The Cult of the Personality
President Bashar Al Assad of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Everywhere we go, this man is watching us. His portrait is plastered on billboards, buildings, in classrooms, and even on the entire back windows of cars. This lows my mind for several reasons, including:
1. Does he hang them up or do people hang them up on their own accord? I am guessing it is some sort of mandate since it is a consistent image and size and is everywhere?
2. Why didn’t they photoshop out his stubble? It also seems as though he should have more forehead wrinkles considering all the worrying I assume a president would do.
3. The American Embassy in Egypt only had an 8 x 10 of Pres. Obama and Hillary and a pixelated computer print out of Biden in their entrance hall above their security check-in.
A few students are doing a photo-essay of the Pres’ portrait so look for that soon on the main blog.
Mosques
Boston Time: 10:39 AM 25 May
Damascus Time: 5:39 PM 25 May
The oldest standing mosque in Africa, the Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun, was built around 876 CE on the same site where Noah’s Ark purportedly landed after a long ordeal with a famous flood. It was a large walled fortress also used as a center for commerce, health care and education as well as prayer and Friday gatherings. Today it is no longer an active mosque though people still venture here to pray, or soak in its magnificent history and architecture. The minaret at Ibn Tulun, with its stairs circling around the outside, is a vestige of Baghdadi style.
Canvas foot bags.
Minaret of the Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun
The ablution fountain at Ibn Tulun.
While all beautiful, the different mosques we have seen so far have reflected different eras and cultures. The Mosque of Mohammad Ali stands above the city of Cairo and took between 20 and 30 years to build in the 1800s. Its grand silver domes reflect an Ottoman design and lifts its style off of Istanbul’s Blue Mosque.
The silver domes of the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
Inside the Mosque of Muhammad Ali.
The Umayyad Mosque of Old Damascus, built in 70 CE has to have been my favorite so far. The mosque served as a house of worship for many generations of different creeds and for a time was used as both an Islamic mosque and Christian church. “It is unique in its engineering, architecture & decoration…[and] considered a school in building and architecture for the world mosques.” Also, it claims to be Islam’s most famous mosque, although I have always assumed that title to belong to the mosque holding the Kabba in Mecca. The mosque has three minarets, including the Jesus Minaret, which has a rare square shape and pencil-like top of the mosque’s Ottoman style.
Very beautiful, the Umayyad Mosque was my favorite not for the actual structure and décor of the mosque, courtyard and sanctuary, but for what I witnessed there. One way in which the mosque was unique was the call to prayer; instead of one man, the call was performed by a “band” of men (no instruments). The midday call was lead by one individual with his a cappella accompaniment chiming in intermittently, adding a different sense sincerity and community to the already enchanting call. In a way, it reminded me of a choir. During the prayer, the women remained in the back of the sanctuary as the men faced Mecca along the front wall. As observers, we were not asked to leave during this time and I stood quietly near the women, watching the room prostrate itself and perform the sallah.
Osama said, Jerusalem is the cradle of Jesus but Syria is the cradle of the church so we also visited the St. Ananias Church in Old Damascus. To get there, we wandered through the old Christian community of small alleyways, flowered canopies and Straight Street, the oldest street in the world, dated back to 1 AD. St. Paul walked down this same street to St. Ananias where he was baptized. The small stone church is essentially underground because of all the years of ground and soil that have accumulated around it, either naturally or due to conquering nations building up the city. The building was quaint, but not nearly as moving as Umayyad.
Arab League
Boston Time: 5:22 PM 21 May
Cairo Time: 12:22 AM 21 May
“A visit cannot cure the problems of the world, but a visit can be the beginning.”
The Arab League formed in 1945 as a forum to discuss and garner Arab unity. Their spokesperson and 2nd in command, said that this was the “wrong way to go” and the League should have been more modest and humble in the trajectory of their goals. For example, the Arab nations may have found more success in creating a universal monetary system, like the Euro, rather than attempting trade treaties with France and Germany to bolster their nations’ economies.
The whole gang together.
He was honest in admitting that the Arab League has had both successes and failures over the years, and like any regional power, has been criticized for being ineffective. Any discussion between nations is better than nothing—just as our short 7 week dialogue here in the Middle East is a valuable experience. Though we have barely had time to absorb and truly process all that we have encountered here in Cairo, a foundation has been laid against which we will be able to built a more educated global consciousness.
Bahrain's Seat at the Arab League
Cairo Zoo
A tiger protects her meal at the Cairo Zoo.
A camel plans his escape as the guard sleeps.
