Cairo: Day 1 - Tentmakers

As evening fell in Islamic Cairo, we finally arrived at Tentmakers' Street (souk/bazaar/khan). Until I read an entry on Jenny Bowker's blog "Postcards from Cairo" I did not know that this covered street was built in 1647 for shoemakers. The fact that it is a covered street lined on both sides with narrow shops lends the shopping experience there a kind of intimacy. And the prices are certainly much more reasonable than if you were purchasing these same items in the Khan el-Khalili or in a shop in Luxor!

Khan Khayamiya (Tentmakers) at night

I was heading to see my friend Ayman Molokhya, from whom I had purchased three wonderful pieces last March--and I just realized that I never posted those pictures:

I couldn't quite remember where Ayman was located, just that his shop was on the right as one headed south along the street, so I ended up stopping to visit with, and eventually buy from, a lovely older gentleman, Ashraf Hashem. He was able to show me some new product lines: dervishes with skirts of silk and appliquéd canvas bags. Of course, we had to drink. This is an important part of any visit in Egypt. This evening we opted for hot karkaday (hibiscus). While I looked and we visited, Ashraf asked me my name and proceeded to draw it in calligraphic shapes: a bird, a fish, a mandolin and a teardrop!

Delightful! And here are my purchases from this shop:

As we were leaving and heading out of Tentmakers, we saw Ayman outside his shop. He recognized me and we stopped to chat and admire his work. But both Andy and I were too exhausted to do any serious shopping at this point. So I gave him the photo we had had taken last time:

And I promised him I would return. Which I did, but that's the subject of another post...

Cairo: Day 1 (March 18)

Andy and I got a bit of a late start on Friday, since my last-plane-of-the-day from Luxor didn't get in to Cairo until 1:05 a.m.! So we stopped for lunch at CityStars, a huge shopping mall in Heliopolis. I'd never been there before--it was a real eye-opener! I believe there are at least three Starbucks! By the way, we had Mexican food. ;]

From there we took a taxi to Bab al-Futuh (Open Gate), which is where, long ago, the annual pilgrim caravan used to enter Cairo on its return from Mecca.

Walking south through the heart of Islamic Cairo along Sharia el-Muizz is an adventure. You are surrounded by a vast assortment of mosques, mausolea, wikalas (formerly bonded warehouses with rooms for merchants upstairs), maristans (a medieval term for public hospitals), madrassas (a designation for theological schools), sabils (public fountains or water cisterns--sometimes quite elaborate structures), kuttabs (Koranic schools, usually for boys or orphans), khanqahs (monasteries) and combinations thereof. I had visited many of these during my visits in March and April of 2010, so I chose to visit only one this time: the Mosque of al-Aqmar.

"Al-ahmar" means "the moonlit" and the mosque gets its name from the way its masonry glitters under the moon's light.

Along this street you will find shopping galore. Here's a small sample:

The "Parisian" flair displayed here caught my eye! ;]

Some shopping experiences are very basic. Witness this balady (country) bread for sale:

Directly across the street from the Madrassa & Mausoleum of Barquq is the new Egyptian Textile Museum, housed in a sabil built by order of Mohammed Ali Pasha to commemorate his son Ismail who died in the Sudan in 1822. No photos allowed inside, and I managed to forget to take a photo of the exterior! A nicely laid out museum with excellent and informative signage, it presents a journey through the history of fabric from Pharaonic (Tutankhamun's loin-cloth, for example) to Coptic and including every Islamic era. An astonishing piece can be found almost at the end of the tour. Cairo 360 says this about it: "A room towards the end of the museum features a massive Kiswab. From early on in Islamic history until the 20 century, the banners hanging over the Kaaba in Mecca were made right here in Egypt. With thick golden thread embellishing the calligraphy over a black backdrop, this is one of the most stunning pieces in the museum." For more info, check out this link: Egyptian Textile Museum.

Just outside the museum we ran into a party! Lots of young people listening to music and obviously enjoying themselves. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with the revolution, but it was great fun.

And here's a short video:

There are many interesting architectural features and nooks and crannies in this part of Cairo. Here are just a few that we saw this day:

Mashrabiyas

More mashrabiyas

We decided that when we reached the pedestrian overpass at Sharia al-Azhar it would be a good idea to shoot a video of Cairo traffic:

At one point you hear me saying something about "empty spaces". It's pretty astonishing to see any gaps between vehicles in Cairo traffic!

And this is what pedestrian traffic looked like on our way to Bab Zuweyla and beyond:

We felt a little, well, actually a lot, like salmon swimming upstream! Here are some new friends we made on our trek:

And, finally for this post, here is a theme which kept recurring throughout my visit to Cairo--garlic! Garlic, garlic everywhere:

Even when we were stuck in traffic on the ring road and rolled down the car window, garlic fumes would waft in from trucks carrying enormous loads. No vampires here!

