This afternoon as we prepared to depart, the scheduled coach transfer sort of didn’t happen.  There was some panic and chaos in the hotel lobby as people were concerned about getting to the airport on time.  In the end, we had to frantically chase for a taxis and ended up with a ramshackle one with no airconditioning.  By this stage, we were just concerned that this rickety cab did not break down under the weight of our suitcases as it raced to the airport.

As we settled into our comfortable Singapore Airlines flight, we were glad to leave behind the heat, traffic pollution and congestion, however what we took with us were everlasting memories of the wonders of the Egypt and its amazing history.  What a sensational place!

Helen

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This afternoon we visited a carpet factory and our host, an affable gentleman with a very big grin, showed us around the floor and told of us the improving quality of Egytian carpets and how they were catching up with the Turkish.  Walking around the floor and seeing the stacks of carpets on the floor, we couldn’t quite see the comparison in quality as yet.  What did trouble us though were the number of young children working on the floor.  This young girl in the picture was keen to make eye contact when the manager wasn’t looking and I felt she was trying to ask for something.

Still, the manager assured us that they do get time to do some schooling and that the money that they are paid helps them to support their family.  We could have done without this visit, however, it reminded us of the plight of some children in lesser developed countries.

Helen

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Saqqara is one of the richest archaeological sites in Egypt and today we visit its Step Pyramid of Djoser.  Saqqara’s monuments span some 3,000 years, with monuments including the earliest ancient funerary structures to Coptic monasteries.

There were masses of visitors at the entrance to the enclosure, so we had to wait our turn to move in.  To get to the Great Southern Court, we walk through a magnificent colonnaded corridor.  This corridor is lined with 40 pillars, ribbed in imitation palm stems. 

Everyone knows of the Great Pyramids of Giza, but it’s the Step Pyramid that holds the most significance in the history of Egyptian monuments.  The Step Pyramid marked an unprecedented leap forward in the world of architecture.  Imhotep has been hailed the inventor of the art of building with hewn stone.  Site excavations revealed Imhotep’s name inscribed on Djoser’s pedestal.  The vast enclosure surrounding the Step Pyramid was another achievement.  The site design provided the template for subsequent Egyptian architecture.

Saqqara became the royal necropolis for the Old Kingdom capital of Memphis.  As the city grew, so did its necropolis.  It spanned an area over 6 km long and more than 1.5 km wide.  The Step Pyramid of Djoser was built some time after 2630 BC. The pyramid was built for King Djoser by Imhotep, high priest and architect.  It was the first pyramid in Egyptian history. The Step Pyramid was the first stone structure of its size in the world.  Prior to this, royal tombs were underground rooms covered by low sandy mounds.  The Step Pyramid was started as a large mastaba tomb.  It followed the well-established Saqqara tradition.  Imhotep chose to use stone rather than mud-brick.  He built one mastaba on top of the other, each one smaller than the one below.  In one of the restored sections of the wall you’ll see a frieze of cobras.  It is quite a sight.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

This morning we drove to Mit Rahina village to visit the Temple of Ptah.   Ptah was the Chief Memphite god and patron of craftsmen and artisans.  The Mit Rahina of today is a small unremarkable village, however the Temple of Ptah was once one of the largest in Egypt.  If you cast your mind back to Karnak Temple, the Temple of Ptah is believed to have been bigger than Karnak.  It’s hard to imagine this when you first walk through the humble front entrance and you might in fact be wondering at the significance of the place.  However, once you see the magnificent statues on site, you can begin to visualize how grand the temple must have been in its days. 

We first visited a small open-air museum which holds remnants of ancient Memphis.  The museum’s showpiece is a giant limestone statue of Rameses II.  Apart from being truncated at the knee, this colossal statue is still in very good condition.  The ancient city of Memphis was the capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom.  It was believed that King Menes founded Memphis around 3100BC and was the ruler responsible for uniting Upper and Lower Egypt.  Memphis, situated at the head of the Nile Delta, was a majestic city during its times.  Rameses II, son of Sethos I, reigned in the 19th dynasty of the New Kingdom.

