Experiencing Sinai the Bedouin Way

It is unusual for Indians, especially for two Indian women, to go backpacking to the Sinai. Most Indians who do visit Sinai for the Holy Land tour, do so in large groups. So when my sister and I travelled there we were met with surprise almost everywhere we went. We hadn’t planned the Sinai trip until the last minute; we were enjoying our Nile cruise from Aswan to Luxor and wondering how to get to Sinai and where to stay once we got there. There was precious little information available on the internet; however after considerable research I found the Sheik Mousa Bedouin Camp which looked promising and inexpensive. We called the number listed on their website and asked the man, who we later came to know as Saleh, if we could be picked up from Sharm el Sheikh. We were to finish our cruise at Luxor, take a bus from Luxor to Hurghada, hop on a flight from Hurghada to Sharm el Sheikh and then head to Saint Catherine which would be our final destination.

The Sinai desert

Hurghada is a typical resort town along the Red Sea coast with pretty beaches and with numerous options for snorkeling and diving enthusiasts. We spent a night in Hurghada at a cheap hotel called the Golden Rose. It had big, clean, functional rooms and gave access to the public beach to all its guests- essentially it was completely worth the price we paid since we were only passing through Hurghada and not planning on spending much time there. The flight from Hurghada to Sharm el Sheikh across the Red Sea is the shortest one I’ve been on in my life so far- 20 minutes end to end!

We were picked up at Sharm el Sheikh airport by Mohamed – a member of the Jebeliya Bedouin tribe that lives in Saint Catherine. The Sheik Mousa Bedouin Camp is a collaborative effort by the Jebeliya community to ensure all the tribe members are suitably employed.

The Jebeliya Tribe elders enjoying their morning tea

The Bedouins are a fascinating people. If you’ve never sat around a bonfire out in the cold desert bathed in magical moonlight listening to Bedouin folk stories, you’ve missed something in life! That’s what we did on our first night in Saint Catherine. Saleh and two of his tribesmen, Yasser and Said, took us pretty deep into the desert in the dead of night to gaze at the stars. The sky was crystal clear with the bright moon hanging over us like a chandelier. Being a city girl, I’d never seen so many constellations and planets so clearly ever before! The temperature was sub-zero and I wrapped myself in two heavy blankets to keep the cold out.

Said, a musician, had brought his Oud along and he entertained us with soulful renditions of Arab folk songs of love and loss. The Bedouins are philosophical people and Saleh regaled us with stories of their tribe’s history and folklore. The story of how the Jebeliya tribe made Saint Catherine their home is pretty incredible. About 1500 years ago forty Bedouin families, who were Christians at the time, were ordered by Emperor Justinian to come to Saint Catherine to protect the monastery. Over the ages, the Jebeliya embraced Islam as their religion but they still remain protective of the monastery and view it as a symbol of their history and culture. For the Bedouins, camels are a way of life. They form an integral part of their existence in the harsh conditions of the desert. As a result most of their folk stories and songs prominently feature camels and when they offer a bride-price to the girl they want to marry, they express it by the number of camels they’re willing to give- the more the camels, the more valuable the woman is!

Listening to Bedouin stories around the fire

Said playing the Oud

Saleh is a uniquely interesting man- one might even call him the Bill Gates of Saint Catherine. A very enterprising businessman- he is dedicated towards improving the conditions of his tribe, especially its women. He’s surprisingly modern and progressive- he supported the education of two of his sisters and one went on to become a qualified lawyer and the other a teacher. He wants his 17 year old daughter to become a doctor someday. Through his NGO he enables local Bedouin women to earn some money by making handicrafts. Along with running the Bedouin camp, he owns several other businesses and properties all over Saint Catherine. In spite of being such a busy man, you’ll always find him greeting the guests at the camp, taking the time to show them around and narrating interesting stories.

Entrance to the rooms in the Bedouin camp

The stunning backdrop of the Bedouin camp

The Bedouins have almost an independent economy running on a small scale in Saint Catherine. The tribe has appointed leaders- one who represents them and their concerns to the government, one who takes care of economic matters and one who settles disputes.

If you stay with the Bedouins, they will take you up to Mount Sinai (locally called Jebel Mousa– the Mountain of Moses) on a path different from the usual tourist route. This is the path the local Bedouins use and you will not meet any other tourists on the way. We had decided to climb Mt. Sinai to watch the sunset rather than the usual sunrise climb. To watch the sunrise one needs to start climbing at night as it takes about 4 hours to reach the top. We started in the afternoon at 1.30 pm to catch the sunset at 5.30. It was a picturesque route with many beautiful sights to see, including snow! I’m not a seasoned trekker so I found the trek very exhausting, but it was worth all the interesting sights along the way. It is unbelievable how the Bedouins have created a thriving community in these rocky desert mountains in the middle of nowhere with very little vegetation. Yet they have their small gardens and farms of desert plants and they walk miles and miles each day to graze their herds of sheep.