NEXT POST: My first Tentmakers' Street experience of the visit.

Theological Clarification!

Constitutional Referendum Day in Cairo

Just a quick note to say how great it was to pass by several polling places in Cairo today and see long lines of people determined to vote! Bravo!

The Hand...

I went back to the doctor last Friday for a re-check. I was in and out in less than five minutes with a decision that the hand was in good working order and that I didn't have to wear the splint anymore! Just be careful, and put the splint back on for any strenuous activities. I am convinced that it healed so rapidly because the Mudir drew this fabulous smiley-faced Aten on Thursday morning!

Photo courtesy of my assistant Anaït

However, I will be taking the splint with me to Cairo tonight, just in case.

Guardians

Guardians
Originally uploaded by Gibna Kebira.
I was looking through some of my Flickr photos of Karnak after a visit I paid there this morning. This shot I took a little over a year ago is one of my favorites.  At the time I wrote this about it: "Osirid statues in the small peristyle court of the Ramses III chapel (Karnak)--and one live gaffir!"

A Visit to the Doctor

Now, normally I wouldn't blog about a personal topic such as this, but I thought it would give me an opportunity to share some information about medical care in Luxor.

Last Wednesday, I was walking back to the library through the small garden between the two main buildings when I took a bit of a tumble. I caught my toe on one of the paving stones, couldn't catch myself, and fell flat out, giving my head a pretty good bang on the raised concrete border of one of the flower beds. Needless to say, I was a bit "stunned"! I had a nasty headache (and it's a little bit tender even now), but I didn't break anything, not even my glasses. No concussion either! However, not surprisingly, my whole body ached for several days afterward. And I must have tried to break my fall with my right hand, because the palm at the base of the thumb was extremely painful. On Friday, I decided I should visit the doctor to find out exactly what was wrong.

We are lucky to have a good "bone doctor" in town, Dr. Elia. I've seen him a couple of times over the years for a variety of problems. And he recently oversaw the treatment of a broken leg for one of our staff (my assistant in the library). In fact, we've decided that our Arabic "word of the season" is "waqat" or "I fell"! Here's the view from his examining room:

And I was delighted with this typical folk art tableau above his desk:

He examined my hand, took two x-rays, explained that I had injured the second metacarpal, gave me prescriptions for medications and a gel to apply to the injured area, walked down to the pharmacy (!) to get me a brace, and charged me a grand total of 250 LE or $42.33! The prescriptions came to another 52 LE or $8.80, so the whole thing cost just over $51!!

Here's a photo of my x-rays:

And one of my poor hand in the brace:

Of course, I'm supposed to rest the hand and use it as little as possible, but that's not likely! I had to re-shelve 151 books on Saturday, and another 65 or so today. So the "mending" process will take a bit longer than predicted...

Portrait of a Revolution

solilos' set "Revolution" on Flickr is a real "portrait of a revolution". The photos were all taken in Midan Tahrir between January 28 and February 1.

Egyptology: Zahi Hawass confirms resignation - Science Fair: Science and Space News - USATODAY.com

For real this time???
Egyptology: Zahi Hawass confirms resignation - Science Fair: Science and Space News - USATODAY.com

E-scent-tials

Just crossed through the arcade between buildings this summery afternoon and was enveloped by the perfume of petunias!

Protesters demand removal of National Library chief - Books - Ahram Online

As someone asked on Facebook: Can you see this happening in Iran or Iraq? And someone else responded with: Or the UK or the US?
Protesters demand removal of National Library chief - Books - Ahram Online

Egypt antiquities chief plans to step down in protest - CNN.com

Can't keep up with him!! Resigned...not resigned...resigned in protest...???
Egypt antiquities chief plans to step down in protest - CNN.com

End of an Egyptology Era: Zahi Hawass Resigns - CultureGrrl

End of an Egyptology Era: Zahi Hawass Resigns - CultureGrrl

Zahi Resigns!

Just today:
http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/03/03/egyptian-antiquities-chief-resigns/

Seshat at Deir el-Bahri

Seshat at Deir el-Bahri
Originally uploaded by Gibna Kebira.

This year I have set about finding as many occurrences as I can on temple walls and elsewhere of the lesser-known goddess Seshat. In the past, as a librarian, I had taken on Thoth as my "god"; but when I started to read up on Seshat I decided that I would prefer to have a "goddess" in my corner instead. She is the goddess of writing, and venerated under the epithet "she who is foremost in the house of books".

Manfred Lurker, in his book An Illustrated Dictionary of the Gods and Symbols of Ancient Egypt, writes: "On the founding of a temple either she or her priest established the ground-plan with a measuring cord, hence she was also the 'lady of builders'. Her most important function was that of recording the regnal years and jubilees which were allotted to the king [such as the sed festival]. Her head-dress resembled a seven-pointed star surmounted by a bow, or was perhaps a crescent moon often crowned by two falcon feathers. She usually held a palm leaf in her hand and often wore a panther skin over her dress."

