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Who has not seen Cairo - he has not seen the world (c)

26 august 2010 • Travel time: with 23 December 2009 on 25 December 2009
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At the bus station, Sharma was bought with a constant fighting girlfriend on a ticket to Cairo.

Carrier: East Delta Travel.

Bus VIP class.

Cost: 80 pounds.

http://picasaweb. com google. com. ua/lh/photo/3DgvuOlxFzjAjTvNo6zq0l-aFF6totz2qgeg_rO0vP8? feat=directlink

And now I’m telling you how this miracle of the VIP class looked like ...But, actually, nothing at all ...Old Ikarus, a little beaten by life, of a local spill, but with air conditioning ...Until the end of our trip, we pretty much froze, although the air flow seemed to be regulated...

On the way we made one stop (it is not clear where) for 20 minutes. You could sit in a cafe (God forbid! ) and go out of need (such toilets are not even shown in horror films). They paid off two pounds from the annoying "wc manager" ...

And so, 6 am and we are at the Almaza bus station in the glorious city of Cairo.


Here we caught a taxi and drove up to KHAN EL KHALILI, an old pedestrian area of ​ ​ Cairo, famous for its medieval bazaar (the largest in the Middle East), cozy coffee houses, and handicrafts.

This famous bazaar has the largest selection of handicrafts. The bazaar is full of souvenir shops selling papyrus paintings, oriental coinage, carpets, and glassware. Walking through the shops can be interrupted by a pleasant rest in one of the many coffee shops, where you can order a cup of excellent mint or red kercade tea, or smoke an apple "shisha" (c) But, unfortunately, we did not see who and what was selling there, because at 7 in the morning, when we walked there, all the shops were still closed.

Right there in the narrow streets there are a lot of mosques and madrasas, residential buildings. In the photo, the children run to school))

Here live people with incomes below average ...

http://picasaweb. com google. com. ua/Angellies85/KhanElKhalili? authkey=Gv1sRgCK76gbuf0sOxWA&feat=directlink

On one of these streets, dodging running children, dogs and cats, we refreshed ourselves with cane juice and went for a walk around the mosque and El Azhar University, located on Sharia el Muski street.

http://picasaweb. com google. com. ua/lh/photo/TM2TUt5uaU2-xE7ZALTrmg? authkey=Gv1sRgCPbzqPaPntnXkwE&feat=directlink

AL-AZHAR - Jami "al-Azhar (Most Brilliant Mosque) - the name of the most revered mosque and religious university in Cairo. The mosque was built in 970-972 during the time of the Fatimids, who traced their origin to Fatima, the daughter of the prophet Muhammad. "Al-Azhar" - a superlative degree from "Zahra" (brilliant, bright, brilliant - Arabic. ) - an honorary epithet under which Fatima is usually referred to. Caliph al-Muizz (953-975), who then ruled Egypt, wanted to make al-Azhar the main religious center of the Shiite states. The mosque was built simultaneously with the city of al-Kahira (Cairo), which became the new capital of Egypt. Even then, the mosque began teaching first the Qur'anic sciences, and later mathematics, astronomy, natural science and geography. (c)


You will enter the territory of the mosque through the double arch of the Barber's Gate, where the heads of newly admitted students are shaved.

Right and left courtyards lead to two madrasas (high school); the madrasah on the left, crowned with its own dome and minaret, was added in 1340. It is worth going here to look at the prayer niche decorated with glass mosaics. Directly ahead is the central courtyard, which is bordered by a gallery with keeled arches. This is the oldest part of the building, its construction dates back to the time of the Fatimids. The opposite part of the courtyard opens into the prayer hall. This hall used to reach only the prayer niche, but it was expanded in the middle of the 18th century by adding four more arcades. From the courtyard there is a beautiful view of the three main minarets, which (from right to left) date back to 1340-1469.1510. The minaret of 1510 with a double top was added by the last Mamluk sultan, El Ghuri, who also erected the neighboring vicala and the El Ghuria ensemble. (with)

