Egyptian Odyssey (part 2)

Egyptian Odyssey (part 2)

The next day, we journeyed to Memphis, about 12 miles south of Cairo. Memphis was the first capital of Egypt when Menes united Upper and Lower Egypt, around 3000 BC. The seat of power moved to Thebes (now Luxor), around 1700 BC, but Memphis remained a regional center for trade, serving as a distribution point for food and other goods throughout the ancient kingdom.

The modern English name Egypt is believed to come from "Ai-gyptos," the Greek name of the city’s famous Temple of Ptah, now an open-air museum. The temple was built by Ramesses II, who reigned from approximately 1279 to 1213 BC. He is regarded as one of the greatest and most powerful pharaohs in Egyptian history. More statues of him survive than of any other pharaoh, including a giant limestone statue approximately 30 feet in length. It was discovered in 1821 lying facedown in marshy ground near the south gate of the temple. Several attempts were made to lift and turn the colossus over, but it wasn’t until 1887 that a British engineer succeeded using a system of pulleys and levers. To protect the statue after it was moved, a building was constructed around it. Because the base and feet of the sculpture are broken off, it is displayed lying on its back.

Our final day in Cairo was spent touring the religious sites of the city, starting with two Coptic churches. Coptic Christianity was founded by St. Mark in the 2nd century. Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church was built in the 4th century, supposedly at the location where the Holy Family stayed when they fled to Egypt to escape the persecution of King Herod.

The Saladin Citadel is a medieval Islamic fortification on Mokattam Hill near the center of Cairo. It features three mosques:

• Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque was built in 1318, as the royal mosque of the citadel where the sultans of Cairo performed their Friday prayers. Though many repairs have been made over the centuries, it has maintained its 14th-century appearance.
• The Mosque of Sulayman Pasha, built in 1528, is the first of the citadel’s Ottoman-style mosques.
• The Mosque of Muhammad Ali was built between 1830 and 1848, although not completed until 1857. Muhammad Ali Pasha, an Egyptian reformer of the early 19th century, is entombed in the courtyard.

Modesty is required when visiting a mosque. Long pants covering the knees must be worn, women must wear a scarf, and shoes are removed. During our visit, our guide, Sally, requested a prayer for safe travels from the imam. For almost two minutes, the prayer, presented as a traditional Muslim chant, echoed throughout the courtyard of the mosque.

We ended our visit to Cairo at the Khan el-Khalili market, shopping for souvenirs. Bargaining is expected, and we were advised by Sally not to pay more than 400 £E (approximately $22).

DAY 4: ASWAN

The next day, we caught an early morning flight to Aswan, approximately 425 miles south of Cairo, where we were greeted by Osama Rashad, the owner of Journey to Egypt and our host for the remainder of our visit. He took us to the Aswan High Dam, an engineering marvel built across the Nile in the 1960s. Not only does it help control the flooding of the Nile, it also provides water for irrigation and hydroelectricity to the region, all of which contribute to Egypt’s economic stability. The dam also led to the creation of Lake Nasir, one of the largest manmade lakes in the world. It is 340 miles long and has a surface area of more than 2,000 square miles.

The creation of the reservoir threatened more than 20 historic sites. UNESCO launched an effort to save as many as possible, including the Philae temple. The monuments were cleaned and measured, to insure precise reconstruction. Every building was dismantled – about 40,000 units in total – and transported to higher ground, some 1,600 feet away.

To be continued…

Osama Rashad Egyptian Tour Guide https://www.journeytoegypt.com/en