Egypt Trip- Cairo & The Giza Plateau
How we got to Cairo
We flew into Cairo from Istanbul. I gave more details about our travel route in my previous post. Right after we deplaned, and before we got to the immigration area, a representative from or tour company greeted us. He escorted us to the section where the visas-on-arrival ((USD $20) were issued. Once that was sorted, we took the opportunity to get some local currency (Egyptian Pounds) form the bank branch located right there in the immigration hall. Our rep took us through to an immigration officer where we were processed quickly. Then it was on our way to collect our luggage and on to outside where our bus was waiting for us. As we headed towards Cairo we stopped to pick up our guide for the day, Dooa.
Where we stayed in Giza
We chose to stay in the Giza area rather than in central Cairo. This proved to be the most efficient logistically based on our plans. Also, the location of our hotel was truly one of a kind. We stayed at the Mariott Mena House hotel which has been in operation since 1886. The hotel is adjacent to the site of the Great Pyramids and Sphinx. A more perfectly situated hotel you will not find.
Imagine waking up to this view?
That my friend is what awaits you during your stay at the Mariott Mena House Hotel. This is not an exaggeration, the pyramids are literally right there. The pyramids are visible from almost anywhere on the hotel compound, the pyramids are visible.
What we did in Cairo/Giza
Cairo
The plan for the rest of the day of our arrival was to do a tour of Islamic & Coptic Cairo. Our guide for the day, Dooa, was very engaging and knowlegable and we had a good time touring with her.
The stops on this tour included:
- The Citadel of Saladin
- Coptic Cairo
- The Hanging Church
- Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga)
- A perfumery
- Khan el Khalil market
Our first stop, was a tour was the Citadel of Saladin. The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din in 1176, and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. The design of the mosque here is basically a copy of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul which we had seen the day before.
Coptic Cairo
First, a description of Coptic Cairo: “Coptic Cairo, also known as mogama’ el adyan (Interfaith Complex), is an area unlike any other in Egypt. It’s’s part of ‘Old Cairo’, the original city center for centuries – and Coptic Cairo, with its fortress, churches and synagogue, predates the actual founding of Cairo by the Muslim Fatimids in 969 AD.
Coptic Cairo is known as the stronghold of Christianity in Old Cairo, home to places of worship that date back to the time when the pharaonic religions of Ancient Egypt had died out and Islam had not yet arrived. Some of Egypt’s earliest churches remain standing in Coptic Egypt to this day – some dating back to the 4th century AD. It’s also believed that the Holy Family lived here for a short period during their flight into Egypt to escape Herod.”- https://www.localguidetoegypt.com/post/coptic-cairo-a-detailed-local-s-guide.
At the Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church (Abu Serga), we were shown a cave where it is alleged that Mary, Joseph and Jesus hid in during their flight from Herod. Of course, a church, , which is believed to be the oldest church in Egypt, was built over the site to commemorate that. Many people don’t realise that this story is also important in Islam. Our other main stop in this quarter was the Hanging Church.
Aromatics/Perfume Experience
After leaving the Coptic quarter, Dooa took us to a somewhat unplanned stop- a perfumery/aromatics shop. If you pick it apart, this kind of stop is really just an elaborate sales pitch. However it was still an interesting experience overall, and our host (sales rep) Mohammed was engaging. He diffused and let us sample many scents and essential oils. The AC, refreshments offered, and comfortable seating were also a big plus.
Khan el Khalil
I’ll be honest with you, by the time we got to the market, I was knackered and getting hungry. We had made our way through Cairo afternoon traffic, and I honestly just didn’t feel like getting out of the bus to navigate the market. However about half of our party went out, roamed for a bit, and had a good time of it.
Cairo traffic
A quick note about Cairo traffice. Lanes seem to be more of a suggestion there. The concept of jaywalking (as something wrong/dangerous)seems not to exist. Nearly every car on the road regardless of age had some sort of scratch or dent on it, I kid you not. Coming from Jamaica where road etiquette has become quite atrocious over the last couple years, it was interesting to observe a setting that was objectively worse in that regard.
Giza
So the next morning we met our tour organiser, Mina Samir for the first time. As I mentioned in my first post, I would 10/10 recommend Mina as a guide for your trip to Egypt. We had a pretty much seamless experience from when we arrived in Cairo, till when our Egyptologist left us on our last day in Luxor. One of the things I appreciated about Mina was the transparency of his service offerings on his website. Even if you decide to do a customised itinerary (and maybe benefit from negotiating a group rate like we did), you can get a clear sense of what is being offered and the ball park ranges regarding costs.
The Great Pyramids
Our first stop for the day was the complex of the pyramids of Giza. We spent some time marveling at this wonder of the world and too copius pictures.
Before we moved on, we had the opportunity (additional ticket/cost) to enter Khufu’s pyramid. Only one member of our party decided to give it a go.
Trust me, you do not really need to go inside the Great Pyramid. Save the Indiana Jones energy for the Valley of the Kings in Luxor where you can enter tombs. There is nothing on display inside the chambers of the pyramids. They were erected before the era of ornate reliefs and paintings in tombs, so there is none of that there either. From what we could tell, its just a journey into a hotbox, and to be able to say that you did it. Doesn’t seem to be worth the time or the lost electrolytes. The one member of our party who decided to venture in came out completely winded (despite being quite fit), and absolutely soaking in sweat. I didn’t attempt it because I heard beforehand that the ceiling height in the tunnel to the main chambers would be miserable for me as a tall person. Can’t say I didn’t warn you!
9 Pyramids View
Next we headed uphill to get the “9 pyramids view” where you can get a view of the entire Giza pyramids complex/necropolis. Two of our group decided to do a Camel ride, while the rest of us were taken in camel-drawn buggies. We took photos with the pyramids in the background, as well as with a camel, just because. It really is a fantastic viewpoint, and I would say it is worth the effort to go up there.
Honestly our cart driver took some of my favourite photos of the trip. I had to tip him beyond what I was originally planning to because I was really pleased with them.
Khufu’s
After leaving the viewpoint, we haeded over to Khufu’s restaurant where we had a lunch reservation. I would definitely recommend this spot. Khufu’s is one of the top restaurants not only in Egypt, but in the whole Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The service was good, the food was great, the ambience was excellent, and it was actually very reasonably priced for the level of the experience and quality of of service that we received. Check out their menu here.
Sphinx
After lunch we headed over to the Sphinx complex to round out the day. Mina captured so many cool photos of us.
General tips
- For a seamless experience, get a guide. I can’t recommend Mina enough, but there are lots of reputable options at various price points.
This took way longer than I had anticipted to publish, but I’m still trying to make my way through guys. On that note, please stay tuned for the next installment in the series where I’ll recap all we did in Aswan and Luxor. Each city really deserves its own post because we covered so much, but we’ll see how it goes eh?
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