On the same street, opposite El Azhar, there is the EL HUSSEIN square with the mosque of the same name.

http://picasaweb. com google. com. ua/Angellies85/ElHussein? authkey=Gv1sRgCLXq54j5ooaXeg&feat=directlink

It contains one of the shrines of Islam - the head of the great-grandson of the Prophet Muhammad Hussein, who died in 680 in the Battle of Karbala. Since then, Muslims are divided into Sunnis and Shiites - his followers. (with)

Previously (according to rumors) non-Muslims were not allowed into this mosque, now you can ...or we look very much like Muslim women ...but we got into the mosque, on its female part, barefoot, pulling hoods over our heads ...

Several women were sleeping on carpets on the floor, and only one was praying, sitting on the steps at the silver coffin (or what to call it? ) Hussein...

From El Hussein we took a taxi to the MOSQUE OF AHMED IBN TULUN.

The mosque was built by Ahmad ibn Tulun, the Abbasid governor of Egypt in 868-884, whose rule has been characterized as de facto independent.


The historian al-Maqrizi gives the date of commencement of the construction of the mosque - 876 AD, and the slab in the mosque that has survived from that time identifies the date of completion as 265 AD, or 879 AD.

The mosque was built on a small hill called Gebel Yashkur, "Hill of Thanksgiving. » One local legend says that it was here that Noah's Ark stopped after the Flood instead of Mount Ararat.

The Great Ceremonial Mosque was intended as a sign of the strength and power of Ibn Tulun and his capital, Al-Kattai, which served as the administrative center for the Tulunid dynasty. The mosque was originally designed as a palace, and a door adjacent to the minbar allowed him to enter the mosque directly. Al-Kattai was demolished in the early 10th century AD, and the mosque is the only surviving structure from that time.

The mosque has been restored several times.

The first known restoration was in 1177 by order of the Fatimid vizier Badr al-Jamali. The restoration of Sultan Dajin in 1296 added several improvements to the overall structure.

The mosque was last restored by the Egyptian High Council of Elders in 2004. (c)

The mosque is very impressive with its size and architecture, and “wow! ” we burst out in chorus, especially not a single living soul, except for us and two old men who gave us wonderfully sewn green shoe covers on our feet (it is known that you can’t walk in the mosque shod) was not in the mosque. After we admired the inner beauties of this holy place, we climbed the highest turret along a spiral staircase, from where a beautiful panorama of the metropolis opens.

http://picasaweb. com google. com. ua/Angellies85/IbnTulun? authkey=Gv1sRgCO2F__K2ho7ICw&feat=directlink

Further, from the mosque of ibn Tulun, along Sharia el Saliban street, we walked to Salah ed Din (Salladin) square, where there are two mosques - Sultan HASSAN and RIFAI.


SULTAN HASSAN MOSQUE - is considered stylistically the most compact and generalizing of all the monuments of Cairo. It is one of the masterpieces of Mamluk architecture. The building was built by Sultan Hassan bin al-Nasser Muhammad Qalawum in 1356 to serve as a mosque and religious school for all four legal branches of Sunni Islam. It was designed so that each of the four schools of thought - Shafi, Maliki, Hanafi and Hanbali - would have their own area under the division of the mosque.

Construction began in 1356 AD and ended 7 years later in 1363 AD. One of the minarets collapsed during construction, killing 300 people. (with)

RIFAI MOSQUE - built at the beginning of the 20th century. in a pseudo-Mamluk style, this mosque owes its fame to the tombs of several members of the Muhammad Ali dynasties, including King Farouk, who was deposed in 1959 (c)

Entrance inside the mosques is paid, if I'm not mistaken, something around 40-60 pounds.

We didn't go inside.

http://picasaweb. google. com/Angellies85/SultanHasanRifai? authkey=Gv1sRgCICjreD7z9il7QE&feat=directlink

Now we had to go to the Citadel.

