The first stop was at a complex called the Citadel which sits high on a plateau, visible from all of Old Cairo. The place was started as a fortified area for the rulers around 1170AD. Today, the large protecting walls are still intact - the lower levels are made of limestone grabbed from the pyramids. Nate is very upset at the people who took this limestone, since it was the nice, polished, finish layer.
The main attraction at the Citadel is the Mosque of Mohammed Ali (the king, not the boxer) which dates to the 1820s. Mohammed Ali came into power by inviting all the powerful Mamluke leaders (the rulers are the time) to his place for dinner then killing them all in the alley as they left. Nice guy. Nonetheless, he built a stunning mosque, sometimes called the Alabaster Mosque for the domes that were once covered in alabaster on the outside. The builders/architects of the Hagia Sophia in Turkey were called upon to design and build the mosque and the place definitely has a Turkish/Byzantine feel.
It was an exciting change of pace, visiting our first mosque ever. Everyone in group had dressed very modestly - most of the women covered up wrist to ankle. Some of us covered our heads with scarfs, although we were told we didn't have to, and we all took off our shoes at the entrance to the courtyard. We stepped inside and into an amazing space - a soaring dome with four central pillars under it and four semi-domes on each side. Other minor domes were arranged around the central domes. Glass globes with a single light bulb were suspended from the ceiling in the shape and size of the domes, but at a much lower height and the entire floor was covered with red oriental-style carpets. (The floor was spotless, incidentally, inside and out so didn't feel weird to be walking in socks or bare feet.) Once you go inside the mosque, you carry your shoes with the bottoms facing each other.
Our group sat down in a corner and Waleed talked to us about Islam. We learned about the "Five Pillars" the faithful follow and the way the daily prayers happen. Prayer includes kneeling and touching your head to the ground (a lot like yoga's "child's pose") and that is why you need to take your shoes off so the ground remains clean. Waleed was very open, talking about some of the myths about Islam that he hears from tourists a lot (e.g. - the 70 virgins). It was a nice moment.
We had about 2 minutes free time inside to take some pictures, which I'm sure will not do the place justice. The domes are darkly painted which makes it hard to sense their depth when looking up and the lower electric lights also made taking photos tough. I could've sat for awhile just admiring the place, but the rest of our group was out the door and waiting for Nate and I. We took a picture of the whole gang outside the mosque overlooking old Cairo.
Our next stop was the main Christian church in Cairo. The Christians here are Coptic Christians, a totally different branch of Christianity with their own pope and all. This church is called the Hanging Church because it is built literally suspended above the ruins of a Roman Fortress. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, there are some very nice mosaics in the open court entry way to the church. The inside was under restoration but had a unique wood beam roof which was supposed to mimic Noah's ark and a few plexiglass "windows" in the floor where you could see down to the fort's ruins far below. The church also commemorated the Holy Family's flight to Egypt to escape Herod and their subsequent living there for a few years.
Our last stop of the day (and tour!) was the Egyptian Antiquities Museum. We were glad to have gotten some time here yesterday, despite not always knowing what we were seeing, because we went through pretty quickly today. Waleed led us between the highlights and filled in the blanks on the history behind the pieces we saw. The display of the item's found in King Tut's tomb, though not arranged very cohesively, were very impressive especially the gold mask that went over his mummy which become rather iconic. The tomb was very small by the standard of other tombs in the Valley of the Kings, but you wouldn't believe all the stuff that was packed in there! His mummy lay in a nested arrangement of 3 coffins and 4 gilded wood boxes all of which were meticulously detailed and decorated. (The mummy itself remains in his tomb because it was too fragile to move.) Outside of the outer box were hundreds, maybe even thousands, of items with all sorts of symbolic meanings meant to provide his ka, or spirit, with everything it needed in the after life.
Our time with Waleed ended when he dropped us back at our hotel and said goodbye. Everyone was sad to see him go and for the tour to be over. We've really lucked out with this group of people. Everyone is so nice and there is never a lull in the conversation at meals. People are extremely punctual - always early actually! Many times Nate and I were the last ones back on the bus after free time at a site, feeling like we were late when we were actually a couple minutes early! There are a tame bunch though - no drinking or staying up late for this crowd! Still, we've made some good friends from around the world and I'll remember our experience here as much for getting to know our tour group members as I will for the amazing sites we saw.
We all arranged to meet for one last dinner together at the hotel that night. We enjoyed each other's company sitting outside by the pool, laughing about the crazy things on the menu and talking about getting back home. Some are very ready to go, though they enjoyed their time here. Others, like us, are in complete denial. We talked a bit about work and going back to reality and it was suddenly clear to me how used to traveling I've gotten. As you all surely know, I am an OCD organizer and living out of a suitcase usually drives me crazy. It seems normal now! The thought of staying in one place and having a schedule feels so completely foreign. Looking back on the breadth of experiences we've had and the places we've seen I can feel nothing but blessed to have had this opportunity. There's no question it has changed me.
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