This morning I took the shuttle to the Embassy again. As I was the only one riding the shuttle I had a nice conversation with the driver, Khaled. We talked about a lot of things, but I thought his story of why women wear the hijab was the most interesting.
For those of you that don't know, 'hijab' is the Arabic word for 'veil'. A veil in Egypt can take many forms. Some women wear a simple headscarf with their very western clothes, while other women cover every body part- head, feet, hands, face, even eyes. This tradition dates back to the time of the prophet Mohammed, who did not allow anyone to speak to any of his wives without the wife covering her face with a veil. Other women adopted this custom in emulation of the prophet's holy wives.
I began by asking Khaled why some women in Egypt wear the hijab and some do not. This is his explanation:
"A long time ago when Islam began there was a problem. If a beautiful woman walked in the streets a man would see her and make love to her right there in the streets. This was only beautiful women, the ugly women did not have this problem. In order to make things better, all women began wearing the hijab. That way, no one could see if she was beautiful or not. Very soon wearing a hijab became a tradition. Of course there were some problems, such as when a father insisted that his daughter was very beautiful, but when she married her husband found out she was not. In these cases, a man would try to at least see part of the legs of his future bride. You can always tell whether a woman has a nice body by looking at her legs.
"Now, a woman wears a veil if her husband says that she must. The husband will say that he insists because he is a pious Muslim. But many of these husbands tell their wives to wear a veil and then go take drugs. This man is not pious! Why should he insist on one part of Islam and violate another? On the other hand, some women choose to wear a veil because it is more convenient. They do not always want to be going to the beauty parlor so they wear a veil and no one knows if her hair looks nice or not."
I enjoyed this very practical explanation of the hijab. I suppose for Khaled, and I suspect for most everyone else, the religious significance has given way to mere habit. And although Khaled did not once mention the prophet Mohammed, at least the women who are forced to wear the veil may be able to comfort themselves that the Prophet's wives did the same!
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Saturday, August 25, 2012
Siwa Part II
Although Siwa was mostly isolated from the rest of the world for thousands of years, there was some contact from time to time. Siwa became known to the Greeks as the site for the Oracle of the god Amun (Zeus Amun in Greek). One of the most interesting historical sites to us was the Mountain of the Dead.
Although more like a hill than a mountain, the entire site was covered in old tombs. Most of them looked like the indentations in the picture above, but there were several that were better preserved.
We were allowed to go into two tombs that had original paintings from Roman times. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed.
There is only one wall remaining, but you can see some interesting paintings and hieroglyphics on it. We heard that Muhammed Ali was the one that ordered the temple pulled down in the mid-1800s as it affronted his sensibilities as a Muslim.
The highlight of this trip for all of us was going out into the desert. Salama, our hotel manager and activities director, arranged for a man to pick us up in a Jeep and give us a tour of the Sahara near Siwa. We drove up and down the sand dunes for a while
fossilized sea creatures!
After spending two days at that point in the very hot, very dry desert, it was nearly unbelievable that at one time in the distant past everything we could see had been covered in sea water. The best shells were firmly cemented into the ground, but we were able to find some specimens to take with us. I am now the proud owner of a baby horseshoe crab and baby clam fossil from the middle of the Sahara Desert.
We were told it was safe to swim in the lake, but we contented ourselves with wading and speculating on how the large number of fish in the water might have gotten there. No one who might have known spoke any English and this little lake is not remarkable enough to have its own encyclopedia entry. It will just have to remain one of the many mysteries about Egypt for now.
Although more like a hill than a mountain, the entire site was covered in old tombs. Most of them looked like the indentations in the picture above, but there were several that were better preserved.
We were allowed to go into two tombs that had original paintings from Roman times. Unfortunately, no cameras were allowed.
This is the oracle temple where Alexander the Great visited when he came to Siwa and where he was 'confirmed' as a god and pharaoh. It was remarkable to see that the temple was in nearly as good repair as the surrounding walls and other buildings built just over 100 years ago.