In the garden next to the museum stands a giant sphinx, believed to date to the 19th Dynasty.  At 80 tons, this is the largest calcite statue ever found.  Rameses II was known to have built more buildings and had more colossal statues than any other Egyptian kings.   In the garden can be found more statues of Rameses II.  Colossal statues of Rameses II guard the gates to the temple.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

Egypt is a great place to shop if you’d like to impress your friends or family with exotic gifts.  The quality of the goods is variable, so it’s important not to buy the first thing that you come across.  As mentioned in a previous blog, the same goods can be found all over the place and it’s a case of doing preliminary research before making your round of purchases.  Even though I’m quite immune to souvenirs and nick nacks that ultimately collect dust at home, I was pretty attracted by things like the intricate perfume bottles, jewelry boxes inlaid with mother of pearl and brightly woven scarves. 

We were on the lookout for a copy of the 18th century bust of Queen Nefertiti, but didn’t see any of good enough quality.  If you’re part of an organized tour, you will no doubt be taken to a perfume factory.  We visited the Sultan Palace Perfumes where we were first entertained with perfume bottle making and then we got to try the many perfumes that they produce there.  You could get scents of any of the famous brands there and they claim that their perfumes are more concentrated than the branded goods as it’s 100% fragrance without alchohol.  I tried a few, like Chanel No. 5, Dior and Samsara and they smelled like the real thing, although I later found that they did not last as long as the commercial stuff.

Papyrus paintings is another thing that’s popular there.  We saw some really exquisite work at the factory, however I’m glad that we didn’t end up buying any as they just don’t fit in with our home decor.  And last but not least alabaster.  The use of alabaster dates back to the period of the pharoahs and was used for all kinds of purposes, including household items, ritual objects and funerals.  Today, we see them made into beautiful vases and lamps.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

We very nearly didn’t get to visit this bazaar due to lack of time, but were very glad that we decided to make the effort to get here.  This is one amazing bazaar made up of several markets, where you would find everything from gold, silver, copper, waterpipes, handicrafts, perfumes and spices.  If you needed to purchase gifts or souvenirs for friends or loved ones, you’d most certainly find something here.

Under cover of canvas, rows and rows of alleyways are crammed with stalls and shops selling all kinds of local goods.  It’s no wonder that it holds the claim to be one of the biggest in the Middle East. Don’t buy the first thing you come across as you will see the same goods sold in many other shops.  After seeing them all over the place, the novelty may wear off, thus saving you from acquiring another kitsch thing.

As the bazaar is a major tourist attraction, bus-loads of tourists are transported here throughout the day.  Before you buy anything, ask for the price at several stalls so that you get a general idea of what the price range is.  Be prepared to haggle and bargain as the stall holders certainly expect this and have therefore set their opening prices accordingly.

If you tire of the incessant calls to look at their shops, there are many mosques, palaces and houses in the vicinity that you can escape to.  Some of these mosques are really notable, for example, the Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein is the holiest site in Cairo and is said to contain the head of Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Mohammed and the Mosque of al-Azhar is one of the oldest in the city.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

There are apparently 120,000 items on display and yet another 150,000 stored in the basement.  It would take months to go through all the items, but as we only had hours, we had to skim past many of the exhibits and only stopped at the centre pieces.  Pride of the collection are the artefacts from Tutankhamum’s tomb, especially the life-sized gold mask.

The museum is organized on two floors.  The artefacts on the ground floor are organized approximately in chronological order, whereas the collections on the first floor are arranged by themes. There was no photography of any kind allowed so you had to try and note down what you saw.  I vividly remember the Royal Mummy Room and checking out who the mummies were.  No. 175 – Amenhotep I was in good condition , 176 – Queen Menytamun was wife of Amenhotep I, 177 was Thuthmosis IV, 178 – Sety I, 179 – Rameses II, 180 – Merenptah, 181 - Rameses V, 185 – Tuthmosis II, etc.

