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Egypt

The city of Cairo

We spent four days in the city of Cairo, which is the capital of Egypt. It is also the largest city in all of Africa and of the Arab world. It was a bit overwhelming when we first arrived. The city is massive with well over 20 million people and traffic was thick and quite daunting at times.

A partial view of the city of Cairo

Although the traffic is busy all the time, they still manage to navigate well considering they only have a few traffic lights in the city. Most of the traffic lights are located in the very core of the city. The rest of the city has very limited traffic controls and most cars travel and navigate using their horn.

Typical traffic in Cairo

We were fortunate to have a bus to commute throughout the city. The driver was very good and he was amazing driving through the traffic. We filmed his driving at certain times when the traffic was very chaotic and congestion.

There were all kinds of unique and special things that we saw in the city of Cairo.  We explored many areas including the city of the dead, which is located near the historic area of Cairo.  There are numerous people who live in the city of the dead. The concept of “tomb-dwellers” took hold as more and more demand was placed on the overcrowding of the city. The lack of living space lead people squatting in tombs. The city estimates that currently there is half of a million people living in the city of the dead.

City of the Dead, n Cairo Photo from Daniel Nussbaum https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=31146078
Section of the City of the Dead in Cairo

Cairo has a long history as a centre of the region’s political and cultural life. The city is known as “the city of a thousand minarets” because of the importance placed on Islamic architecture.  We saw first hand the beauty and numerous minarets in the city.  Below are just a few examples of some of the minarets we saw in Cairo.

On the outskirts of Cairo there are smaller communities all along the Nile River.  We travelled through some of these small communities on our way to different historic sites. We saw some street vendors selling their wares on the roadside.

Vendor selling veggies on the roadside in small community in Egypt.
Vendor selling miscellaneous articles on roadside.

There were many people using horses, donkeys and camels as means of transportation.

Donkeys were often used as a means of travel.

The communities had a very unique character and the people were very friendly. It was a great experience exploring some of the surrounding towns of Cairo.

We spent an incredible four days in Cairo, exploring some of the  extraordinary history of the city. This is one of the adventure that will remain in our hearts for ever.

“لا تدع الخوف يمنعك من تجربة شيء جديد”

Egypt

Camel Ride

We decided to take a camel ride. There were many camels available for a ride across the back of the pyramids of Giza for 10 euros.

Camels rides for 10 euros at the pyramids of Giza

A group of us in our tour decided we would take the camel ride and see the pyramids from a different location.

Shelley on her camel

We each mounted our camels and three or four of them were tied in tandem. The guide then led the camels across the desert towards the back side of the pyramids.

Shelley and Ray on the camels heading to the pyramids.

Shelley’s camel was tied to Ray’s and her camel would rub his head on Ray’s leg. The camel was friendly and Ray was able to rub its head and pet it.

Shelley’s camel being friendly to Ray

We rode the camels for approximately 20 minutes until we reached the far side of the pyramids. From that vantage point we could see the complete horizon with the pyramids.

Ray and Shelley at the Giza pyramids

Our group decided to have a photo taken with all of us in front of the pyramids with our camels.

Our group at the Giza pyramids on camels

The camel ride to the far side of the pyramids was an extremely enjoyable experience. Riding a camel through the dessert was one of those experiences that will stay with us for years to come.

لا تدع الخوف يمنعك من تجربة المغامرات

Egypt

The Valley of the Kings

We went to the Valley of the Kings, which is a valley on the west bank of the Nile, near the city of Luxor.

The Valley of the Kings in Egypt

The Valley of the Kings consists of two valleys,  the East Valley where the majority of the royal tombs are situated and West Valley. There are a total of 63 different tombs discovered to date in the Valley of the Kings. Our guide Aladino explained to us which of the tombs where the best ones to see and then we went our own to explore the tombs.

Aladino at one of the tombs explaining the best tombs to see.

We headed to the first tomb which was one of the most detailed and largest of the tombs.

corridor in one of the tombs which led to a larger burial room at the end.

The tombs of Royals and Nobles were decorated decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology.

Ray inside a tomb complex in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt
Shelley in front of some of the Egyptian etchings in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt
Egyptian hieroglyphs within areas of the tombs in the Valley of Kings in Egypt.

There were some pristine and well preserved Egyptian hieroglyphs throughout some of the tombs. We were amazed at how detailed and precise the hieroglyphs were made. They are carved into the stone and contained very detailed features.

Detailed and pristine hieroglyphs in the tombs in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt.

The Valley of the Kings is an archaeological and Egyptological exploration and its tombs and burials continue to be researched.

We went and explored one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world,  the tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.

