How to make a Cairo

First, take one Calcutta.

Next, remove the Indians and the Hindi.

Replace with Arabs and Arabic.

Serve hot.


Well it's just another sunny day in Cairo. Needless to say I arrived. I even took a video of the landing, but I don't think this internet cafe's hardware is up to the challenge of uploading it. I'll try another time.

Cairo is big. Really, really big. Somewhere around 25 million in one city. The result is quite incredible and leads you to fluctuate between loving it intensely and wishing it were just that little bit quieter. Walking around the streets is a fascinating experience. Perching for a rest on a seat that has been around since 1305 is a strange feeling, and something that I don't think can really be matched in Australia.

So far I have been to:

The Citadel - the focal point of the entire city. It was built by Salah Al-Din when he rose to power in the early second millennium. It was fortified shortly after it was built as part of the (successful) attempts to keep out Crusading Brits. It consists of a number of mosques, the police museum, a palace and a couple of other ridiculously old buildings. The most memorable part is the Mosque of Mohammad Ali (the King, not the boxer) in about 1850 (I think). I've attached a photo, which does little to capture the enormity and grandeur of the building. Its interior is breathtaking. Christians have nothing on this.

Islamic Cairo - an older quarter of the city, where streets are about 2 meters wide and packed, PACKED with markets. There are different sections for different things, but this is the place to come for everything that isn't food or electric.

Old Cairo - a bit of a disappointment, possibly because I'd just left a shop where I still don't know if I was ripped off or not. I may have been a little bit bitter, just to make sure. This is a really old part of the city where Coptic Christianity has many of its roots. A plethora of mini churches and other worshipping places, replete with beggars and street merchants.

The Egyptian Museum - Usually when you go to a museum and into the 'old stuff' area, you walk a bit between artifacts. Not so in Cairo. Imagine you are an eager bull in a stockyard of antiques from throughout the past 4 000 years. You now have some idea of me this morning in the museum. This place is packed to the brim and a little overflowing with Egyptian artifacts. I never want to see another stone with writing on it again, which is a shame considering I plan to go to the pyramids tomorrow.

So far, so good. For two day's avid traveling, I'm quite happy with my efforts. I'm not sick, the people are nice to foreigners, and my limited Arabic has helped even a little. We'll see if it holds.

Ma-Salamah,

Nick