It is not far from Salladin Square, but since a taxi is a luxury in Cairo (the maximum we paid 20 pounds, getting from one end of Cairo almost to the Giza pyramids), we reached our destination for a few money ...

The eastern gate, or BAB EL AZRAB, is closed to the public (from myself - now homeless people live at this gate; the gate resembles a public toilet ....brrrr). Here Muhammad Ali exterminated the Mamluks in 1811 and became the sole ruler of Egypt. He was sent by the Turkish sultan from Istanbul to restore the power of the Ottoman Empire after the departure of Napoleon, but the Mamluks treated him with hostility. He soon invited them to dinner at the Citadel, locked the gates when they were about to leave, and shot them all to death. (with)

CITADEL - one of the main attractions of Cairo. Founded at the end of the 12th century.


in the spurs of Mount Mukattam under Salah ad-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin), it performed the same function as the Moscow Kremlin. For 7 centuries, the Citadel was the residence of the rulers of Egypt. According to the original plan, powerful walls were to descend from the fortress to the Nile, covering Cairo from two sides. This idea, however, was only partially realized, the walls began to be built, but they were not brought to the river, but the citadel itself turned out to be of impressive size. Following the contours of the hill, the irregular polygon of the walls covered an area of ​ ​.18 hectares. Palaces, barracks, warehouses, a prison and, of course, mosques were built inside it. (with)

MOSQUE OF MUHAMMED ALI, located near the Citadel, is famous for its picturesque views from its height. (with)

From here you can see the entire route of the walk, you can see the mosques of Sultan Hassan and Rifai, a little further - the mosque of ibn Tulun, and of course, one of the wonders of the world ...(see photo).

At the highest point in the Citadel stands the Mosque of Muhammad Ali (1830-1848). It was built in the Ottoman style and largely copies the famous Ahmediye Mosque in Istanbul. Two high pointed minarets are visible in clear weather from almost anywhere in Cairo.

The Muhammad Ali Mosque is a grandiose building. The prayer hall is a square with a side of more than 40 m, the height of the dome is 52 m. There are colored stained-glass windows in the windows. The mosque is richly decorated. Its interior is approximately half covered with alabaster slabs, for which the mosque was named Alabaster. At the entrance to the mosque on the right in a fenced off room is the tomb of Muhammad Ali, the great reformer who ruled in 1805-1848. and played an important role in the history of Egypt.

In the spacious courtyard of the mosque there is a fountain for ablution. On the wall opposite the building, there is a metal clock tower decorated with patterns. They were presented to Muhammad Ali in 1845.

French King Louis Philippe. (with)


For a long time, the main mosque in the Citadel was the mosque of Sultan An-Nasr Mohammed (beginning of the 14th century). It looks small, but can accommodate up to 5.000 worshipers. Like most medieval Cairo mosques, it does not have a central roof - only canopies-arcades along the walls. The canopy, supported by a colonnade, is wider at the front of the mosque, where there is a prayer niche - a mihrab, richly decorated with stone carvings and inlays. The mosque is finished with a stone of two colors, which is rare in Cairo, but its main architectural feature is the minarets. They are lined with colored faience tiles. This is not the case in any other mosque in the city. The An-Nasra Mosque was designed by an architect from the Iranian city of Tabriz, where tiles were in vogue at that time.

In the far part of the Citadel is the Suleiman Pasha Mosque.

It was built (1528) shortly after the Ottoman conquest of Egypt, in the traditional Turkish style, with a covered prayer hall and a pointed minaret. The mosque is small, but richly decorated. The inlaid mihrab is especially beautiful. (with)

The Citadel houses several museums. Next to the Muhammad Ali Mosque is the Police Museum. In the inner part of the Citadel, separated by walls with gates, there is an extensive military museum (pictured is the cannon of Muhammad Ali). To the right of it is a small pavilion in which the museum of the royal carriages is arranged. Behind it is another pavilion, the last and very curious addition to the expositions of the Citadel - the museum of material evidence (Mathaf al-madbutat). This is a collection of antiquities confiscated by the police from smugglers and featured as material evidence during trials. (with)

http://picasaweb. google. com/Angellies85/Citadel? authkey=Gv1sRgCITh34LT9dX-gAE&feat=directlink

It was getting dark))) And we were hungry all day, we decided that it was time to have a bite somewhere and go in search of a rooming house))))

The taxi drove us to the City Stars shopping center. How huge it is ...Boutiques for every taste and budget, the same restaurants ...

