We arrived in Cairo after a long flight. Our base was the Nile Fairmont. Our trip included a cruise down the Nile and well as a cruise around Lake Nasser, visits to Giza and Alexandria.
The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities
On our first full day, we started at the Egyptian Museum, a World Heritage site; this location was built in 1902. Tarek likes to be first in line so we were there 30 minutes before it opened. During that time he gave us a brief history of Egypt and the various dynastic periods, which was a big help as the displays are organized by dynastic periods. When it opened we rushed to the King Tut area to see the wonderful relics from his tomb and the tombs of his family. We weren’t supposed to take pictures, but he told us to hurry, and he would warn us if a guard appeared. We were fortunate to be the only ones in the room to see the beautiful gold artifacts. These pieces have not been on tour.
After our time with King Tut, we enjoyed the other “important and unique” artifacts in the museum. It is organized by Periods starting with the Prehistoric period, the Early Dynastic Period, The Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, and finally the Late Period. The museum has 120,000 items and reminded me of the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, in that it would take days to see them all. After about an hour and a half, I found a place to sit, next to a young Egyptian woman who was also a guide. She talked a little about her life and showed me pictures of her children. Just as she was about to tell me why women should cover their heads, the people she was guiding arrived, and she had to leave. From this visit we had an outline of Egyptian history. The pictures below give a sense of the magnitude of the exhibits.
The Citadel of Saladin
From the museum, we headed to the Citadel of Saladin, a UNESCO site. It is a Medieval military fortress, commissioned by Saladin, the first ruler of the Ayyubid Dynasty, who was sultan between 1171and 1193 CE. It houses three mosques and four museums. The newest, Mohamed Ali Mosque, was built between 1830 and 1848 CE. It has impressive columns, ceiling, and chandelier. Everyone including women could enter because it was not a “worshipping mosque.” The Citadel sits on the top of a hill in Cairo, giving an impressive view of the city.
After a tiring day, we returned to the hotel to rest and have dinner at the Blue Nile restaurant, a boat moored on the Nile. We had a typical Egyptian dinner, starting with pita and humus, babaganoush, and fava bean dip. The main course was beef and chicken skewers, grilled vegetables, and rice. Dessert was chocolate mousse, but it was more like a cheesecake. Then it was back to the hotel for a very early start tomorrow.
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