Shooting the Shisha

Today would be our final day in Cairo.  After a 10 AM pickup, our van took us along the Pyramid Road from Giza to Old Cairo.  At our hotel, they have an old photograph from the 19th century showing this road desolate of buildings, cars, carts, or people.  That is not the cause nowadays.  Traffic was so congested that it took almost an hour to drive 14 km--barely faster than running speed.

Not going anywhere for awhile.  Grab a Snickers bar.

Our first stop was the Coptic area of Cairo.  After Jesus' crucifixion, St. Mark brought Christianity to Egypt.  The Romans persecuted these early worshipers forcing them into hiding.  One secret meeting place for these Christians was the Hanging Church which was built on the ruins of a secluded and abandoned Roman fortress.  It was ingenuously constructed by placing palm tree planks across from one tower to another tower.  Sand and water were then placed on top and compacted down.  After the sand dried, it essentially developed the strength of sandstone.  Although this foundation has held up for over 1,500 years, it's still a bit nerve-racking knowing that the church is not on terra firma.

Several churches are built on the ruins of this former Roman fortress.

The Hanging Church is still actively used by Coptic Christians.

A cutout of the church's floor shows that it is indeed suspended above the ground.

We then went nearby to the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George.  He was a Roman tribune who refused to comply with the emperor's edict that all soldier's renounce Christianity. He was imprisoned, tortured, and finally executed for his religious beliefs.  They have some ghastly torture devices on display including a pair of sandals with huge spikes that would pierce the foot at each step.  The church is decorated with paintings of him as a medieval knight on horseback slaying a dragon, a symbol of the defeat of Satan.

The third church we visited was the Coptic Church of St. Sergius.  According to tradition, the church's crypt was once a cave where Jesus, Joseph, and Mary stayed when they fled from King Herod.  The church was popular with pilgrims especially during medieval times.  Since the stairwell to the crypt is gated off, people write down their wishes on paper and throw them down hoping their prayers are granted.

We then walked over to the Ben Esra Synagogue, the oldest one in Egypt dating back to the 12th century.  Only a few Jewish families remain nearby to worship there, most having fled to Israel in the 1950's. The synagogue has pillars and floors made from imported white Italian marble.  It had been renovated within the last 10-20 years, so it is still in very good shape.

Moving forward historically, we drove to the Citadel of Saladin.  He is best known as the outstanding commander who opposed Richard the Lionhearted during the Crusades.  He built a series of forts including this one to protect his territory against attack.  At the top of the fortress stands the Mosque of Mohammed Ali, considered second only to the Blue Mosque in Istanbul in terms of beauty.  Mohammed Ali was one of the greatest leaders in Egyptian history.  Prior to his rule, Egypt was weak because rival factions such as the Mamelukes had kept the country fragmented.  He consolidated the power of the viceroy in the early 1800's by ambushing and massacring 500 Mameluke leaders.  He then set about modernizing Egypt with the help of his French advisers.

It was refreshing to see that most of the tourists to the citadel were local Egyptians.

A small trebuchet decorates the entrance of the citadel.

There were several local kids here on field trip who mobbed us smiling and asking us repeatedly, "What's your name? What's your name?"  Sam remarked that this sentence is probably the only English phrase they know.  Since the fortress is built on the high ground overlooking the city, the best panoramic view of the city is right outside the mosque.  Nearby is also a large clock tower.  Mohammed Ali had given the French an obelisk as a token of friendship.  In return, the French gave Egypt this clock.  It has never worked.  Not even after almost 200 years.

The Mosque of Mohammed Ali

The mosque was built with alabaster.

This stone remains cool even during the hot summer months.

The mosque is ornately decorated including ceilings hand-painted using gold.

On the way out, we passed the quarries where the stones for the Great Pyramids were cut. They were then somehow dragged for miles and miles to Giza.

This quarry supplied the stones for the Great Pyramids of Giza.
The transmission towers have been added more recently.

We also drove along the road passing the City of the Dead.  It's really just a cemetery.  The tombs for members of the same family are enclosed by a high fence which can seem like the walls of a house.  The multitude of these family plots gives the illusion of the cemetery as a city.