Nearby are the remains of the Temple of Amun.
There is only one wall remaining, but you can see some interesting paintings and hieroglyphics on it. We heard that Muhammed Ali was the one that ordered the temple pulled down in the mid-1800s as it affronted his sensibilities as a Muslim.
The last 'historical' site we went to was Cleopatra's Bath. This is a cold water spring located near the temples. Even the Siwans don't believe that Cleopatra was ever here, but they have built a pool around it and a couple of shops.
and then stopped at a place that looked like a salt flat.
As we walked closer, however, we realized that what we were walking on was
Our trip ended by visiting a mini oasis which was a fresh water lake.
We were told it was safe to swim in the lake, but we contented ourselves with wading and speculating on how the large number of fish in the water might have gotten there. No one who might have known spoke any English and this little lake is not remarkable enough to have its own encyclopedia entry. It will just have to remain one of the many mysteries about Egypt for now.
Siwa Part I
Last weekend was the end of Ramadan so the embassy employees got a long weekend holiday. We went with a friend to a town called Siwa which is located in the Sahara desert about 100km from the Libyan border.
Siwa was built around a large oasis and is famous in history for being the site where the priests of the god Amon acknowledged Alexander the Great as both a god himself and a legitimate pharaoh of Egypt. Other than that, Siwa has been mostly isolated for thousands of years and only just got a paved road into the town in the 1980s.
The people who live in Siwa are Berbers and they speak a dialect of the Berber language. Arabic is as much a foreign language to them as English. Nevertheless, the education system is good and many people speak both languages well. Siwans harvest dates and olives to sell in Egypt and Europe, and they farm some of their land for their own needs as well. A major source of income is bottled water from the many fresh-water springs throughout the oasis. The culture is more conservative than the rest of Egypt- we never once saw any part of a Siwan woman's face, not even the eyes- but the people are noticeably friendlier than the average Egyptian.
Once we left the northern coast of Egypt to drive down to Siwa, we saw miles and miles of this:
Every once in a while we would pass a small police station or herd of camels, but there was no doubt we were far from civilization.
The Siwa oasis comes up all of the sudden out of the desert
and extends far enough out on the other side that you almost can't see the desert beyond, even from a hill above the town.
Siwans are proud of their history, culture, and way of life and want to preserve it as much as possible. Even though they welcome the tourists who began coming when their road was built in the 80s, they work to keep all new development consistent with they way they have always done things. Our hotel was built at the base of the medieval fortress, Shali, and blended in completely with it.
(The hotel is just behind the shack, not the shack itself.) Most of the buildings in Siwa are built with bricks and mud. This convenient building material is both inexpensive and as cool as possible in the middle of the desert. The only drawback is when the infrequent rains come. Once in the 1920s there was rain three days in a row. Most of the houses in the town were destroyed, but could at least be quickly rebuilt!
Salama was the manager of the hotel, so of course they named the coffee shop on the first floor after him. :-) The first night we were the only guests and we were treated as much like family as hotel guests could be. They told us, 'This is your home' over, and over, and over.
The hotel rooms all opened up onto this central courtyard. It was cleverly built so that the sun was never directly shining into the courtyard. The high temperature every day averaged around 110F so we were grateful to have this cool place to relax.
This is the breakfast room we ate in every day. Everything in the hotel except the ceiling fans, electrical wires, and light bulbs are made from natural materials. Even the lamps were carved out of blocks of salt.
This is the hotel's main restaurant, located on the roof. Behind the restaurant you can see the tower of a local mosque. This mosque is a Sufi mosque which Salama belongs to. Salama told us that the imam of this mosque is the kindest man you will ever meet. He welcomes all people to his mosque- Muslim, Christian, even Jews. Sufis are a minority sect of Islam, but in my opinion the most interesting. They emphasize a personal relationship with God over following strict rules and they have a strong musical worship tradition. They appear to be the Muslim equivalent of Pentecostal Christians.
