Impressions of Cairo
What can I say about this city? It's gritty, it's loud, it's old. Time has been here, and it has left its mark. 5000 year old Pyramids, 1000 year old Mosques, 600 year old roundabouts, statues and mausoleums. The buildings are well aged, run down and over used. Yet somehow this city retains it's grandeur, it's charm; there is a vibe here that one cannot explain, only experience.
Surprisingly, sprouting out from the dust and people filled streets are lush greeneries, trees, bushes and plants. Deep underground the Nile still shows it's life and power through the bright leaves of trees amongst this old concrete jungle. And it is a jungle. A jungle full of people, Arabs, talking with their horns, through their shisha pipes and on their mobile phones, and they are loud.
It's a 20 million plus city that hasn’t shut down or kept still in over 6000 years.
We got lucky over the weekend. I don't know what and how it happened but somehow we entered the Giza plateau, home to the famous Pyramids, after tourist hours (I will tell you more of our driver Hamdi and his many friends throughout the city another time). The sky was blue and the sun was setting; the place was literally empty. For 2 hours it was myself, my partner Ferda and her friend Willis. Our Guide was there just to make sure our horses would not run away once we hopped off of them. But imagine that, 2 hours of just you and these Pyramids; you and history itself.
I sat there imagining years past, the Pharaohs, the Nile, the once tropical jungle; all of it. I saw the civilizations come and gone, the labourers, the conquerors, the Kings and Queens. I saw the wars, smelt the spice trading routes, and heard the noises from ancient celebrations. History was putting on a show.
I saw the grave robbers, the first tourists climbing them and the archeologists and Egyptologists preserving them , I saw it all. Then as quickly as they came, they were gone, leaving just me, alone, on the plateau.
I can get used to this place.
Surprisingly, sprouting out from the dust and people filled streets are lush greeneries, trees, bushes and plants. Deep underground the Nile still shows it's life and power through the bright leaves of trees amongst this old concrete jungle. And it is a jungle. A jungle full of people, Arabs, talking with their horns, through their shisha pipes and on their mobile phones, and they are loud.
It's a 20 million plus city that hasn’t shut down or kept still in over 6000 years.
We got lucky over the weekend. I don't know what and how it happened but somehow we entered the Giza plateau, home to the famous Pyramids, after tourist hours (I will tell you more of our driver Hamdi and his many friends throughout the city another time). The sky was blue and the sun was setting; the place was literally empty. For 2 hours it was myself, my partner Ferda and her friend Willis. Our Guide was there just to make sure our horses would not run away once we hopped off of them. But imagine that, 2 hours of just you and these Pyramids; you and history itself.
I sat there imagining years past, the Pharaohs, the Nile, the once tropical jungle; all of it. I saw the civilizations come and gone, the labourers, the conquerors, the Kings and Queens. I saw the wars, smelt the spice trading routes, and heard the noises from ancient celebrations. History was putting on a show.
I saw the grave robbers, the first tourists climbing them and the archeologists and Egyptologists preserving them , I saw it all. Then as quickly as they came, they were gone, leaving just me, alone, on the plateau.
I can get used to this place.
posted by Matt Switzer at 8:36 AM
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