The City of the Dead blends in with the rest of the Cairo landscape.

We then visited the Khan el Khalili, the old market of Cairo.  In modern times, it has been an area frequented by tourists to Egypt.  Unfortunately, this has resulted in terrorist attacks in 2005 and 2009.

There was some decent metalwork for sale.

But most of the stuff at the market was cheap junk geared towards tourists.

We relaxed at an outdoor  cafe and enjoyed a Turkish coffee and apple-scented shisha.  Since I am not a smoker, it irritated my throat after awhile.  The Wife didn't like it at all and only took a few puffs.

Shisha pipes come in all sorts of colorful, decorative patterns.They gave us the ugliest one.

The apple shisha smelled sweet yet subtle.

It was nice just relaxing and shooting the breeze with Sam--kinda like sitting at a Parisian cafe.  He told us about his trip to Singapore, New Zealand, and Thailand last year.  We were particularly interested in hearing about Thailand since that is one place we are considering on going.  He remarked that it is one of the few countries where Egyptians can feel rich.  Sam talked about how he and his wife visited Patpong.  He didn't believe any of that stuff was real until he almost got hit in the face with a flying banana.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you are best not knowing.

Thinking back on our visit to the synagogue, I asked Sam how younger Egyptians perceive Jews.  He replied that obviously there will be some that hate them just because of the contentious issues with Israel.  In fact Sam's father fought two wars against them as a fighter pilot.  Even then, his father harbored no ill will towards his enemy--they were fighting for their country just as he was for his too.  Sam stated that many see the problem as mainly a Palestinian vs Israeli conflict.  Egypt has made its peace with Israel over thirty years ago.  As for the Jews who remain in Egypt, Sam said that he has an even greater respect for them.  Their decision to remain here despite the difficulties and potential danger shows their true love for Egypt.

We also discussed the role of women in Egyptian society.  We had spoken to very few women on our trip so far.  Apparently, many women do work--just not in the tourism sector.  Once they hit puberty, most females in Egypt wear a headscarf that just covers their head, but keeps the face fully exposed.  In modern parts of Cairo, it's not uncommon to see some younger women wearing a headscarf and tight-fitting shirt and jeans.  However, we still saw plenty of ladies donning the full black burka where only their eyes are visible within a small slit.  Sam explained that this tradition originated from Saudi Arabia where women dressed like that to protect themselves from the sand and wind.  He said that nowhere in the Koran does it mention women having to cover themselves like that.  Only Arabs or religious zealots dress in the burka.  Sam is not a big fan of the look saying, "Why would I want all of our women to look like ninjas?"

He mentioned that some visitors from ultra-conservative Islamic countries act very differently while in Egypt.  Some of the married Saudi men hang out at the belly-dancing clubs (the closest institution to strip clubs here) trying to pick up women.  I told him that there is no shortage of that behavior from married men back in the U.S. too.  Sam then told us of an account many years ago when he was stopped by a woman in a full burka who told him that he had dropped a piece of paper on the ground.  As she hurried off, he picked up the paper and it had her name and phone number on it.  He never called.  "She could have been the most gorgeous woman of your dreams!" I remarked.  "OR she could have had the face of a dog!" he retorted.  I guess that is the magic and mystery of the burka.

You can enjoy ice cream with your scented tobacco (narchile).

As we relaxed, vendors stopped by and politely hawked their wares.

The Wife had been looking for some playful headdresses for our daughter.  A cute, little girl about 10-12 years old haggled us up to three for LE 40 (they should only be ten a piece).  I asked her why she wasn't in school that day.  She answered that it was her birthday and her mother was letting her stay home.  Obviously this was a lie.  She was working for a shopkeeper selling his/her wares using the 'cuteness' factor as an advantage.  She left and came back a few minutes later asking Sam to help her with some math.  The shopkeeper was getting LE 8 for each headdress.  She couldn't figure out the simple calculations to see how much profit she should make on the three she sold to us.  Sadly, the lack of education for the poor people will continue to be one of the challenges that Egypt faces in the future.

The little girl propagated the myth that females suck at math.

