 |
| Khun el-Khalili Market - Islamic Cairo, Egypt |
 |
| Pat with Headdress at Al-Azhar Mosque - Isamic Cairo, Egypt |
 |
| Bringing Bread to Market - Isamic Cairo, Egypt |
 |
| Water Pipes in Khun el-Khalili Market - Islamic Cairo, Egypt |
 |
| Fatta Lunch - Cairo, Egypt |
 |
| Men Praying in Street - Cairo, Egypt |
 |
| Cairo Tower & Nile City Boat at Night - Nile River, Cairo, Egypt |
 |
| Pat at Fishawy's Coffee House - Islamic Cairo, Egypt |
Cairo, Egypt (Capital) (4/21-23/2010) - Cairo is a city of contrasts and transitions.
Men walk the streets in modern western clothes yet women wear tradition clothing with their heads covered. Within blocks of modern buildings and streets, donkey carts can be found on potholed streets. People everywhere in Cairo are very warm and sociable yet sometimes it is difficult to tell when offering their hand for assistance they may expect some money in it after helping you.
Cairo has become a political and economic hub for North Africa and the Arab World yet its infrastructure is neglected, dated, and stretched way too far and pollution is a major issue. Cairo was established a 'mere' 1,000 years ago (hey, the nearby Giza pyramids are almost 5,000 years old) in North Africa on the Nile River. With almost 20 million people, Cairo is by far the largest metropolitan area in Egypt, third largest in Africa, and 11th in the world.
We stayed in Cairo for only two days visiting Islamic and downtown Cairo as well as the Egyptian Museum. With medieval narrow streets lined with Islamic architecture and crowded with vendors in a shopping area dating back to 1382, Khun el-Khalili and Islamic Cairo gave us a rush of all our senses experiencing the full culture shock of the traditional Muslim world (see photos). Even Pat had to wear a headdress (see photo) when visiting a mosque. In Khan el-Khalili, one of the world's great bazaars, you are awashed with the smells of spices, incense, and other smells.
We were treated to a personal tour of the 1,000-year-old Al-Azhar Mosque that has served for ten centuries to today as Egypt’s main center of Islamic study (see photos). We received a major coffee rush from thick Turkish coffee from the famous Fishawy’s coffeehouse open round the clock since 1772, had a traditional Egyptian lunch (fatta – a dish of rice and lamb), and an elegant dining experience at the Intercontinental Hotel after wandering along Cairo's Nile River.
We were treated to a personal tour of the 1,000-year-old Al-Azhar Mosque that has served for ten centuries to today as Egypt’s main center of Islamic study (see photos). We received a major coffee rush from thick Turkish coffee from the famous Fishawy’s coffeehouse open round the clock since 1772, had a traditional Egyptian lunch (fatta – a dish of rice and lamb), and an elegant dining experience at the Intercontinental Hotel after wandering along Cairo's Nile River.
We also enjoyed our visit to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, home to the most extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world. The Egyptian Museum has 136,000 pharaonic artifacts on display, with many more hundreds of thousands in its basement storerooms. Just a few of these would be prized processions in most museums around the world. Here they were sitting at the end of a hallway with no label.
Pat was very impressed with the Egyptian Museum's ancient Egyptian gold jewelry collection. Wayne was amazed by the 3,000–4,000 year old technology and craftsmanship demonstrated by this amazing collection. We also visited the 12th-century Citadel of Saladin where Egypt’s rulers lived for 700 years.
We stayed in the historic Windsor Hotel rich in history. Built at the turn of the last century as the baths of the Egyptian royal family. They claim to have the oldest continuously operating elevator in the world - it was an interesting adventure to use. The Windsor Hotel also served for many years as a colonial British officers club in Cairo and the famous Barrel Bar is located here.
Pat was very impressed with the Egyptian Museum's ancient Egyptian gold jewelry collection. Wayne was amazed by the 3,000–4,000 year old technology and craftsmanship demonstrated by this amazing collection. We also visited the 12th-century Citadel of Saladin where Egypt’s rulers lived for 700 years.
We stayed in the historic Windsor Hotel rich in history. Built at the turn of the last century as the baths of the Egyptian royal family. They claim to have the oldest continuously operating elevator in the world - it was an interesting adventure to use. The Windsor Hotel also served for many years as a colonial British officers club in Cairo and the famous Barrel Bar is located here.
Some history... The Giza Pyramids and ancient Cairo history is amazing. In more modern times, by the mid-14th century Cairo was one of the largest and most wealthy cities in world by the due to the spice trade among other things. Before the Ottomans took over, Cairo declined for 200 years due to the Black Death and the discovery of the sea route around Cape Hope for the spice trade.
When Napoleon arrived in Cairo in 1798, the city's population was less than 300,000, 40% lower than it was at the height of its influence in the mid-14th century. The British quickly ousted the French and then the Albanians took control of Cairo. The 19th century saw modernization inspired by Paris and British occupation in 1882. Although intended to be temporary (sounds familiar), British troops remained until 1956. Cairo experienced great growth during this period and has experienced considerable growth thereafter.
When Napoleon arrived in Cairo in 1798, the city's population was less than 300,000, 40% lower than it was at the height of its influence in the mid-14th century. The British quickly ousted the French and then the Albanians took control of Cairo. The 19th century saw modernization inspired by Paris and British occupation in 1882. Although intended to be temporary (sounds familiar), British troops remained until 1956. Cairo experienced great growth during this period and has experienced considerable growth thereafter.
For more about amazing Egypt and the Pyramids, Temples, and treasures along the Nile River, please see our 5 other blog posts:
and Egypt’s beautiful Red Sea resorts:
- Like us on our Facebook travel page
- Follow us on Twitter: Follow @wdunlap
Treat yourself and see many more photos (some winners of awards) of our worldwide travel adventures - click on our travel photo file: www.flickr.com/photos/unhooknow/sets.
Contact us to Arrange an inspirational and informative Plan Your Escape® travel presentation for your organization about great travel tips, unique bargain-finding strategies, easy-to-use trip planning tools, and interesting stories.
You have read this articleEgypt Cairo (Capital)
with the title Cairo, Egypt (Capital). You can bookmark this page URL https://tiogatalk.blogspot.com/2010/04/cairo-egypt-capital.html. Thanks!
Write by:
AN - Friday, April 23, 2010
Comments "Cairo, Egypt (Capital)"
Post a Comment