The Grad Voice

A mosque on the east bank of the Nile in the city of Luxor

Cairenes gather to break the fast during the holy month of Ramadan. [Click to enlarge]

The facade of the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali [Click to enlarge]

The courtyard and clock tower inside the Mosque of Mohammed Ali [Click to enlarge]

A Cairene girl selling souvenirs near the shops of Khan al-Khalili bazaar [Click to enlarge]

A poster of President Hosni Mubarak in the poor temple city of Edfu [Click to enlarge]

The Unfinished Obelisk of Aswan, still attached to the granite bedrock [Click to enlarge]

The Temple of Hathor, the smaller temple at Abu Simbel [Click to enlarge]

The walls of the Great Temple, showing the deified Ramses II receiving offerings [Click to enlarge]

The great temple at Abu Simbel [Click to enlarge]

For many millennia, Egypt has epitomized ancient civilizations. The fertile banks of the Nile River have nurtured a long span of ancient dynasties that have left lasting empirical footprints, most of which will never be forgotten. Egypt has seen more transformations than one could study in a lifetime. No other nation in the world is so rich in archaeological treasures, as evidenced by the collection of antiquities at the Egyptian Museum. The museum houses over 120,000 items. A vast majority of the artifacts are inadequately labeled, openly displayed, or warehoused like an archaeological archive awaiting proper protocol. The exception is the exhibit for the treasures of Tutankhamun, which is prominently showcased in the only air-conditioned section of the museum. Despite the hardships the country faces to preserve the legacies of their ancestors, Egyptians maintain great pride in their rich history. As many state functions have deteriorated, some will argue that the Supreme Council of Antiquities has also lost its way. Public funds, international aid, and revenues from tourism all support conservation, however efforts still seem inadequate. One can only hope that the Council will work to restore their reputation for being worthy guardians of the treasures of ancient Egypt.

Cairo

Before exploring the ancient Egyptian wonders that we know so well today, it helps to learn more about modern day Cairo. One quarter of the country's population lives in greater Cairo, home to nearly 20 million inhabitants. Cairo is the largest city in Egypt, the African continent, and the Arab World. It is one of the most densely populated metropolitan areas, even more so than Hong Kong, Mumbai, and Delhi. The city is in fact, three separate cities that have grown into one another - Cairo, Heliopolis, and Giza.

The area of Cairo that best accents the architectural personification of the city is the eastern district of Islamic Cairo. Central Cairo boasts its modern layout and European- influenced architecture, while Old Cairo is home to Coptic Christian churches that prevailed before the arrival of Islam, but only Islamic Cairo gives the city its nickname, The City of a Thousand Minarets. Atop the Muqattam Hills is the Citadel, a fortified complex which houses numerous mosques and museums, including the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. The simplest form of a mosque requires four walls and a roof, enough for a passerby to stop and pray. Over centuries, mosques have evolved to have elaborate domes and towering minarets. Minarets functioned as lighted watchtowers, but later became the vantage point for the call to prayer. Today, most minarets are so tall, they are primarily architectural motifs, however they can also provide ventilation for the structure. The Alabaster Mosque of Muhammad Ali is the most notable mosque in all of Cairo.

The problems that the city faces today are a stark contrast to the rich ancient history of Egypt. Although the government reports that the national unemployment has hovered around 9% over the past several years, many Egyptians, as well as outsiders, believe this number to be closer to 25%. Furthermore, the Cairo has struggled with policies to improve the growing housing inequality. In recent years, the city has seen the emergence of exclusive gated communities, while new suburban towns remain nearly vacant due to inadequate planning and spontaneous urbanization. The result is a housing crisis that makes New York City apartment hunting seem trivial. East of the Salah Salem Highway, just up to the base of the Muqattam Hills is Cairo's City of the Dead. Formally known as the Northern Cemetery of Cairo, the City of the Dead is a cemetery dating back to the late 14th century AD. What was then the outskirts of Cairo has become engulfed by the city, and slowly populated by people who came to live and build enterprises within the cemetery. Because Egyptian tombs are designed as roomlike burial sites equipped for a forty day mourning period, they were seen as inhabitable by Cairo's displaced urban underclass. The City of the Dead has become an illegal, isolated, but tolerated society inhabited by five million (living) residents.

