Cairo

Michele and I spent the last couple days in Cairo.

On Thursday we visited many ancient Egyptian sites around the city, including the famous Giza pyramids and the Shpinx, and the step pyramid (which was the frist ever built) at Saqqara, and the ancient capitol of Memphis. At the Giza pyramids we met up with our cousin Stephen's friend Hamssa who works as an inspector at the Great Pyramid (that is the biggest of them, also one of the seven wonders of the ancient world).


On Friday we visited some not quite so ancient sites, including two Coptic (Egyptian) Christian curches and a georgous mosque. The first church, built in the fourth centry, contained art the reminded me of European art from the 12th century. Now I understand what is meant when people talk about European dark ages. The second church was build over a crypt said to be the hiding place of the holy family for over a month when they escaped to Egypt to save Jesus. A citadel build on the highest point in Cairo enclosed the mosque we visited. The views of the city were good, but due to the haze, not great. The views of the mosque (inside and out) we spectacular. One of the things so striking about mosques is that the main prayer room is open space, so you can appreciate the vastness of the enclosure, unlike churches which can get cluttered by pews and small chaples within.