Wednesday, March 28
As business had been slow, my company was encouraging its employees to take any vacation days from year that had not been used. The choice was between Egypt, Russia, and Israel. Egypt easily won out because I was able to get a round trip ticket for less than 200€. I must amid that I bought my ticket a bit spontaneously without really thinking it through. It was not until my coworkers began to talk about the political situation that I started to get concerned. Nevertheless, I promised to where a company t-shirt in case I ended up on TV as an American hostage. Of course the official website for American tourism showed a red alert for any travel to Egypt, but truth be told us Americans are a bit paranoid about security. The French website just said to be careful. Enough said, I was off!
I must confess that I was a bit nervous as I boarded the plane for Cairo, but as chance would have it, I was sat down next to an elderly Coptic woman. We ended up having a quite genuine discussion about our lives and our faiths that continued on for quite some time. As we made it into Cairo, she left me her number and told me that I could call her any time if I ran into trouble. I took it as an omen!
As usual, I had not prepared a thing, well almost… I did manage to arrange a hotel and a pick-up at the airport. As I sat in the plane, I started skimming the travel guide book that a dear colleague had entrusted to me and among the things to do and see, I discovered some interesting tidbits about the country. For example, Egypt is the capital for turista, the French word for the stomach flu one often acquires when travelling abroad. Quelle belle surprise !
I got off the plane, bought my visa to enter the country, and then desperately began searching for my ride amidst the boisterous crowd of Arab faces. As I was visibly lost, a handsome young lad approached me and asked if he could be of assistance. His English was flawless. As we were talking, he began to escort me to his travel boutique. Just then I saw a card with the name JOHN TRAVESO on it. I made a gesture to let the card’s owner know that the name on the card was my own, or at least fairly close. He immediately grabbed me by the hand, customary practice in Arabic countries, and proceeded to take me out of the airport. He then shouted something in Arabic to the other gentleman that made it quite clear he was displeased with the other’s behavior. My gut told me that my driver was helping me to avoid some kind of danger. In hindsight, I remembered that the guide book had said to be wary of anyone who offers to provide help and who speaks English well. I made it safely to the hotel and handsomely tipped my driver.
Once inside the hotel, the concierge helped me to plan out the next few days. I decided to do the most important things first because I figured that I could be bed ridden with turista at any given moment! I then slipped off to bed as it was already one o’clock in the morning.
Thursday, March 29
The next day I got up early, had a quick breakfast at the hotel and then headed out to see the pyramids with my personal guide, Bob! Bob’s real name was Salem, but he said that “Bob” had made him famous among the tourists. On the way to the ancient wonder of the world, we stopped at the Papyrus Institute. I participated in a live demonstrated of how the early paper was made. Pealed and then cut into slivers, the stem’s shards are then beaten and put into a press after which they are soaked in water for several days. Once they have turned yellow, usually after about six days, they are interwoven and then put back into the press for several more days. The result is remarkable. The paper is waterproof, almost impossible to tear and can be easily rolled and even waded without being crinkled. The papyrus plant was considered sacred in the ancient Egyptian culture because the top looks like the sun, origin of Rah, and the large stem is triangle shaped like the pyramids that permitted the transition from this world to that of the dead. I bought a little Egyptian calendar, hand painted on papyrus paper to bring back home with me.
To get to the pyramids, I took a camel. This was the preferred mode of travel to visit the three pyramids of the Giza Necropolis: the great pyramid, Cheops; the central pyramid, Chephren, and the smallest pyramid, Mycerinus; and of course the Sphinx. What a site! The pyramids on the desert landscape were absolutely breathtaking. I could not help but think of the Biblical passages and the Exodus of the Jews from Egypt. Had Moses seen these same pyramids over 4000 years ago? Because of the political situation, there were very few occidental tourists which meant that I was alone as I crept into the narrow ramps that let into the interiors of these colossal tombs. I imagined the tomb raiders and the archeologists who had made this same descent well before me. The various rooms had of course all been cleared out, but it was unproblematic to visualize where the bodies had been laid and the wealth positioned to accompany the fallen pharaoh during the afterlife. After these various visits, the guide let me gallop the camel across the desert sand and over to the Sphinx. Fact to face with the Sphinx, I could not help but think that this people was no less complicated than ourselves. I allowed myself to revel in a bit of existential thought for quite some time.