A gorgeous tree standing proud

A well in the middle of nowhere

A monastery high up in the mountains

 

The trek up to the top took longer than expected and we reached huffing and puffing a few minutes after sundown. It was freezing by then and we collapsed on the bench as we entered the café at the top of the mountain. Our Bedouin guide though was as energetic as ever and immediately got down to the job of making us some hot tea. He hadn’t even had a sip of water throughout the trek despite being offered several times and wasn’t out of breath at all! I, for one, let him know that there was no way in hell that I would make my way down that mountain again that night and I needed accommodation for the night. He called Saleh right away and arranged for us to sleep there overnight. As we waited for dinner to get ready, I realized I needed to use the restroom and ventured outside to locate it. I regretted it immediately as I was hit by a blast of icy cold wind and in spite of 3 layers of warm clothes, my insides froze. I tried to finish up and rush back to the relative warmth of the café as soon as possible.

With our Bedouin guide Yasser

Our snow-laden path to the top

Once I was back, Samira, the pet cat decided her perch would be my lap and made herself very comfortable there. Samira means ‘sweet company’ in Arabic and sweet she was! This darling cat, who started following us when we were a little more than halfway up the mountain, acted as my inspiration when I almost thought of giving up on account of my exhaustion. She would wait for us to make our way up and then go ahead a few more steps to wait again. Although she’s a pampered little cat, she’s a free spirit that roams the mountains on her own and comes up to the café every two or three days. Once the delicious dinner of roast chicken, rice, vegetables and hot soup was served, Samira stationed herself under my seat and demanded bits of chicken at regular intervals. After dinner we made our way to the room prepared by our guide and the café owner for us to sleep in. They had very kindly made beds for us and provided us with several blankets and we were given sufficient privacy by screening off a section of the room with curtains. In the morning this room would turn into a café serving hot tea and coffee to the sunrise climbers. Despite using 3 heavy blankets, my feet remained frozen through the night which resulted in a disturbed sleep.

We awoke at 4.30 the next morning to watch the sunrise which was supposed to be at 5.15. There were already close to a 100 other tourists who’d turned up for the sunrise by the time we woke up. After a highly welcome hot cup of tea, we wrapped ourselves in a blanket and made our way up the last hundred steps to reach the sunrise point. It was still dark and our hands were numb from the bitter cold. As the dawn broke across the sky, we witnessed the glorious sun emerge from the horizon and spread light and warmth over the valleys below. I experienced something close to an epiphany of how Moses must have felt all those thousands of years ago, standing high up on this very mountain looking over the world below and receiving the word of God.

At the top of Mt. Sinai

After the sunrise we started making our way back down. We were to stay at the camp that night and leave for Cairo by bus early next morning. As our stay there was drawing to a close, I wished we could stay longer and know the people better. Bedouins are some of the most warm and hospitable people who go out of their way to make you feel comfortable and welcome. Of all the travel experiences I’ve had, this one will surely remain in my heart as one of the most memorable ones. Saleh was sad to see us go and gave us friendship bracelets as parting gifts, a gesture that really touched me. We bid goodbye and boarded our bus which made its way through the stunning, stark landscape of the Sinai desert towards the bustling city of Cairo.

The desert road snaking its way through the stark landscape

What to See in a Day in Cairo

What if you’re on a business trip to Cairo or just passing through the city for a day? Even if you have one free day on your hands, don’t waste it in this fascinating country. Go out there, see the sights, eat some traditional Egyptian food and have an unforgettable experience!

There’s quite a lot you can do with your day in Cairo and my blog today will cater to the many different types of travellers one comes across in this world: the history lover, the music lover, the architecture enthusiast, the one who likes a bit of everything.

The Great Pyramids of Giza are of course a must on every person’s list and rightly so! Believe me when I say I got goosebumps the first time I stood in front of the Pyramids. All the history books from my schooldays came alive and I was filled with awe at the sheer perfection of this magnificent structure. That’s when I had second thoughts about completely dismissing the conspiracy theory I’d heard of earlier: that the aliens actually built the Pyramids! Jokes aside, how did humans build such a monument more than 4500 years ago with such precision and took care to align them with the magnetic North Pole and other celestial bodies?

Reaching for the skies!

The Pyramids are open to visitors from 8 A.M. onward, so the earlier you’re there the better. The entrance fee is 80 Egyptian pounds(LE) for foreigners, roughly $5 and if you want to go inside any of the Pyramids you have to pay an additional amount: 200 LE for the Great Pyramid of Khufu and 40 LE each for the 2nd or 3rd Pyramid. The moment you enter the Pyramid complex you may be hassled by the guides present there. In my opinion, it’s best to avoid them and take a tour by yourself (do some reading up on the history beforehand) or arrange for your own guide. For those who’d like to, there are camel rides available within the Pyramid complex close to the Great Pyramid. Their standard rate is 50 LE for half an hour but if you choose to hire the ride from anywhere else near the Pyramids, they will try to fleece you, so beware!