There are cars and trucks, but not many. Most people get around by walking or donkey cart. I don't know if this is true of all donkeys, but Siwan donkeys are very vocal- especially in the morning. One morning we heard a donkey throwing a fit. When we looked closer it seemed the donkey did not approve of the flock of chickens walking past him. :-)
They few buildings that aren't mud brick still try to incorporate natural materials as much as possible. The porch surrounding this building is made of palm trunks and dried palm branches.
There are irrigation ditches all throughout the town. While they do quite well for maintaining vegetation, we suspected that the tap water also came from here. We brushed our teeth with bottled water in Siwa.
Siwa was built around a large oasis and is famous in history for being the site where the priests of the god Amon acknowledged Alexander the Great as both a god himself and a legitimate pharaoh of Egypt. Other than that, Siwa has been mostly isolated for thousands of years and only just got a paved road into the town in the 1980s.
The people who live in Siwa are Berbers and they speak a dialect of the Berber language. Arabic is as much a foreign language to them as English. Nevertheless, the education system is good and many people speak both languages well. Siwans harvest dates and olives to sell in Egypt and Europe, and they farm some of their land for their own needs as well. A major source of income is bottled water from the many fresh-water springs throughout the oasis. The culture is more conservative than the rest of Egypt- we never once saw any part of a Siwan woman's face, not even the eyes- but the people are noticeably friendlier than the average Egyptian.
Once we left the northern coast of Egypt to drive down to Siwa, we saw miles and miles of this:
Every once in a while we would pass a small police station or herd of camels, but there was no doubt we were far from civilization.
The Siwa oasis comes up all of the sudden out of the desert
and extends far enough out on the other side that you almost can't see the desert beyond, even from a hill above the town.
The trees are mostly date palm trees and they were nearing harvest time when we were there. The dates start out green, change to yellowish-orange, and then turn dark brown before they are picked.
On our first evening in Siwa the hotel manager, Salama, arranged for us to be driven out to the lake to watch the sun set. There was a little cafe with tables and chairs set up to watch the sun go down. We sat by the lake, and since it was still Ramadan that night the Siwans with us gathered separately to break their fast together. In Cairo the fast is broken with dates, hibiscus tea or fruit juice, and then the meal. In Siwa the fast is broken by drinking a milkshake made with fresh dates before the main meal.
We occupied ourselves taking pictures while the Siwans broke their fast.
Siwans are proud of their history, culture, and way of life and want to preserve it as much as possible. Even though they welcome the tourists who began coming when their road was built in the 80s, they work to keep all new development consistent with they way they have always done things. Our hotel was built at the base of the medieval fortress, Shali, and blended in completely with it.
(The hotel is just behind the shack, not the shack itself.) Most of the buildings in Siwa are built with bricks and mud. This convenient building material is both inexpensive and as cool as possible in the middle of the desert. The only drawback is when the infrequent rains come. Once in the 1920s there was rain three days in a row. Most of the houses in the town were destroyed, but could at least be quickly rebuilt!
Salama was the manager of the hotel, so of course they named the coffee shop on the first floor after him. :-) The first night we were the only guests and we were treated as much like family as hotel guests could be. They told us, 'This is your home' over, and over, and over.
The hotel rooms all opened up onto this central courtyard. It was cleverly built so that the sun was never directly shining into the courtyard. The high temperature every day averaged around 110F so we were grateful to have this cool place to relax.
This is the breakfast room we ate in every day. Everything in the hotel except the ceiling fans, electrical wires, and light bulbs are made from natural materials. Even the lamps were carved out of blocks of salt.
This is the hotel's main restaurant, located on the roof. Behind the restaurant you can see the tower of a local mosque. This mosque is a Sufi mosque which Salama belongs to. Salama told us that the imam of this mosque is the kindest man you will ever meet. He welcomes all people to his mosque- Muslim, Christian, even Jews. Sufis are a minority sect of Islam, but in my opinion the most interesting. They emphasize a personal relationship with God over following strict rules and they have a strong musical worship tradition. They appear to be the Muslim equivalent of Pentecostal Christians.
