There was a mix-up with the cab arrangements this morning. We had told the cab driver yesterday that we wanted to go to Saqqara today, but that must not have been enough. There was no cab available the next morning. So, we decided to hop on the shuttle and head into Cairo.
Our first adventure was on the metro. Yes, Cairo has a metro. It's surprisingly easy to use, and comparatively clean.TRAVELERS TIP: Unbeknownst to us on the first day, the Sadaat metro stop has a stairwell in the bus station parking lot where the shuttle lets you out. Go to the northwest corner of the parking area and you'll find the stairs going down. Follow the signs to the ticket booth and buy your little yellow ticket (1 LE which is about US$0.20). Stick the ticket into the turnstile and walk through. Be sure to grab your ticket when it pops out the top. You'll need it again to exit at the destination. The turnstile will keep your ticket on the way out.
TRAVELERS' TIP: If you are a woman, and you want to avoid men on the metro, look for the women-only cars. They're usually in the middle of the train, and they always have this sign above the door (see above). The car is still crowded, but at least you aren't cheek to cheek with some horny guy.
We took the metro from Sadaat to Mar Girgis (direction: Helwan), better known as Coptic Cairo. It's the heart of the Christian section of Cairo. Long before Rome embraced Christianity, the Copts had settled in an area on the east bank of the Nile they called "Babylon". The Copts had adopted Christianity very early, possibly directly from St. Mark. They were severely persecuted by their Roman overlords, especially under Emperor Diocletian (circa 300 A.D.). They decided to seclude themselves and even start their own language (borrowed from Greek and hieroglyphics) and calendar (their dates are about 300 years ahead of our own).
Even after Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in 337 A.D, and Emperor Theodosius declared Christianity the official religion in 392 A.D., the Copts did not want anything to do with Rome nor the quickly growing Church. They believed that Jesus was never human and always divine. For that very reason, the Church finally expelled Copts during the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D.
Ever since, the Copts have remained an interesting and powerful minority in Egypt. They are often the best educated and highest ranking officials. They are also often the garbage collectors.
We started the morning with a visit to the Coptic Museum. After such deplorable conditions at the Egyptian Museum, the Coptic Museum was amazing. Everything was labeled in English (among other languages), and it was very well displayed. The building itself was beautiful, too. The woodwork and ceilings were beautifully carved.
Before we went into the museum, we encountered a woman wandering alone on the street. She was looking for the entrance, and we pointed her in that direction. She was going to join a tour later that evening, but for the time being, she was looking for something to see. She was very sweet. She asked if she could tag along with us. Her name was Erlinda and she was from Canada.
From the museum, Ma, Erlinda and I made our way the short distance south (follow the metro station) to the Hanging Church. It's called the Hanging Church because of how it was constructed (suspended over a water gate back when the Nile would flood every year). Today it is on dry land.Erlinda took our picture, and we took hers. This is the outer porch. You can't tell from this picture, but there are two towers overhead.
Coptic Cairo is very conservative. You were expected to cover your knees and shoulders. In addition, when you went inside the church, it is respectful to cover your hair.
This is the inner courtyard. The doors to the church are behind Ma. Everything was beautifully carved both inside and out.
Here's Ma and Erlinda at the Mar Girgis metro station. Erlinda had taken a taxi here, and was a little hesitant about taking the metro. We allayed her fears. The metro was far simpler than getting a taxi, and probably took half the time.Look how clean it is here. Coptic Cairo was so different than the rest of Cairo. They took good care of stuff.
Back at Sadaat, we attempted to hail a taxi. It was our first experience with negotiating cab fare. Basically here's how it works. Wait for an empty cab to get caught in traffic. Walk up to the driver and tell him where you wanted to go. We wanted to go to Khan al-Khalili. Then you start saying numbers. I started with 10 LE (US$2). He said no. Then Ma said 15 LE (US$3). He said okay. So we all three piled inside. The cab was ancient. So was the driver. There was a sort of red plastic that covered the seat, so it wasn't too gross.
Erlinda took our picture where the cab let us out. See the stairs on the left? They go under the busy street and come up on the Khan side. The building behind us is the Al-Az Har Mosque.
Welcome to Khan al-Khalili. This particular street is called Muski, and it is the southern border of the Khan. Today happened to be Sunday, so a lot of shops were closed, and the street wasn't as crowded as I expected.If you love to be bothered by hundreds of strange men, this is the place to come. They will try anything to get your attention.
"Look for free."
"What country?"
"You want spend money here."
"I do a special price."
One enterprising man even said to me, "Are you American? Obama is my cousin." Yeah, right.
It was hot and sweaty, and in such tight quarters, it felt even more hot and sweaty than the desert did. It was definitely not conducive to leisurely shopping.
We wandered for a long while, and then had a soda at a place called Egyptian Pancakes. At this point, Erlinda left us to join her tour group back at her hotel. We bid her a fond farewell. I hope she made it back okay.
The east end of the Khan is marked by the Mosque of Sayidna Hussein. To the left of the mosque is where we found the "real" khan. It revealed the dark and narrow passage that I had envisioned.
Toward the middle of the Khan we came upon several jewelry stores. We wandered into this one called Nile Treasures Jewelry and Gift Shop (8 Khan El Khalili St). Ma was looking for someone to make her a cartouche pendant. A cartouche is a series of hieroglyphic letters surrounded by an oval. Together, it makes a hieroglyphic word.First, she picked out the size of the cartouche. Then, this gentleman wrote out her name in hieroglyphics on a piece of paper. Then his assistant took the paper and left the shop. We waited inside where it was air-conditioned. About 20 minutes later, the assistant returned with a beautiful polished silver cartouche with Ma's name on it. It cost 70 LE (US$14). What a deal!
It was time to head back to the shuttle bus. But as we were leaving the Khan, we passed the shop that I had stopped at earlier to look at belly-dancing costumes. Ever the salesman, the shopkeeper stopped me and asked if I was still interested. He relented to my earlier price and I walked away with a cute red skirt and bra covered in sequins, also acquired for 70 LE (US$14). I'll probably never wear it in my life, but it's a cool souvenir to take back home with me.
Grabbing a cab at the Khan was easy. Just stand there on al-Az Har and wait for someone to stop. Lucky for us, the cab that stopped was one of the new metered ones (not the black-and-white negotiate-at-your-own-risk ones). Using the meter, it was less than 15 LE (US$3) to go back to the Egyptian Museum. I wanted him to drop us at the bus station behind the Egyptian Museum, but he didn't understand what I was saying. No problem, he just pulled over and grabbed (presumably) a friend of his who spoke better English. We got it all straightened out.
TRAVELERS' TIP: If you're looking for a way to get back to the bus station, just say "maw'if utubees". Or, if you can't manage that, just say "Sadaat" and you can walk through the metro tunnels.
This is our shuttle bus. I have to tell you a funny story about the bus driver. Have you ever washed windows? Most of us would probably grab a bottle of Windex and spritz the windows and wipe them clean, right? But how do you think they do things in Egypt? Well we learned firsthand while we waited for other guests to arrive. First, you take a swig of water. Next you spray the water from your mouth all over the windows. Got it? Then you wipe it all down. Did I mention this was how he washed the windows INSIDE the bus?By the way, we were the only people on the bus this evening. The shuttle hours seriously suck.