The experience at the zoo yesterday was not unexpected considering what the rest Cairo’s appearances. The zoo, which cost only 1 LE, was a definite hang out for young children and their families. Many women in hijab and niqab balanced their children and the heat, setting up blankets on the walkways and grass wherever they could find a piece of shade.
It was hard to look at the animals, not only because their artificial habitats, but because it was so amazingly hot out. None were incredibly active and they seemed to also just be searching for the coolest shade they could find. The lions, were especially lethargic. It soon became apparent that, at least some of them, were, in some capacity, sedated.
When two members of the zoo staff beckoned us to a large gate with the possibility of holding the lion cubs, it was hard to say no. They invited us behind the grown lion cages and opened the cage in which two 5 month old cubs were sleeping. Considering all the horror stories that regularly air on Animal Planet, I was a alarmed by the prospect of entering their home. Stupidly, I trusted the supposed animal handlers with whom I shared no language. The two lions were sleeping and not at all aggressive, which I attributed to the extremely warm weather and their weak, fur coated bodies. For 10 LE we all took turns holding one of the cubs (even though our taxi driver on our ride over had told us not to touch any of the animals.)
The 2 month old cub they showed us next was in very different spirits, my main reason for believing the larger cats to be drugged. In his small cage, he was making chirping sounds and moving about his tiny wooden cage. I conceded to also taking a turn holding him, but he was soon taken away because he was getting rambunctious and threatened to scratch or bite. As we left, the zoo handlers followed up relentlessly, asking for more baksheesh.
A turtle munches on his hot lunch.
El Ahly vs. Angola
Boston Time: 12:18 PM 17 May
Cairo Time: 7:18 PM 17 May
Sitting in the van, Carlene observed how strange and unbelievable our situation often is here in Egypt. At that moment we were American students going to a soccer match in Africa. I was unsure about this experience having only played one season of soccer in 5th grade. Soon after, I quit the sport once shown the larger fields that the 6th graders used, and being frustrated not knowing the rules or positions—a major theme in the sports history of my life. That being said, going into the football pitch (vocab!) I had no idea if it would be a fun experience since I would have no earthly idea what was going on for the ninety-minute match. This felt like a very long time. One can feed off of their environment’s energy for only so long before they actually require intellectual stimulus.
So much fun! Of course I didn’t know what was going on other than which direction each color team was supposed to kick the ball. The super fans on the other end of the stadium were quit intense, and while I wish we could have been seated with them and worked off of their amazing amount of energy, it would never have happened. Entering the stadium we literally got the celebrity treatment in terms of security. We couldn’t leave our vans until our tickets had been checked, confirmed and rechecked. Then, we were driven all the way up the exclusive entrance and escorted into to our fabulous bleacher seats. The stadium seats were lined all the way around with military/police in riot gear and our section, as well as the section reserved for fans of the opposing team (Angola), had extra security up both sides. Then we were on tv! Abduh called Carlene and said he saw us so whenever the camera crew pointed our way we stood and cheered extra loud, just like when our home El Ahly scored. They won 3:0. Most everyone celebrated, and attempted to blend into the crowd, with face paint and other fan gear such as flags, scarves and hats.
Definitely an invaluable part of our cultural immersion here in the Middle East. Tomorrow evening we will be playing in our own games against local men and women (separate games for the girls and boys, of course.) Us women will be playing Egypt International Women’s team. Yes, a professional team…
Alexandria Holiday
Boston Time: 5:20 AM 16 May
Cairo Time: 12:20 PM 16 May
Thursday afternoon we took a “vacation” to Alexandria and a small group of us returned Friday evening.
Alexandria was not as youthful as Cairo and much more conservative. There were only a handful of non-tourist women without hijab and with their hair exposed. Many more women were wearing the full abeyya complete with the niqab face veil, some even covering their eyes—not the beach attire I am accustomed to.
We got a few rooms at the formerly quaint “bottom of the rung” Hotel Acropole which is located on the 4th floor of a back alley building which also hosts offices and a door-less elevator. While some students decided the accommodations were not to their liking and chose to find an alternative, the rest of us stayed, plotting out the details of our murders in the would-be fantastical horror flick that the Acropole inspired and we all expected. I chose not to participate and only to listen to this discussion which admittedly started to irk me after a few minutes. For some reason, I was chosen as the sole survivor, however I would forever be tormented by mental illness due to the scaring events I had witnessed. We all survived the night—a disappointment to some who were hoping for more excitement at the supposedly 15 LE/night hotel. In the end, it was still only 50 LE each (less than $10) and there were no serious bug bite incidents, even by those few who ventured into their sheets.
