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Africa
Travel Newsletter > Cairo
- The Wonders of Time Travel > Page 2
1. Cairo - The
Wonders of Time Travel
South of the Citadel, you head to Old Cairo
-an early Coptic Christian centre. On your way to Coptic Cairo,
you come across the Mosque of Amr ibn al-A'as -Africa's first
and oldest mosque. This excellent piece of history dates back
nearly 1400 years, and is named after General Amr who led
the Arab army that conquered Egypt, and also introduced Islam.
Further below are the Ruins of Al-Fustat - what remains of
Amr's capital.
Coptic Cairo is further south, where you find
beautiful churches and a synagogue in one of the earliest
Christian settlements. You will marvel at the "Hanging
Church", which was built around 4th or 5th Century -and
is so named because it was built atop of one of the gates
of the Fortress of Babylon, and used to hang over the road
below. Owing to econstructions, the effect has since long
been lost, but the interiors and exteriors of the church buildings
remain dazzling.
While in the vicinity, venture into the Coptic
Museum and see some of the best collections of Coptic art,
scriptures and the world's oldest preserved codex -book of
statutes.
The west of the Nile, including the two Nile
Islands has equally good sightseeing opportunities. Gezira
and Roda Islands make excellent getaways from the usual. The
two are believed to be a result of a shipwreck that changed
the course of the river. Roda is the smaller of the islands,
and is basically a residential district. Gezira divides into
two- Gezira Proper and Zamalek.
Gezira Proper is the art side of the island,
where you can enjoy opera and ballet at the National Cultural
Centre, and visit the Hanager Art Centre, and the Museum of
Modern Art. You also find here the Cairo Tower- a
granite edifice, which at 187 meters is the world's 4th tallest
freestanding tower. The tower is yet another spot that offers
an extensive panorama of Cairo, and presents the best views
of the Nile west bank, all the way to Giza.
 Giza
lies 20 km south west of central Cairo, on the margins of
Memphis, and forms part of Greater Cairo.
This is the site of some of the world's most
impressive historic treasures -the Pyramids of Giza.
The pyramids are a quadrilateral masonry mass
with smooth, steeply sloping sides meeting at an apex. Each
of the four sides is carefully set to face North, East, West
and South; and the entrance is placed north.
The interior is filled with corridors, a series
of rooms, and an escape shaft. At the heart of the pyramid
sits the King's Chamber, which contains the King's Sarcophagus;
both interiors are lined with red granite.
The sarcophagus is also carefully laid facing the main compass
directions, and is usually a centimetre smaller than the chamber's
doorway on each side.
Everything about the pyramids revolves around
precise details, and the accuracy of every measurement is
astounding. The technology and masonry techniques used to
build these pyramids still baffles and challenges today's
experts. The pyramids were built using blocks of stone, each
2.5 tonnes and sloping at the precise angle of 51 degrees
51 minutes. How each was lifted and laid atop another remains
a mystery, and as you would expect, there is much speculation
enjoined in the matter.
The pyramids spread over the Giza Plateau
-a necropolis of ancient Memphis, on the Nile's west bank.
The oldest are more than 4,500 years old, and have outlived
so many manmade creations. The giant structures were first
built in the region during the reign of the great ancient
pharaohs - Khufu, Khafre, and Menkaure. There are many pyramids
in Giza, both big and small, dedicated to ancient royals.
To early historians, the structures were a monumental mystery;
they were thought to be
"The Granaries of Joseph" and at some point were
called "The Mountains of Pharaoh".
Of all the pyramids in Giza, only three are
quite popular and significant. The oldest is the Pyramid of
Khufu or Cheops, also known as "The Great Pyramid",
which was built around 2650 BC. This is the largest of all
Egyptian pyramids, resting on a 228.9 m length square base
and reaching to a height of 138.8 m. It is made of 2 million
blocks, and is believed to have originally stood at 146.6
m.
It remained the world's tallest manmade structure
until Lincoln Cathedral in England was erected around 1300
AD. The Great Pyramid was the final resting place of the 4th
dynasty pharaoh, Khufu, and is the only surviving edifice
of the "Seven Wonders of the Ancient World". On
the eastern rim of this pyramid, you find three small pyramids
dedicated to his wives and other family.
To the southwest of the Pyramid of Khufu,
stands the Pyramid of Khafre. Khafre was son and successor
to Khufu, and his pyramid stands at 136 m and rests on a 215.5
m square base. It has two northern entrances and houses the
remains of the Temple of the Valley -Khafre's mortuary
temple, where embalming of his body was done. Further southwest,
stands the third significant pyramid - the Pyramid of Menkaure.
Pharaoh Menkaure was son and successor to Khafre. The structure
stands at only 62 m tall and is the only one of the three
whose interior granite slab lining is still intact.
Other famous attractions in Giza include The
Sphinx, and the Solar Boats Museum. The Sphinx is a huge stone
curving, sculptured from limestone. It is located on the edge
of the ruins of the Sphinx Temple, on your way to the Temple
of the Valley. The 70 m long and 20 m high legendary
statue is structured with a human head and the body of a lion.
The image of the head is said to resemble that of King Khafre.
The Sphinx was known as the great Guardian of the Sun Temple.
The Solar Boats Museum, to the south of The
Great Pyramid holds a special artefact - The Solar Boat of
Khufu. This full sized ancient Egyptian sailboat is believed
to have been the carriage that ferried King Khufu's body from
Memphis to his burial site. It was then disbanded into 1,200
pieces and placed in a pit beside his pyramid. It was discovered
in 1954 and it took 14 years to reassemble its pieces using
traditional Egyptian techniques and resources.
Cairo has been celebrated in literature by
Naguib Mahfouz, who gained worldwide fame and prestige, after
winning the 1998 Nobel Prize for literature for his book "The
Cairo Trilogy". This work is a trilogy of 3 novels set
in Cairo that trace the life of the patriarch Ahmad Abd al-Jawad
and his family over three generations, from World War I to
the overthrow of King Farouk in 1952. His works are however
not very popular with religious radicals and an attempt was
made in 1994 to rub him out. Naguib Mahfouz died in 2006 in
his beloved Cairo.
The best time to visit Cairo is between November
and March, outside the intolerable summer season. In the city,
winter temperatures range from lows of 9°C at night to
highs of 25°C, while summers vary between 9°C and
35°C. To visit Cairo, you get best value by taking a tour
combining the city with a Nile cruise between Aswan and Luxor.
This will allow you to see the highlights
of ancient Egypt in a single trip.
Light clothing is generally recommended for
Egypt's warm climate. You may however need a sweater and jacket
for winter evenings. Remember that this is a Muslim country
and dress should be conservative. Women in particular are
expected to dress modestly. All the same, immodest Western
style holiday dress is acceptable in nightclubs, and hotels
frequented by tourists
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