Siwa is a fairly small town of only about 20,000 people and is not highly developed. The fence you see on the right is made of palm leaves- another very effective and economical building material.
There are cars and trucks, but not many. Most people get around by walking or donkey cart. I don't know if this is true of all donkeys, but Siwan donkeys are very vocal- especially in the morning. One morning we heard a donkey throwing a fit. When we looked closer it seemed the donkey did not approve of the flock of chickens walking past him. :-)
They few buildings that aren't mud brick still try to incorporate natural materials as much as possible. The porch surrounding this building is made of palm trunks and dried palm branches.
There are irrigation ditches all throughout the town. While they do quite well for maintaining vegetation, we suspected that the tap water also came from here. We brushed our teeth with bottled water in Siwa.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Insha'Allah
There is a saying used quite frequently here in Egypt, 'Insh'Allah'. It means 'If God wills it.' Even we as Christians recognize that it is important to recognize God's will in all things. It seems, however, that frequent usage here has taken some of the religious meaning out of the phrase. Everyone from the sales clerk to the driver to the waiter includes 'Insh'Allah' in nearly every statement.
Our friends who have lived here longer than we have tend to take this 'Insh'Allah' phrase rather cynically. To them it seems that Egyptians are using it as a placeholder for personal responsibility. And to be fair, Cairo is rife with examples of this usage:
Will the building I am building ever be finished (even though it has sat for over a month with no work whatsoever being done on it and multiple families have moved in already as squatters)? Insh'Allah.
Will I receive a parking ticket? Insh'Allah I will not, even though the sign says 'No Parking' in at least two languages.
I am constantly reminding myself to 'look not to criticize but to learn and appreciate'. There is room at times for productive criticism, but that is not my job here. So I am trying to learn from and appreciate this culture that is wildly different from my own.
The unfinished building from above does never seem to make progress. However, it is providing a home for many people who may not have any other. The owners of the building show no displeasure at the multiple squatters and even allow them to run electrical wires and use the water supply.
Egyptians are extremely generous to each other and to their foreign guests. More than once we have overheard a driver and a tour guide or guard arguing about who is to have the tip we have given to one or the other (even though they know we will tip the second person shortly!) And we are constantly being given small gifts even though it is abundantly clear that we have no need of anything essential.
The shack in our neighborhood does seem to be made entirely of trash, and money is being spent on decorations rather than walls. But the young boys who live there and play in the street outside are happy, healthy, and friendly- and they never ask for money. Even the four year old knows how to say 'Hi' in English and wants to shake my hand when I walk past. (I would post a picture, but it is bad luck to take pictures of children here.)
If Egyptians are rather too hopeful in matters relating to parking violations, they are more than tolerant of double or triple parking, donkeys, motorcycles, camels, and people in their way as well. No one seems to complain when they can't get through a street (as seen below) and they wait in good humor for whatever business needs to be completed.
As to the problem of trash, well, all I can say is 'Insh'Allah' someday the Egyptians will hear about trash trucks and street sweepers!
Our friends who have lived here longer than we have tend to take this 'Insh'Allah' phrase rather cynically. To them it seems that Egyptians are using it as a placeholder for personal responsibility. And to be fair, Cairo is rife with examples of this usage:
Will the building I am building ever be finished (even though it has sat for over a month with no work whatsoever being done on it and multiple families have moved in already as squatters)? Insh'Allah.
Will the shack that I live in ever have real walls? Insh'Allah, and in the meantime I will decorate my shack for the holidays.
Will the trash be collected? Insh'Allah, and in the meantime we can all agree the sidewalk is the best place for it.
I am constantly reminding myself to 'look not to criticize but to learn and appreciate'. There is room at times for productive criticism, but that is not my job here. So I am trying to learn from and appreciate this culture that is wildly different from my own.
