Coptic Cairo - A window into the past

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Up at 10:00 am and only just barely. I slept more than 12 hours - that’s the longest stretch of sleep I have had in months. I needed that! Missy is up too and her first question, predictably, is “Can I go for a swim after breakfast?” Some things never change!

What also does not change is the lavish spread called breakfast that we have now become accustomed to in our travels. As expected, it’s an enormous buffet with a dizzying selection of eggs, steaks, cold cuts, cereals, preserves and breads. Not to be missed was the platter of naans (middle eastern flat breads) and generous bowls of hummus, tahini, baba ganouche and other dips that I can neither spell nor pronounce. It’s going to be tough trying to stay disciplined about diets and indulgences on my trip I thought to myself – especially as I eyed the tray of an assortment of baklawa!

After a leisurely breakfast, I escorted Missy to the pool where she was only too ready to wave me off. I walked back to our room to get our suitcases ready and also to make enquiries with the concierge. A taxi is almost impossible to call at this hotel because Cairo does not have a very good radio network and because this hotel is way out in the boonies so it’s not likely that the cab company will have a car cruising around the neighbourhood. The alternative was to book a Budget car with driver for a day and that was about LE 500 (that is 500 Egyptian pounds). The exchange rate is approx LE 5.60 for one US dollar. So getting a budget car/driver for just about 4 hours would set me back some US$100 – and I wasn’t sure if I should or should not splurge that kind of money to see the old Christian part of Cairo (known as Coptic Cairo) which was not included in my three day itinerary. I must have looked really torn about the decision because the concierge (his name is Mahmoud) offered to see if one of the hotel employees would drive us to Coptic Cairo for a reduced charge. Calls were made, negotiations were undertaken and a deal was struck! One of the hotel’s staff would drive us to old Cairo for LE 100 (about $20) and I was to find a taxi on my way back for about LE 50. We were all happy with this arrangement except for the guy at the budget rental desk who I could have sworn was sulking!

I picked up Missy from the poolside, we showered, changed, checked out and left our bags in storage and took off to get a real taste of Cairo! What struck me right away about the city was its barren and arid landscape. I had to strain far and wide to greenery or vegetation. We passed all kinds of buildings – some were modest apartments, some more luxurious apartments and some just billboards for emerging developments housing villas and such. We also passed an abundance of signs for the numerous universities in Cairo – the American University, the German University, Cape Breton (the Canadian) University and one even called Future University. There also seems to be a plethora of language schools all over the city. The highways are busy – at least this one was – and cars drove between 90 – 120 kms per hour. We passed tons of random mosques with their customary minarets and ornate carvings. Some of these mosques were quite literally in the middle of nowhere with no buildings or housing anywhere in sight – not sure where they get their audience but there they were standing majestic and with authority.

Soon the streets narrowed and the traffic slowed. We were entering Coptic Cairo which is the modern name for the oldest part of the city. The word copt is a corruption of the Arabic word Qibti, which is derived from the Greek word Aegyptios, meaning Egyptian. Although it may be hard to believe now, around the 4^th century, Christianity was the official religion of Egypt. It is believed that St. Mark (one of the twelve apostles) introduced Christianity into Egypt in first century AD. Following the arrival of Islam, about 90% of Egypt’s present population is Sunni Muslim with the rest being mainly Coptic Christians and just a handful of Jews.

We thanked our driver and suddenly found ourselves on our own! We were staring at the entrance of the ‘Hanging Church’ one of the oldest churches in Egypt. The original structure is believed to have been built around the 4^th century but that was destroyed and then rebuilt in the 11^th century. Despite its venerable nature, the church is still used for regular public services as is indicated by the various notice boards in the church’s outer hall.

The whole front section of the church that you see in the photos (with the twin bell tower façade) is actually a recent 19^th century addition but the pulpit and the marble dates back to the 11^th century. The sanctuary screen is carved from cedarwood and is delicately inlaid with ivory – it is the finest of its kind in Egypt. The walls of the church are adorned with icons of St. George, the Virgin, and John the Baptist.

A few yards outside the Hanging Church are steps that lead you below to the crypt where it is said that the Holy Family took refuge in a cave below the altar. This underground precinct is a collection of narrow streets that open into vast spaces that house more churches, cemeteries and even a synagogue. The Ben Ezra synagogue is Egypt’s oldest synagogue and it has been heavily restored in recent times. It is a testament to the ancient (and then significant) presence of Jews in this region.

Missy and I were now famished and the heat was getting a bit too much – so we thought it was now time for us to find refuge which we did in a small family owned coffee shop just across from the crypts. We were ushered into a back garden where Missy immediately spotted four kittens! After several oohs and aahs I was able to ascertain that she was willing to experiment with some local cuisine. I asked what was available and the menu reminded me of some of my favourite greek/middle eastern restaurants in Toronto: pita, hummus, falafel, shawarama, doner…mmmmm!!

We ordered falafels and a large bottle of water. We’ve been drinking a lot of water – it’s the only way to combat the heat! The falafels arrived quickly and they were DELICIOUS!! A plate cost on LE 3 which is about $0.70. What a treat!! We had one more falafel which we shared and after spending a lavish LE 15 on food (about $3) the hosts surprised us with a small gift for Missy. It was a string bracelet. We were so touched by the gesture – we thanked them profusely and took photos with the family. The son offered to walk us to the Mosque of Amr ibn al-Aas which is the first place of Islamic worship in Egypt and therefore the oldest mosque in Africa. It is named after the general who conquered Egypt for Islam in AD 640. Apart from the site, however, nothing of the original structure remains in the present mosque. The earliest existing parts date to the 9^th century, however, other areas such as the entrance were reconstructed as recently as the 1980s.

It is mandatory to cover your body when you enter the mosque and so Missy and I were both given green gowns that looked like graduating robes which we wore while we were in the mosque. The mosque has a huge courtyard – all marble – and burning hot to walk on in this heat despite the red carpets. The other areas of the mosque were very cool though and we found a number of men just lying around sleeping (or relaxing). It is still full every day during prayer times!

After the mosque, the young lad from the restaurant found us a local taxi (we tipped him LE 10 which he accepted very shyly) which was quite the ride! No air conditioning and a chatter box of a driver who only spoke Arabic and did not realize until we were dropped off that I did not understand a word of it – haha! He would do the strangest things though – like pulling over on the side of a very busy road – ask me to leave the car and take photos of the city. I obliged once but had to be firm and say no thereafter because I was terrified that he might flee with my daughter still in his taxi! But, he was just a jovial man – showing us some more of that quintessential Egyptian hospitality which we have been enjoying ever since we got here!

I’m sorry to leave Egypt so quickly but Jordan awaits us and we’ll be back here in a few days.