Michelle writes:
Left at 9:00 this morning. The new person, Sharon, joined the group. Today was a little less hectic.
First we went to the Egyptian Museum. There were so many things there to see. Sahar showed us around but she could not go into the King Tut part. We saw some wall fragments. These had been filled in with different colors. We saw a lot of statues. One thing, if the beard was curved it meant the king was dead. Straight beard meant the king was still alive. Also learned about dwarves in Egypt. Also how the statues of husbands and wives were arranged indicated what type of relationship the couple had. When the women had the arm around the back of the husband – this meant she liked him. We also paid to see the mummies. There were about 10 mummies. They had just reopened this about 3 months ago. Sahar said they are going to build a new museum near the pyramids.
Then we visited the Manial Palace. It was built in 1901 by Mohammed Ali. The house was very lovely. Each room had a different ceiling. We also saw the throne room. Then we went to lunch at a felfala house. The food was very interesting. We had Egyptian salad, pita & sauce, shish kebab and yoghurt for dessert. Then we went to the citadel & saw the Alabaster Mosque. Then we went to see the gates & gatehouses that were left from the original.
Brian writes:
Weather: 90s – Hot – duh!
Wake up at ~7:15, this time without the headache! Shower, eat at 8:30am. 1 1/4 croissants with honey, tip of 2.00LBE at breakfast. Get more water, meet guys at 9:00am. I get 20LBE worth of change in ones.
Go first to the Egyptian Museum at Tahrir Square — what a zoo of a square! Egyptian Museum on the north side of the square — it is red with a courtyard in front. The courtyard has plants and a few statues, and there were workmen working on a very rickety, all wooden scaffold. Went into British [ed – oops] Museum, left camera behind. First saw some tops, tic tac toe, game pieces from 3000BC (Dynasty I). Then looked at New Kingdom statues. They are colossal, because they had stone tools at that time to work with. The kings have a smile on their face and are portrayed as muscular. They hold stuff in their hands to emphasize muscles. Throughout the kingdoms, if the statue has a straight beard the statue was carved while the pharaoh was alive, if it is curved then it was carved after he/she died.
Egyptian Museum (low red building with dome) from near Tahrir Square, Cairo
Saw a tablet from Karnak of Menes, ruler from the south (who had the white crown of the Upper Egypt) conquering his enemies on one side. Hathor the Earth goddess (who is represented as a bull, or with horns) watches over him, while Horus protects him and crushes his Lower Egypt enemies and their symbol, papyrus and vulture. Lower Egypt is the red crown. Upper Egypt’s sign is the lotus and the cobra. On the other side of the tablet was Menes celebrating. He was barefoot, as the tablet is to be put in a temple, he must be barefoot. A servant carries the sandles behind, along with oil. The pharaoh is carved larger than anyone else. To the right are many enemies with their heads between their legs. Below, two beasts had their necks intertwined — Lower and Upper Egypt were united! Saw some walls where they carved in what they were drawing, then filled in with a color mortar, unfortunately, this tended to fall out when it cooled. Saw many statues of man & wife, man was painted red, wife yellow. If the wife has both arms around man, she really likes him. Statues supposed to be representation of what they will be in the otherworld, so many dressed in ceremonial official robes. Saw Old Kingdom pharaoh statues — small (no metal tools — HAD to be small b/c stone tools take forever) but with smiles on face. Saw Middle Kingdom pharaoh statues – no smile, larger, more serious — b/c country just been through civil war pharaoh cannot be complacent. Also hair is curled. Also start using sphinx in Middle Kingdom with whole head of a lion except face of a pharaoh, Old Kingdom had whole head of pharaoh. Egyptians liked (respected) lion, etc. b/c of strength they symbolize. Go to New Kingdom, huge smiling statues!
See a tomb or temple to Hathor with a huge bull statue in it. The tomb was to the first queen (who dressed like a man, statues like mans) and the [ed – illegible] sheltered her son (indicating he has the right to rule) and her son drinks her milk (he must rule too). See wooden (sycamore) statue of mayor, he is carved as corpulent with inlaid eyes. Very spooky, very lifelike! Saw statue of servants that were in tombs, supposed to secure pharaoh in afterlife. Saw statue of Akenaten, he is very feminine like, or is at least portrayed that way. Came up with first monotheism. His wife was Nefertiti for 12 years. When that didn’t work out, he married his oldest daughter, who also married his son (?) or nephew (?) Tutankhamen (King Tut) later. They were trying to keep royal blood in their line. First portrayal of whole royal family together, and use of cartouche for other than pharaoh.