We had to drive over to Saqqara, the last pyramid on my trip. Saqqara is the oldest pyramid in Egypt and is actually thought to be an engineering test run. Quite different from the others I had seen, Saqqara was tiered. It was built by the Pharaoh Djoser around 2668 BC, or more correctly designed by his architect, Imhotep.
Lastly, we went to Memphis. During the Old Kingdom in Egypt, it served as the nation's capital and served as the kings' primary residence. Memphis remained the political and administrative center of Lower and Middle Egypt and its importance was recognized even by the Theban kings of the 18th Dynasty. Thutmosis III and Amenhotep II often held residence at Memphis and pharaohs were always crowned in the city. Today, Memphis is most famous for its outdoor museum where I saw the still very intact statues of Ramses II; the detail of which was absolutely stunning. I also saw my second sphinx and a considerable amount of hieroglyphics from this period.
Back in the hotel, the owner invited me to tea and a cigarette. This was the second cigarette that I had ever smoked, but hell… I was in Cairo and still alive and turista free! The owner was a fan of occidental life and had spent some time in northern Italy. We exchanged stories from our lives for an hour or so and then I crept off to my room for some much needed shut eye!
Friday, March 30
After breakfast, my first stop was the old Citadel in central Cairo. On the way, I found out that the day’s driver was actually Bob’s son. A little less talkative, I felt he was equally honest. The Citadel was built by the Ayyubid ruler Salah al-Din between 1176 and 1183 AD to protect the city from the Crusaders. The wall was destined to surround both Cairo and Fustat so that one army could defend them both. It was later the home of Mohammed Ali who invited the princes from all of Egypt to a dinner in their honor and then promptly killed them to assert his power. The street that leads to the Citadel is known as the “red way” in Arabic because of the princes’ blood that was spilled that day. The Citadel houses the mosque of Mohammed Ali, which is the most famous in all of Egypt and was modeled after the Blue Mosque in Istanbul. After having visited the Blue Mosque last summer, I found that the architecture was indeed reminiscent of the Blue Mosque, but that the interior paled in comparison. However, behind the mosque, I had a spectacular view of the entire city atop the surround gardens.
The Citadel also housed a second small mosque and a museum of that is dedicated to the uniforms and weaponry of Egypt’s military throughout the years. Unfortunately, much of the display was contemporary and after visiting hall after hall in honor of the country’s achievements, I had the impression that the country had never been defeated in battle!
From the city’s interior fortress, I set off to the oldest mosque in Egypt. The Mosque of Sultan Hassan was erected in 757 AD and is an Islamic architectural masterpiece. Its uniformity of color coupled with the intricacy of its motifs against the massive shapes and forms was utterly striking. The mosque felt rich in time and it was a pleasure to peruse its interior walls and courtyards. The mosque of Sultan Hassan stands next to the Mosque of Al-Rifai, built in the same style in 1361. These two structures blended as one to create a most impressive sight from afar.
Bob’s son then took me to the Coptic part of the city. Christianity was the most important religion during the 4th to 6th centuries AD until the Muslim conquest of Egypt and remains the faith of roughly ten percent of the population. Historically they spoke the Coptic language, a direct descendant of the Demotic Egyptian spoken in the Roman era, but the language is now nearly extinct and mostly limited to liturgical use. Most Copts now speak Arabic and their religion constitutes the largest Christian community in the Middle East, as well as the largest religious minority in the region.
I was in luck because both of the main churches were open. I first visited the Al-Moallaka Church built in the fourth century on the tours of a fortress where an ancient roman temple once stood. It is the only Coptic Church without a dome and is dedicated to the virgin. I also visited the Greek Orthodox Church of Saint George. Just behind this church was a small catholic cemetery, within which I stumbled upon a small chapel. If I am a Christian, I am certainly the least of all, but I felt compelled to pray for the Church. As I got back up off my knees, someone motioned for me to go to the back of the chapel. I walked through the narrow corridor and down several steps to find a cluster of hidden rooms. Written in French on the stone walls was a historical marker that just about made me fall over. It was in this area the holy family came with the baby Jesus to escape infanticide from King Herod. I just stood there dumbfounded for quite some time. It was strange to think that these people were once in this area and to imagine their fears, knowing that 2000 years later their story changed the face of humanity.
The people were different in the Coptic part of Cairo as well. The women were not covered and so you could see their smiles. I generally felt less in danger because the incessant and aggressive soliciting had finally stopped. The last stop was the Coptic Museum.
