Thursday, July 21, 2011 - Cairo, Egypt

Today I spent the day touring a few sights in Cairo.  The original plan for today had to be altered a few times to work around areas of the town that was closed and the planned demonstrations that were set for today in Liberty Square (where the main revolution protests took place in January and February).  I didn't see as much as planned, but I felt safe the entire time and that was the tour guide and driver's main concern.  I'll take that.

The outside of the Egyptian Museum - no pictures (or cameras for that matter) are allowed in the museum.  You have to check them before walking through the gates.  Hence...no pictures!

Papyrus plant (see below for how papyrus paper is made!)

The daily "proof" picture that I was actually there!

I wish I could show you the pictures of what I saw, but no cameras were allowed at all and there was no gift shop to even buy a book to capture what I saw in that state.  While the Egyptian musuem is considered to be one of the most important museums of ancient history, it is amazingly out-dated.  Most of the signs on the artifacts (if there were any) were typed from probably 50 years ago or more.  The place was packed and stiffling hot - but the artifacts were amazing.  There are more artifacts for the museum then they possibly have room for and a new, modern museum was started in 2002, but now, 11 years later, it is no where near being completed due to a variety of circumstances and situations. 

I can't remember how many artifacts my tour guide said there were in the museum, but I do remember he said that it is estimated that if you spent 4 seconds at every single artifact, it would take you 21 years to see every single one.  The ground floor has some amazing sites, but the museum is best know for the 1700 items that were found in King Tutankhamun tomb in 1922.  This is the only Pharoah's tomb that has ever been found 100% in tack and thus has opened our eyes to the inside life of the Pharoahs.  I saw his statues, wig box, thrones, jars, vessels, death mask, and his burial tombs (which are like Russian nesting dolls), and much, much more.

And...then I paid extra money to go through the mummies' rooms - two of them - the Royal Mummy Room and the King Mummy Room.  I saw over 24 mummies (I lost count) and I must say, it was a bit freaky.  I kept thinking one of them were going to pop open their eyes!  At one point, I endeed, somehow, being the only person in the one mummy room - so there I was, me and 11 mummies, alone together in a room.  A weird sense of panic ensued for a moment...but no eyes popped open and I was soon met with another tour group coming through.

On the way out my tour guide pointed to this building just to the left of the museum (right next to the exit).  It was a government building that was burnt down during the revolution in January/February of this year.  Many were afraid the museum was going to catch on fire or be razed, so many hundreds built a human chain around the gates of the museum in order to protect all the artifacts inside.

These next pictures are ones that I took while we were driving through Cairo.  Enjoy.

The Nile River separating Cairo and Giza

The city bus

An Egpytian license

A typical roadside view

Hard to see...but men are smoking water pipes everywhere you go, all day

Everything seems to be in a constant state of building, yet unfinished

Can you see the mini-buses?  These are a huge way of transportation here in Egypt and always full, full, full.

A typical market street

When my tour guide found out I was a teacher, he thought I might be intersted in this papyrus museum and learn about how papyrus paper is made.  Here is the process...if you care.

See the papyrus stalk in the back?  It stands about 2m tall.  They cut the stalks into the lengths and widths they want the paper to be when they finish.

After soaking the stalk, they take a knife and cut the green layer off the papyrus.

After splitting it into smaller thin slices, they beat it to make it stronger and more pliable.

After wetting it and rolling it, it becomes even stronger.

Then they soak it for 10 days to 14 days (the longer they soak it in the water, the darker color the papyrus paper will be)

Then they put a piece of cotton on the bottom before layering the papyrus with a vertical row followed by a horizontal row on the top.

A second piece of cotton is put overtop the layered pieces.

Then it is put into the vice for 3 days.

When it comes out - you can do this to it!

Can you see the overlapping layers?  So strong and lasts hundreds and thousands of years. (As long as you don't get it wet!)

Handpainted designs on papyrus paper.

More beautiful paintings and art on papyrus paper.

Then I was taken to the famous bazaar shopping area.  I didn't really even want to go, but decided to look around for 30 minutes.  It doesn't hold a candle to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul, but I can say I experienced it here as well.

The Khan al-Khalili Bazaar area - I bought a diet pepsi there and broke many, many Egyptian hearts as I walked by stone-cold and ignored call after call to come in and buy.

This is Al-Azhar Mosque.  It is one of the oldest mosques in Egypt and it is also a Shiite mosque while most Muslims in Egpyt are Sunni Muslims.

The last stop of the day was to the Citadel area in Cairo - which is a huge, expansive area.

Our last stop of the day was to the Citadel.  The citadel was the home to Egyptian rulers for over 700 years.  The place itself is huge, but much of it is closed.  We spent considerable amount of time in Mosque of Mohammed Ali which was built between 1830 and 1848.  It is built along the lines of many of the Turkish mosques I saw the past three weeks, but still impressive in it's own right.

The green mosque in the background is one of the many mosques in the area.  We didn't spend as much time in here as planned because they wanted to get me back to the hotel by 1 pm in order to avoid the planned demonstrations and protests scheduled in Giza and Cairo today as today the prime minister would be making some announcements about new political appointees and decisions.

The Egyptian Flag.  Red for the blood shed, white for the peace gained, black to represent the furtile soil, and a golden spider in the middle for good luck (I think that's what the spider was for...but don't quote me on that last one.)

Outside Mohommed Ali's Mosque.  Not the boxer!  Mohommed Ali was an Albanian mercenary who came into Egypt with the Ottoman army and figured out how to seize power after the French left the area and ended up establishing a new dynasty in Egypt.  He helped modernize Egypt and his blood line kept the power until the 1952 revolution.

The prayer squares on the rug

Alabaster columns in the mosque

One of the five pillars of Isalm - there is no god but Allah

It was decided by the entrance guards that my sleeves were not long enough and I had to borrow (and pay) for this robe and head covering.  Didn't know I looked like an elf until I saw this picture.

The view of Cairo from the Citadel.  It was a very hazy and smoggy day (like Phoenix often times) but I could barely see two  of the three pyramids through the haze, but it didn't show up in the picture very well.

And tomorrow is my last tour day in Egypt.  I am heading up north to the famous port city on the Mediterranean Sea of Alexandria.  We are leaving by 6 am in order to get there in time to do all of the sight-seeing before the noon prayer time, as after that demonstrations are again scheduled in both Cairo and Alexandria (as they have been basically every Friday since the revolution in January) and they want to get me to the places I wanted to see before all that starts.  Unfortunetly, I will not be able to tour the library of Alexandria was it is Friday, which is the the Isalmic holy day and it is closed.  I am bummed about that, but it is what it is.