The unfinished building from above does never seem to make progress. However, it is providing a home for many people who may not have any other. The owners of the building show no displeasure at the multiple squatters and even allow them to run electrical wires and use the water supply.
Egyptians are extremely generous to each other and to their foreign guests. More than once we have overheard a driver and a tour guide or guard arguing about who is to have the tip we have given to one or the other (even though they know we will tip the second person shortly!) And we are constantly being given small gifts even though it is abundantly clear that we have no need of anything essential.
The shack in our neighborhood does seem to be made entirely of trash, and money is being spent on decorations rather than walls. But the young boys who live there and play in the street outside are happy, healthy, and friendly- and they never ask for money. Even the four year old knows how to say 'Hi' in English and wants to shake my hand when I walk past. (I would post a picture, but it is bad luck to take pictures of children here.)
If Egyptians are rather too hopeful in matters relating to parking violations, they are more than tolerant of double or triple parking, donkeys, motorcycles, camels, and people in their way as well. No one seems to complain when they can't get through a street (as seen below) and they wait in good humor for whatever business needs to be completed.
As to the problem of trash, well, all I can say is 'Insh'Allah' someday the Egyptians will hear about trash trucks and street sweepers!
Monday, August 13, 2012
Giza
It's difficult to convey the experience in words, and the pictures are only a little bit better. The thing that surprised me the most is just how big they are. The above picture is what you usually see, but the next few pictures are successively closer and they help to put things in perspective a bit.
The big hole in the center is the original entrance, and just underneath is a small hole that is the current entrance.
You can kind of see people walking into the entrance towards the bottom left of the picture. We did go inside but we weren't allowed to take cameras with us. If you ever decide to try this make really sure that you aren't in the least bit claustrophobic. I didn't think that I was, but I did have a few moments of panic in the first section where you can't stand anywhere near upright as you proceed up the pathway!
After seeing the Great Pyramid we drove past the other two pyramids to a plateau just above the site. This is where you can see all three big pyramids together and some of the smaller ones as well.
The pyramid to the left is the Great Pyramid, the one on the right is actually smaller- just higher up on the plateau. On the right hand pyramid you can see the smooth limestone that used to cover all the pyramids. If you remember from one of my first posts, Saladin, a ruler of Egypt during the crusades, removed the limestone from the pyramids to make a mosque.
The smaller and less well preserved pyramids in this picture are queens' pyramids. Apparently all the good rock was gone by the time they got around to building these!
Our guide found us a reliable camel guide so we took a ride on a camel named Ramses. Here is the view from his back. (If you want a better picture just let us know.) I thought it was a joke made by tourists, but it seems that the rumor is true. If you don't get a reliable camel guide they will charge you one price to get on to take a ride and another (much increased) price to get off again. You might be able to tell from the picture just how far away the ground was and how difficult it would be to get off without help!
Our final stop in Giza was the Sphinx. We hear that the Sphinx is the main character in a sound and light show every evening that tells the history of the pyramids. We hope to go see it once even if it might be a bit silly.
We also toured the Egyptian Museum on Friday but no cameras are allowed inside. You will just have to come visit to see that one!
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Shuttle Driver Conversations
So far the people I see most frequently here in Egypt are our compound guards and shuttle drivers. These men are the most friendly and interesting group that I have encountered. They all speak some English and they are eager to use it. (They are also extremely interested in making sure I learn Arabic- but more about that in another post.)
Yesterday I had to take the family shuttle down to the Embassy. This shuttle runs by request only and I am usually the only person on the shuttle. Yesterday morning I had a very talkative driver, Ayman.