We walked around the bazaar for a few minutes.  Most of the stuff being sold was cheap junk likely made in China.  Sam had told us that the best things to get there were wood boxes inlaid with mother of pearl, shisha pipes, copper pots and lamps, and leather goods.  We had plenty of souvenirs by then, so we avoided buying anything substantial.

On the way back to Giza, we stopped off to get some take-out some koshary, falafels, and shwarma sandwiches.

Since we would be flying out very early in the morning, we toured the grounds of our historic hotel, the Mena House, for the last time.

Guests must pass through a
metal detector at the entrance.

The lobby is ornately decorated.

The bar was ALWAYS empty during our stay.

There was not much lounging going around.

It was built in the 1860's by the Egyptian ruler, Khedive Ismail as a hunting lodge.  It was then sold and converted into a hotel two decades later.  During the late 19th and 20th century, heads of state, royalty, and wealthy Europeans stayed there when visiting Cairo.  Back in those days they had a golf course and a ski slope both made up of sand.

A 1888 advertisement for the Mena House.  Note the telephone number.

During World War II, Roosevelt and Churchill planned part of the the D-Day Invasion while staying at the Mena House.  Later in the 1970's, the hotel hosted the Egypt-Israeli Talks which led to the historic peace accord.

Former U.S. Presidents...

...have stayed at the Mena House.

During our visit, the hotel was undergoing more renovations/expansions but it was not noticeable. The service was impeccable during our time there.

We were upgraded to a room facing the Pyramids, possibly because their occupancy was low from the lack of tourism.

Our room at the Mena House

The bathroom

Regardless of the reason, enjoying the view of this great monument while we ate dinner on our balcony was a great parting image of Cairo.

The view of Khufu's Pyramid from the balcony of our hotel

Evolution of a Revolution - Visiting Saqqara, Memphis, and Dashur

A year ago, every TV news station saturated the airways with coverage of the Egyptian revolution.  It took almost everybody by surprise.  People wanted to know what was the root of all this unrest in Egypt?  What were the people so passionate about that they risked torture and death from the police.  What would Egypt’s future mean for the rest of the world?  Unfortunately, I didn't find out these answers.  I was too busy watching ESPN and a plethora of mind-numbing reality shows to pay attention to the news coverage.

Our plan for the day would be to travel to three different locations around Cairo—Saqqara, Memphis, and Dashur.  As we rode in the van, I had a lengthy conversation with Sam about one of his most passionate topics--Egyptian politics.  Like many other young people in Cairo, he had participated in the protests in Tahir Square.  He explained that there are multiple reasons why the populace has been discontent.  Some people yearned for more democratic representation rather than Mubarak’s oppressive regime.  Others were dissatisfied with the country’s economic situation.  High unemployment, low salaries, and rising costs were burdens that many Egyptians faced.

But for many young people, the revolution was simply a fight for a better Egypt and for a better future.  Because of the internet and free access of information, people could see the prosperity of other countries.

"I just came back from London.  Why can't our traffic be that orderly?  Why can't our buildings be as nice and clean?  Egypt used to be the greatest power in the world!" Sam proclaimed.  

As we drove around the city, we could see the problems that he was talking about.

Although piles of trash line the canals in Giza, many of the other areas around Cairo were actually pretty clean.

Somebody threw out a perfectly good horse!

"Look at this sh_t here!" Sam exclaimed, pointing to an ugly, dilapidated building right off the highway.  "Egypt has only 7% usable land, and they are wasting it with that!"  

In addition to that slum, it is also hard to miss the glaring eyesores of unfinished buildings with naked rebars pointing to the sky.  One understandable reason for this is family expansion.  Whenever an offspring marries and starts a family, they just build an additional floor onto the unfinished building.

However, there are less familial reasons for these construction abominations.  One such possibility is tax evasion.  Supposedly, completed buildings are taxed while unfinished buildings are not.  In a country with economic woes, every little bit counts.  Furthermore, it may simply be just a matter of money.  Buildings sometimes remain unfinished because the owners have run out of capital to complete it.  In most developed countries, these eyesores would be unacceptable.  Building codes would prevent people from inhabiting these potentially dangerous structures.  Contractors would be deterred by stiff fines.  In Egypt, the government just turns a blind eye...for the right price.

