Egypt: Cairo & Giza

From Jeddah we flew to Cairo, landing around 7 p.m. and jumping headfirst into the insane Cairo traffic. (Until Egypt I thought the Greeks were the worst drivers in the world. WRONG!!) I do have to say that Egypt wins in terms of ease of entry - which may or may not be a good thing. When you get into the terminal you go to a window and pay $15 for a visa sticker before queuing for passport control. Our officer waved us forward, put the sticker in, stamped it a few times and shooed us away. He didn't speak to us at all - he barely even looked at us!

The baggage claim area at the Cairo airport was like a busy market...on crack. People were climbing all over the conveyor belts, grabbing their bags and helping others to locate theirs. (There are porters paid to do this, but we found the other folks waiting for luggage to be even more helpful - a man actually grabbed both of our packs for us without even being asked. So nice!) It was also incredibly noisy and completely packed - a suitable welcome to a city whose population is almost the same as the entire country of Australia. (Yeah - we couldn't believe it either; 20-25 million peeps in Cairo, depending on who you ask.)

On the drive to our hotel we learned about the most useless job in Egypt - road painter. You know those funny lines which denote the number of lanes on a city street? They don't even appear to be a suggestion in Cairo. Why would you settle for two lanes of traffic when you can fit five cars side-by-side in the same space? The most common form of communication in Egypt seems to come via car horn - and we heard some good ones. Naturally if you're trying to decipher who is honking the loudest at you, there needs to be some variety offered. The Egyptians have that covered, and then some.

Our trip to Egypt was action-packed due to our short length of stay (a little under a week). Initially we had planned to book that portion of our travels in January, but then SURPRISE! they had a (much needed) revolution and we decided to wait a while longer before scheduling anything concrete. Given the upcoming elections, we thought it best to limit our time in case we needed to make a speedy exit. As it turns out, we had an incredible experience and would love to go back.

The first few days of our trip were spent in Cairo and Giza. We booked a short two-day tour through Intrepid, and our local guide - Rasha - was sensational. A Muslim woman our age, she gave us some really great personal insights into Islam, and what it means to live - as a young, educated woman - in a conservative Arab country. Rasha's understanding of her country's history was mindblowing. While as children Court and I whinged (on opposite sides of the world) about having to learn a few hundred years of our own history, Rasha has memorized literally thousands of years worth, in multiple languages!

On our first morning we headed straight for Giza, home of the Great Pyramid, the only remaining relic from the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Originally 146.5 m tall, it is now about 136 m - not bad, considering that it was built in 2560 B.C.!! Standing at the base of the pyramid is really something, especially when you studied it in school as a child (which I imagine most of us did). We climbed up the facade about 5 m or so, and even then we barely felt like we had made any progress. There are two smaller pyramids in the same necropolis, both for other members of the same dynasty. As part of our tour, we got to ride camels through a stretch of desert above all three - we even got to try our hand at "camel surfing" where we stood up on the backs of the camels like we were catching a wave. (That was one of my favourite things.)

After the pyramids we moved over the the Sphinx. That was really cool. It's massive in size, but somehow smaller than I had always envisioned. When it was discovered, only the head was visible above the sand - they had to do a lot of digging to excavate the whole thing. You want to know the saddest thing about the Sphinx? Directly in her line of vision - just through a small gate and across a small road - is a two-storey Pizza Hut. That's the shit she has to look at ALL DAY. As someone who spent four years of my life slinging pizzas at The Hut, I feel for her.

Following the pyramids/sphinx, we stopped off at an art gallery where we were shown how papyrus is turned from a plant into usable paper. (Having seen papyrus growing in Uganda, it was nice to learn about the next steps.) When left as a stalk it is easy to break - but when peeled into thin slices it becomes much, much stronger. Papyrus needs to be soaked, woven, pressed, and soaked again before it is ready for use - this process ensures that it will be strong enough to last for generations. We're willing to put it to the test - intrigued by the beautiful colours and incredible stories depicted in each piece, we are now the proud owners of several works of Egyptian art. As soon as we have some walls to hang them on, you can all come over and hear what each piece is all about!

After the papyrus gallery Rasha took us for some incredible Egyptian fast food in Tahrir Square. It was strange/cool to be standing in the place where the revolution really took place - the only noticeable sign is the burnt-out government building. Rasha told us that many Egyptians want it to stay that way as a reminder of what happens when corrupt leaders try to steal from the people.  :)

Directly following our meal - which included the best falafal I have ever had...ever - we set about exploring the incredible Egyptian Museum. It is currently located in Tahrir Square as well, though it is scheduled for relocation (to a site near Giza) early next year. One of the saddest things about the revolution is that some artifacts were looted during the mass demonstrations - some have been recovered, but others are still missing. Rasha told us that descriptions of all missing items have been supplied to the public, and the penalty for purchasing any such artifacts is hefty. Hopefully once they realise that there's no way they can ever sell them, the vandals will find a way to return what was taken.