In general, I must say that once you can get away from the people that leach off the tourist population, the Egyptian people are quite warm. The children would systematically say “Welcome from Egypt”; a grammatical error that was quit endearing, because it seemed as though Egypt itself was welcoming me.
Me driver then took me to the Egyptian Museum that I had heard so much about. I had to cross the crazy Egyptian streets in order get there. However, when I got to the entrance, I found that the museum was closed for midday prayer and would not be open again for another thirty minutes. I was immediately swept up by a storekeeper who insisted that I come for tea… the kind of Arabic “hospitality” I would have truly rather done without. I do not know why I let him lead me away. I suppose it was because I was stranded in front of the museum with thirty minutes ahead of me under the blazing desert sun. As he was telling me how honest he was, I started to hate myself for being there. I ended up paying way too much for a lotus flower perfume that I will never use just to get out of there. This dishonest and uncouth part of Arabic culture is what makes travel into these countries so hard-hitting for tourists.
I then ran back across the crazy Egyptian traffic to get to the museum again. I must say that the streets in Egypt are like nothing that I have ever seen before. Without any lanes; cars, motorcycles, busses, donkeys and motorized carts blaze by in a fury that only leaves room for the most aggressive drivers. Pedestrians just meander through it all and say a short prayer before stepping off the curb. At any given moment you can have vehicles racing by on both sides and you can only hope that between them you will have two feet and that after them you will still have the two you were walking on! Insha'Allah!
The museum was well worth the trouble. I got to see golden mask of Tutankhamun the boy king who lived from 1341 BC to 1323 BC and was an Egyptian pharaoh in the 18th dynasty during the New Kingdom. I could perceive his facial features. As I peered into his eyes, I felt like he might just speak to me, a feeling that was really quite eerie. Apparently, he was not the richest pharaoh, but the only one found with all of his riches still in place. I also got to see the actually mummies of Tuthmosis I, II, III, Ramses II and others dating back to 1500 BC! I was somehow fascinated by their teeth. Their facial features were remarkably well preserved, so much so that I really got a feel for what they must have looked like. I later stood inches away from Egyptian writings that dated back to 2450 BC. I was most enthralled by their clothes and jewelry most of which would still be quite fashionable today.
After my visit I sat outside and had a late lunch. When my guide had dropped me off near the museum, he assured me that the hotel was only a couple of minutes away by foot and took quite a bit of time to explain the route. I should have known that I was going to be in trouble! Apparently my hotel was next to the Egyptian National bank, but all the street signs were in Arabic and everything kind of looked the same. Needless to say, I got lost! Luckily, I had a card with the address of the hotel so that people could roughly explain the general direction using hand gestures. I did get a bit nervous as the sun started to set, but I finally made it back and I got a geed feel for city life in exchange for my trouble. I was also fortunate enough to fall into the hands of good people that genuinely wanted to help me out. All is well that ends well!
Saturday, March 31
The day started out with a two and a half hour drive to Alexandria. I had plenty of time to get to know the driver! He was quite open and our conversation quickly moved to some more delicate topics. We talked about Ramses II whose mummified body, I had seen the day prior. He explained that this was the Pharaoh who was in power when Moses fled Egypt. I was astounded to find that even today in Egypt, the story of the prophet is still widely believed including the miraculous crossing of the Red Sea. I was also surprised to find out that Muslim women revere the Virgin Mary as the greatest of all women. In fact the Muslims believe in Abraham, Moses, and even Jesus, who they believe to be a great prophet, but not the Son of God. We talked a lot about the Bible. I asked him if he was aware of Joseph, who was the right hand of the Pharaoh in ancient Egypt. My driver told me that that this was his favorite prophet and the story was roughly the same. As we continued, he asked me why Christians believe what they believe. I did my best to explain why we believe that Jesus is the Son of God starting from the topics we had just discussed. “When Adam sinned, his blood became impure and he and his descendents could no longer commune with God in the same way. God sought to rectify this relationship when he created a covenant or an agreement with Abraham so that he and his descendents would be set apart for God. The penalty of not keeping the covenant was death. Abraham therefore stood before the blessing and the curse; the blessing if he kept the covenant, and the curse if he failed. The Law God brought through Moses was intended to teach Abraham’s descendants how to be set apart and how to keep the covenant. Unfortunately, they failed and thus deserved the curse, or death. Because Jesus was born of a Virgin, and was the Son of God, He came in flesh to take the curse and die on our behalf. A new covenant was formed not by works, but by faith that all those who believe in him would be bought back and be able to commune with God.” I could see that it made sense to him given that our religions have the same foundation and we share many of the same beliefs.
