Bob and Theresa: Egypt - Day 1 - 20 March 2019 Cairo

Egypt and the Eternal Nile

20 March 2019 Cairo

After a wonderful night's sleep in our room at the Fairmont Nile City, we awoke unbelievably early, had a great breakfast in the hotel dining room. Just about anything you wanted including turkey bacon (no pork products at all)

The view from our hotel - Gezira Island splits the Nile and the northern tip is just opposite our hotel

We gathered in a conference room for a welcome and an orientation session

Our tour director and guide, Hassan, reviewed the agenda along with a few modifications he felt would make our trip better and the admonition to drink lots of water!

On the bus headed for the Cairo Museum.
Cairo is a city the size of Chicago with the traffic infrastructure of a city the size of Boise Idaho! Traffic is a nightmare everywhere!

This street used to be the "main drag" but is now cut and serves local markets only

Shops like this are everywhere!

Laundry hung out to dry is a common sight (much as in many parts of Europe where utilities are quite expensive)

The Nile once was lined with mansions such as this. Most were "nationalized" in the second half of the 20th century and now houses official offices of one sort or another.

Field Trip!!
The blue device is a "whisper ear"
Hassan broadcasts and we listen - no shouting!

Our hotel from the bus as we passed.

Fairmont Nile City Luxury Hotel, Cairo, Egypt

This is from the internet. The two large towers on either side are office

The Cairo Tower (on Gezira Island) - at 614 feet, the tallest structure in Cairo

The Cairo Museum - World renowned but overstuffed! A new museum on the Giza plateau near the pyramids is due to open in a few years and will supplement this fine museum.

This frieze adorns the outside of the Museum

Theresa Tourist and friends!

This is actually at the exit, but seems to fit here

Rameses II was possibly the greatest of all the Pharaohs.

A couple-of-thousand-year-old boat

Hassan used a folding cane with a built-in seat to permit him to be close to objects for explanation without blocking people's view. He used a flashlight and laser pen to indicate what he was talking about. Both very effective techniques

Mike and Janet listen to Hassan

Janet and Theresa

A large burial sarcophagus

Hathor, Mykerinos and Thebes

The insides of many of the sarcophagus were decorated ornately with the history, virtue and relationship with the gods of the deceased

A doorway from an ancient temple or tomb

This statue of the Priest Kaape is remarkable in that was made from wood!

This statue of Pharaoh Khafre is remarkable. This photo was taken from a short distance - about ten feet. When we move back something remarkable happens!

We see that peeking just over the head of the Pharaoh is the head of a falcon!

The falcon represents the god Horus, son of Osiris & Isis. Seems like Osiris' brother Set, killed Osiris out of jealousy. Isis found the body of Osiris and using magic, became pregnant with Horus.
Horus assumed many forms but the most common was a falcon.
Here, the depiction indicates the protection of pharaoh by Horus

Pharaoh needed servants in this life, so he'll need them in the next life as well! All these statues will attend Pharaoh in eternity

And, of course, we can't expect Pharaoh to have to walk in eternity!

This pair of statues show that stereotyping is not new. Pharaoh Rahotep is shown tan and manly while his wife Nofret is pale and comely

This much smaller statue of Pharaoh Seneb and his family show that the children are also shown with the same characterization

Another entrance from a temple

This remarkable statue of Queen Nofret shows significant Nubian features

Nubian Pharaoh Nebhepetre Mentuhotep
The colors on these statues have not been "touched up"!
The dual crown shows he is ruler of both "Upper" (Southern) and "Lower" (Northern) Egypt

Most African of all are these two twin statues of Amenmhat III

This sphinx is of Hatshepsut. She wanted to rule Egypt but had a problem since she was a woman! Her name means "Foremost of Noble Women." She began her reign as regent to her stepson Thuthmose III. She declared that she was a man after all and was indeed the proginy of the god Amun making her a demi-goddess.

We could easily have spent the entire day on the first floor, but alas, the tour clock ticks away!
On the second floor, a huge exhibit is devoted to Tutankhamun i.e. King Tut. He began life as Tutankhaten ("image of Aten") but realized he had backed the wrong horse (god) and shifted to "image of Amun." He was one of the least popular Pharaohs and had a relatively short reign, but his tomb was nearly completely intact! Making his tomb the source for much of what we know about Egyptian tombs!

This smaller box fit inside the larger box (previous photo). Others nested one inside the other (think "Matryoshka" dolls)

Inside the nested boxes were . . . you guessed it, nesting sarcophaguses! (sarcophagi?)

Until finally, the mummy!
Alas, this isn't Tut, but the same idea applies

These ornate "canopic" jars held the preserved vital organs - all except the heart, which was preserved and reinserted into the body prior to wrapping the body in linen

The canopic jars were contained in this ornate chest

The King will, of course, need to sit in comfort!

This shrine to Anubis, protector god of Thebes, is on a palanquin with two carrying poles and was likely used in the funerary procession and finally placed in front of the canopic chest facing west, the direction of the afterlife in Ancient Egyptian belief

Ornate gold leaf adorned masks depict what the Pharaoh will look like in the afterlife

Of course, Pharaoh needs guards!

And jewels

"Death" masks

Wouldn't want the King to be bored, so a few games

Guards and playmates

Archaeology students sketch and copy hieroglyphs

One of our group takes a rest. The students' dress ran the gamut from smart, modern dress to full burqas

One last selfie with the royals and its off to the Citadel

Along the way, we passed the "city of the dead" so called because of the many mausoleums and tombs. Many people live among these crypts for a variety of reasons including being close to their loved ones as well as poverty

The Citadel was fortified in the 12th Century by the Kurdish ruler Salah al-Din (Saladin), to protect it from the Crusaders

Saladin wanted to build a wall that would surround both Cairo and Fustat saying, "With a wall I will make the two [cities] into a unique whole, so that one army may defend them both."

Much of the Citadel was damaged in an earthquake and is not open to the public. The mosque (fashioned after the famous blue mosque of Istanbul) is open.

The courtyard

Much of the Citadel is under repair

The interior is quite large and is marked with lines to identify where the men should pray.

The podium is used by the prayer leader and may be used by an elder to give a teaching. The alignment is precise to make sure the person is aligned toward Mecca.