My Own Palace Walk

Right before I arrived to Cairo, I started reading Naguib Mahfouz’ book, Palace Walk, the first of a trilogy about a Cairo family, for which he won the Nobel Prize in 1988. What I most looked forward to doing in Cairo, was simply to wander the streets of the old Islamic quarter, where the Al Jawad family of Mahfouz’ books, live and work. I would spend 2 days by myself doing this. I wanted to walk every inch of the Islamic area, through each gate of the old city, then to the Coptic quarter, the Citadel, Al Azhar park and the City of the Dead. And that I did. Through my housemate and another friend at work in Nairobi, I had two friends living in Cairo who would meet me for dinner at night on Sunday and Monday (April 29 & 30th). But during the day, they worked (Friday and Saturday, but not Sunday, is the weekend there), which gave me the time during the day to explore exactly as I wanted.

I started on Sunday, by having the taxi let me out at the large mosque of Al-Azhar, where I put on a full robe and head scarf and walked inside to sit and gaze at the tiles of the courtyard and towers of the minarets. I was led up to the top of one minaret – the first of probably a half dozen over two days – by a man from the mosque who wanted a little baksheesh, or tip, afterwards – the first of probably two dozen tips I gave. From Al-Azhar mosque, I started to roam the streets. I noticed so many men sitting out at cafés and drinking tea while smoking the sheesha pipe, at any hour of the day, something not enjoyed by the women. I was fascinated by the young men walking through the streets with large boards on their shoulders, on which they carried loaves of pita, or trays held high over their heads, on which they carried glasses of tea – a delivery service that amazed me for the fact that more glasses did not drop and break in the crowded, tight quarters of Islamic Cairo. I discovered that almost each shop or café had a clay jug hanging on its outside front wall, with cups nearby, which the Egyptians would use to stop and drink water. As it has been for centuries, it is custom in Cairo to offer water to the public for free. This made me think of Kenya and how most do not have access to clean water – in Kisumu, less than 40% of the 500,000 people have access to safe, piped water!

I sat in the grassy area of the Midan el-Hussein, right in front of the Mosque of Hussein, which I could not go in as a woman. From there I wandered down the main street in the market area, Khan el-Khalili, past the perfume and spice bazaars, and then turned onto the street that is known as Palace Walk, in reference to Mahfouz’ book of the same name. I walked all the way to the northern gates of old city, and back again, through the southern gates to the Citadel, where the Mosque of Mohammed Ali, looms over Cairo. For two days I did this, from 8:30 to 5, stopping only to have a quick lunch of hummus, tahini and bread, or to go inside a few museums: the overwhelming large and packed Egyptian museum, which is most famous for its King Tut exhibit; the small and well-done Coptic Museum; and my favorite – the Gayer Anderson house, a small, quaint Islamic-styled house owned by a British major from the 1930s-40s that is packed with interesting artifacts.

I think I found myself inside every large mosque in Cairo. On the final day, I walked to the Al-Azhar park, recently built by the Aga Khan foundation. I sat for several hours in an outdoor restaurant at the top of this beautiful park, which gazes out across Cairo with a perfect view of the Citadel and Mohammed Ali mosque in the distance. There, I finished Mahfouz’ Palace Walk, as well as my own, and picked out my favorite passage from the book, the thoughts of the matriarch of the Al Jawad family, living as a virtual prisoner in her home, with only the view of Cairo from her rooftop to comfort her:

“She was awed by the minarets which shot up, making a profound impression on her. Some were near enough for her to see their lamps and crescent distinctly, like those of Qala’un and Barquq. Others appeared to her as complete wholes, lacking details, like the minarets of Al-Husayn, Al-Ghuri and Al-Azhar. Still other minarets were at the far horizon and seemed phantoms, like those of the Citadel and Rifa’i mosques. She turned her face towards them with devotion, fascination, thanksgiving and hope…It was a view that had grown on her over a quarter of a century. She never tired of it. The view had been a companion for her in her solitude and a friend in her loneliness…”

(Pictured: Looking out from a woman's balcony (where woman could see out, but no one could see in) at Gayer Anderson house; restaurant in the Al-Azhar park; view of the Citadel and Mohammed Ali mosque from Al-Azhar park)

Next up, Exploring Cairo

I have found myself lagging a little behind on my blog. In real time, just yesterday I arrived back in Nairobi after spending two wonderful weeks in South Africa with my entire family – mother, father, sister, brother and sister-in-law. Prior to that, May was, and June now will be, a very busy month for me and the Millennium Cities Initiative, working primarily on the foreign investment prong of our work, but also preparing to start the health and education needs assessments. I will tell you all about the trip to South Africa and the current status of the MCI work soon.

