When you have an opportunity to travel to another continent, do not hesitate! You’ll gain a better appreciation and perspective of life beyond southwest PA.
I’ve been fortunate to travel to Mexico, Guam, Hong Kong, Thailand, and the Pacific Rim of Asia. I’ve been to Africa twice, and I can honestly say that although I’ve experienced different cultures, nothing prepared me for Egypt’s abundance of history and antiquities. The enormity of the significance of ancient Egypt (Kemet) that spans millennia, the structures, craftsmanship, and wonders of temples and monuments that have survived the ravages of time, climate, and modern civilization is a testament to the genius of the Egyptians.
Cairo, the largest city in the Arab world, the middle east, and Africa, is a sprawling metropolis of nearly 20 million people and a cultural and generational mix of the old, traditions, and ancient. Navigating the narrow streets of shops, vendors, café churches, temples, and mosques that line Old Cairo’s dense cobblestoned alleys and walkways is almost like traveling. Because my early April trip was during the holy month of Ramadan, the streets were less congested than usual. Tradition, modernity, and pop culture peacefully coexist with modestly dressed women in hijabs and western attire (and some sensibilities).
One favorite photo is this shot of the Citadel in Cairo, an extraordinary example of medieval Islamic-era fortification for most of Egypt’s rulers for hundreds of years. The building, built around 1176 AD, houses a palace, the Archeological Garden Museum, residence, a military museum, the Royal Vehicle Museum, and the Alabaster Mosque.
One of the trip’s highlights was the Sphinx and the Great Pyramids of Giza. To say the structures are massive would be an understatement. The pyramids dating back to 2500 BC are the last of the original Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The sheer scale of the behemoths is intimidating and left me wondering how they were constructed.
There was an almost mystical vibe in the air, charged with a sense of awakening, a heightened sense of awareness – self-awareness on a cellular level. Lunch at the nearby 9 Pyramids Lounge offered a fantastic view of the pyramids and a splendid presentation of local cuisine and delicacies. However, I recommend a camel ride around the perimeter to feel the authenticity of your experience.
That state of wonder stayed with me throughout my trip and after my return. We traveled from the modern-day capital to Luxor, the world’s most incredible open-air museum because of its density of temple ruins within the city along the Nile River’s banks. The immense size is one aspect of the majesty of the carefully constructed walls, columns, steps, and ceilings. The human mind can imagine and create magnificent images and edifices through stone cutting, creating dyes for the paintings, or highlighting the etching of hieroglyphics still visible thousands of years later.
The voyage down the Nile from Luxor to Aswan aboard a super-sized yacht was idyllic. The upper deck offers shaded areas to relax with an ice-cold beverage while gazing along the river banks and watching the residents on shore going about their daily lives. The soft breeze gently buffeted me warmly; because Egypt is a desert, there is a delightful lack of humidity with the heat.
In addition to a cruise boat, the river taxis (or jitneys), vendors in boats, and air-conditioned minibusses shuttled us to different stops. Some of our group opted for a hot air balloon ride for a bird’s eye view of the Valley of Kings and agriculture in the fertile ground along the river banks.
Since we had an exceptionally versed Egyptologist to guide us to various locations through an Afrocentric prism, pre-arranged lunch stops away from the city were a chance to do some serious immersion in the quiet nuances of the local culture.
As we continued our way down the river, we visited other notable edifices: the temple of Hatshepsut, the only female pharaoh, the temple of Horus (the most intact temple from the ancient world, Komi Combo Temple, dedicated to the crocodile and falcon god. And, of course, a visit to the temple of Isis, goddess of love and passion.
After our deep dive into antiquity, we returned to Cairo on a domestic flight to our 5-star hotel on the airport campus. We spent our last day in Egypt exploring Islamic Cairo.
If you’re considering going, get a passport. Distance train at a steady 5K pace will have you ready to climb those uneven steps, cobblestone streets, and plenty of walking. It would be too hyperbole to suggest that your pedometer will likely roll over while you are in Egypt. And I’m glad I was with a group of Black women, organized by a Black woman who assembled an all-inclusive adventure. (The package did not include the rt airfare to Cairo.) That will leave you with a renewed and improved sense of self because you have variable, tangible evidence of the genius of (y)our ancestors because you are descendants of kings, pharaohs, and queens.
For information on my trip coordinator, go to www.facebook.com/DiscoverWhyILoveEgypt or info@DiscoverWhyILoveEgypt.com
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