Next, saw King Tut’s treasures!!! First, saw the four wooden-with-gold-leaf shrines that fit one inside the other and contained his three sarcophagi. Saw beautiful gold chariots (5) and the alabaster jars that held his viscerals (internal organs). These were in an alabaster box in a solid gold shrine, which has four Isis statues guarding it — absolutely beautiful. My favorite piece! Go into the room with the mask, Sahar cannot give narrative. Try our best not to see mask until end, see the outer sarcophagus (wood and gold), inner sarcophagus (lots of gold — 495 lbs solid!), famous shepard crook and might flail, lots of amulets, rings, bracelets that were on the body. The middle sarcophagus is still in his tomb, with the mummy. Finally see the mask! It is so neat, so beautiful, shiny, gold and blue. The back (which you never see) looks like [ed – illustration of back]. It is tied back in a braid! The blue inlay is coming off in back — a pity. Beautiful nonetheless! See Tut’s chairs, throne, his foot rest has Asiatics and Nubians painted on it, as he is always subduing his enemies. Also, one of the thrones contains only reference to both names at same time — Aten and Amon [ed – sp?]. Saw beds, gold and hinged too. The hinged bed was for traveling. Silver was much more valuable than gold then, used sparingly. See bust of him as a kid, and ostrich feather fan. Many statues of him, one for each day of the year to serve him that day. See Anubis cabinet. Painted black with real jackal legs! Saw a shower — metal bowl with holes in it.
Next, paid 60LBE to see the royal mummies — about 10 in a well air conditioned room. Guards wanted silence and no touching of glass cases holding mummies. Saw Tuthmosis II & IV, some queens, etc. mostly all blackened skin, empty eye sockets, though look at peace, hands are twisted. Biggest shock was Ramesses II was in there!!! The man with all the statues. Old, wizened man, but tufts of red hair still evident. A real honor. Leave mummy rooms (which was only recently opened) about 11:30. Look for guide. See some Greco-Roman artifacts, finally find book for 100LBE. Well worth it!
Next went to the Manial Palace on Rhoda Island in the Nile, below the Gezira Island across from the hotel. The Manial Palace had beautiful gardens around it. The residence was built by Mohammed Ali in 1901 because he thought he would rule Egypt in place of Farouk, the young king-to-be. He thus needed a residence and throne room. To make a long story short, he never was ruler and ended up fighting (verbally) with Farouk for the rest of his days. He never married, but did have a French girlfriend. Inside the palace each room had a different theme in the ceiling. These were the most beautiful woodwork — carving and painting I have ever seen! Absolutely amazing! They had archways with sayings from the Koran above them, and much of the tile work was blue, the Turkish color for royalty. The upstairs was closed for renovation after the 1992 Cairo quake. They had a huge silver serving place and lots and lots of medals for the different countries. Manial Palace also has an entryway with a beautiful fountain sunken in the floor. His throne room was in a separate building — it had several red benches with his name. The ceiling was white with a beautiful gold plated sunburst design. Also had a humongous birdcage and pictures of all the Khedives (?).
Grounds of Manial Palace, Cairo
Sunken fountain in Manial Palace
Note the geometric patterns everywhere
Throne room of Manial Palace
~1:30 = get to our lunch stop, a felfela restaurant. Felfelas are apparently spread all over Egypt. It was a neat building, in the front they had a counter on the right with hot coals (and flies), as well as a pot with boiling oil, where they were cooking something. Lots of carved wood work, yellowish clear ceiling, hanging lamps. Sit at long split table on uneven floors, they first bring out salad, Sahar says “Don’t Eat!” We don’t! Don’t want Tut’s trots. Later brings out lots of sauces & eggplant. Cheese, sesame, etc. sauces. Also brings out falafels which are fried foul [ed – ?] bean patties filled with green stuff and covered with sesames. Good! Put falafels in pita with sauce. Yummm. Have Pepsi, and Egyptian beer with lunch. Beer tastes just as bad here as in US, just cheaper — 5.00LBE/litre, or $1.75/litre. Now comes main meal — shish kebob — veal or lamb, don’t know which. Great smoked taste though. They bring Michelle some 7Up w/ice, we have to send back due to ice. Dessert was yogurt w/honey. Needless to say, I had none. During our meal two cats on the roof really got into fighting! Meowing all over! [ed – Twenty years later I still remember cat hair drifting down to the table from the trellis above — ick!].
