Egypt Travelogue: Old Cairo - If God willing!

The morning was bright and sunny. Time to visit the  Islamic Cairo and the Museums. The name Cairo means the "city of minarets". Egypt's state religion is Islam. However, Islamic Cairo comprise the sections of old Cairo with the historical mosques, the citadel, and the famous Khan-El-Kahilili market area.  Egypt was conquered by the Arabs in 641 AD and since then Cairo has started accumulating its Islamic monuments. The oldest mosque is the Ahmad Ibn Tulun built on a small hill. There is also the impressive Al Ahzar mosque and the University is the second oldest surviving university built in 972 AD.  Thanks to our guide I could keep record of these historical dates with a probability of  +/- 5% errors!!

The Islamic Cairo is a mix of multiple ethnic groups. Women here dress more conservatively than in other parts of the city.  Our guide said that we must visit the City of the Dead which is a 4 mile stretch close to the Citadel with multi level tombs. There we found people walking and coming out of the tombs! Apparently, many poor immigrants from southern Egypt have taken shelter in these tombs and created a city of living among the dead.  Housing crisis is huge in Cairo and especially poor has no choice but to find whatever place they can find. 

One cannot miss the Citadel on the eastern skyline of Cairo. Saladin the Abbasid ruler used the citadel as a strategic military fort during the crusades. Continuous expansions and fortifications were made during the Mamluk period and finally the Ottoman turks took over it. Today, it lodges museums and mosques. Who are Abbasids? Who are Mamluks?. Well that is your home work to figure out!!

The early Ottoman mosque is the Sulayman Pasha Mosque. Mohammed Ali Pasha who ruled Egypt in the 1800's built the baroque style Mohammed Ali Mosque. We had a long walk in the citadel and now it is time to do some shopping!

A tour in Egypt is not complete if one has not visited the Khan El Khalili market. This is a vast sprawling market from small souveneir shops to expensive jewelery and other items. Here, one can get specialty goods like carpets, cotton material, essential oils and spices. The history of this market goes back to 1382 AD when Emir Khalili established this trading center.

It was quite interesting to walk through the narrow alleys checking out all kinds of goods.  The traders love bargaining. It is fun to bargain and to check with them where they are origianlly from. We met shop keepers from Sudan, Ethiopia, Tunisia, and Aswan area.  The area bustles with locals and toruists. There are Police outpost everywhere to help the tourists if they get lost in the maze of alleys.

Unlike the artisan village or gallery, in Khan Khalili market one can find machine made alabaster vases. Luckily, we made it a point to visit the artisan village in Luxor where the alabaster and onyx artifacts are hand made with stone implements. One can find the artisans in their cotton galabayas proudly showing the wares. Galabaya is a traditional Egyptian garment worn by men. 

We visited the Egyptian Museum at Cairo which is a walkable distance from Ramses Hilton located in the busy Tahir Square.  We saw the famous Royal Mummies and King Tutankhamon’s treasures.  The exhibits are awesome. To my mind, the grandeur and the opulence that the ancients enjoyed cannot be possible without a sophisticated technology which perhaps was lost or modified to suit the social fabric of the following time period.  History cannot tell imaginery stories if there is no evidence or facts, right.  I hope the monuments will be preserved for the future generations. There is so much history and so much for the future. Only peace, tolerance and non-violence will help progress and growth.

It is time to say goodbye to Egypt that fascinated me from my childhood.  This is another place I would like to visit again.  Our hotel staff gave us hugs and said "If God willing"!