Located in Nasr City (or Madinat Nasr). Opening hours from 11 am to 11 pm shops, restaurants, cafes, cinema - around the clock.

We ate, drank a delicious cappuccino, about half a liter each)))), walked around the boutiques a bit (we are not shopaholics, so we walked around the boutiques just to "look" and not for long) and went to look for where we could spend the night ...

We decided that the best place would be somewhere in Giza: closer to the pyramids, and in terms of money it is cheaper than a hotel in Cairo itself.

http://picasaweb. google. com/Angellies85/Cairo_view? authkey=Gv1sRgCN-2y_DZ36O8Bw&feat=directlink


We looked at 2 hotels (unfortunately, I don’t remember the names) - terrible vipers for 80-100 dollars a day for a double, where it was impossible to stay.

This is despite the fact that my friend and I are absolutely not pretentious ...We just need to sleep for a couple of hours and wash ourselves ...But this was not possible to do here, even though the price could be brought down several times ...

Let's go further.

As a result, we settled in the Mena Palace Hotel (Giza) (not to be confused with the Mena House Oberoi, where Cherchel stayed, because these are two big differences))))))). I can't find this hotel on the internet...I don't even know its address...

Well, in general, this dwelling looked like this ...There was no hot water in the room, or rather, it was only on the morning of our departure ...that is, we only had summer water))

One bed stood by the window, but it was not possible to sleep on it, because it was very windy from the window, so we warmed ourselves in the same bed)))

Those were the downsides. Now about the advantages of the hotel:

1) apparently we were the only guests there, because breakfast was brought to us literally in bed)))

2) sticking your head out of the window you could see the pyramids very, very close))

3) for two days for two we laid out $ 60, although initially the price per room per day was declared 80 green)))

Next will be about the pyramids of Giza and Saqqara.

At the hotel we were woken up at 6 o'clock in the morning with breakfast in bed

After bursting and getting ready to go, we jumped into a taxi and drove to the PYRAMIDS OF GIZA.

It was about half past seven in the morning...I really wanted to meet the dawn at the foot of the pyramid of Cheops...

But, as usual, one could only get to the pyramids by 9...

We waited and waited...the sun was already starting to rise...We were upset...But the wrong ones and the guards got their eyes dirty, so at 8 kopecks we were still allowed to go to the pyramids...

Entrance: 60 pounds.


Folks, this is sooooooo kaaayyyyf....When there is not a soul around, only huge boulders that have stood for millennia, flocks of birds and the calmness of the Sphinx, barely visible because of the fog, a huge yellow disk of the sun and silence....*drool dripping*

Here we walked between the pyramids, stones and tombs for 3 hours ...

The entrance is on the north side. Separate blocks, according to the Arab historian Abdel Latif (XII century), are so precisely fitted to each other that a knife blade cannot be inserted between them.

There are no inscriptions or decorations inside the Cheops pyramid. There are three burial chambers. The burial chamber of the pharaoh is a room about 11 meters long, five meters wide and almost six meters high. The walls of the tomb are finished with granite slabs. The red granite sarcophagus is empty. Neither the pharaoh's mummy nor grave goods have been found. It is believed that the pyramid was plundered in ancient times.

On the south side of the pyramid is a structure shaped like a ship. This is the so-called Solar Boat - one of the five on which Cheops was supposed to go to the other world. In 1954, a boat 43.6 m long, disassembled into 1224 parts, was discovered during excavations.

Translated automatically from Russian. View original
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