Gas station in Cairo
Next drove past the Necropolis, or City of the Dead. Muslim graveyards look very much like the rest of the city, with above ground crypts , or mausoleums. The city’s very poorest live in the City of the Dead, about 2 million. Also drive past trolley lines, police academy, and military academy.
Necropolis, City of the Dead, where the poorest live
Come to the citadel, a medieval fortress on a bluff overlooking cairo. All desert around, very desolate. It was built by Saladin (?) [ed – yes, Saladin, in the 12th century AD — it is formally called Salah El Din Al Ayouby Citadel]. Few of the interior buildings remain, only towers and walls. There is, however, a military and police museum inside, as well as the Muhammad Ali mosque (or Alabaster Mosque). We were just walking along in the citadel, when Sahar points in one direction, to our right, and says “This is a good photo!” Boy, was it! The mosque seemed to shimmer in the afternoon heat, as if it were very far away — yet it was very close.
Walls and towers of Salah El Din Al Ayouby Citadel
Large tower at the citadel
Mosque of Muhammad Ali, or the Alabaster Mosque
Square tower at the citadel
Entered, took off our shoes to walk in the mosque. First, an outer courtyard with colonnaded border. In the middle, you could see the fountain where the faithful wash their arms, feet, and face before praying. Originally served by an aqueduct, it is now served by Egypt’s sewer and water system. Across the courtyard was the minaret, which in earlier times a person would climb up and do the call to prayer. Now it’s done by loudspeaker. Went into mosque main room, off of courtyard. Cover was red carpets, Persian design. Lots of elaborate woodwork, ceiling very beautiful. Light provided by lanterns hanging from very high wires. Lots of pale green, gold, red. There is a niche in the wall that faces Mecca, praying is done toward the niche. There is also a pulpit, reached by stairs, on the right, which is used by the sheik on holy days. Sahar sat us down and told us about Muslims and Islam. They fast during a month, Ramadan. By fasting, they do not eat during the day. Egypt is a lot more liberal than many countries. In Egypt, many places of work have miniature mosques, or shrines, to which a worker may go and pray. The employer cannot stop them from doing so. In Saudi Arabia, though, everyone is required to pray during prayer time. In addition all women, including foreigners, must wear black w/ veil in Saudi Arabia. In Egypt, it is only tradition, and some women who wish to show they are true believers will wear the black with veil and sunglasses. Though prayer should be everyday, most Egyptians come to the mosque on Friday, the holy day. A man may have up to 4 wives and divorce is easy — he just says “I divorce you.” He may then remarry her, in case it was a fit of rage, instantaneously. But, he may only remarry two times, if he divorces her three times it is nearly impossible to remarry. The remarriage, however, is a whole new ceremony. Yikes! $! Women usually ask the husband for a divorce and he can do it instantly, but she cannot. She can, however, go through the courts to get a divorce. On divorce, she gets home, children, etc. and he must support them. As we leave [ed – ?] a guy pointed out the tomb of Muhammad Ali — behind woodwork, in what looked to be alabaster or ivory casket. Put shoes back on, left citadel.
Closer view of the mosque, note the so-very-90s outfit the lady wears!
Fountain and Gingerbread Clock in the mosque’s courtyard
Light globes in the mosque
Islamic pulpit in the Alabaster Mosque
View of the courtyard from inside the mosque
Went through poor section of town, saw old city wall — sand stone. Saw two gates Bab Al Futuh and Bab An Nasr. One of these gates was having square exit, square towers, was the gate the army went through to leave city. Other was the victory gate, similar to first, what soldiers came through on way back from war. Really whacked my head on the van’s door roof after stepping off curb. Scalp was bleeding, dizzy, had knot. Saw guy urinating in the street, trash everywhere. Yet, totally safe for us — amazing.
Another Necropolis
A view of Cairo’s Old City
Bab Al-Futuh gate in Cairo’s Old City
Another Cairo Old City scene
Bab al-Nasr gate in Cairo’s Old City
Back to hotel around 4pm, took nap until 7:30. Ate late, after sitting out on balcony and watching traffic go by. Heard the call to prayer — beautiful! Dinner was steak (not so good), fries, had ice cream (fantastic!) chocolate and strawberry for dessert. Stay up late, work on journal, go to bed.
Cairo street scene
Corner store in Cairo