From there we went on to discuss politics! We talked about the bombing of the Coptic Church in 2010, a stunt pulled by the president that was intended to make him look like a hero after finding the supposed criminal and sentencing him to death. This event led to a recent revolution in the country. My driver then spoke about how Muslims are portrayed as radicals internationally. It made me think about how little we really know about Muslim culture and how the fear associated with our lack of understanding has been used to drive a number of wars ultimately fueled by ulterior motives. We are just so different that it is almost impossible for us to truly understand each other.
After travelling through the desert, our first stop in Alexandria was the catacombs. The Catacombs lie in the district of Karmouz to the east of Alexandria. The area was called Kom El-Shouqafa or a pile of shards. The cemetery dates back to the 1st century A.D and was used until the 4th century AD. It was discovered in 1900 by pure chance when a donkey drawn cart fell into it! The Catacombs in Alexandria are so called because the design was very similar to the Christian Catacombs in Rome. Most likely, they were private tombs, later converted to a public cemetery. It consists of three levels cut into the rock, a staircase, a rotunda, the triclinium or banquette hall, a vestibule, an antechamber and the burial chamber with three recesses in it. In each recess there is a sarcophagus. During this time, the Romans had come to Egypt and made Alexandria the capital. However, the ancient Egyptian practice of embalming still existed.
Alexandria is strikingly more European than Cairo. Alexandria was founded around a small pharaonic town in 331 by Alexander the Great. It remained Egypt's capital for nearly a thousand years, until the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641 AD, when a new capital was founded at Fustat (Fustat was later absorbed into Cairo). Alexandria was also known because of its Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
My guide then took me to see Pompey’s Pillar and its surrounding roman baths. I discovered that Pompey joined his rival Marcus Licinius Crassus and his ally Julius Ceasar in the unofficial military, political alliance known as the First Triumvirate. The first triumvirate was validated by the marriage between Julia Caesar (daughter of Julius Caesar) and Pompey. After the deaths of Julia and Crassus, Pompey sided with the optimates, the conservative and aristocratic faction of the Roman Senate. Pompey and Caesar contended for the leadership of the Roman state, leading to a civil war. When Pompey was defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus, he sought refuge in Egypt, where he was assassinated. His career and defeat are significant in Rome's subsequent transformation from Republic to Principate and Empire.
On the way to the next location, I noticed man using a broken bicycle to transport a craggy barrel. He was covered with dirt, and I was thinking about his immense poverty, the driver stopped the car. He asked me if I wanted a “juice”. I agreed hesitantly. He stopped the man with the barrel and a moment later, I was handed what looked like old milk with visible dirty ice cubes. This drink is known as Subia and is quite traditional in Egypt. All I could think was turista! Nevertheless I knew it would have been very rude of me not drink it and so I did. I must admit that it did not taste that bad my glass of turista!
We then visited the roman theatre that had fallen into ruin after the Muslim conquest and then a castle on the Mediterranean Sea! Fort Qaitbey was built in the 1480's by Sultan Qaitbey, on the site of Alexandria's ancient lighthouse. Parts of the remains of the lighthouse can be seen in the construction of the old fort. As I climbed up and down the chastely towers and along the outer walls, people would often ask my name and where I was from. Occasionally, they would request a photo. It was quite odd to be a tourist attraction myself, but after all, I was the only white person around.
After gazing out over the sea for quite some time, I met back up with my driver who took me to a fine Egyptian restaurant. I had heard so much about the fish in Alexandria that I was eager to try it. I ended up with a very typical Egyptian meal: hummus, falafel bread, tomatoes, potatoes, fish, and orange and a strawberry. It is hard to be “wowed” by food when you live in the culinary capital of the world, but it was pretty good.
Last stop was the Alexandria Library, a haven for young college students. It was quite nice to see that these young Muslim students had access to such a wonderful and modern facility. Just as I was about to leave, a young woman asked if I spoke English. I had replied that I did. She then asked if I would not mind correcting the English in a letter that she was writing. Through the numerous grammatical errors, the letter explained that while in Paris, she had fallen in love with an American. They had met when he recovered her fallen shoe that had slipped off while hurrying across the busy Parisian streets. Although they ended up sharing a romantic week together, she knew that she could never be with him as he was Christian and she was Muslim. As I did my best to fix the spelling and other mistakes, I could not help but be touched by Fatima, the Egyptian Cinderella in Paris! I cleaned it up as best I could and wished her luck.
