Egypt: Day Fourteen, Part One

Our flight is at 5:50 am.  By 7:00 we’re back in Cairo and on our way to Mena House.
       One thing I’ll be asked a lot when telling people about this Egypt trip is “Was it safe?”  The answer would have to be “Hell yes!”  Everywhere we went, there was a discreetly armed guard among our staff.  Opening up the way for the bus was often a police car, which would change every time you went over the border into a new governate (like a county).  And there are a lot of police around the monuments, as well as at the airport.  Not to mention the highway checkpoints with the chicanes, and the Zodiac with its police crew escorting our boat for part of the way...

     At the Cairo Airport, we have an airport security guard.  He goes with us until the exit of the airport perimeter.  As we drive into town, I spot guards atop the walls around the military academy as well as other government buildings.  Elsewhere I don’t see a lot of police.
     Today is Friday - the Sabbath in Islam - so there’s less traffic.  For instance the 10 minutes it takes us to clear the airport zone usually takes 60 to 90 minutes, according to Ahmed.  We zip through Heliopolis, the rich suburb where the President has his palace.  Ahmed points out a large private park that belonged to the Aga Khan; he opened it to the public for a mere 10 or 15 Egyptian pounds, which is under $1.  As it’s Friday, there’s a huge market being held in the cemetery, which is a vast part of Cairo.  We zip across Roda Island in the Nile River; Roda means paradise and that’s the way people feel about this little haven.  After that, we’re back in Giza.
       When we reach Mena House, the faithful German shepherd - one of several, I’m told - is taken out of his doghouse to sniff our car.  As it’s a bit nippy, he has on a coat, and on the coat is an escutcheon indicating he’s a service dog.  It rained in Cairo for two days while we were upriver.  And it rained hard, with thunder and lightning.  As it rarely rains, the drainage system is poor and there are puddles all over.  And mud.  But at least we missed out on it.  Walking around in the pouring rain when all you want to do is admire pyramids...  We were lucky.

Al Hussein Mosque

Many in our group are flying out tonight, after our festive dinner.  Or early tomorrow.  Some gluttons for punishment have signed up for an excursion today.  I know I’ll probably never be in Egypt again, so I’ve decided to go on the tour of the bazaar in Old Cairo.
     On the way to the bazaar, we walk down countless narrow streets of shops, including a bookshop that looks just chock full of old books that are calling to me.  But our goal in this part of Old Cairo is to explore other facets of Egypt’s multi-religion culture.

The Hanging Church

       First we visit a historic Coptic church built over a gatehouse to an old Roman fortress - thus its name:  The Hanging Church.  When considering Christians in Egypt, it should be remembered that the Holy Family fled here to escape Herod.  According to what I’m told, Jesus lived here, in this area, from the age of 2 to 6.  The Hanging Church hasn’t been around quite that long, only for 1700 years.  It’s built of wood and stone, in the shape of an ark.  Its sober brick interior contrasts with ornate woodwork that’s very Moorish in its style:   openwork cut into the precious woods.

       A few short blocks away stands the Ben Ezra Synagogue, built where Baby Moses is supposed to have been found when the Nile was high and the pharaoh’s palace was nearby.  Just as we go to enter, the call to prayer rings out from a minaret close by.  The irony is not lost on me.  This synagogue was once a Coptic church, but it was damaged in an earthquake and only the Jews were interested in buying it... and for a huge price.  Richly decorated inside, there’s a balcony which is for women, a bit of sex discrimination that seems the rule of thumb here in Egypt. 

St. Sergius & St. Bacchus Church

       The third place of religion is St. Sergius and St. Bacchus Church aka Abu Serga.  Named after two Christian soldiers who were martyred in Syria by a Roman emperor   Again there’s a direct link to Christ.  It’s said to have been built on the spot the Holy Family - Joseph, Mary and the infant Jesus - reached at the end of their long journey into Egypt.  And although the church was built in the 4th century, underneath it is a crypt where they are said to have rested.