For those deeply interested in history, you could finish your tour of the Pyramids by 11 A.M. or so (assuming you were there at 8) and then head to the Egyptian museum. The museum is a treasure trove of artifacts from Egypt’s glorious past. For more details on the museum you could read one of my previous blogs on the subject : Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. You need at least 3-4 hours to have a reasonably good tour of the museum(it is immense!). They don’t allow visitors to enter beyond 4 P.M. and it remains open till 7, except on Sundays and Thursdays when the museum is open till 9. The entrance fee is 75 LE on normal days and 120 LE on Sundays and Thursdays. The Mummy Room has a separate fee of 100 LE. You have to buy a separate ticket of 50 LE for photography (Note:no photography allowed in the Mummy Room).

To admire Islamic architecture, you could head straight to the Cairo Citadel and Islamic Cairo from the Pyramids. The Citadel is a medieval fortification built by the legendary Salah al-Din between 1176 to 1183 AD to protect the city from the Crusaders. The citadel also hosts the Muhammad Ali mosque also called the Alabaster mosque which was built in the 1800s and is now the chief attraction at the Citadel. The inside of the mosque is beautifully lit with hundreds of lamps. The mosque is the highest point of the Citadel and you can get a panoramic view of Cairo from here. Entrance into the Citadel costs 60 LE.

From the Citadel, proceed to Bab el Futuh which stands at the northern end of the historic Al Muizz Street. The word ‘Bab’ means ‘gate’ in Arabic and Bab el Futuh literally translates to ‘Conquest Gate’. It is one of the three remaining gates of the old city of Cairo also called Islamic Cairo or Old Cairo. Muizz Street is a long, winding, cobble-stoned road approximately one kilometre long (feels much longer) that has an incredible number of medieval Islamic structures. If you enter at the northern end, you will first come across the Al-Hakim Mosque which I personally find one of the most peaceful places in Cairo. You can just sit there and do nothing but soak in the serenity! If you happen to be there on a quiet afternoon, you will usually find little kids playing in the distance, a few families spending some quiet time together, perhaps a girl in the corner reading her Qur’an or a schoolboy finishing up his homework.

Al-Hakim Mosque

Al-Hakim Mosque

Al Muizz street is lined with many beautiful mosques, shops selling knick-knacks and of course food; you could grab some delicious shawarma on your way. The other end of the street opens up onto the Spice Market and Khan el-Khalili which is the go-to place to buy souvenirs from Egypt. There are many interesting shops in Khan el-Khalili, although I usually always go to a store called Jordi as they have very reasonable and fixed prices. Taking a tour of Old Cairo during Ramadan is again a different kind of experience which you can read about here: Ramadan in Egypt-A walk through Old Cairo.

If you’re musically inclined and happen to be in Old Cairo on a Monday, Wednesday or Saturday, do NOT miss the Tanoura show that takes place at Wekalet el-Ghouri Arts Center at 7.30 P.M. It’s usually a full house so be there early enough to get a seat. The entrance fee is 30 LE. It’s right next to Khan el-Khalili and if you ask around, someone will give you directions. It is an incredible show, especially the first half which includes mainly percussion and music. The second half introduces the whirling Dervishes which is also a spectacular sight!

Sufi music

Whirling Dervish

 

It’ll be an exhausting day but completely worth your while! You will come away feeling satiated with all the different experiences and take back fond memories of this wonderful city of Cairo.

Upper Egypt(Part 3)- Of pharaonic temples and mythical gods

Unlike the Kom Ombo Temple which is right on the banks of the Nile, the Edfu Temple can be reached by horse carriage once you get off your cruise boat. It’s a lovely ride through the quaint little town of Edfu which still looks like it’s in the Middle Ages. Within 10-15 minutes the Edfu Temple comes into view.

This temple was built in the Ptolemaic period between 237 and 57 BC and was of immense religious significance. The temple is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and is one of the most well-preserved temples of Upper Egypt. As in many other temples, the carvings on the walls of Edfu temple were also defaced by the early Christians and later the entire temple was buried under 12 meters of sand until it was rediscovered in 1798. One of the reasons the temple managed to remain in good shape was because of being buried underground for centuries. In that sense the early Christians unknowingly did us a favour.

Entrance to the Edfu Temple

The Edfu Temple is one of the largest temples with a massive public court and as many as 10 storage rooms! This was due to the 21-day harvest festival that used to be held in honour of Horus every year. The reliefs in this temple depict a number of strange mythical creatures like winged snakes among others and there’s a very angry-looking Horus in the form of a falcon at the entrance to the temple.

Horus in his falcon form

I found two features most interesting about this temple. One was the shrine that is shaped like a bird cage signifying the main deity of the temple. The other is the stairway that was built to allow the falcon god to fly up to the open roof and enjoy the freedom a bird deserves. Just as a falcon rises upward by flying in circles, the stairway going up was built like a spiral and the one coming down was a straight slope because a falcon always swoops down to the ground. Even the metallic boat that was carried by the priests to circumambulate the temple with the idol of Horus has been preserved perfectly.

The bird-cage shrine and boat

Depictions of Horus and Hathor

We sailed the rest of the day and were on our way to Luxor which we were to reach next morning. Apart from the mesmerising beauty of the Nile, the most significant event I witnessed was when we were crossing the Aswan High Dam. As there is a huge difference in water levels, there is a special mechanism to help boats and ships pass through. We were going from high to low and our ship had to first enter a specified area which was then cut off by closing the sluice gates. Then the gate of the lower side was opened to let the water flow out and become level with the lower side. As that happened, our ship started descending along with the descending levels of water. I found this quite fascinating as I’d never experienced it before!