You won't find Cairo on any lists of the most beautiful skylines in the world.

As we entered the countryside, our van was stuck for 15 minutes on a two lane road.  Several cars going the opposite direction decided to use our side as a left turn lane.  As our driver screamed at a police car parked nearby to do something, the officer simply rolled up his window and ignored him.

Like many developing countries, traffic laws seem nonexistent in Egypt.  With two million cars squeezed into a limited space, automotive congestion is a big problem in Cairo.  Cars drive three abreast in two lane roads which are already limited by vendors illegally selling fruits, vegetables, and fish on the sides.  Trucks make right hand turns from the left lane daring other smaller vehicles to stop them.  And there is the fleet of cheap white vans that serve as private shuttles for the populace.  These inconsiderate drivers simply stop in the middle of the busy roads loading and unloading passengers.  All the while, everybody behind them has to come to a standstill.  Egypt should be a traffic cop’s paradise.  However, there seems to be either no traffic laws or enforcement of them.

Several parked white vans block the entrance onto the freeway

Why are the authorities so apathetic?  Sam explained that Egypt has had a culture of corruption under Mubarak’s government.  Favoritism, not meritocracy, had been the pathway to success.  In the government, people often advanced based on who they were friends with or who their fathers were.  This has got to be demoralizing for the average person who may have no opportunity for promotion regardless of how well they perform.

Another problem is the rampant bribery and extortion that have sullied the Egyptian government.  Most government employees like policemen are underpaid.  Despite their low salaries, it is not infrequent to see some officials becoming wealthy by taking bribes.  In the army, some lieutenants live better than their generals.  The corruption has gotten so pervasive that it has almost become expected.  Sam said that an investigative TV show had actually filmed a policeman nonchalantly going from car to car in busy traffic demanding money from drivers.  This culture must be demoralizing for those officials who are actually honest.  What’s the point of issuing citations if the perpetrators can simply bribe their way out of a penalty.

Many believe that purging the government of the old regime is the first step in breaking this culture of corruption.  Unfortunately, like many other Tahir Square protesters, Sam has experienced the disenchantment that has followed a year later.

“We got rid of Mubarak,” he said.  “Now some of his top deputies and generals are back running for office.  I’m sure there are going to be some votes for sale.”

He laments that the country has not made substantial political advances in the last twelve months.  He is angry that the military has not yet relinquished control and is failing the country.  He says that the revolution was led by the optimistic, young people of Egypt.  Now it has been hijacked by politicians who are out to further their own agendas.

The sight of soldiers toting automatic weapons actually made me feel much safer.

One concern we both share is the role of religion in Egypt’s future.  I reminded him that the Iranian revolution also started as a broad coalition of protesters against a corrupt dictatorship.  However, it was soon transformed into an Islamic fundamentalist movement.  Now Iran has a dangerous authoritarian government flirting with nuclear power.  It seems like Egypt is showing signs of heading in the same direction.  The news has reported that the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood has gained 47% of the parliament seats.  But more alarmingly, the ultra-fundamentalist Salafi Al-Nour Party  which advocates strict Islamic law has garnered 25%.

Sam remains optimistic that the young people of Egypt won’t let this ultra-fundamentalist attitude take over his country.  He proclaimed that there would be a second revolution if that happened.  Hopefully, for Egypt’s sake it won’t come down to that.  After all, look how well the Iranian people fared in the 2009 protests.

Our first stop was 30 minutes south of Giza at Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of Zoser, a pharaoh of the Third Dynasty.  Prior to his reign, rulers were buried in mastabas, two-tiered rectangular mausoleums.  However, King Zoser desired a more unique building for his afterlife.  The man who would make it happen was Imhotep (not the bad guy from The Mummy movies).  Imhotep was considered a genius in his time.  He served as the pharaoh’s chancellor and has been accredited as being the first physician known to history.  Later generations of Egyptians would worship him as a god, an honor never repeated on non-royalty.  His most important and lasting achievement was designing the Step Pyramid.  The structure was built in six phases.  Starting with an over-sized mastabas, he kept enlarging the base and adding more levels.  Eventually, a ziggurat with distinct levels was formed.