Tomb of the Tut Ankh Amun in the Valley of the Kings in Egypt

The Valley of the Kings  has become even more famous for the discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Ray and Shelley in the entrance to the tomb of Tutankhamun
Ray and Shelley in one of the tomb areas

We walked through four different tombs throughout our time in the Valley of the Kings. They were very impressive with amazing Egyptian hieroglyphs, paintings, and stone etchings. Many of them were in pristine condition.

One of the tomb corridors with many Egyptian etchings and hieroglyphs.

The tombs were built with the intention to easily transform the king or noble to transcend to the next world. The tombs were adorned with decorations and ancient texts to help guide the soul to the afterlife.

Etchings and hieroglyphs in one of the tombs
Egyptian stone etching and paintings in one of the tombs in the Valley of the Kings

The time we spent in the Valley of the Kings was truly one of the highlights of our trip. We walked through the tombs and touched  500 year old history. Truly an amazing adventure.

كن منفتحًا واحتضان الحياة على أكمل وجه.

Egypt

Egyptian Museum of Cairo

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or Museum of Cairo, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities.

The Egyptian Museum or Museum of Cairo,

We bought our ticket which cost 200 Egyptian Pounds, that is equal to about 15 Canadian dollars.

The inside of the museum was massive with long corridors full of exhibits.

Our Guide Aladino explaining one of the exhibits in the museum.

We began to explore the museum with our guide, who took us to the more key exhibits in the museum.

One of the many corridors in the Cairo museum

The Cairo museum has 120,000 items, with only a fraction of them on display, the remainder are in storerooms. The Cairo museum is the largest museum in the region.

A corridor leading to another section of the museum.

We explored the museum for approximately four hours, looking at some of the different exhibits. We were able to actually reach out and touch some of the exhibits while others were protected by a glass case.

Shelley touching a 4000 year old coffin in the Cairo Museum
Ray touching one of the Anthropoid coffins

Some Anthropoid coffins on display in the museum.

Shelley demonstrating the depth of the exhibit in the Cairo MuseumWe explored a section which contained mummified remains from one of the tombs found in the region.

The 4000 year old mummy still had remnants of hair and teeth. It was an eerie but interesting exhibit.

Shelley and Ray in front of part of the Tutankhamun’s exhibit

There were so many things to see. Below are just a few of the amazing exhibits in the Cairo museum.

We really enjoyed walking through the museum and seeing the exhibits which were truly amazing. It is hard to believe that some of the exhibits were over 5000 years old and some of the first artifacts found in the pyramids.

عش الحياة على أكمل وجه واستمتع بكل لحظة.

Egypt

Exploring the Khan el-Khalili in Cairo

We went to explore some of the sites in the centre of Cairo. One amazing spot we went to see was the Khan el-Khalili which is a famous bazaar and souq in the historic center of Cairo. We went in the evening which gives it a completely different atmosphere. It was established as the first “Khan al-Khalili” between 1382-1389.

Crowds of people in the bazaar in Cairo

This bazaar was massive and full of people. We walked through the narrow street, looking at all the different things for sale.

Shelley in the streets of the Khan el-Khalili market

There were many different Egyptian artisans selling traditional crafts including carpets, art and souvenirs.

Souvenirs for sale in the Khan el-Khalili market
Aluminum blank sheets used to make pots and other items for cooking sold in the Khan el-Khalili market.
Hookahs for sale in the Khan el-Khalili market

We walked through the crowds and came to a vender selling traditional style pastries. We stopped and purchased some to try and watched as he made them for us.

Vendor preparing the pastries for us in the Khan el-Khalili market.
Pastries sold in the Khan el-Khalili market

We walked along part of the walled city which actually houses the Khan al-Khalili and is quite impressive.

We then went through some very narrow streets in the Khan el-Khalili market.

Crowds of people in the narrow streets of the market

We went to one of the oldest and most famous coffeehouses in the Khan el-Khalili called Fishawi. This coffeehouse was established in 1773 and is known for its Arabic coffee.

We stopped at the Fishawi coffeehouse and enjoyed some local traditional drinks.

The Fishawi Coffeehouse in the Khan el-Khalili Market
Sitting in the  Fishawi coffeehouse in Khan el-Khalili market

This is where Ray tried his first Arabic coffee and fell in love with the taste of Arabic Coffee. After having our drinks and relaxing for a while we continued through the market exploring the many unique and extraordinary sights, smells and sounds of the Khan el-Khalili market. It was one of the highlights of our time in Cairo to visit the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and souq.

“تجرؤ على أن تعيش الحياة التي تريدها دائمًا. “