My next and last piece on Upper Egypt will be about Luxor. It’ll be up soon; till then I hope you enjoy reading this one.

Upper Egypt(Part 2)- Of pharaonic temples and mythical gods

I’m back to take you on my exciting journey through the rest of Upper Egypt! Our cruise was supposed to sail in the afternoon of the second day; so we thought of utilising the morning to take a peek at the famous Abu Simbel temple. Abu Simbel is about 300 km by road from Aswan, so we set out at 4.30 am to be there by a reasonable hour and be back to the cruise by afternoon.

The temple of Abu Simbel is a living testament to the great warrior king of ancient Egypt: Ramesses II. This temple was built by the pharaoh himself and also dedicated to himself- yes, he had an extremely high opinion of his own prowess, and why not? He was one of the most successful pharaohs of Egypt who led numerous military campaigns and ruled his kingdom for a good 66 years! In popular culture, he is also credited with being the Pharaoh of the Exodus when Moses led the enslaved Hebrews out of Egypt; although there is no compelling evidence supporting this fact.

Four colossal figures of Ramesses II at the entrance

The entrance to the temple is flanked by four colossal figures of Ramesses II in the seated position. The shrine or sanctuary inside is dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty and Ptah as well as Ramesses who had elevated his own position to equal that of the gods.

The original temple of Abu Simbel was carved into the mountain but it had to be relocated due to the creation of Lake Nasser to avoid being submerged. But during relocation, engineers and architects had to rack their brains and do their math to maintain the most interesting aspect of this temple : The ancient Egyptians had built the temple in such a way that every year on February 22 and October 22 (the king’s birthday and coronation day), the rays of the sun would penetrate the sanctuary and shine on the faces of the statues except that of Ptah as he was the god of the underworld and always remains in the dark. The design and layout of the temple also ensured that the sun would shine longest over Ramesses himself, indicating his habit of self-glorification. Well, what the ancient Egyptians could do all those thousands of years ago was not perfectly maintained by us modern folk. During relocation, the entire temple block was lifted 65 meters higher and lodged into an artificial concrete hill with just one small error- we are about one day off in our calculations of the solar alignment! The walls inside the temple have fantastic depictions of war scenes and victory parades of the Pharaoh and some of them have retained their original colours.

The other smaller temple in the complex is dedicated to Goddess Hathor represented in the form of Queen Nefertari, the most beloved wife of Ramesses II among his many other wives. As photography is not permitted in the inner sanctuaries of either temple, I will leave you with pictures of the facades.

Statue of Queen Nefertari(middle) flanked by Ramesses II on either side, Temple of Nefertari at Abu Simbel

We headed back to our cruise only to learn that it would not sail that afternoon as planned due to inclement weather. We were docked for almost the entire night and started sailing only in the early hours of next morning. Our next stop would be the Kom Ombo Temple which we reached at about 7 in the morning.

The Kom Ombo Temple is considered unusual as it is a “double temple” dedicated to two gods : Sobek and Horus. Most temples of ancient Egypt had 5 main elements- the pylon(entrance), the public court, priest’s chamber, storerooms and the sanctuary or shrine. The temple of Kom Ombo is perfectly symmetrical along the main axis and each element is replicated on both sides with one side dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the other to the falcon god Horus. I must share an interesting anecdote our guide told us about the priest’s room which comes right after the space meant for offerings : there is a small tunnel priests could go through and sit on a pedestal, away from the eyes of the devotees who came with offerings. After being seated, the priest would pretend to assume the voice of God and instruct the devotee to bring the desired offering thus ensuring the temple always received the offerings of choice or things it lacked.

Kom Ombo Temple

The Kom Ombo temple complex also contains a Nilometer which was the ingenious way ancient Egyptians used to measure the floodwaters to calculate taxes. The interesting thing is that the Nilometer is shaped like a Key of Life indicating the importance of the Nile for the Egyptian civilisation. The complex also houses a museum for crocodile mummies as Sobek is one of the gods of the temple. However, photography is not permitted in the Crocodile Museum.

Nilometer shaped like a Key of Life

After Kom Ombo, our next stop would be the Edfu Temple in a few hours. In the meanwhile we enjoyed cruising along the magnificent Nile with beautiful greenery on either side. As we sailed, I looked around at the glorious natural beauty and thought to myself, “No wonder Egypt is called the Gift of the Nile!”

Read Part 1 here: Upper Egypt(Part 1)- Of pharaonic temples and mythical gods

Upper Egypt(Part 1)- Of pharaonic temples and mythical gods

After a really long hiatus I’m back to writing about my travels. I’ve been travelling quite a bit within Egypt in the last couple of months and I’ll tell you all about it in this and subsequent blog posts. I’ve dearly missed writing my blog! Luckily, the school I work at is off for Easter break; so I now have time to gather my thoughts and put pen to paper.

