Page 18 - Stuart Exposure - March '21

Page 18, Stuart Exposure

travel

Cairo And Giza

Separated By The Nile …
Thousands Of Years Apart

By Don Kiselewski, MCC,
D.S., Palm Beach Gardens
Travel Leaders
By today’s standards,
Cairo is one of Egypt’s newest
cities. Cairo just celebrated A poor street within sight of the Great Pyramid
its first millennium only 30
years ago, while other cities in
Egypt – Thebes and Memphis,
for example – have already
chalked off their third.
Sometimes our sense of
history becomes distorted as to what was where and when it A view of Cairo from across the Nile River
was there. The fact is, there was no city located at Cairo in
the time of the pharaohs or in later Roman or Greek days. It
was only after the Muslim armies, which came from Arabia,
crushed the Byzantine power of Egypt, that the city had its
beginning. Alexandria, the great city at the western end of the The downtown cityscape in Cairo illustrates the disparity
Nile Delta, surrendered without a fight. The victorious General between the wealthy and poor.
‘Amr ibn al-‘As wanted to make Alexandria the great seaport
of his conquest. However, Umar I, the second Muslim caliph, I wouldn’t doubt his work. The Great Pyramid, which covers
quickly pointed out that when the Nile flooded, as it did every about 13 acres, is 768 square feet and 482 feet high. To give
year, the city would be cut off from the Arabian homeland. To perspective to the structure, there is approximately 31 to 35
overcome this problem, a city would have to be constructed feet of surface missing on each side of the pyramid below the
on the east bank of the Nile. The pyramids at Giza cap, which has remained in place. That smooth surface on
‘Amr made the final site selection for the city, across the the top is actually Tura limestone, which was used to dress
Nile from the great burial grounds of the pharaohs at Giza. the Egyptian heritage that was lost due to flooding created the monument.
In the centuries that followed, the Muslims continued to war by the structure. Many archeological sites were relocated Giza is actually a suburb of Cairo; it is also the capital of
against each other in the area, and as a result, the settlement because of the extent of Lake Nasser, created by damming the Giza governorate of Upper Egypt. It was linked to Cairo
was destroyed and rebuilt several times. The Fatimid Caliphate the Nile. The lake extends some 350 miles to the southeast across the Nile in the ninth century by a bridge of boats and
founded the present city in 968 and called it al-Qahira or “The and averages six miles in width; it is considered the largest later a permanent structure. The year 961 brought the chief
Victorious.” Al-Qahira was subsequently altered to Cairo. artificial lake in the world. The high dam makes possible mosque to the city. Giza is also the home of Cairo University,
The great Muslim ruler Saladin built a citadel at Cairo in low-cost electrical power and an adequate water supply for founded in 1908 and reestablished in 1924, and the Egyptian
the 12th century. For security he also began to wall in a quarter the population in this parched county, and most importantly, film industry. Giza was a settlement in prehistoric times and
of the city for the various people who had settled in the area. it controls the Nile against natural flooding. has numerous archaeological and cultural sites in addition
These actions set the stage for great growth and prosperity in The west bank of the Nile holds the real reason that people to the pyramids.
the city. In the later Middle Ages, Cairo became the center of visit the area: the pyramids at Giza. These grave markers, My visit to the area certainly put things in proper
trade between Europe and the East and one of the chief seats located southwest of Cairo, date back more than 3,500 years. perspective for me. We had spent the morning engrossed in
of Muslim culture. And, by the mid-14th century, Cairo had The three great structures located here were erected for the the wonders of Egypt and the many finds of Egyptologists
a population of 500,000 people who lived on the east bank of pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. Not far from the before a short 20-minute drive across the Nile southwest into
the Nile, and it had become greater than any city in Europe, pyramids is the Sphinx, an enigma whose secrets have yet Giza. The ride had scenery quite similar to other cities we had
Africa or Asia Minor. to be revealed. It has been estimated that it took some two visited throughout the world. Stopping at a hotel for lunch,
As with anything of great value, Cairo became the object million separate blocks to construct the Great Pyramid. One I was seated with my back to the window in a restaurant.
to be had. In 1517, Cairo became part of the Ottoman Empire of Napoleon’s engineers estimated that if the block used for After ordering my meal, I became curious as to what was
when it fell to the Turks, who reduced it to a provincial the pyramids were stacked into a wall, 10 feet wide by 10 feet outside the window. I opened the blinds, and behold, what to
capital. Napoleon seized the city in 1798 in the Battle of the high, the wall would enclose the country of France. I didn’t my wondering eyes did appear? No, not a miniature sleigh
Pyramids, but Admiral Horatio Nelson destroyed his fleet. check his calculation, but after seeing the pyramids in person, and tiny reindeer, but instead one of the eight wonders of the
The French were driven out of the city three years later by world in the backyard. Seeing the pyramids in this way for
British and Turkish forces. The city was then handed back the first time was awesome; it is one of those moments in
to the Turks, although the British retained special interest in life that is etched in your memory, but was soon supplanted
Cairo. A modern city grew up in the 19th century between by the up-close-and-personal experience.
the Saladin Citadel, with its walled settlement on Mokattam Don Kiselewski writes from his personal experiences,
hill, and the Nile. having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans,
Today Cairo is two distinct cities. Old Cairo has many seas and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel
fine examples of Arab architecture, but most of the city stands Leaders, his family owned and operated agency, is located
with its mud-brick tenements, which have become the slums. at Mirasol Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building
The streets are narrow and unpaved, and transportation in A, Suite 102-6, Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been
this part of the city is by donkey or camel. New Cairo, on the serving the travel needs of the South Florida area for over
other hand, is a modern city. Its streets are lined with modern a quarter of a century. Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or
apartments, skyscrapers, office and government buildings, Aussie@PBGTravel.com.
hotels and over two dozen museums. Saladin Citadel in Cairo Photos by Don Kiselewski
Would-be archeologists and those who have even the
slightest interest in history will find hours flying by when
they visit the Egyptian museum. Collections of Byzantine
and Pharaonic art and sculpture fill its many exhibit halls.
The museum contains the world’s largest and most impressive
collection of Egyptian history with the celebrated treasures
of Tutankhamun as its most prominent exhibit. Gold, gold
and more gold was the subject of this lesser pharaoh’s
worldly possessions. These were buried with him and are
now prominently displayed.
Cairo is Egypt’s largest city, and the capital. It is also
the largest city in Africa with an estimated metropolitan
population of 22 million people. Large migrations from the
rural areas have caused the city to grow at twice the average
national rate. Because of this influx of people, both Cairo
and Alexandria have severe housing problems coupled with
lack of basic services. As a solution to this problem, entirely
new towns are planned and under construction throughout
the country. One of the benefits of the Aswan Dam project
was the reclaiming of the Nile Delta, which allowed planned
settlement areas to relieve population pressures.
Those of us in the somewhat older generation will
remember the construction of the High Dam at Aswan. It
was completed in 1970 and supplemented the low dam,
completed in 1902. Most recall the controversy caused by