On our Holy Land Cruise one of the most interesting stops was to visit Cairo and The Pyramids. We disembarked for our 2 day tour in Alexandria and drove 3 hours to Cairo. The ride was very interesting and a bit scary. The traffic in Egypt is so unbelievably heavy . There are all kinds of different transportation on the freeway- cars, trucks, horses, wagons and even a few camels. There are no traffic laws and no set lanes so it is all very chaotic. Our guide was Mohammed and he was full of information about the culture and politics of Egypt. I am not going to go into all that on my blog. I want to share my pictures and some of the experience we had. Egypt is a very interesting country and full of ancient history and many wonders. Our first stop was lunch on the Nile River on “The Boat of the Pharaohs” – a floating restaurant. We were entertained with Belly dancers and a whirling dervish.
Freeway traffic- everyone going in the direction they want to go!
Lunch on the Nile
Whirling Dervish
Buildings along The Nile River.
After lunch on the Nile we visited The Egyptian museum in Cairo. “The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, known commonly as the Egyptian Museum or Museum of Cairo, in Cairo, Egypt, is home to an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities. It has 120,000 items, with a representative amount on display, the remainder in storerooms. ” It was fascinating and a wonderful museum.
Picture of the Egyptian museum
After a quick ride around Cairo we were taken to the Pyramids for an evening light show. I found this to be rather a touristy experience, but it was fun to see them at night and lit up. The next day we saw the pyramids of Gaza, The sphinx, Imhotep and Saqqara tombs, The Citadel of Salah Al Din, The Rahina museum and much more. Walking the area of the Pyramids was gorgeous. The only bad experience we had was the relentless vendors who really should not be allowed at the Pyramid site.
The Sphinx at Night lit up
Quite a show- lights and music
"Legend has it that Salah ad-Din chose the site for its healthy air. The story goes that he hung pieces of meat up all around Cairo. Everywhere the meat spoilt within a day, with the exception of the Citadel area where it remained fresh for several days. But in reality this location provides a strategic advantage both to dominate Cairo and to defend outside attackers. Salah ad-Din had come from Syria where each town had some sort of fortress to act as a stronghold for the local ruler so it was only natural that he would carry this custom to Egypt. Read more: http://www.touregypt.net/citadel.htm#ixzz2OIlxG9k1"
View of Cairo from Citadel
You can see how the Citadel is very majestic!
Entering the area of the Pyramids . I love the gold colors and the atmosphere radiates with light.
"Giza can be subdivided into two groupings of monuments, clearly defined and separated by a wadi. The larger grouping consists of the three "Great" pyramids of Khufu, Khephren, and Menkaure; the Sphinx, the pyramids of the queens, attendant temples and outbuildings, and the private mastabas of the nobility. The second grouping, located on the ridge to the southeast, contains a number of private tombs of citizens of various classes. While the majority of the monuments of the larger grouping are made from limestone that was quarried and transported to the site, the tombs of the smaller grouping are simply carved out of the native living rock. Read more: http://www.touregypt.net/giza.htm#ixzz2OIvgoCX6"
Camel rides are offered by the vendors. This was part of our group taking off for a picturesque ride among the Pyramids. The vendors will not let you off the camel until you give them more money- so beware!
View from a distance.