Giza

Giza is the southwestern suburb which has exploded in population. The location of the Great Pyramids was scouted by Egyptians from the ancient capital city of Memphis to escape the rising waters of the Nile. Today, the Giza Plateau faces the threat of being engulfed by development. The Giza Plateau has been the hallmark image of Egypt, and its landscape may soon be dotted with new structures. Of The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, only The Great Pyramids have stood the test of time. They are monumental tombs for Kings of the 4th Dynasty, Khufu, and two of his sons Khafra and Menukara. Although their presence is undisputed, there is much unknown about the Great Pyramids. Many theories and prevailing schools of thought surround every facet of Egyptology, but little is certain. For unknown reasons, the southeast corners of The Great Pyramids are at a near diagonal, and all three are perfectly aligned with true north. Without a doubt, their majesty has inspired human ingenuity for nearly five millennia.

Heliopolis

Heliopolis was a northeastern suburb developed only a hundred years ago by the Heliopolis Oasis Company led by Belgian industrialist Baron Edouard Empain. Originally a luxurious and leisurely area for foreigners and aristocrats, the suburb slowly transformed into a district for educated middle-class Cairenes. After flying into Cairo International Airport, you see much of Heliopolis' aristocratic splendor until you reach the Presidential Palace. What was formerly the Heliopolis Palace Hotel, one of the most prominent hotels on the African continent, is now the residence of President Hosni Mubarak. Beyond the Presidential Palace, the affluence slowly fades as you enter Central Cairo. No matter where you find yourself in Greater Cairo, you will be shoulder to shoulder, or bumper to bumper with other Cairenes.

Upper (South) Egypt and Abu Simbel

The further south you go up the Nile River, the more you face extreme desert climates and Nubian ancestries. Signs of development fade as you approach Sudan. In the 13th century BC, Ramses II, King of Upper and Lower Egypt stretched the boundaries of his rule to Abu Simbel, where he carved two giant temples at the gateway to his empire. The Temples of Abu Simbel are located in South Egypt just 40 km from the Sudanese border. Any Nubian migrant traveling north, down the Nile River, certainly would have been intimidated by the massive deifications of Ramses II etched into the face of the Great Temple. The smaller Temple of Hathor depicts the Pharaoh and the Goddess Hathor, personified by Ramses II's first queen, Nefertari. The temples were rediscovered in 1813 by a local boy who led Swiss discoverer, JL Burckhardt, to the site where he had seen the tops of the Great Temple as sands shifted. That boy's name was Abu Simbel. In 1964, an international donations campaign saved the two temples from being submerged by the rising waters of Lake Nasser, the largest man made lake in the world, after the construction of the High Damn at Aswan. The temples were relocated more than 200 meters up the bank of the Nile, and were saved from the rising waters of the lake. The relocation of the Temples of Abu Simbel is thought to be the greatest archaeological engineering feat ever.

The Unfinished Obelisk of Aswan

The unfinished obelisk had the potential to be the tallest ancient obelisk. What would have been a monument standing 120 feet tall, weighing over 1200 tons, and quarried as a single piece of granite, turned out to be a massive failure when cracks started to form in the stone. The project was quickly abandoned. It is still unknown in which Pharaoh's honor the monument would have been erected. The unfinished obelisk, still attached to the bedrock in Aswan, is symbolic of an epic project that ended in tragic failure.

The Nile River

The waters of the Nile rise and fall every year, which brings life to Egyptians. Its silt leaves high concentrations of mineral in the soil, which brings fertility to a region that is meant to be sparse. All along the banks of the river, small agricultural towns dot the landscape. The river was as a waterway that ancient Egyptians used to float obelisks and other granite from Aswan in order to build their temples and monuments. The believed the east bank represented life, while the west bank was the afterlife, hence the placement of the Great Pyramids on the Giza Plateau. Aside from treks in the Western Desert, the Nile River is the beginning and end to every story while exploring Egypt.

Article Tools