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The Egyptian Museum – |
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This historic museum in downtown Cairo is filled with the treasures of ancient Egypt. |
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Most impressive is huge stone statues of the great pharaohs of Egypt, builders of the pyramids, and our favorite lady pharaoh, Hatshepsut, with lovely face, almond-shaped eyes and fascinating smile. |
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Aside from the big pieces, sarcophagus, beds, the funerary jewelry is to die for. We all wanted cobra earrings or other mummy accessories. |
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Tip: The new archaeological museum in Giza, Grand Egytian Museum, features mummies and all the gold goodies of Tutankhamun collection. Check for latest information: Grand Egyptian Museum. |
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Islamic Cairo – Cairo is much more than the ancient
antiquities. It is a great capital of Islamic culture. Hop a taxi to the
Khan al Khalili bazaar. This area is touristy but the teeming bazaar is
a lot of fun. At the Khan al Khalili you can buy lovely gold and silver
jewelry. |
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 If
you are more adventurous, from the Khan al Khalili, take a walk down
the Sharia al-Muizz to the Bab Zwayla gate. Walking down the Sharia al-Muizz,
the life of the bazaar is timeless, especially as light filters through
the the covered roof over what what once the Silk Bazaar. Today the street
is crowded with small trucks, horse carts, school kids in blue and white
uniforms, ladies dressed in black from head to toe, vendors selling all
kinds of textiles, fruits, vegetables, spices, household goods etc. |
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Take
an excursion to the Citadel, the magnificent fortress
founded by Saladin. Within the walls, visit the extravagant Mohammed Ali
Mosque – the chandelier was the biggest I’ve ever seen –
and don’t miss the clock in the courtyard. Mohammed Ali traded the
obelisk from Luxor (which now stands in the Place de Concorde in Paris)
for this clock. |
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Take a river taxi – Get out on the Nile
in a river taxi. You can pick them up from the Maspero dock. Take a short
hop north towards Roda Island and Coptic Cairo. |
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Or,
for a great day trip, take the 1 ½ hour ride south to Qanatar. Qanatar
is an island in the Nile with picnicking Cairenes, small amusement parks
with bumper cars and ferris wheels and some amazing Victorian stone bridges
and locks. To return to Cairo, hop on a taxi or take a minibus. |
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Coptic Cairo (Old Cairo) – This neighborhood is famous for its ancient Coptic Christian churches. |
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According to the Bible, after the birth of Jesus, Joseph had a dream, to leave Bethlehem and go to Egypt to escape King Herod. The Holy Family is said to have rested in Old Cairo while in Egypt. |
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The Hanging Church (St. Mary's Church) – One of the oldest churches in Egypt, before the entrance to the church are mosaics portraying the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt. |
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Inside, the church is a beautifully carved screen inlaid with precious woods and ivory, on the walls are icons, some over a 1,000 years old, in the high rounded ceiling, exposed wooden timbers look like a giant upside down boat (kids' description). |
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Tip: The name "Hanging Church" comes from the fact the ancient 3rd century church was built, "suspended," over an existing Roman fortress – you climb up stairs to go inside the church. |
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Coptic Museum – The museum has an interesting collection of ancient artifacts from daily life, such as a litter for transporting a bride, textiles with mythical creatures, bronze helmets, household pots from the 3rd century. |
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Cairo Tower – The Cairo Tower, a tall
60ties concrete tower with a revolving restaurant, is like the Space Needle
in Seattle. You ride up the elevator, jammed in with other Egyptian families
riding to the top. From the observation deck and revolving restaurant, the
view of the Nile and Cairo extends over the medieval city to the east and
the desert to the west. |
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As a bonus, a young man in ancient Egyptian dress came by
our table and used his computer program to produce a "Pharaonic Personal
Analysis" for each of us. For a small fee, we received a sheet of imitation
papyrus with each name in Egyptian hieroglyphics and a personality analysis
in English and Arabic. |
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Auntie Fatma lives in Cairo, when she comes to visit, she makes sahlab, a warm sweet milk drink with nuts, raisins and coconut. Every night, Fatma sings a song about life in Cairo – boats on the river, muezzin calling people to prayer in morning, beeping buses and cars, vendor shouting "Sweet watermelons," children playing soccer in the street.
"My song will always be with you. Let our sounds of Egypt sing you to sleep."
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Flat Stanley is delivered to Egypt, and his first stop is the museum and bazaars. Stanley longs for adventure, and finds it with an unscrupulous antiquities dealer. (Easy reader)
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Step into a mosque today – we take off our shoes, grandmothers read from the Qur'an and spread out prayer mats, grandfathers chant “Glory be to God,” muezzin calls us to prayer, iman tells us stories, we learn to help others, and end our prayers with “Peace and blessings on you.” Plus information about traditions and historic mosques worldwide. (Picture book)
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