Tag Archives: Cairo Egypt

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

Pyramids of Giza

The Giza pyramids are located on the Giza Plateau in Greater Cairo, Egypt. We were surprised at just how close the pyramids are located to the city of Cairo. The pyramids are only 22 kms from the city centre of Cairo.

When we first arrived in the parking lot area and descended from the bus the view of the Pyramids was extraordinary. Even from the far distance of the parking lot,  we could tell they were massive structures.

The pyramid of Khafre  in Egypt.

The pyramid of Khafre, was the one that still had a small section on the tip in a finished state. This pyramid is the second largest and  tallest  of the Egyptian Pyramids of Giza . The Khafre pyramid was the location of the tomb of the Fourth-Dynasty pharaoh Khafre, who ruled in 2550 BC. The closer we walked towards the pyramid of khafre the more impressive it became.

The khafre pyramid in Egypt

When we reached the base of the pyramid we could see just how large the stones were that made the pyramid.

Shelley standing at the base of the Khafre pyramid in Egypt.

We were able to go inside of the Khafre pyramid and explore part of the interior chamber. It was amazing to think that we were actually inside the pyramid of Khafre.

Inside view of the narrow passageway in the Khafre pyramid.

The Giza pyramids were one of the highlights of our trip to Egypt. The other highlight was seeing the great Sphinx of Giza which was larger than we expected. It is 20 meters high (66 feet) and 73 meters (240 feet) long.

Shelley and Ray in front of the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt.

We were able to get close to the Sphinx but were not able to touch it.

We explored the pyramids and Sphinx area for several hours before heading back to Cairo.

Ray and Shelley’s hands on the Khafre pyramid in Giza

We will always remember and cherish this particular visit to see one of the Seven Wonders of the World. It is by far the oldest of the ancient Wonders and the only one still in existence.

Until next time, be safe and enjoy life.

“”السفر يجعل المرء متواضعا. ترى ما هو مكان صغير تشغله في العالم. كما أنه يغير النظرة الإنسانية للحياة ، ويوسع آفاقنا ويجعلنا أكثر قدرة على إدراك الأشياء بشكل مختلف ، خاصة بعد التعرف على الثقافات الأخرى ، والتعامل مع أنواع مختلفة من الناس ، وتجربة تجارب جديدة.”

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

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. “