This was my last experience in Alexandria, the Egyptian crossroads with the Occident. I took a long nap in the car as my driver and I headed back to Cairo.
As we came into the city we passed by a tollgate. After exchanging a few words with the attendant, my driver suddenly began yelling and screaming at the attendant. I actually thought that he was going to step out of the car and start a brawl. A third man had to step in just to calm him down. After a couple minutes, we drove off again. When I asked him what had happened, he told me that he had been given the wrong color ticket because the attendant had ran out of the appropriate color for a return trip. I thought about how this same situation would have been handled in the United States and could not help but laugh. “We are not in Kansas anymore!”
Sunday, April 1
By the next day, I had finally worked up enough courage to simply walk around the streets in the city. I walked back to the Museum, whose route I had so painstakingly learned two days prior. I got much better at fending off the peddlers and eventually stumbled across a little patch of green, a rare site in Cairo. I decided to sit down, to catch up on a good book, and to simply people watch. As I sat and observed the world around me, I realized that they could probably never imagine from where I came. As the hot desert sun beat down and gusts wind that pushed the dirt and grime around the streets, I then remembered Paris. It took my several years to adapt to French culture. How long would it take in culture such as this?
As I made my way back to the hotel, I decided to sit down again and take it all in. I had found a little covered walkway that was quite peaceful. An elderly man who had seen me sitting looked visibly disgruntled and asked, “American?” in broken English. Since I had been in Egypt, I had been telling everyone that I was French and calling myself Pierre-François. I nodded in a gesture that denied my origins. He looked at my book, thank God it was in French, and then back at me and said, “American bad… like dogs!” “Obama bad,” he insisted. I decided to respond in French, “Excusez-moi Monsieur, mais j’ai bien peur de ne pas vous comprendre.” “No English?” he questioned. “Very little,” I replied in my best French accent. He looked at my book again and then left.
I then thought about all the times that I had been asked from where I came, practically at every entrance to everything that I had visited and at least a dozen times a day in the streets. I was quite glad that I have had persistently replied that I was French! I kind of felt like Abraham who lied about Sarah being his wife while he was in Egypt. Fortunately, apart from my arrival at the airport, no one had ever asked to see my passport.
That night I had dinner at the Felfela. Hidden behind a dilapidated building, once inside the restaurant its sumptuous interior included: hanging vines, exotic birds, aquariums, frescos on the walls, and mosaic tiling under my feet. Apart from a few German and Italian tourists, the enormous venue was completely empty and the sensation was quite eerie. It felt like one of those old Italian restaurants in New York that used to serve as a front for the mafia. I had a delicious bowl of lentil bean and tomato soup, stuffed artichoke and an ice cream sundae. This would be the best meal I had in Egypt.
Monday, April 2
Even with a good map and a destination that is relatively close, navigating the streets of Cairo is no small feat! With few street signs and even fewer in English, if you cannot read Arabic you are libel to get lost. I spent a good part of the afternoon looking for a park in the center of town that was originally constructed by the French. Unfortunately, years of neglect had led to a state of disarray from what was the park must have been originally. Nevertheless, the park remains a calm oasis amid the bustling city where one can escape the busy traffic and the intense heat. I let an hour or two slip by as I sat and read a good book.
My evening was spent on the Nile; a romantic dinner cruise for one! Although the atmosphere was quite pleasant and the view on the river breathtaking, I was a bit concerned when I heard the electronic versions of American classic love songs translated into Arabic and poorly amplified. However, with dinner a live Arabic band started up and the belly dancing began! What a strange cultural tradition for a country where even seeing a woman’s hair and neckline is considered quite scandalous. I suppose every culture has its own idiosyncrasies. To be honest, it was kind of refreshing to see an Arabic woman so liberated. I wondered if culturally, women originally learned this dance to please their husbands. I was also glad to see that she had a real figure. It seems the Occidental trend of converting woman into adolescent boys somehow did not make it past the burka! The belly dancer was followed by a dwarf and another gentleman who danced in circles with large skirts and performed various tricks while twirled around; good fun. It was a great way to end my stay the country.
I must say that I was very thankful to have been in my hotel. The staff was exceptional and took exceptional care of me. I was fortunate enough to not wind up sequestered somewhere out in the middle of the desert as my coworkers has predicted. Also, despite the predictions I had read in my guide book, I managed to avoid getting turista!
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