The Fish Market, “the most upmarket fish restaurant in Alexandria, with prime views over the Eastern Harbor and flashy silver service,” was in stark contrast to our sleeping arrangements. The fish was fresh on ice and sold by the kilo. After picking out your meal, requesting fried or grilled, you can sit and soak in the clean environment overlooking the harbor. I enjoyed grilled grouper, two giant shrimp and lovely warm, freshly baked brick-oven pita.
The sleep at the Acropole was not dreadful, and we awoke Friday morning for a trip to the beach. To get there, we had to drive through King Farouq’s Palace and pay another entrance fee to use the beach (and another for an umbrella.) When we arrived there were only local young men at the beach, who quickly began showing off and blatantly staring at us. Their peacocking was entertaining as they flexed, posed for pictures, and wrestled in the sand; I tried not to be too obvious watching them, hiding behind my giant hat and sunglasses—if they could look why couldn’t I? Eventually some women came to the beach too, although they certainly were not wearing bathing suits. Most of us girls kept our shirts on at all times, even when swimming, as it offered protection from both the sun and the unwelcome gazes of nearby men.
Emily, Stephanie, Christina, Andrea and I explored down the beach to a lighthouse and interacted with some small boys who were jumping off the stone bridge. Stephanie and Emily had fun with them, taking their pictures as they jumped into the water.
We headed back to the Hotel Acropole to change clothes and find a nice place to have a cheap lunch. Next, we slowly made our way to the Library and had pastries. After stowing our belongings in the van, Emily, Clarice, Christina and I took a taxi to the Citadel/Fort Qaitbey down al-Corniche. Though the merchants there were packing up for the day, Emily and Clarice found some lovely scarves and souvenirs. We attempted to find our way into the Fort but somehow we bought tickets for a tiny diorama museum of underwater scenes and a large whale skeleton.
We strolled leisurely back towards the square where we were to meet the rest of the group to re-disburse into the city for dinner or head back to Cairo on the vans. On the way, we discovered the local Friday evening hangout for families and young couples. Everyone seemed to be eating ice cream, so we dedicated ourselves to finding the dessert’s source. If everyone was enjoying the ice cream, it had to be safe to eat. We did find the small hole-in-the wall stand, their menus completely in Arabic (a promising sign for a genuine Alexandrian treat.) We awkwardly tried to order and it was delicious: milk flavor (essentially vanilla), strawberry, chocolate and cantaloupe! So delicious in fact that we didn’t think twice when told it would be 60 LE for the four of us. Amazingly, after a few more awkward transactions, we realized it was only 6 LE! Our ice cream dinner cost us 27 cents each (thanks, Christina!) There will most definitely be a return trip for more in a few weeks.
Check out my peers’ blogs via the main page “NU in the Middle East” for more insight onto the Alexandrian weekend.
Day Trip to Bahrain!
While attempting to find Arabica, a local restaurant with free wi-fi on our island district of Zamalek, Christina and I got only slightly lost and saw some large and lovely buildings on the way. One of which was belonging to the Kingdom of Bahrain, another Middle Eastern country on my travel to-do list. (*hint hint* *wink wink*) The walls and gates were too high to truly see the building and grounds, but I can say that I touched Bahraini territory in some respect. Very Exciting!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!!!
Boston Time: 1:43 PM 10 May
Cairo Time: 8:43 PM 10 May
Dear Mom,
I am so happy I brought my lonely planet guidebook. I used to think the guides were cumbersome and more hassle than they’re worth—most likely because you like to acquire several (note: 12) and read them aloud in the back seat of the car like on our recent trip to San Francisco. But Mom, I love to read my guidebook and sometimes I even read it out loud.
Everywhere we go and each attraction we see, I make sure to find the corresponding blurb within the 572 pages of information that travels with me constantly, always in my bag and by my side. Most of the time I have tried to remember to circle or highlight every blurb. This way, I can check them off my list and you can go through later and see where I have been and what I have explored while you were missing me all this time. ☺
This weekend we went to Luxor in the Nile Valley via sleeper train, but I didn’t sleep (most likely because it was bumpy.) Luxor is a small city and different from Cairo for sure. Our tour guide, Nermeen, told us that the Egyptian government is trying to turn the city into what is essentially an open-air museum. It would be full of ancient temples, monuments and tourist attractions. Tourism is a very large part, if not the largest fraction, of the country’s economic livelihood.