Ayman began by saying that it was going to very hot today. This was a problem because he is fasting for Ramadan and he had 17 hours to get through with no food, drink, or tobacco. The discussion of fasting quickly lead to the delights of Iftar, the evening meal which breaks the fast. Ayman's wife was apparently an amazing cook and he was anxious for this evening's meal. Our conversation led to two very interesting accounts from his life:
Wives
Ayman has been married three times. He married his first wife in Yugoslavia when he worked there for a while. She divorced him when he wanted to come back to Egypt. His second wife lived only six months after they were married. When I expressed sympathy for his loss his response was, "Ah well, these things happen." Ayman told his parents that he had no intention of finding a third wife. They, however, wanted grandchildren. They found a suitable wife from Upper Egypt (in the much more conservative south) and arranged the match. Ayman and his wife met only three times (once a month for three months) before they were married. In that time, they were never alone together and they never even touched.
Being from the more conservative south, Ayman's wife is much different than other Cairenes' wives. He is greeted at the door when he comes home and she removes his shoes. She then helps him change into clean clothes. When he does not eat enough in her opinion, she will hand-feed him more. From time to time he objects that he does not want to get fat. She insists that this is her goal, 'so that other women won't look at you'. In the 18 years they have been married they have had four children- three girls and a boy. I asked whether he liked they way his wife treated him and he pondered for a moment. "I don't want her to do so much for me, but I don't forbid it because it makes me feel like a king." His daughters, by the way, insist that they will never treat their own husbands like this!
Egypt Itself
Ayman has lived overseas and traveled quite extensively. He spent three years in Yugoslavia working at a job that took him all over the Middle East and North Africa. He speaks three languages and has had the opportunity to observe Muslims of many different cultures. His conclusion? Egypt is by far the best of all these countries. Maybe it's something from the Nile or something in the air, but Egypt and its people are the most generous and loving of any others. Any time you need something- food, water, or anything else- all you have to do is walk up to a house or apartment, knock on the door and ask. You will be treated like an honored guest. During Ramadan, Egyptians make an extra effort to feed all who want to eat. They will lay out tables in the streets and in the parks and welcome anyone who comes, whether they are Muslim, Christian, or Jew.
I must say that in my short experience so far, I think he is right about Egyptians' generosity. I have seen the tables put out in the streets and I have seen men standing at intersections handing out dates and juice (traditional break-fast foods) just as the Iftar call of prayer sounds. They run up to the cars and hand things through the windows to as many people as they can. In addition, more than one American has stories of being in some sort of distress on the streets and having a crowd of people run to their aid.
Ayman regrets the changes that have come about in Egypt since the revolution. Before, everyone trusted everyone because the law was strong. Now, there is suspicion among neighbors and the tendency towards the strong taking advantage of the weak. He does not have high hopes for the new government, but would like to see them start to improve things.
Yesterday I had to take the family shuttle down to the Embassy. This shuttle runs by request only and I am usually the only person on the shuttle. Yesterday morning I had a very talkative driver, Ayman.
Ayman began by saying that it was going to very hot today. This was a problem because he is fasting for Ramadan and he had 17 hours to get through with no food, drink, or tobacco. The discussion of fasting quickly lead to the delights of Iftar, the evening meal which breaks the fast. Ayman's wife was apparently an amazing cook and he was anxious for this evening's meal. Our conversation led to two very interesting accounts from his life:
Wives
Ayman has been married three times. He married his first wife in Yugoslavia when he worked there for a while. She divorced him when he wanted to come back to Egypt. His second wife lived only six months after they were married. When I expressed sympathy for his loss his response was, "Ah well, these things happen." Ayman told his parents that he had no intention of finding a third wife. They, however, wanted grandchildren. They found a suitable wife from Upper Egypt (in the much more conservative south) and arranged the match. Ayman and his wife met only three times (once a month for three months) before they were married. In that time, they were never alone together and they never even touched.