The Step Pyramid under renovation.

Currently, the Step Pyramid is being restored.  With your hands alone, you can easily scrape the mortar off, thus loosening the stones.  It's surprising that Zoser's structure has held up this well for so many millennia.  In contrast, the ruins of crumbled pyramids of later pharaohs lay nearby.  Currently, scaffolding covers the Step Pyramid as workers have been replacing some of the eroded mortar to secure some loosened stones.

Unlike the massive blocks of the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Step
Pyramid was built with smaller bricks and mortar composed of sand.

In front of the pyramid is a large funerary complex containing the courtyard for the Heb-Sed festival that was held every 10-30 years.  Some believe that the Egyptians borrowed this ritual from African tribes. To avoid having an elderly and physically weak chieftain, these tribals would kill their leaders when they turned 30 years old.  Since the Egyptians were not too keen on snuffing out their divine leaders, they devised a ritual where the pharaoh had to show his prowess by chasing a bull around and cutting off its tail.  Even the female pharaoh Hatshepsut and Pepys II, who ruled for 90 years (longest ever in human history) took part in this ceremony.  However, nobody ever said how old and frail the bull had to be.

Sam took us right outside the temple walls to some recently excavated tombs of the nobles.  We were told to watch our step because what we thought may be firm ground may instead be loose sand covering a pit.  When they were not being excavating, the tombs were filled in with sand again to preserve them from the elements.

Current areas being excavated.  On the right is the Pyramid of Unas, a pharaoh of the Fifth Dynasty.
His tomb was the first to have artwork and mortuary inscriptions on the walls known as pyramid text.

Elaborate hieroglyphs above the tomb door of one of Zoser's generals.

Sam poses in front of a tomb that he had helped excavate years ago.

The next stop was the city of Memphis.  We had expected that there would be limited sights to see, but it was just plain sad.  The ancient capital of Egypt is now filled with poor people and dirty buildings.  Ironically, some people would say that of my hometown of Memphis too.  A porous fence surrounds some rolling hills where ruins of the city once stood.  However, locals can just go in at night, dig up some old artifacts, and sell anything with hieroglyphs on the black market.  There seems to be no security.  Sadly, Memphis ranks low in priority when it comes to excavation and protection.  Temples and tombs were made of stones so they have survived fairly intact from the ravages of time.  Memphis was an administrative capital where people worked and lived.  Therefore, the buildings were mainly erected using mud bricks.  These have a significantly less chance of survival over several millennia.  The hope of finding anything meaningful in Memphis is small, thus the ruins have been neglected.  The only things to see in the tiny museum are the large supine statue of Ramses II, the alabaster sphinx, and a couple of pillar pieces and statues.  Not really worth the time.

Some of the few artifacts on display at the Memphis Museum.  Unexcavated fields lay nearby.

The twin of this massive statue of Ramses II is the only artifact that has 
been transported to the site of the new Egyptian Museum in Giza.

The alabaster sphinx is much, much smaller than the Sphinx at Giza.

Next we headed to Dashur where most large tourist buses skip.  It's too bad because some historic pyramids are located there.  Khufu's father Sneferu built three pyramids during his reign.  The first in Meidum collapsed.  The second was built at a 52 degree angle, but near the top it was changed to a 48 degree angle giving it the name of the Bent Pyramid.  Unfortunately, it is considered structurally unsound and closed to the general public.

A lone camel guards the Bent Pyramid.

Sneferu's final tomb, the Red Pyramid, is named because the building stones have a high iron content.  It's really the first true pyramid in history.  It's total size is second only to Khufu's pyramid (it's shorter than Khafre's because a shallower angle was used).

The Red Pyramid actually looks tan.

Unlike Giza, this place was completely deserted.  There were no vendors and only one other tourist.  Although photography is not allowed inside, we had read on the Internet that it is possible for the right price (not surprising).  Since there are no paintings that could be ruined by flash photography nor are there any mummies (the sarcophagus was empty) that would be disrespected, I personally felt no harm would be done by taking pictures inside.  After we climbed up to the entrance, the guard greeted us and immediately pointed to a stack of Egyptian currency in his hand--the universal sign for a bribe.  So much for being discrete.  We gave him LE 10 and took the steep climb downward into the burial chamber.

