The Citadel

This is a statue of Muhammad Ali, a.k.a. "Father of Modern Egypt".

Today, the interior compound houses a police museum and a military museum.

The Mosque's courtyard is surrounded by a high wall.

Here is an architectural detail of the Mosque up close.

Visitors are asked to remove shoes upon entering.

During prayers, this carpeted floor is filled to capacity with praying Muslims on their knees facing East towards Mecca, lifting and lowering their heads to the floor.

This is a view of Muhammad Ali's tomb from inside the Mosque.

His tomb is secured behind a locked door with star-patterned holes.

The pyramids of Giza are barely discernible in the distance.

Here I am on the ramparts of the fortress overlooking "Old Cairo".

The Citadel's towers depicts a Medieval influence.

This is the Mosque that Muhammad Ali built.

On Sunday I toured the Citadel; "one of the world's greatest monuments to medieval warfare". It spans 75,350 sq ft of limestone and stands 614 ft high. Perched on the hilltop of "Old Cairo" and dating back to 810 A.D., it was originally built not for military occupation, but for its panoramic vistas and fresh breezes. From 1176-1183, ruler Salah al-Din fortified the Citadel against invading Crusaders. It served as fortress and royal city. While the Citadel was built in the Middle Ages, the Mosque built inside the compound by Ottoman ruler Muhammad Ali, is only 200 years old. Today the Citadel is Cairo's most popular non-pharaonic attraction that houses several museums, mosques, gift shops, and cafes. On the back ramparts of the Citadel, Cairo unfolded like a sepia photograph aided by smog, its signature hue. Upon leaving, it boggled my mind that a structure over 1200 years old could still remain intact and functional. I wonder if any of our historic structures in the U.S. could do this? Yeah. Rigggggggght.

Sunday Afternoon at Al-Azhar Park

Al-Azhar Park was well-designed and aesthetically pleasing.

It was a virtual oasis of beauty and tranquility.

Many were out walking or sitting in groups on the grass....

particularly, on the hillsides enjoying the view below.

The drive around the park was scenic and lush.

Al-Azhar Park was incredibly green; a virtual desert anomaly.

The panoramic view of "Old Cairo" was vast and beckoning.

We ate outdoors on the park's restaurant veranda.

Contentedly, under patio umbrellas offering us shade....

as we were afforded the incredible view below.

Friends and I had lunch at Cairo's Al-Azhar Park. Formerly a centuries' old landfill, it was transformed in 1984 to a 74 acre Islamic garden of serenity and tranquility generously donated by his highness the Aga Khan; costing him $30 million dollars to build. The park had a lot to offer: restaurants, cafes', shops, walking trails, children's playing area, fountains and gardens, grassy hillsides, abundant trees to rest under, and a panoramic view of the city below. We had lunch on the back veranda of "The Citadel View" Restaurant; a restaurant named for the ancient fortress that loomed formidably in the distance. (The Citadel will be discussed on a separate blog.) After lunch we enjoyed a leisurely stroll around the park, the sun warming our backs, and the gentle breezes cooling our faces. When the afternoon Islamic prayers began, and chanting could be heard from the loudspeakers of the Ottoman towered minarets, it was surreal to be standing way above the city and seeing the sea of buildings below. It felt as if we were being heralded to heaven. Another indelible memory of Cairo.

Shopping at the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar

I went shopping today at Cairo's infamous Khan el-Khalili Bazaar; an intricate maze of shops and outdoor vendors that go on endlessly for several blocks. A variety of souvenirs can be purchased for a "special price" such as mother of pearl hand crafted jewelry boxes, colorful scarves, shisha pipes, Arabian lanterns, pharaonic and pyramid statuettes, inlaid wood furniture, exotic clothing, and eye-catching jewelry. The choices were plentiful, and bargaining was a verbal blood sport between shopper and vendor as each haggled tenaciously to the bitter end; both anticipating victory. I came out the victor, but not without scars and war wounds bleeding out of my wallet. Nonetheless, I was happy with my purchases and hope family and friends will too, as I've already started shopping for Christmas. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Saturday Cinema at the Mall

Today, a friend and I headed to the mall where we had lunch and caught an afternoon "cinema" at Cairo's "City Stars" Mall. City Stars is the largest mall in Cairo, spanning 7 levels high and housing over 500 stores. I was surprised to see a lot of American stores and restaurants there (i.e. Guess, Gap, Calvin Klein, Levis, Fuddruckers, Ruby Tuesday, Chilis, TGIF, Cinnabon, Burger King, McDonald's, KFC, etc.), and was amazed by its enormity. I took several pics before mall security almost confiscated my camera. Yikes! I apologized profusely and played the ignorant tourist with dramatic flair until he waved me along, deeply relieved to rid himself of the irritating Asian. LoL. But I got to keep my pics! I should've known better. I was in a local supermarket last week, and their security made me erase my pics. Sheeesssh. I was only taking pics of fresh produce.... but I guess they didn't want any leaks on how they arrange their veggies. LoL. Ahhhhh, the differences I discover daily here. Let's take my movie experience today for example: When you buy your tickets you have to pre-select your seats. Yes, you read this correctly. You have ASSIGNED seating. Nevermind if the theater is practically empty and you want to move to better seats. You must remain in the seats that you pre-selected. They show you a seating chart, and your tickets will have the seating numbers you selected. Another thing is that when you enter your theater room, you give your tickets to a cinema guide and he will escort you to your assigned seats with a flashlight. Our movie was in English and subtitled in Arabic. We saw "Valkyrie". Sigggggggh. I know. I know. I broke down. Like most of you, I banned Tom Cruise movies when he pulled a series of asinine stunts: jumping up and down on Oprah's couch 'cuz he was in love with "Joey Potter" from "Dawson's Creek" (a.k.a. Katie Holmes); and telling Matt Lauer on the "Today Show" that Brooke Shields' post-partum depression didn't exist; and lastly declaring anti-depressants were a waste based on the teachings of Scientology. [tsk-tsk, Tommy. You used to be so kewl.] Annyhoo, I caught a National Geographic Channel segment on "Valkyrie" the other night on tv, which I found very interesting; hence, spurring my desire to see Hollywood's version. Plus, I had to get my movie fix. We movie addicts can only go so long before we start going into detox. LoL. Anyways, I enjoyed the movie, although it was turned off halfway through for a 10 min. intermission (which is the norm here), and have I mentioned that none of the seats have cup holders? Regardless, it was a good outing and another lesson learned in cultural differences.

I Heart Edward Cullen

Dedicated to all the kindred-obsessed Twilight fans out there. LoL. Knew you would appreciate this. Think about this Valentine's Day card when you're out shopping for your man.