Exploring Old Cairo.... Coptic and Islamic

Before going to Cairo I had never thought of it as an exceptionally populated city. How wrong I was.....present population is around 20 million, including the Giza area.
This means that traveling on any of its main roads is very very slow! And noisy...constantly beeping cars!
However the Old Christian part of the city does not have this problem......perhaps the metro stop  contributed to its lack of traffic!

We explored the area around the Hanging Church...

This was built over an old Roman fortress..... a tower base is all thats left....

It has some very old icons.....

 and also some new mosaics......

Interestingly this is also the area that Mary and Joseph came with the baby Jesus when they escaped into Egypt. A church has been built over where they lived while there...

 The Egyptians are now starting to promote a' Flight into Egypt' tour....

This old part of Cairo was very interesting......and quiet!

 and in the past was closed by a solid gate at night time!

After being immersed in the Christian side of Old Cairo we then went to the Islamic side....
the Khan el Khalili souk, a very different experience!

This part of the city was teeming with life......

We ended up in front of the Al Hussein Mosque which has lots of cafes in front of it.

I assume the large umbrellas were unfurled to protect people who could not fit inside the mosque for services...

Pyramids of Giza......

The highlight of visiting Cairo is obviously a visit to the Pyramids and the enigmatic Sphinx!

The Great Pyramid is huge!

We chose not to enter the tombs inside it.......although there was  a long line snaking up to enter.

Talk of the need to crouch for a long time in dimly lit tunnels turned me off...particularly as I am claustrophobic.
Walking up close to the pyramid one could see how large the limestone building blocks were! One has to wonder how building it was achieved 4000 years ago!

We went  up behind the pyramids to view the pyramid plain.....

and also the camels!

Then we visited the Khufu ship.......buried for around 4000 years at the base of the Grand Pyramid, probably meant to bring the dead king onwards in the afterlife!

It had been dismounted and placed in a pit ready to be re assembled!!

The assembled ship is now housed in its own building, where it was found, at the base of the Grand Pyramid....

Then finally a visit to the Sphinx!

Tut, Tut, Tut in Cairo

The Egyptian museum opened at 9am and we were there……..

...lining up for entry to the grounds.......as were all the other tourists in Cairo!

It actually would have been better to arrive an hour after opening time  allowing the first rush to dissipate….

I was primarily  interested in the King Tut collection… however even after paying the extra fee to take photos one was not allowed to take photos in the room where his mask and jewelry is kept. One person tried to take a photo of the mask and had his phone rudely pulled from his hand and was ordered to delete the photo!  So I didn’t try! 
But did find it online!!

 His funerary chests were there..... like a Russian nest of dolls his sarcophagus had been nested inside 3 other gold leafed chests….

These in themselves were worth the visit.

This chair was found in his tomb......

as was this chair........ perhaps the original folding picnic chair?!?

Obviously there was a lot more to see in the museum……. most very impressive…..

These items are still in the original Egyptian museum in the middle of Cairo, on Tahrir Square. Fortunately no unrest at the moment! However many items have already moved to the new museum in Giza......which is running a little late on its opening date!

After this we visited the Citadel..

 and the Mosque of Mohamed Ali……..

 ....which is not really used now for prayer services …..

One does get a great view of Cairo from this viewpoint…..