields and urban areas of Cairo. Here Novlett made a spectacle of herself after climbing up a camel with her mom together, and the camel was starting to stand up, tilting the saddle severely downward. Not being used to that she got really scared, it took a few people to talk her out of wanting to get off the camel. Most of our group got on the camels and were lead into the desert for a small loop ride. Everyone was giddy riding the camels and getting their pictures taken.

Our next and last destination in Giza was the Sphinx, which was alotted just a few minutes. Sitting at the entrance of the Giza Pyramids complex like a lion, it is the oldest existing monumental sculpture in the world. Although having lost its nose and beard to its extreme old age, it continues to reveal to today's people what ancient Egyptians look like and what they consider beautiful and divine.

It's lunch time. We rode our bus to downtown Cairo and got onto a cruise boat on the Nile river. Cairo is a shockingly dirty town, and the visibly low standard of living was unexpected for many in our group. The Nile Cruise was escorted by several small police boats, just as our bus had a young plain clothes police officer in attendance. Neil commented that he felt completely safe with this much visible police presence. The boat cruised lazily in the wide Nile River while we ate a sumptuous buffet lunch in the Egyptian style. Then a beautiful young lady performed belly-dancing, accompanied by a small Arabian band. Dozens of fellow tourists started shooting video of her while she danced around the room, occasionally picking up novices to dance with. One of the older Arab guy in the band was especially good at belly-dancing, it was quite entertaining.

In the afternoon we headed to the Papyrus Institute which afforded a convenient place to buy souvenirs. There a young lady demonstrated making paper from Papyrus reed, found abundantly in the Nile. Ancient Egyptian style symbolic paintings on this Papyrus paper are the main souvenirs for sale here, but Neil was particularly interested in the long traditional robes (djellabas) worn by local men.

Our last destination before leaving Cairo was the Muhammad Ali Mosque (also called the Alabaster Mosque), built by a Turkish governor in the 1800's copying the style of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul, Turkey. This is a magnificent mosque faced with marble and surrounded by sharp minarets piercing the sky, although it's quite dirty on the outside from the desert dust. It occupies the citadel of Cairo, on a high hill near the City of the Dead (ancient cemetery), affording dramatic views of Cairo, the largest metropolis in Africa. Because Neil's mom and sister were wearing tank tops, they were given green modesty robes before being allowed to enter the mosque. We also needed to put our shoes in a plastic bag when inside the mosque. A huge chandelier hangs down from the high domes which are decorated exuberantly in gold gilded geometric patterns and Arabic calligraphy. Inside the mosque the floor is carpeted with many large rugs, not quite as nice as the Blue Mosque in Istanbul which has thousands of small prayer rugs, one for each worshipper. Although touristy, many locals were also here visiting the mosque, a respite from the dusty, noisy, hustle and bustle of Cairo.
  
On the trip back to Alexandria our tour guide discussed Islam and argued that it's very beneficial to life. Hassan (that's his name) touted the 5 time daily cleansing required, the fasting that leads one to sympathize with the poor, the rule to donate 1/10 of income to people in need, and the discipline to not have sex outside of marriage, etc. etc. He argued that the prayer position is a good physical exercise (akin to a yoga pose). He also discussed the financial difficulties of making a pilgrimage to Mecca (the hajj). It was an enjoyable cultural exchange.