Normally the first thing that comes to mind when we talk of Egypt are the pyramids. But Egypt has so much more! Every nook and corner of this country is steeped in fascinating history. Just the other day archaeologists found a massive statue of a pharaoh, possibly Ramses II or Psammetich I, inside a slum in Cairo submerged in dirty muddy water. I often let my imagination run wild and feel thrilled thinking, “What if Ramses II or Queen Hatshepsut has set foot exactly where I’m sitting right now? All those thousands of years ago!”

Visiting Upper Egypt and looking at all its historical treasures is the most enchanting and awe inspiring experience! I travelled there in March and was lucky to experience pleasant weather (it is normally hotter than Cairo). Booking a Nile cruise is the best way to see the sights as you simultaneously get to enjoy the natural beauty of the Nile and the historical sites. We travelled by an overnight train from Cairo to Aswan where we were supposed to board our cruise. We reached Aswan in the afternoon at around 1 pm and directly went to see the Unfinished Obelisk, the Aswan high dam and the Philae temple before proceeding to the cruise.

The Unfinished Obelisk was commissioned by Queen Hatshepsut and is located in the stone quarries of ancient Egypt which has now become an open air museum. The obelisk was carved directly out of the bedrock but the project had to be abandoned as cracks started to appear in the granite. This site provides us with valuable insights into how ancient Egyptians used to cut stone to build their maginificent structures. The Egyptians had devised an ingenious way of cutting out gigantic pieces of rock despite the complete lack of modern technology. They would carve out small rectangular incisions on the rock at regular intervals and insert wooden spikes which would then be wetted till saturation. The wood would expand due to the water and thus crack the rock. Transporting such huge pieces of rock seems to be another insurmountable problem, but the Egyptians found a way around that too! The quarries were located conveniently close to the banks of the Nile and when the river would flood its banks, they would use rafts to transport the rocks to different parts of Egypt.

The Unfinished Obelisk

We proceeded next to the Aswan High Dam which was built between 1960-1970 by the former USSR on a loan to Egypt. This dam supplies about 10% of Egypt’s power and controls the yearly flooding of the Nile. Lake Nasser is the reservoir created by the dam and is named after the Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser during whose time the dam was built. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world.

View of Lake Nasser from top of the Aswan dam

Our next stop was the Philae temple which is one of the several temples that had to be relocated due to fears of being submerged under Lake Nasser after the Aswan dam was built. If building such a beautiful temple thousands of years ago was an achievement, removing it from its original spot and painstakingly rebuilding it block by block is another feat! But that’s what a team of deidicated archaeologists made possible. This restored temple is located on an island on Lake Nasser as was the original. In ancient times, the island used to be treated as neutral territory where Egyptians and Nubians would come together to trade, much like a modern free trade zone! The main temple is dedicated to the goddess Isis and was built during the reign of pharaoh Nectanebo I. The remaining additions were made largely during the Ptolemaic era.

This temple is a melting pot of ancient Egyptian, Greek and Roman cultures as it has representations from all three eras. It has also been victim to extensive defacement by the early Christians, Napoleon’s soldiers, visitors from the 1800s and Egyptologists who wanted to leave their mark by carving their names on some of the walls. The early Christians, particularly, had taken great pains to mutilate the “heathen” sculptures of this temple.

Columns leading up to the main temple of Isis

(Defaced) Carvings on the face of the temple wall

A victorious message of conquest left by Napoleon’s soldiers

There is also a smaller temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor and an open roof structure called Trajan’s Kiosk built by the Roman emperor Trajan.

We ended our first day in Upper Egypt tired, but thoroughly soaked in wonderful history. We retired to bed pretty early as we were looking forward to our trip to the famous temple of Abu Simbel early next morning. So wait for my next post as I take you through the rest of my journey to the fascinating temples of ancient Egypt and much more!

Alexandria -the historical marvel(Part 2)

Our second day in Alexandria was the one I was looking forward to most as we were supposed to visit the Roman Catacombs. I had heard good things about the place, locally called Kom el Shoqafa. In spite of its fascinating history it seemed to be one of the less frequented tourist spots. Even though it is located at a stone’s throw from Pompey’s Pillar, many local drivers don’t know about it and look confused when you mention the place to them. So we used GPS to help our driver get there. He had to manoeuver the cab through a long, narrow, winding road to reach the ancient necropolis located deep underground.

Legend has it that in the year 1900, when the site used to be a stone quarry, a donkey fell into a deep hole in the ground and thus that humble beast of burden stumbled upon one of the most astounding archeological discoveries ever! The burial site is believed to have been built sometime in the 1st century AD and had been actively used for about 200 years. It is designed like a well and there are spiral steps leading down to the rock-cut tombs below.

Right in the centre is the main temple flanked by two pillars at the entrance and carvings on the walls. There are about 3 tombs inside which were probably used to bury people of high rank. The main reason why I found the catacombs so fascinating is that it is living proof of how ancient Pharaonic Egypt started blending in with the Greco-Roman culture. For instance, in the main temple, there are wall panels depicting the mummification process which was a practice of ancient Egypt, however many of the figures and statues have distinct Greco-Roman features(curly hair, the robe etc). Even more interesting is the fact that Egyptian and Greek and Roman gods are sharing the same wall space.