But for now, because I cannot help but go chronologically, I am going to back up to April 27 and Cairo. Several weeks after the Lake Turkana trip, I found myself facing a national holiday in Kenya, Labor Day, which fell this year on Tuesday, May 1. Of course, I could not just stay in Nairobi, so I flew to Cairo on Friday, April 27, for a long 4-day weekend there. I had been to Cairo briefly when in college, on a weekend trip while working on an archaeological dig in Israel. I remember at that time finding Cairo dirty, smoggy, chaotic and dangerous. This time, arriving from Nairobi, I found it developed – with good roads, wireless internet access everywhere, plenty of modern stores and restaurants, even Starbucks; much less poor – even in the heart of the old Islamic section of Cairo, the people seemed to enjoy a standard of living well above millions here in Kenya, one sign being plenty of KFCs and McDonalds, restaurants most cannot afford in Kenya; and much safer – I felt very at ease walking around even into the early evening.

I stayed in a little hotel called Hotel Longchamps on the small, tree-lined residential island of Zamalek, situated in the middle of the Nile in the heart of Cairo. It reminded me of some neighborhoods in Paris, and after my arrival that afternoon, I enjoyed walking along the streets, looking at the old buildings that now house many of the embassies and sitting for coffee in an outdoor café. My hotel room had a balcony looking across the Nile into the heart of Islamic Cairo. So that evening, I sat on the balcony as the sun set, staring at the hundreds of minarets that line Cairo’s skyline while the muezzin prayer calls filled the air. I found it exotic and enchanting and could not wait to start exploring.

The next morning I started out early with a driver/guide named Ibrahim, to do what everyone does first on a visit Cairo – see the pyramids. We first drove south along the banks of the Nile to North Saqqara, where the pyramid age began in the 27th Century B.C., when the royal architect Imhotep enlarged a mastaba tomb to create the first step pyramid for King Zoser. I loved the drive to North Saqqara, seeing the fertile grounds along the Nile contrasted with the vast desert, as well as the life conducted along the river, from fruit sellers to carpet makers.

I did not, however, particularly enjoy touring the pyramids. Ibrahim turned out to be more of a driver than a guide, so I was left by myself at each sight to explore on my own. This would have been fine if I had just been left alone to wander around and read my guide book. But, from the moment I stepped out of the car at each place, I was harassed and followed by scores of men with donkeys and camels, all claiming to be “official guides” wanting to show me “special, off-limits” tombs. In a moment of weakness at the funerary complex of King Zoser, I agreed to get on a horse and ride out through the desert to view the Mastaba of Ti, a V Dynasty Tomb of some royal hairdresser named Ti. The entire ride out and back involved an argument over how far I would go and how much I would pay – if it had been up to my “guide,” we would have gone to Saudi Arabia and I would have paid enough to put his three children through school.

After arriving at the Mastaba of Ti, a few other “guards” and “guides” swarmed from out of nowhere and cajoled me inside the tomb and, for some Egyptian pounds to each of them, into taking pictures of the friezes and reliefs. They would all look anxiously outside the tomb, whisper and tell me to hurry. They did a wonderful job of making me feel as if I was just like Howard Carter upon his discovery of the tomb of King Tut - it was all a marvelous racket I would have found humorous had I not been so annoyed.

After North Saqqara, we traveled back along the Nile, north to see the three great pyramids of Giza – Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus. As the sole surviving member of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world, they are stunning. Even with the skyline of Cairo and too many tour buses littering the background of these three pyramids, you cannot help gaze in awe at their sheer size and mass. I spent a few hours at Giza, shooing away more guides, walking around the base of each one, climbing partially up the largest one, that of Cheops, and then making my way over to view the Sphinx.

When I was finally done, I made my way past the stage for the daily sound and light show and to the nearest KFC, where Ibrahim pulled around to pick me up, midway through a spicy chicken sandwich that I enjoyed like I have never enjoyed fast food before. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at a carpet school where I did not have to buy any carpets, but of course did, and at a perfume maker, where I did not have to buy any perfume, but of course did. It was a full and exhausting day, the first of three that I would spend exploring Cairo.

(Picture: On a horse, of course, in front of the step pyramid of King Zoser; in the Mastaba of Ti; in front of the pyramids of Giza…surprisingly no one stole my camera on this day!)