This is evident in the way the locals treat and approach tourists, especially Americans. They cater to us and make sure we are happy so that we will “go home and tell your friends how great Egypt was.” On the other hand, they are also extremely forward and upfront about offering their services and wanting our money. It can be incredibly annoying, scary and very sad.
Yesterday, Christina, John and I gave into the proposal of one of the drivers of the many horse drawn carriages. The drivers are relentless to the point of harassment in getting us and other tourists to pay them for rides. Christina and John wanted to interview the driver for an article they are writing so that is why we decided to actually say “yes.” But our driver told us of how the tourism season has been very bad lately and they are making no money and he needs a second job but there aren’t any available. While we were on the carriage, two very small children, four and six years old at most, held onto it’s sides and ran along side us. They kept grabbing at our feet and putting their hands to their mouths, begging for food and asking for money.
lonely planet warns of the constant approaches of merchants and peddlers, and comments on the slowly collapsing economy and the “abysmally low” living standards, but that in no way prepares one for what goes on when walking the sidewalks in Luxor. The guidebook also warns of the swarms of foreign tourists that flock to Egypt, but they just aren’t here in the usual masses. Blame the US or world economy and terrorist attacks—they just aren’t here, and Carlene says they were definitely not here in January when she was previewing our trip, when it should have been even more busy than it would normally be now. It is definitely the developing 3rd world.
Walking like an Egyptian at the Temple of Hatshepsut.
There is so much to tell you and I hope I remember all the details to bore you with when I return home on June 19th. There are a few though that I will share with you now because it is Mother’s Day and I thought you would appreciate them. Specifically, we saw the obelisk of Hatshepsut, the queen who ruled as Pharaoh, at Amun Temple on the East Bank. The next day, we went to the dazzling Memorial Temple of Hatshepsut, which sits direcly behind the Valley of the Kings on the other side of the mountain, which holds the Kings’ tombs (and hers.) Hatshepsut wore the classic men’s Pharaonic dress and false beard and ruled for 15 yrs of peace. Her stepson, Tuthmosis III, really didn’t like her though so when she died and he became Pharaoh, he erased her name and face whenever possible.
Sitting in the sand dam of Hatshepsut's Obelisk
The tombs at the Valley of the Kings were very intense. We got lucky with the weather and it wasn’t that hot, but it was still really hot and sweaty and stale after walking up rickety stairs and then 1290235 (not literally) steps down inside the desert mountains. I saw King Tut’s nasty old mummified toes and head—very cool and worth the extra 50 LE.
The Luxor and Karnak temples were also really special. I wasn’t feeling well but when we got there I perked right up. It’s just amazing and hard to describe how big and OLD these stones are and how hard it must have been to build them. I took lots of pictures and everyone is sharing their pictures as well, so don’t worry I will have more to tell and show you later!
I don’t even know what to say and I am also getting a little tired of typing, but I will be online soon and maybe you will be too. I get homesick online but then I make sure to talk with friends after wards to get myself back in happy Egypt-mode. Everyone here is super nice and I’m still glad I came.
Let’s see if the pictures work now…
I love you! Happy Mother’s Day from Cairo!
<3 Nor
On the Midnight Train…
Boston Time: 6:17 PM 7 May
Egypt Time: 1:17 AM 8 May
The Cairo-Luxor sleeper train is currently hurtling down the tracks as we make our way up the Nile to the Luxor this Thursday evening. As I lie here awake on the top bunk, thoughts bustle through my mind with every bump of the train.
The bed bugs and spiders of which we have been forewarned that live in the train’s bed sheets. I haven’t seen any yet myself but the bottom of my feet do feel a bit warm, though I believe it to be from the grippers on the metal ladder’s steps.
The cats that inhabit the filthy sidewalks and streets of Cairo which act in some strange way as a replacement for the squirrels of Boston.
All the people to whom I need to send a post card. The cards at the Flamenco gift shop were disappointing and over priced—hopefully I will find a better selection in Luxor this weekend.
What color will I paint Nick’s toes while he examines my computer?
Weighing the pros and cons of spending a free day on another camel excursion or trying to find a place to snorkel. For some reason I find the camel’s mushy feet strangely fascinating. During our ride to the Pyramids of Giza I was constantly having to remind myself to look at the pyramids and not the camels we were riding.
I should send a thank you post card to my middle school keyboarding teacher. Its hard typing in the dark on the train but its working pretty well so far.
Composing in my head what would be an interesting article on attending a women’s lingerie party, with all the women wearing hijabs. It would be a compelling mix of feminine modesty and sensuality. Perhaps even learning how to fashion and wear all the different styles of headscarves.
The bottom of my feet are getting warmer…
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