Egypt; a country rich in history that almost anyone who has attended school would have come across. It was a destination that my wife and I have been wanting to visit for a long time. Covid, a few years back, had put a spoke in our travel plans. But it finally happened. We, along with our children, did a 2 week trip covering the main sites of Egypt and Jordan in the month of Dec.

The number of places to visit and experience in Egypt were numerous. Given that, I am going to spread the summary of experience across several posts. This way I hope to do some justice to them. I am going to start with highlights of the main attractions that we visited in and around the ancient city of Cairo. So here we go:

The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization

This is a new museum that was officially opened only in 2021. With over 50,000 artifacts, the museum aims to highlight the rich Egyptian heritage and culture through the ages. Well, from what we saw, it certainly does so.

In the main exhibition area, you first see a section that uses audio visual presentation to give you some highlights. It was really good. We spent over 10 minutes just there seeing and listening. Here are some pictures of what we saw.

Then we walked over and explored the artifacts from the various eras. Here are photos of some of the exhibits:

Most visitors who come to Egypt want to see mummies. Well, this is the best place to see them. Here is the walkway leading to the section that holds them.

There are 22 mummies in this museum. And believe me, you will be “blown away” when you see how well preserved many of the mummies are. They do not allow photography in the section. So you will just have to trust my word 😃.

The Hanging Church

This is one of the oldest churches in Egypt dating back to the 3rd century!. It’s actual name is Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church. If you are thinking that Egypt is predominantly an Islamic country and so what is a church doing there. Well, Egypt went through different eras over the course of its history. Invaders brought Christianity to its shore during a certain period. Later, other invaders brought Islam in. And all these religions and structures have survived over the course of time. So you can imagine how fascinating that is, each of them being 1000s of year old!

Now why is it popularly called the Hanging Church? Well, it is because it is above the gatehouse of the Babylon Fortress; part of its structure is suspended over a passage. We also visited the nearby churches around the complex. Here are some visuals from our visit:

The Citadel

The Citadel, also called the Citadel of Saladin, is an Islamic era fortification that had been the residence of its rulers for almost 700 years. It is built close to Muqattam Hills, once the main quarry for limestone used in the constructions of temples and pyramids.

The complex has got many main buildings in it. However, our interest was the Alabaster Mosque, also known as the Muhammed Ali Mosque. This is a mosque that is built in the Ottoman architecture.

Here are some others visuals from our visit to it’s inner parts.

The Khan El Khalili Market

Our last site for the day was the famous bazaar in the historic centre of Cairo. The alleys are pretty quaint, especially in the evening light. It has some shops that go pretty back in time. The coffee shop that we went to is said to be over 300 years old!

This is a great place to buy stuff if you are planning to. Just make sure that you know how to bargain. Here is my son trying his hand 😀.

Summary

Our first official day of exploring Cairo had been fantastic. We were now looking forward to our next day. It was going to be visiting the famed Pyramids!

Some recommendations based on our experience of exploring Cairo:

  • Make sure you get a local guide; an English speaking Egyptologist. It will change your whole experience of visiting these places.
  • Having a local guide also helps “manage” the people who may approach you for tips etc. The guide will politely handle them for you.
  • Wear clothes appropriate for the sites you are visiting, typically dress modestly. That is what we did atleast.
  • The locals are generally friendly towards to visitors. Seeing us, many would call out the names of the famous Indian movie stars. We would always smile back and acknowledge them. I think this also makes them feel happy.
  • Be mentally prepared for traffic and the crazy style of driving in Cairo 🙂 . Best to hire a car and have it take you around.