There are several corridors branching out from the centre leading to a series of more humble tombs of ordinary people which essentially meant those people could only afford a ‘hole in the wall’ for their afterlife. As one takes a tour of the tombs, one gets an eerie feeling as if those long-gone people might just jump out of their tombs any minute.

After our tour of the catacombs we walked down to Pompey’s Pillar, a triumphal column built in 297 AD measuring 20.46 metres in height. One of the largest monolithic structures in the world, this pillar has been incorrectly named after Pompey. It was in fact built to commemorate the victory of Roman emperor Diocletian over an Alexandrian revolt. The gigantic pillar standing tall and erect is guarded by a couple of Sphinx, which again shows the interesting fusion of Egyptian and Greco-Roman cultures.

We wrapped up our day with a trip to the Citadel of Qaitbay, a defensive fortress built by Sultan Al-Ashraf Sayf al-Din Qa’it Bay in 1477 AD. The fortress was constructed on the site of the ancient lighthouse of Alexandria which no longer exists today. It served as an important defense stronghold for Alexandria in the 15th century as it is strategically located on the Mediterranean coast.

I would recommend travellers to spend two days in Alexandria instead of cramming everything into a single day. But do check prior to your trip as some of the sites are closed on Fridays and some on Saturdays. Alexandria is a lovely city with an old-world charm and to really soak in the feel of the city, one should spend sufficient time there. We were lucky to have visited during Eid, as the streets were relatively empty on the morning of Eid and I stood in the balcony of our hotel room and watched the bright green trams slowly trundling by while I enjoyed the lovely sea breeze.

 

 

Alexandria-the historical marvel (Part 1)

It’s been quite a long time since my last blog post. I’ve been busy and lazy too, to be honest. So many experiences and thoughts have accumulated in this period which I’d like to put down in words now.

My husband and I planned a short getaway to the beautiful historical city of Alexandria during the Eid holidays in September. We took a morning train from Cairo and reached Alexandria in a little over 2.5 hours.

This ancient city sits on the shores of the Mediterranean Sea and was founded by Alexander the Great way back in 331 BC! It was an extremely important seat of learning and culture throughout the Hellenistic, Roman and Byzantine civilisations till about 641 AD when the Islamic conquest of Egypt took place. Alexandria still remains an important business center and strategic port city.

We had booked a room at the Paradise Inn Le Metropole which is conveniently located along the corniche with a fantastic view of the Mediterranean. Since the check-in time at most hotels in Egypt is at 3 p.m., we had a considerable amount of time to kill. We deicded to visit a couple of places of interest directly after getting off the train. The Roman Amphitheatre is just a few hundred metres from the train station, so that was our first destination. The amphitheatre complex is surprisingly well preserved and it showcases a number of ancient artifacts from both the Egyptian and Greco-Roman times which have been retrieved from under the sea. The amphitheatre itself has a flat stage in the centre with raised rows surrounding it in a semi-circular fashion. It’s designed in a scientific way keeping acoustics in mind such that if you stand at the centre and speak in a raised voice, you will be heard by the entire audience. There is a broad pathway with tall pillars on both sides leading up to the theatre. One can almost imagine the Greek and Roman generals in their robes, walking down the path to watch a drama or perhaps listen to a great orator of the time.

We proceeded next to the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a state-of-the-art, modern library built on the site of the ancient Great Library of Alexandria which was destroyed by invaders in a fire. In fact there could have been several fires through the ages which destroyed at least parts, if not the whole, of this magnificent library. It was a major centre for learning during the Ptolemaic dynasty and by looking at the recreated version of the library today, you could imagine its grandeur back in the day. Thousands of papyrus scrolls containing all the world’s knowledge would’ve adorned its shelves. Great thinkers and philosophers of the time would’ve sat debating on subjects like astronomy, mathematics, philosophy and literature. The massive library today houses well over 500,000 books, a digital library, art galleries and an antiquities museum among other things. The museum showcases artifacts from the Egyptian, Greco-Roman and Coptic ages but does not permit photography. The library also has a collection of early models of the printing press developed during the 1600-1800’s.

We finally proceeded to check in to our hotel to enjoy the lovely sea-view and grabbed some yummy shawarma on our way there. We decided to relax for the rest of that day and planned to visit the Roman catacombs, Pompey’s Pillar and Fort Qaitbay the next day. I will end the first part of my Alexandria travelogue here and present my exciting experiences of the second day to you soon. Stay tuned and please leave your likes and feedback. See you soon!

Ramadan in Egypt-A walk through Old Cairo

I’ve experienced Ramadan in India several times before. It’s called Ramzan there and to me, as a non-Muslim, Ramadan was all about fragrant Biryani and Haleem and visiting the predominantly Muslim areas of a city to savour these delicacies. This time I got to spend Ramadan in Cairo and naturally I was interested to see what the local customs are during this holy month. RealEgypt announced a tour of Old Cairo during Ramadan which seemed interesting to me and as expected, Samir from RealEgypt did not disappoint!

