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Cairo again, April: 2003 |
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Back in Cairo again for the last few days of our holiday. We chose a hotel with a balcony directly overlooking Tahrir Square, content to be able to watch the chaos below, without actually having to partake in it! RIGHT Traffic queued up to enter the massive roundabout at Tahrir Square. The large L-shaped white building on the far right is the Arab League building, The building with a tower in the distance is the Opera House in Zamalek. BELOW Still leading off Tahrir Square, the coral coloured building is the Egyptian Museum |
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ABOVE Me on the balcony adjoining our hotel room, briefly distracted from the hypnotic view of traffic rushing around Tahrir Square at dusk! LEFT Me after clambering down steep wooden runged boards into pit of mini pyramid We'd saved the Giza pyramids for the last part of the holiday, and glad we had, exceeding our expectations despite fears that they had been overhyped. We hadn't seen any other pyramids previously, so these were a fresh novelty to us. Like the other major sights in Egypt, there were numerous touts and 'officials' trying to distract us. One guided us towards a mini pyramid, pretending to check our tickets, then proclaiming that we could visit that particular venue. When the attendant there asked if we had torches to see our way to get down the tunnel, it was blatantly clear we had been guided there in the hopes of sharing the baksheesh we might have given for torches. However when we waved our own torches at him, realising this ruse wouldn't work, he promptly switched on the mains lights for the tunnel instead. LEFT Stef taking a rest at the bottom of the mini pyramid |
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RIGHT One of the Queens' Pyramids, the Pyramid of Mycerinus, and Pyramid of Chephren |
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LEFT Stefan with view of pyramids at Giza behind him, and camels to far left BELOW LEFT A hoard of tourists swarm in front of a rather genteel looking Sphinx, with the Great Pyramid of Cheops cut off at the right edge of photo. In the immediate vicinity, are plenty of entrepreneurial children trying to sell postcards, batteries and films to the tourists, and adults offering camel and horse rides, or to take photographs in exchange for baksheesh. It's possible to avoid the majority of these husslers by wandering off track though |
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BELOW Late afternoon view towards the pyramids and Sphinx from outside Pizza Hut, near stables |
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ABOVE Secluded rubbly area somewhere at Giza ABOVE RIGHT and RIGHT Stef and Sphinx Back in Cairo, around Friday lunchtime, we witness something seemingly unusual. Tahrir Square completely devoid of traffic, and look quite surreal for it. We later find out that the square is blocked off every Friday midday, during the call to prayer, for security reasons. At this time, most people in the city stop whatever they're doing, to lay mats or cardboard on the ground, even if they're on the streets, in order to pray. |
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BELOW An empty Tahrir Square during Friday's call to prayer
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A medley of constantly moving, constantly beeping vehicles (the black
ones with white racks on top are taxis) at a junction going into Tahrir
Square, and a few pedestrians bravely threading their way slowly and precariously
through the oncoming, crisscrossing traffic. Much like watching a combination
of Tetris with Lemmings. |
But
being down in that mini pyramid was an unexpected blessing. Noone else
was there, and for the first time at any of the sites in Egypt, we could
actually have a lighthearted, uninterrupted conversation. The attendant
above was probably wondering what we'd managed to find so interesting
to spend so long there!
BELOW
LEFT Stef and a secluded looking Pyramid of Chephren. This pyramid
still has some ot its limestone casing, and some granite at the summit...
Chephren had wanted to add granite on top of the limestone, but died
before its addition.
