Under the Gaze of 40 Centuries

Thursday morning found one of our party laid low by King Tut's Curse, perhaps a result of a certain pigeon or meatball dinner. This incident prompted us to abandon our more ambitious plans for the day, which had us venturing to one of the nearby Nile islands (Rhoda Island, it turns out) to view a medieval Nilemeter, a structure used to measure the level of flooding in this long river.

Instead we decided to go directly to our next Airbnb in Giza for a leisurely afternoon. Opting for another Uber ride, we soon found ourselves once more weaving through the chaotic Cairo traffic. This trip brought us south through some of the less urban parts of the city and even through a dusty neighborhood off the main roads (a shortcut taken by our driver to avoid traffic). Part of the route went through a tunnel to bypass the busy intersections above. Street markings are rare, and seem to be optional when present. At one point we found ourselves traveling squarely on the border of two lanes to squeeze further ahead in the swift traffic. Later the lane markings disappeared completely, in what looked to be a four lane highway. In the streets away from the city center intersecting traffic is unregulated, with no stop signs or traffic lights. Each driver maneuvers aggressively through, inserting his vehicle at the smallest opening. Many cars have scrapes running along their flanks.

Expecting clearer skies out of the city, we were quickly disappointed. A persistent wind was coming out of the desert to the west, and a mixture of dust and smog lay over the land like fog. This trip also showed us more of the polluted nature of the city, with litter everywhere and mounds of trash under bridges and raised roads. We passed many rough looking structures of brick and concrete that seemed to be incomplete, with clusters of rebar protruding from the unfinished floors. Some of these towers seem ready to crumble at the merest touch, and many windows were empty.

Nearer to Giza we passed the Citadel of Cairo, a medieval Islamic fortress on a commanding hilltop. A domed mosque with a pair of towering minarets sits near the center of this structure, and the walls are interspersed with thick round bastions.

Our first view of the pyramids came through the heavy smog after we had crossed over the Nile into Giza. They are indeed big, and all were impressed by their stately aspect which is undiminished by the rough hewn nature of their bare surfaces. Indeed, the second pyramid of Khafre is more distinguished for having the merest portion of smooth limestone casing left adorning its head, than had it still been in its pristine aspect. These imposing tombs stand aloof from the surrounding squalor like ancient sentinels guarding the roads to antiquity.

All three of the larger pyramids are clearly visible from our Airbnb in Giza, which is situated by one the entry points to the necropolis. Throngs of Egyptian tourists seem to constantly mill to and fro, intermingled with horse drawn caleches and funny tricycle like vehicles colloquially known as tuk-tuks which function as taxis, steered by a handlebar in the front of a minibus like shell. At the end of the tourist day we witnessed several camels and horses returning after a busy day, calmly plodding through the streets.

-Theodore

 A stately edifice in Cairo

An apartment building on the way to Giza 

Two towers and a wall segment of the Citadel of Cairo

 

Mummy with a traditional Egyptian dish of macaroni and tomato sauce provided by our hosts in Giza

 

A camel walking past our apartment

 

Egyptian building techniques

Tut 1 with the Great Pyramid in the background, on our apartments' rooftop terrace

A panoramic view