It was absolutely fascinating to walk through this old part of Cairo which became the capital during the Islamic invasion of Egypt in the Middle Ages. The cobblestone alleys, the bustling bazaars and workshops are reminiscent of a time when spice traders would come to the very same place for business and slaves would be bought and sold more than 1200 years ago! Our tour began at 4 pm at the Bab al Futuh which is one of the three remaining gates in the walls of Old Cairo. The impressive structure with rounded towers served to fortify the city during the Fatimid rule of Egypt. The Bab al Futuh opens into the long, winding Al Muizz Street which is lined with historical buildings of the medieval era and is a treasure trove of architectural delights.

Our first stop was the El Hakim mosque (also called Al-Jam`e Al-Anwar) – a grand and spacious mosque built during the Fatimid era and one of the major religious sites in Cairo. The mosque was originally built as an enclosure and not just as a prayer house and to this day local families treat it as a place of gathering, children play in the spetacular, huge courtyard and poor people take refuge from the unrelenting sun. The members of the Dawoodi Bohra Muslim community from India, who are settled now in Egypt, contributed immensely toward the restoration of this beautiful mosque; although due to the differences between the Shia and Sunni sects, the Bohras aren’t permitted to lead the prayers at the mosque.

We walked further down Al Muizz Street and Samir explained to us how slave trade used to take place on the same street till about 1860. An interesting thing to note is that slaves, or Mamluks as they were called, actually enjoyed a better lifestyle than the average Egyptian citizen in those days. They were given a home, training in various martial arts, languages and Islamic studies after which they were expected to serve in the army or carry out other duties within the kingdom. A time came when the Mamluks became more powerful than the rulers and overthrew them to establish the Mamluk Sultanate in Egypt.

There are several narrow alleys branching out of the main Al Muizz street. These bylanes are lined with workshops and wholesale markets for traditional Egyptian pots and pans, lanterns, shisha and other knick-knacks. As you navigate your way through this maze the smell of delicious meat cooking in the background for the Iftar feast comes wafting through the air. One of these bylanes was beautifully decorated with life sized dolls, colourful streamers and lanterns.

We viewed a few more mosques from the outside before proceeding to the more palatial mosques built during the Mamluk empire and each named after the Sultans who built them. The grandeur of these structures, as Samir explained, were used more as a show of power and splendour of the ruling Sultan rather than being simply a place of worship.

A distinctive feature of the mosques from the Ottoman era is that the minarets are not typically Islamic. They rather resemble a church spire as you will see in the picture below.

A little further ahead lies the local police station- a stately building with a structure on the side containing jail cells from the olden days that are no longer used. Behind the police station, tucked away from public view, is the Khan Gaafar street where tables had been laid out for a free Iftar feast for the poor.

As dusk fell, the whole area burst into activity and was lit up beautifully. People were out on the street enjoying their Iftar meal with friends and family. We had our Iftar feast at an Egyptian seafood restaurant where we were served some delicious crab stew, whole fried fish, batter fried shrimp, Egyptian rice and bread with dip.

After dinner we roamed through the Jewish alley which is filled with gold and silver jewellery shops that were once owned by Egyptian Jews and now taken over largely by Copts as there are barely any Jews left in Egypt at present. We continued onto the Spice Market which had rows of shops selling spices from all over the world. The aroma of various spices filled our senses and I was reminded strongly of Calcutta which also has similar wholesale markets crammed inside narrow alleys with a mad rush of people and all the hustle and bustle.

Thus ended my tour as I headed home tired but satiated with the experiences of the day. Thanks to RealEgypt and Samir for providing such a wonderful and informative tour of Cairo and an insight into the Egyptian way of celebrating Ramadan.

Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

For any student of history or for someone deeply interested in history, the Museum of Antiquities in Cairo is an absolutely fascinating treasure trove. You need to make several trips to the museum before you can absorb even half of what’s in there! I went with a group called RealEgypt which organises offbeat tours within Egypt and some even outside. The owner Samir Abbas is an Egyptologist with interesting insights into the history of this ancient country and he often shares his theories regarding various historical events which may be different from what’s written in the books. The usual guided tour of the museum lasts barely two hours and the guides make you rush through all the artefacts as if you were in a race. However, Samir spent six hours showing us really interesting things which you’d normally miss and narrated the stories behind each of them.

The Goddess Isis giving offerings to the Sun God Ra

The Sun God Ra was at the centre of ancient Egyptian culture and was thought to represent life itself. In fact dead people were referred to as ‘western’ since the sun sets in the west. Most monuments and tombs were built to face the sun and statues of the Pharaohs were positioned such that the sun rays would shine on their faces.

In the museum, the artefacts can be found divided into four major categories according to the relevant periods i.e Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom and the Greco-Roman period.

During the ancient Egyptian civilisation, dwarves and other people with disabilities held important positions in the government and they married beautiful Egyptian noblewomen as can be seen in many of the artefacts. Scribes were in charge of calculation of taxes apart from also writing the official decrees. The Egyptians had an amazing foolproof way of collecting taxes using the Nile meter. It measured the level  of the Nile floods each year and thereby determined the quantity of grains due to the government as tax. Ingenious method, wasn’t it? Among the official decrees etched in stone, one can even find representations of ‘policemen’ beating tax defaulters with sticks and a scribe sitting in front of a granary calculating the actual amount of tax due from the farmer to the government. These were probably made to warn people of the consequences of default.