Being from the more conservative south, Ayman's wife is much different than other Cairenes' wives. He is greeted at the door when he comes home and she removes his shoes. She then helps him change into clean clothes. When he does not eat enough in her opinion, she will hand-feed him more. From time to time he objects that he does not want to get fat. She insists that this is her goal, 'so that other women won't look at you'. In the 18 years they have been married they have had four children- three girls and a boy. I asked whether he liked they way his wife treated him and he pondered for a moment. "I don't want her to do so much for me, but I don't forbid it because it makes me feel like a king." His daughters, by the way, insist that they will never treat their own husbands like this!
Egypt Itself
Ayman has lived overseas and traveled quite extensively. He spent three years in Yugoslavia working at a job that took him all over the Middle East and North Africa. He speaks three languages and has had the opportunity to observe Muslims of many different cultures. His conclusion? Egypt is by far the best of all these countries. Maybe it's something from the Nile or something in the air, but Egypt and its people are the most generous and loving of any others. Any time you need something- food, water, or anything else- all you have to do is walk up to a house or apartment, knock on the door and ask. You will be treated like an honored guest. During Ramadan, Egyptians make an extra effort to feed all who want to eat. They will lay out tables in the streets and in the parks and welcome anyone who comes, whether they are Muslim, Christian, or Jew.
I must say that in my short experience so far, I think he is right about Egyptians' generosity. I have seen the tables put out in the streets and I have seen men standing at intersections handing out dates and juice (traditional break-fast foods) just as the Iftar call of prayer sounds. They run up to the cars and hand things through the windows to as many people as they can. In addition, more than one American has stories of being in some sort of distress on the streets and having a crowd of people run to their aid.
Ayman regrets the changes that have come about in Egypt since the revolution. Before, everyone trusted everyone because the law was strong. Now, there is suspicion among neighbors and the tendency towards the strong taking advantage of the weak. He does not have high hopes for the new government, but would like to see them start to improve things.
Sunday, August 5, 2012
Saqqara
On Saturday we went to visit an ancient burial site called Saqqara. The oldest preserved building complex in the world is here, a pyramid and courtyard that are 4,660 years old! There are many people buried at this site, but most of them were buried before pyramid building became popular. Previously, rectangular mounds were built over the tombs of pharaohs. At Saqqara you can see the beginnings of pyramid building.
Here is one very early example. It used to be a pyramid but was mostly destroyed during an earthquake:
The oldest pyramid to last to present day is the at the center of the site:
This is called the Step Pyramid and it is the tomb of the pharaoh Djoser, built by the architect Imhotep. It began as just one level and was then expanded to include the six(ish) levels that you can see in the picture. The pharaoh was buried 28 meters underground, and for that reason it isn't possible to go inside. There isn't enough oxygen at that level anymore. You can see scaffolding built to aid in restoration efforts. There is also a patch of already-restored stone at the base of the pyramid.
Extending out from the pyramid is a large courtyard used for ceremonies. Here are the remains of one of the walls:
There is also a long entrance-way into the courtyard. It is lined with columns made in the shape of bundles of papyrus.
We didn't get a good picture of the main gate leading into the complex, but here is one from the internet:
Although it wasn't planned this way, we are seeing the pyramids in this part of Egypt chronologically. Next weekend we are hoping to go to Dashur, where the next oldest pyramids are located.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Learning Car Horn
There are two languages we need to learn to survive here in Egypt. The first, of course, is Arabic. The second is Car Horn. I am still in the process of completely decoding this language, but here is a preliminary glossary:
One Honk- the driver is politely announcing his existence. He is coming up on another car and would like to pass, he is turning into a street and want to alert pedestrians of your presence, or he is a taxi and wants let passing people know he is available for hire.
Two Honks- the driver is feeling a bit impatient with the current situation. The car he would like to pass is not allowing it, the pedestrians in the street are going too slow, or another car is sitting in the intersection doing, apparently, nothing (this happens all the time!)
Rapid and Successive Honks- the driver is quite unhappy. Pedestrians are passing the time of day in the middle of the street, or a very large truck is driving in the middle of a highway, prohibiting any passing (there is absolutely no respect for lanes).