It's a steep climb down to the tomb.  The climb back up was a lot worse.

In an adjacent room, a set of contemporary wooden stairs led above to a small chamber where the canoptic jars would have been stored.  The air inside the tomb was hot and stale reeking of the body odor of hundreds of sweaty tourists.

Like most other early pyramids, no decorations adorn the walls.

They need to think about hiring a new cleaning crew.

We stayed only briefly because the air was too hard to breathe.  Despite it being a cool day outside, we were both dripping with sweat when we emerged from the pyramid.  Back in our car, Sam explained that the odors accumulate in the tomb walls.  Every few years, they are thoroughly washed to get the stink out.  Cleaning was scheduled for last year, but it was not done because of the revolution.

After finishing our sightseeing for the day, we drove back to Giza.

"Hot" bread is sold out of the back of a truck.

Animal (hopefully?) carcasses
hang from a butchers shop.

Instead of going back to the hotel, we asked to stop at a legitimate papyrus store.  Most of the cheap 'papyrus' sold on the streets are actually made of low quality banana leaves.  Inside the shop, we were given a demonstration on how this paper is made.  Thin strips are cut from the stalk of a papyrus plant.  They are then flattened with a hammer making them pliable enough to crush in your hand without breaking.  The strips are then soaked in water for a few days.  The longer it is soaked, the browner the paper will become.  The strips are then arranged in a cross-wised woven pattern.  The papyrus is then placed in a vise for six days.  When it comes out, it is ready to be painted.  Unlike some other papers, the colors don't fade.

We ended up buying two large papyri.  One shows the judgement scene for the deceased pharaoh.  His heart is weighed against a feather.  If it is heavier, meaning he has sinned, the pharaoh is devoured by the crocodile-headed god Amut thus depriving him of the Afterlife.

The other artwork shows the romantic scenes of courtship between a pharaoh and his wife. At first each wears their own sandals.  Once they become a couple, they share the same pair. In the final scene, both are barefoot meaning that they are going to get it on.

Afterwards, we went to a store to have keychains engraved with our kids' names in hieroglyphic cartouches.  I also got a silver ring with my name on it in hieroglyphs.  I don't really know how accurate it is, but nobody else is gonna know.  The Wife was also eyeing a beautiful gold necklace adorned with Egyptian turquoise.  This semi-precious stone mined in the Sinai peninsula is considered the best in the world.  The piece was a whopping $4000--more than many diamond bracelets!  La shukren!

Sam was very patient with us while we took a long time to shop.  I told him that in Delhi, the guides received 3% of the profits from the tourists stores.  I asked him what his cut would be.  Surprisingly, he told me that he gets nothing at all.  He even added that he could lose his Egyptology license by getting kickbacks.  He told us that he wouldn't want to do it anyway because he would feel 'indebted' to certain vendors or restaurants.  In this way, he can continue to recommend the establishments that take care of his clients best.  I thought his integrity was very refreshing as I jotted down notes with a Viagra pen.

As we arrived back at our hotel, our van had to dodge an army of tourist hustlers loitering just beyond the grounds.  As the security gate closed behind us, those aggressive touts reminded me of horror-movie zombies.  They stood there behind an impassable fence salivating at their potential victims.  Instead of wanting our brains, they simply wanted our wallets.

"People like that weren't part of the revolution," Sam emphasized as he pointed to those tourist hustlers.

Dinner was at the hotel's Khan el-Khalili restaurant.

A steaming pile of dog poop?  Nope. It's kofta and keema.

Okra tagine

Creme brulee for dessert

After dinner, I really got to thinking about Tahir Square, the Egyptian Revolution, and the passion their young generation has for democracy.  All of this made me contemplate how much we as Americans take our freedom for granted.  I have been inspired to be more political and to keep updated with our coming elections.  I have felt compelled to turn on CNN and watch hours and hours of politics.  I am going to change and be passionate about actively campaigning for my political beliefs...On second thought, these will have to wait until another day.  Arab Idol is coming on tonight.