I can't say I was a big fan of where we were staying. The only options I had in the shower were scalding hot or freezing cold. I had about 10 seconds in transition time between temperature changes, so I had to wash fast and furiously.
I found a great tour package for Egypt that included time in Cairo and then a cruise down the Nile. We arrived a day early so our first full day in Cairo we could do whatever we wanted. All of our guides and coordination were provided by National Travel Services, and we arranged for a guide to take us around Cairo with visits to the Citadel, Mohamed Ali Mosque (not the prize fighter) and the National Museum.
Our guide, a nice fellow named Nabil, came and got us from our hotel. Cairo is a huge city. It is the largest metro area in all of Africa, with about 7 million people. Thankfully, he knew where we were going, because everything was so large and sprawling that we would have gotten lost for sure. I mean, we got lost in an open desert in Jordan, so we didn't stand a chance in Cairo.
The first stop was the Citadel. It was built by the ruler Saladin between 1176-1183AD as a fortification to protect the locals from invading Crusaders to the Middle East. By this time, Islam had found it's way to Egypt, so the invading Crusaders from Europe were deemed a threat, and the Citadel was seen as a way to provide protection.
Located inside the Citadel is the Mohamed Ali Mosque. It was built between 1830-1848 by Mohamed Ali Pasha. He was actually from Macedonia and was Albanian, but during this time, the Turks ruled the area, so he found favor with them and wound up ruling Egypt. He is considered to be the founder of modern Egypt. He intended the mosque to be built as a tribute to his son, who died in battle years before. In the end, Mohamed Ali died before it's completion, so it was dedicated to him instead.
The interior consists of a large central dome with four small domes, with hundreds of hanging lights. Mainly a tourist attraction now, it is still used for Islamic services, but we did not see anything while we were there.
From the top of the Citadel and Mosque, we had a panoramic view of all of Cairo. From this point, we could see how polluted the city was. The Pyramids of Giza, just 7km a way, could barely be seen with all the smog.
After leaving the Citadel, we made our way to the Khan-el Khalili, a bazaar dating back to the 1300's. It is one of Cairo's main tourist shopping areas. All I can say is that it was a zoo. Nothing had a price here. You had to haggle for everything, which I found to be very stressful. I finally found a somewhat decent shop keeper who sold me some souvenirs for a decent price. Marty and I use Stu as our secret weapon, who goes into Arab trader mode. We send him in to seal the deal. The Khan was the site of terrorist attacks in 2007 that killed 21 tourists, so now the area is sealed off and you have to enter via metal detectors at security check points. There was a bombing again just this past February that killed a French teenager.
After lunch at a restaurant on the Nile, we made our way to the Egyptian Museum. It was opened in 1835, but was moved in 1878 after a bad season of Nile River flooding. The exhibits are displayed between two floors, showcasing artifacts from the Early, Middle, and New Kingdoms of Ancient Egypt.
The highlight is most certainly the contents found in the tomb of King Tut. He was not a particularly important Pharaoh, but is famous for the fact that his tomb in Luxor was found completely intact with all the treasures. Most kings had their tombs robbed and raided, so the Tut find was very impressive and important.
Cameras are not permitted in the Museum, so I was not able to take any pictures. :(
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