L: A scribe taking notes on his papyrus sheet. R: A dwarf with his beautiful wife and children

During the Middle Kingdom, one can see a marked difference in the facial features of the Egyptian rulers indicating that there might have been some infiltration of the attacking tribes from Asia Minor into the Egyptian ruling class. In this period the tombs and pyramids were not as fancy as before as there were budget cuts to build dams on the Nile instead. Even fish, which was earlier considered poor man’s food, is seen as offerings on several artefacts. It is interesting to note that even in those days, the Egyptians used to greet each other just as they do today- with a hug and a peck on each cheek.

L: Fish given as offerings.                                      R: The Pharaoh greeting a god the Egyptian way

 

Then came the New Kingdom which saw some of the most well known rulers of ancient Egypt such as Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, Hatshepsut and Ramesses II. The main focus of the New Kingdom was the army and thus this period produced some of the finest warriors. King Thutmose is considered the greatest warrior as he led several successful campaigns and his mummy is testament to that fact! – his face is covered in battle scars which are clearly visible. King Akhenaten rejected the polytheistic culture of Egypt and revived the importance of the Sun God. He did this to establish himself as superior to the High Priests who were slowly becoming more powerful than the throne. King Akhenaten had a very feminine body which has been depicted in some statues although some Egyptologists argue that they represent his queen, the beautiful Nefertiti.

Queen Hatshepsut was one admirable lady and is widely regarded as the most successful Pharaoh of Egypt. Many experts are of the opinion that records of her rule were intentionally erased by her successor and she was portrayed in a negative light since then possibly out of jealousy. In fact there was a dramatic downfall in the position of women in ancient Egyptian society after her rule ended.

L: Queen Hatshepsut dressed as a male.         R: King Akhenaten’s androgynous form.

The upper floor of the museum is almost entirely dedicated to King Tutankhamun and his perfectly preserved belongings. You can even see the toys the little prince Tut used to play with and the slippers he used to wear. When you look at those artefacts, you’re filled with wonder at how similar present-day life is to ancient Egypt. Even back then, little children sat in baby chairs and played with toys in the shape of animals! People used buttons,jewelry and even teapots which look surpirsingly modern.

Clockwise from top left: King Tut’s golden bed, his flail & scepter, teapot-like vessels used to pour out liquids, King Tut leading an army to war, his chariot, buttons used in those days, King Tut’s life size statue, his childhood playthings and stool, a funeral procession. Centre: King Tut’s jewelry.

The Mummy Room is also on the upper floor and it has a separate entrance fee although photography isn’t allowed. It feels somewhat eerie to watch the mummies up close. You feel as if they might wake up any moment- they look so realistic. I must say King Seti I was a really handsome man and his mummy is so perfectly preserved that you can clearly imagine how he must’ve been while alive!

On the ground floor there is also a small section from the Greco-Roman period with characteristic Julius Caesar-like sculptures from that age.

A man and a woman from the Greco-Roman era

One whole day was nowhere near enough to cover everything in this immense museum. I hope to go back there again soon to see the rest. I’d highly recommend RealEgypt as your guide if you’re someone who loves to know the intricacies of history rather than going through it superficially.

(P.S. Please carry some water and snacks with you, as walking around the museum can get pretty tiring. If you plan to take photographs inside, you should remember to buy an additional ticket for that.)

Suez Canal

 

The Suez Canal could be dubbed a modern day wonder in a real sense. Imagine dredging thousands of tonnes of sand to make way for the sea! One is almost reminded of Moses’ parting of the Red Sea. More so because the Suez Canal also connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean Sea.

The Suez Canal lies in the Egyptian city of Suez, about a 3 hour drive from the capital Cairo. It is managed by the Suez Canal Authority who also have a lovely club on the banks of the canal. A perfect spot for a picnic.

The canal was originally opened in the year 1869 and is considered one of the most strategic waterways of the world. Under the Convention of Constantinople, it may be used “in time of war as in time of peace, by every vessel of commerce or of war, without distinction of flag.” The sheer genius of the canal is that it cuts short the sea voyage between Europe and Asia by about 7000 kms! Without the canal, ships would have to go all the way round the Cape of Good Hope in Africa to get to the other side.

The New Suez Canal is an expansion of the old one to facilitate the transit of ships and reduce waiting time. This 35 km expansion was completed within a year with money raised solely from Egyptian entities without any foreign funding. Admirable, isn’t it? And it has been maintained beautifully as well. The water is clear and blue. The dredged sand has been used to form the banks of the canal and the sand against the blue water provides an amazing, sharp contrast.

Visitors can take a boat which will take you down the canal and show you the lovely sights. You can see gigantic ships passing by on their way to the port. Remember to hold on to something when your boat crosses a ship, as the waves it creates could throw you overboard into the water 😀

All in all it was a lovely, bright and beautiful day I spent at Suez Canal. A great place to take your family for a day out. 🙂