If you ever make it to Cairo, the museum is a must. The sheer age of the artifacts is staggering - particularly, I think, for those of us who come from relatively new countries. It's really incredible to see how statues, ceramics, jewellery, etc., have survived for thousands of years under the rule of the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, Romans, and Arabs. It's quite fascinating. One of the highlights of our tour was the chance to see King Tut's golden burial mask, as well as the contents of his burial tomb. What many people don't realise is that King Tut wasn't considered special in his time - he was fairly unremarkable and died before he was 20. The reason he's become so iconic, however, is because his tomb is the only one ever discovered completely intact. And you should see what was inside! The intricacies of the riches buried with him are just astounding - such beautiful, delicate, colourful gold word, carvings, and stonework. The mask itself is particularly beautiful, and it gives you a sense of how small he actually was.

The next day we had an opportunity to visit the Citadel, which is home to the Mosque of Muhammed Ali. This backdrop provided an excellent space for us to learn more about Islam. Here is a Cliff's Notes version of the five pillars of Islam, as I have come to understand them:

1) Belief that Allah is God and Muhammad is his prophet. (Islam recognises Judeo-Christian prophets such as Abraham and Jesus, but ultimately holds that Muhammad, who succeeds Jesus, brought with him the true message of God.)

2) Prayer (after cleansing of the hands, face, feet, etc). In Muhammad's time, Muslims were required to pray 50 times per day. At this juncture, Muslims pray 5 times per day according to the position of the sun. Rasha explained to us that the reason women cover themselves is that the Koran says women must be covered (except for their hands) in order to pray. Men can pray anywhere so long as they are covered between their waists and knees - Rasha gave an example of men being able to pray on the beach as long as they wrap a towel around themselves first. We were told that how a woman chooses to cover herself is up to her - and, indeed, we did see a lot of very fashionably covered women in Egypt. Sparkles, embroidery, beautiful scarves...all paired with flawless makeup and designer purses/sunglasses. It's a very interesting collision of cultures! Of course, some families hold more conservative views than others, so there were occasions where we saw women wearing only black - this was particularly noticeable in Saudi Arabia. There were also some instances - though they were very few and far between - where we saw young girls covered as well. (In those cases, however, the girls had really cool shiny scarfs in bright blues and reds to complement their black hijabs.) Rasha did express some frustration that there are people who try to tell others what they should and should not where. In her opinion, it is between the individual and God.

3) Fasting, including during the month of Ramadan (when they are also expected to renew their commitment to their faith and refrain from anger, jealousy, violence, greed, lust, swearing, etc.). There are exceptions as to who must fast, based upon health and well-being.

4) Charitable giving based on accumulated wealth. Basically, 2.5% of whatever a Muslim saves in a lunar year is to be given to charity. If you can't afford to give money, you can give of your time. The basic principle here is that you should always be looking out for others whilst being grateful for what you have.

5) Hajj - the pilgrimage to Mecca during the season of Dhu al-Hijjah (which, like Ramadan, changes every year). If you are healthy and can afford it, you are expected to visit Mecca at least once in your lifetime. Here's where things get tricky - women can't go by themselves. The airport officials will literally turn them away at the doors if they are not accompanied by a man. Also, Saudi Arabia grants each country only a set number of visas each year, so your health/wealth must occur at the same time your name is drawn for a visa. (This can make it super tricky for women, because their chaperon will also need to be healthy and wealthy enough to go at the same time.) To try and make sure as many people as possible can go, you have to wait 6 years - or something to that effect - between trips, but the reality is that some people won't ever make it. If that happens, another person can go and perform the rituals of the Hajj on your behalf. If you can afford to go and are healthy enough but choose not to (and you die before you actually get to go), you're putting your soul in serious peril.

So there you have it - my understanding of the five basic pillars of Islam. Not so different from Judeo-Christian belief systems, eh?

After the Citadel we visited Coptik Cairo where we had the opportunity to visit the Hanging Church (which was cool). It was filled with many Greek tourists paying homage to saints. (It actually reminded me of Greece.) We then spent some time trolling around an ancient souk (market) before heading back to our hotel to rest up for our two-day trip to Alexandria.