The Conqueror

‘Sir, will you have tea or coffee’?

I looked back to find a giant of a man exceeding 6 ft 4” in height and weighing around 140 kg, very dark complexioned, with well chiseled face and a contrast white teeth flashing in smile. My heart almost skipped the beat at the sight !

‘What is your name?’  I enquired.

‘Abdullah’ he replied as he poured out the strong black coffee in the cup.

‘Do you have milk?’ I continued.  ‘No sir’! He replied.

We were admiring the beautiful blue hue and silver reflections of the River Nile. The sprawling city with minarets soaring skywards as visible from the terrace of the restaurant looked majestic. It was  located atop the hotel’s 16^th floor where we stayed in Dokki, in the city centre of Cairo. The breakfast was sumptuous and the strain of previous day’s travel had almost worn off after a good night’s rest. The flight from Amman in Jordan was a short one taking just about an hour to reach the Cairo International Airport. It was already dark when we checked in the hotel and except for the glitter of the market place we could not see much.

Cairo is the largest city in Africa and the Arab world and has a unique culture and historic past! I had been tempted to visit the lovely city for the great offing this city has! There is virtually everything that a traveler looks for starting from the famous Pyramids, the market places, historical sites, music, dance, operas, food and shopping! The exotic city fits the bill completely for a short or a longer holiday!

At Alabaster Sphinx at Memphis

The clock had started ticking for me and there was no time to waste, so we hit the street and decided to visit the Pyramids first! There are multiple options to travel from public buses to metro and taxis which are very convenient. We hailed a taxi to take us to Giza which is located almost 12 km away. The drive through the busy streets of Sharl De Gool, Mourad and finally Al Ahram took us a little more than half an hour to reach Haram. The mighty Sphinx and the Pyramids of Giza were now visible standing tall on the huge sandy expanse. It was like looking at the school history book! There are three pyramids and the biggest one is called as The Great Pyramid of Pharaoh Khufu or Cheops. We looked upon the great structure with awe which was tallest structure for more than 3800 years, towering 481 feet. It is estimated that 5.5 million tons of limestone, 8,000 tons of granite (imported from Aswan), and 500,000 tons of mortar were used in the construction of the Great Pyramid. In the vicinity are two more pyramids which were constructed in the memory of Pharaoh Khafrae and Menkaure. We could not visit the biggest one as it was closed so we went to visit the smallest one of Menkaure which is 205 ft tall. We had to bend very low through the long tunnel to enter the structure. The air was damp and it was a creepy feeling to enter the antechamber where the coffin of Menakure is preserved. After the visit inside, it is difficult to believe that how these wonders were created by humans with virtually non existent technology compared to what is available today.

We found some Bedouin tribesman with camels who were beckoning us for a ride around the Pyramids.  As my wife tried hard to climb the camel’s back, one of the Bedouin lifted her and put her on the seat almost effortlessly, much to our amusement! The camel ride at Giza plateau is a ‘must do’ for the first time travelers for the unique experience.

The Great Sphinx and Pyramid at Giza

A short distance away stands the mighty Sphinx which has the body of a lion and the head of a human! This is thought to be a guardian flanking the temples. This is located in the north and below the pyramids. According to the legends, the head of the Great Sphinx is that of Pharaoh Khafre.

A sound and light show is held in the evenings here where the history of the Sphinx, Pyramids and various historical figures is depicted.

Next on the list of places to visit was the Pyramid of Saqqara or the Step Pyramid. This was a vast burial ground in the ancient capital of Memphis about 30 km from the site of Giza! We had a haunting experience as one of the parked vehicles suddenly reversed as my daughter was crossing the road! Luckily, no one came to harm.

Camel ride at Saqqara

Saqqara is the ancient burial place of non royals and has unique step architecture. This is now designated as a World Heritage site by the UN. There are several Step pyramids all over the world like the one in Mexico, Sardinia, Mesopotamia, Indonesia but each have their unique history. 

We continued our historical exploration to see the statue of King Ramses II. There was a small Papyrus making factory in the vicinity where they still made the hand made paper with the paintings of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses! It was difficult to resist the temptation so we bought a couple of them! It was a hot day and we sighted fresh water melons on the way and picked the same to quench the thirst.

In the evening we walked up to the river front where hundreds of people had gathered. The place wore a festive look as the neon lit streets cast their reflections from the sparkling waters of the quiet flowing Nile. The flower sellers were selling garlands of jasmine flowers much the same way one sees around temples of Chennai! The only difference being that men adorn them around their wrists unlike women adorn in hair in Chennai! A boat ride on the Nile was the best way to bring an end to a very eventful day. For those having more time, a trip to Aswan and Luxor by river cruise on Nile lasting up to a week, will be a memorable experience.

Next morning, we headed to the Tahrir Square and visited a treasure trove, The Egyptian Museum. It has more than 120000 collector antiquities. The most memorable ones are the chamber of mummies, the treasures of King Tutankhamen including the Gold Mask that weighs over 11kg of Solid Gold! Pharaoh Tutankhamen ascended the throne at the young age of nine years and died when he was just nineteen year old and his mummy is preserved in Luxor!

Our next destination was the ancient Khan –el- Khalili market or the souk which is one of the oldest in the world. It is a virtual shopper’s paradise for clothes, souvenirs ,food and even for those who would like to smoke ‘hookah’ ( called Shesha). The aroma of freshly baked khubz (bread) is overpowering and to see the huge crates of them being carried is a sight worth remembering! There are several coffee houses and street food vendors in the area. Al Hussein mosque which was built in 1154 is one of the oldest Islamic mosques in Cairo and is located here. It is believed to contain the oldest complete manuscripts of the Koran. The sun was setting in the west as the muezzin was calling out for the ‘azan’( prayer) from the minaret.  Another perfect day was coming to an end, as we traversed back to the hotel.

The time just flew and I felt I should have spent some more time in this place. There was still so much left to see and do! There is so much history waiting to be explored. The next day we bid goodbye to Cairo (which means ‘The Conqueror’) as we boarded the flight to Tel Aviv, the next destination with a treasure of memories of the lovely city!

PS- This post was written as a part of challenge posed by a nice blog friend Ramya when she awarded me The Kreativ Blogger Award on 04 Oct. I was expected to write something which pairs the picture below. In response is another picture and the words next to the challenge and this travelogue!

Ramya's Challenge picture

They Live in hearts,
As greatest wonders
Keeping memories alive
of past ancestors
-Rahul