Cairo

I chose early December for my vacation to Egypt to enjoy the cooler weather and to avoid the high season. In retrospect, it was a very wise choice given the political events that happened weeks later which would otherwise delay my visit indefinitely.

1. Soon after passing the Red Sea, with the Suez Canal in view at the top, the plane descended towards a dusty Cairo.



2. Despite the dust storm, the landing went on as scheduled.



3. The airport was modern, and seemed quite new.



4. Saqqara is not a long way from Cairo by road. Along the way, I could see the canals built to move the materials to this part of the country to construct these structures.



5. Located only about 25 km south of Cairo, Saqqara is a desert necropolis built for the Old Kingdom nobles.





7. The Step Pyramid is the first pyramid ever built in Egypt. It consists of five rectangles, each smaller than the previous, to create a pyramid-like effect. It seemed eeringly tall in the desert landscape, although nowadays it is hardly lonely with so many hawkers, tourists, camels, and horses.



8. This is indeed a massive structure in the middle of the desert. Meanwhile, there were also plenty of other smaller buildings in various states of ruin.







11. The Egyptian Museum features a treasure trove of archaeological objects. However, its design and decorations still echo life from a century ago. I really wonder whether most of the exhibits can survive in their current state of preservation for the next generations to come.









15. The Citadel dominates Cairo's skyline and has been converted from a military facility to a museum and religious site. The Mohamed Ali Mosque features a large Ottoman dome, and its courtyard provides a panoramic view of the city.















22. It's an impressive mosque indeed.



















31. The mosque's interior is very spacious, and many have seated on the floor to converse with one another and enjoying their day.













37. The courtyard perches along the escarpment, and overlooks the city. Too bad the edge was sealed off by rope.











42. The weather was reasonably clear, and even the Pyramids at Giza were visible.







45. Khalili Market's alleys are busy with touts and bargaining in the air. However, nowadays it is more a tourist market than a genuine souk. There was no shortage of camel-shaped perfume bottles and iconic figurines.













































































Cairo is an interesting place. While it's not as raw and poor as other developing world megapolises like Mumbai, its crowded street markets and monuments still stir up the senses and are wonderful to explore.

My Egypt gallery - the full set : http://www.globalphotos.org/egypt.htm
From Cairo to Luxor to Aswan to Abu Simbel - more highlights to come in future threads.