Exploring Alexandria

Rachel and I caught the early train from Cairo to Alexandria to spend the day exploring the sites and side streets of this interesting harbour town, and enjoying the somewhat slower pace compared to Cairo!

Pompey's Pillar.


A collection of other Pharonic ruins at the site, contrasted with the sprawling, toppling, colourful apartment blocks of modern Alex.


Exploring the side streets of Alex.


Sweet potatoes for sale off the back of a donkey cart.


View of the bay from the Corniche.

The town is an interesting mix of various influences, from the Pharonic to the Roman, the Colonial to the Modern.


Rachel & Hoba.


Choosing our lunch fresh from the morning catch.


The kitchen of the restaurant we ate at was somehow attached to the Mosque behind.


Everyday is washday.




Bustling markets in the side streets.





Goats & sheep brought into the city to be slaughtered for the upcoming holiday.

Wadi Digla Fieldtrip

On Saturday we took a group of students on a field trip to the Wadi Digla Protectorate just outside of Cairo. The early morning chill was formidable until the sun came out and baked us all. The students were part of a programme run by a local NGO to assist families who had been displaced by a bad earthquake a few years back. They were really engaged and it was a lot of fun to see them learning and enjoying the trip so much, even if it was all in Arabic!

The open space and quietness of the protectorate is a sharp contrast to the craziness of Cairo.


Students on a plant trail to learn about indigenous species.


Sara teaching the students about the bat colonies in the hillsides.


For most, it was their first time to see a bat.






One couldn't ask for a better classroom.

Islamic Cairo

An afternoon exploring "Islamic Cairo", a densely packed quarter in Cairo as rich in history and magnificent architecture as it is in chaotic disorder. An absolute assault on all your senses and a truly fascinating district.

I have yet to experience a place in Cairo without completely crazy traffic. Nothing surprises me anymore, donkey carts ride alongside over packed trucks with motorcycles and pedestrians darting their way between the crazily fast pace of it all. The constant barrage of hooters never stops and despite the speed and ferocity of it all, there are surprising few accidents! It is total mayhem, and I love it.

Rifai Mosque, exquisite craftsmanship both inside and out.






Friday afternoon prayers.





My excellent tour guides - Samah, Ereeny & Sarah.


View to the Citadel between Rifai Mosque and the Mosque of Sultan Hassan.




Butcher on the street outside. Its quite normal for whole carcasses to be hung out in the streets of Cairo.


Inside the Gayer Anderson House adjoined to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun. An amazing museum of two houses which were joined together. Most fascinating for me was the various means of passive cooling, from interior courtyards with fountains to ingeniously designed windows for ventilation.

View of the Mosque and the city beyond from the roof garden.


Sarah, Ereeny, myself & Samah on the roof garden. This was also a location for the James Bond movie, A Spy Who Loved Me.


Courtyard two floors below, with open lounges and friendly curators.


View from the roof of the Citadel and the sprawl of apartment buildings.


Secret room behind a cupboard where women would spy on the men in the male only reception hall below.


The secret room.


The windows were designed not only for ventilation, but also so that you can see out but not in. An important aspect of the design given that women should not be seen at all.


A collection of exquisite handcrafted furniture and lanterns.


Entrance to the Mosque of Ibn Tulun.




Restoration of the towers and domes have saved them from water damage and collapse.






The Mosque of Ibn Tulun is not as ornate as other Mosques we had visited, but it was by far the most impressive. Its sweeping designs and open spaces left me in awe of the grandeur and magnificence of this sacred place.

Taboulah

A late lunch after work at Lebanese restaurant, Taboulah. Great food and great company!

Sarah, Sara & Ereeny

Hazem


Omar


Amal & I

Last standing Wonder of the Ancient World

After Abu Nombros, we headed to Giza to see the Pyramids and the Sphinx. I was expecting it to be amazing, but it was truly epic. The hordes of tourists and the camel riders trying to sell you everything and anything couldn't take away from the overwhelming magnificence of the pyramids. The unbelievable feat of creating such colossal structures deserves it the title of a wonder of the ancient world.

Sarah, myself, Ereeny & Omer.


Tombs the mummies were found in.


Camel I wasn't allowed to take a photo of because it was a police camel!






Wandering through the desert. Not quite, but taking the long way around to see the Sphinx.


Young boy and the camels.


The infamous Sphinx, missing his nose that Napoleon successfully hit off.