*Cairo*
Cairo - what a place! Where to start … the first impression is one of some mayhem. Driving from the airport it was difficult to work out the traffic system - wide roads with no apparent lanes. Maybe priority goes to those who honk their horns the loudest!? Looking round there were whole families squeezed on motor bikes, dented cars that had taken a few knocks and a flock of sheep in the middle of the road under an underpass - I was regularly grabbing my camera. Further exploration of Cairo over the next few days (and indeed the rest of Egypt) showed it was definitely not the most pristine - rubbish litters the roadside and the dust seems inescapable - but it is also hard not to fall in love with it, its people and the incredible history it is home to.
We did travel in style, picked up from the airport by our tour operator and ushered ahead of the queues into our air conned vehicle (a theme which continued throughout our trip) to take us to our hotel. Sitting next to the cosy rooftop pool on top of the Kempinski, flanked by a lit retro Mobil sign, sipping a beer and watching the flame red globe of the sun drop behind the high rise hotels and other buildings, it was pretty amazing. The Nile flowed past, dotted with feluccas and party boats, the sky above changing colour and casting its glow on the water, a spectrum of red, oranges and yellows.
Our first full day in Cairo was spent visiting its amazing museums, Coptic Cairo, the Ibn Tulun mosque and the Gayer-Anderson house. The Egyptian museum is a fantastic old fashioned pink building full of gems. Our entertaining guide pointed out an Egyptian ‘chess’ board, the mummies of Tutankhamun’s grandparents and the ‘mini oscars’ - 360 tiny statues that used to be buried with the elite to carry out their work in the afterlife. Saved burying live slaves apparently! Tutankhamun’s tomb contents were dazzling. No photos allowed unfortunately. The gold coffin from the sarcophogus (one of multiples as, mummies were encased like Russian dolls ) was covered in ornate detailed carvings and stones of red and topaz blue and surrounded by glass cases of jewellery and riches. We later saw the tomb itself in the Valley of the Kings: with well preserved gold walls with colourful paintings. It is one of the smaller and simpler tombs but that is not a surprise as the rulers’ tombs started being built when they became Pharoahs and Tutankhamun died young (most likely murdered) so they had little time.
The new museum (the National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation or NMEC) appealed to us for different reasons - it doesn’t have the same charm as the old museum but is an impressive, modern, air conned complex that spans a greater period of Egypt’s history and has room upon room of Royal mummies - rather dark and eerie but containing fascinating descriptions of the families and their rule.
Ibn Tulun mosque is one of the oldest in Egypt (and Africa) and is an impressive building, with great symmetry. Peaceful corridors of pointed arches, with ornate hanging lamps and lines of prayer mats,
surrounded the large courtyard and there were several people kneeling in prayer. We were there in Ramadan so it was an important time. I wish I had more time there but a sprint to the rooftop in the 40 degree heat for a few extra pictures was worth it!
The Gayer-Anderson house was fascinating - we would have loved to live there, with its warren of dark panelled rooms, art collection, calm central garden and rooftop views of the mosque and sprawling city beyond.
The Khan road market that evening proved a little overwhelming after an enjoyable but long day of sightseeing and we left empty handed after wandering through some of the backstreets which seemed surprisingly busy with locals rather than tourists, although most of the wares seemed directed at the latter. We finished the day off with a wonderful meal at the beautifully decorated St Regis hotel which we would thoroughly recommend. So good I had to go back with my camera to take some proper photos!
No trip to Egypt is complete (or even properly started) without a trip to the pyramids. The Saqqara site was the ‘starter’ to the Giza main course but we possibly enjoyed it more. Saqqara is home to the oldest pyramid which was apparently built by accident, as the decision was taken at each stage to add a further smaller layer until it was a triangle. We went inside: the stone walls of the rooms you reached by ducking through a tunnel were covered in carved hieroglyphics and one had secret carvings - the rock itself had been shaped into a a second picture that appeared only when a light was shone on it - incredible! We were lucky enough to see a couple of extra tombs - where the painting had survived to show the ancient Egyptian way of life (hunting and travelling on boats) as well as the offerings (animals and food etc) to be taken into the next life.
Many people say that the Giza pyramids, on the edge of the Cairo sprawl, are a disappointment. We did not find them so. Standing next to them, the sheer scale of the main pyramid is so impressive (2.3 million stones) and built such a long time ago (around 4000 years), it makes you feel very awestruck and not a little small and insignificant. The Sphinx is captivating. The crowds and the aggressive sellers were a bit oppressive and they also made it difficult to get a good photo! By far our best experience of the famous pyramids and Ancient wonder of the world was the next morning when we went to breakfast the other side. Away from the hubbub we ate a delicious (and good value) peaceful breakfast, admiring the view of the pyramids, interrupted only by the odd line of camels or horses at a distance. It was a photographer’s dream! The three main pyramids apparently align with the three stars of Orion’s belt and I managed to get them in one shot, framed by the brilliant blue sky and the shimmering sand, and finally do this incredible pyramid complex and feat of engineering justice.