Honks in Rhythm- the driver is celebrating. Recently this has been demonstrated at the end of the daily Ramadan fast (Iftar). Can also be heard at weddings, weekends, or any time the driver is happy. Often accompanied by ululation.
No Honks- the power is out. As power outages are a daily event (sometimes multiple times daily, and usually after dark) it is rather noticeable. Everyone drives slower and hardly anyone honks.
I plan to interview our friendly shuttle drivers over the next few trips to complete this analysis. Updates coming soon!
One Honk- the driver is politely announcing his existence. He is coming up on another car and would like to pass, he is turning into a street and want to alert pedestrians of your presence, or he is a taxi and wants let passing people know he is available for hire.
Two Honks- the driver is feeling a bit impatient with the current situation. The car he would like to pass is not allowing it, the pedestrians in the street are going too slow, or another car is sitting in the intersection doing, apparently, nothing (this happens all the time!)
Rapid and Successive Honks- the driver is quite unhappy. Pedestrians are passing the time of day in the middle of the street, or a very large truck is driving in the middle of a highway, prohibiting any passing (there is absolutely no respect for lanes).
Honks in Rhythm- the driver is celebrating. Recently this has been demonstrated at the end of the daily Ramadan fast (Iftar). Can also be heard at weddings, weekends, or any time the driver is happy. Often accompanied by ululation.
No Honks- the power is out. As power outages are a daily event (sometimes multiple times daily, and usually after dark) it is rather noticeable. Everyone drives slower and hardly anyone honks.
I plan to interview our friendly shuttle drivers over the next few trips to complete this analysis. Updates coming soon!
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Homes in Egypt
A couple people have requested pictures of Egyptian houses and/or our house. You should understand before you look at these that we live in a very upscale neighborhood of Cairo. This is where most expatriates in Egypt live, as well as many wealthy and upper-middle-class Egyptians. As you will see, there is still poverty here but most of the pictures don't represent an 'average' Egyptian house very well.
We don't know what this will be, but here is a building under construction:
One a little bit further along...
The above building is right next to ours. We noticed that even though it's not finished there are already people living there:
Homelessness is not a big problem here as the family unit is usually very strong. We've been told that these people are probably the workers completing the building.
These are some typical apartment buildings (for our neighborhood):
These next four pictures appear to be private houses, although it's possible there could be more than one unit inside some of them:
And here are two different tiny houses that represent the poorer side of Maadi. (Sorry the second one is so unclear, I wasn't really sure I should be taking the picture so I did it too quickly!)
This second house is a bit of a puzzle. From walking past it at night, we know that they have electricity and (at least) a television. It is also decorated for Ramadan. What we may never know is why the people are there or why they don't invest in a better building instead of electricity and decorations.
And here are a few pictures of our apartment:
You can see my least favorite thing (the really ugly couches) and my most favorite thing (behind the sliding doors in the bedroom is an iron shutter that completely blocks out the light- the sun rises around 4am!
We don't know what this will be, but here is a building under construction:
One a little bit further along...
The above building is right next to ours. We noticed that even though it's not finished there are already people living there:
Homelessness is not a big problem here as the family unit is usually very strong. We've been told that these people are probably the workers completing the building.
These are some typical apartment buildings (for our neighborhood):
These next four pictures appear to be private houses, although it's possible there could be more than one unit inside some of them:
And here are two different tiny houses that represent the poorer side of Maadi. (Sorry the second one is so unclear, I wasn't really sure I should be taking the picture so I did it too quickly!)
This second house is a bit of a puzzle. From walking past it at night, we know that they have electricity and (at least) a television. It is also decorated for Ramadan. What we may never know is why the people are there or why they don't invest in a better building instead of electricity and decorations.
And here are a few pictures of our apartment:
You can see my least favorite thing (the really ugly couches) and my most favorite thing (behind the sliding doors in the bedroom is an iron shutter that completely blocks out the light- the sun rises around 4am!
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