It was in the news not too long ago that they’ve discovered even more exhibits in the basement section. For those keen on Egyptian history, this museum is not to be missed.

Helen 

Travel Signposts Blog

It is well known that the Marriott Hotel was built by Khedive Ismail Pasha to accommodate Empress Eugenie of France on her visit to Egypt.  The Khedive spared no expense in building this hotel to house the wife of Napoleon Bonaparte III and other European dignitaries during the inaugural celebrations of the Suez Canal in 1869.

The modern-day hotel was built around the al Gezira Palace which housed Egypt’s royal family during the 19th century. After the Suez event, the next biggest gala was the wedding of the Khedive’s four children in one massive, lavish celebration. After the signing of the marriage documents, festivities continued for 40 days, and included royal guests from all over the world.

When the Khedive eventually went bankrupt, and had to liquidate his assets to cover his debts, the palace was acquired by the Egyptian Hotels Company in 1879, operating as the Gezira Palace Hotel. The tourism industry suffered a downturn after WWI as a result of which the hotel was auctioned off.  Habib Lotfallah Pasha, head of a wealthy land-owning family from Syria, bought the Gezirah Palace for LF140,000 in 1919, along with which he acquired the title of prince. For the next 42 years, the palace was the home of Prince Lotfallah’s descendents, who kept most of the original structure, furniture, artifacts and paintings intact.  The Saraya Cafe was used as an arabesque dining room by the Lotfallah’s family, in which they hosted a great number of elites during this eventful historical period.

Well, Tony and I can claim to be guests of this famous dining room as well, however our feast was somewhat more modest, comprising salads and espressos.

Helen 

Travel Signposts Blog

Today was an action packed day, starting with a visit to the Citadel of Salah ad Din and the Mohammed Ali Mosque.  The citadel is an amazing fortified complex of Islamic architecture, including numerous examples of Mamluk and Ottoman-era mosques.  The upper terraces of the Citadel offer spectacular views of the city, however, having said that, the thick pollution and dust-coated buildings do not provide for colorful photography.

The main attraction of course is the Mohammed Ali Mosque. Do not miss visiting this mosque as the interior is amazing.  As we all sat under the swirling decorative lights, Mohammed our guide gave us a briefing on the history of the mosque and of Mohammed Ali.  On the right as your enter the prayer hall, is the marble tomb of Mohammed Ali.

Helen

Travel Signposts Blog

This morning our guide Mohammed gave a very thorough briefing on eating, drinking and acclimatising.  When I was packing for the trip, I was a bit concerned as to how strict it might be in regard to dress codes and how to dress for the heat and got conflicting advice on the internet.  Mohammed very quickly put our minds at ease and advised that there was no problem with western style dressing, except when visiting mosques.  He explained that if the mosque attendants deemed that you needed covering up, robes will be provided.

We were told that after being out in the heat, we should drink lukewarm water first, and then followed by cold drinks or beer if desired.  This is to ensure that you do not get stomach upsets with extreme temperature differences.  As far as photography is concerned, it pays to keep in mind where you can or cannot take snaps.  For example at the Cairo Museum, garden shots are fine, but you can’t take cameras into the Museum.  This caused a lot of worry for Tony as you had to deposit your cameras at a little shed just near the outside gate.  The cameras were placed on open wooden shelfs, within view of everyone.  If someone wanted to make a grab for all the camers, it looked easy enough to do, regardless of the police standing around. Likewise, at the Valley of the Kings for example, outside snaps are fine, but there’s no photography allowed in the tombs. 

Mohammed seemed like a very competent guide who was very keen to make sure that we were comfortable for the next couple of weeks whilst we explored this timeless land of the Pharoahs.

Helen

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