This example is found on the north end of one of the colonnades of Hatshepsut's mortuary temple at Deir el-Bahri.

And I've worked with my favorite jeweler here in Luxor to design earrings and pendant using Seshat's head-dress. Way cool!

Hatshepsut/Osiris Trio

Hatshepsut/Osiris Trio
Originally uploaded by Gibna Kebira.
Three of the twenty-four enormous statues of Hatshepsut as Osiris on the upper terrace at Deir al-Bahri.

This is one of the photos I took when I had the opportunity to visit the mortuary temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri a couple of weeks ago.

In The Illustrated Guide to Luxor: Tombs, Temples, and Museums, Kent Weeks writes: "Twenty-four colossal Osirid statues front the pillars on either side of a huge granite doorway at the top of the ramp [to the upper terrace]. The statues were originally painted and would have been visible from a distance. Their long beards would have been blue, their throats and faces red, with black and white eyes and blue eyebrows. The various items that they wore or held were red, blue, and yellow."

Tourism in Luxor on NPR

Here is the link to Corey Flintoff's brief report on tourism in Luxor (Weekend Edition Sunday, Feb. 27).

Horseplay

A couple of weeks ago I was walking down the Corniche towards the ferry to head over to the "beautiful West" and just before I reached the museum I spotted this equine duo. Too bad I didn't have a quick way of taking video (I was just too slow to switch over to "video" with my camera), because the little guy, while still staying within a reasonable distance of Mom, was engaging in a little "horse"-ing around, if you know what I mean. I think his way of showing joy and ebullience is a good metaphor for the "new Egypt"! ;]

Corey and Me

Corey Flintoff of NPR has been visiting Luxor recently, ostensibly on "vacation" from his day job, which currently means reporting on the situation here in Egypt. He visited CH on Tuesday to chat with the boss and to find out a little about our work. He joined us for dinner last night, and again for lunch today. What a delightful man!

Now you have to understand that Corey and I go way back--to my days of listening to him during the homeward commute when he was reporting the news at the beginning of each hour on All Things Considered. So I got up my courage to ask two favors last evening: could I have my picture taken with him, and could I then post that picture on this blog. He very graciously acquiesced. In fact, he seemed rather surprised that I would want to do this!

He's off to Cairo tomorrow, and is due in Afghanistan next week. But we hope that he will be back and that next time he'll bring his wife with him.

Here's looking at you, Corey!

Songbird/Ya Zahratan Fee Khayali

Here's a nice tune from my friend Ahmed Harfoush (and The Riff Band):

Two Thousand Year Old Cat Still Looks Cool in Gold Earrings at Bonhams' Sale of Antiquities

A very good-looking feline!

Two Thousand Year Old Cat Still Looks Cool in Gold Earrings at Bonhams' Sale of Antiquities

Quilt

Absolutely nothing to do with Egypt for a change, this National Film Board (Canada) selection is a pure delight. Even non-quilters should enjoy it!

your heart's on the left: 10 myths busted by the Egyptian revolution

A thought-provoking piece:

your heart's on the left: 10 myths busted by the Egyptian revolution: "The Egyptian revolution has busted 10 key myths about society, the “war on terror”, and social transformation. We’re told that ordinary peop..."

Happy Valentine's Day!

YouTube - Hosni Mubarak on SNL

Long Live Egypt!

تحيا مصر long Live Egypt - 11-02-2011 from karim shaaban on Vimeo.

This (Egypt) is not Iran in 1979

As Nigel Hetherington said, when he posted this link on Facebook: "Some reasonable words at last!" Thanks, Nigel!
This is not Iran in 1979

Anthem for a New Egypt

Nina Simone's version of "Feeling Good" says it all!

Sout Al Horeya

Doesn't matter if you can understand the Arabic!



With rough English subtitles (click the "CC" button which will appear under the video when you play it to get the subtitles):

Mubarak on Wikipedia (Wikibedia?)

Didn't take long! Imagine how the person doing the updating must have felt:

Protest and resignation

Massive protests centered on Cairo's Tahrir Square led to Mubarak's resignation in February 2011.

Main article: 2011 Egyptian protests

Mass protests against President Hosni Mubarak erupted in Cairo and other Egyptian cities in late January 2011. On February 1, 2011, Hosni Mubarak announced that he will not contest the Presidential election in September 2011. He also promised constitutional reform.^[46] This did not satisfy the majority of protesters as they expected Mubarak to depart immediately.^[47] The demonstrations continued and on 2 February 2011, violent clashes occurred between pro-Mubarak and anti-Mubarak protestors.^[48] On February 10, 2011, it was suggested that Mubarak may step down imminently.^[49], Mubarak later officially asserted that this would not happen even though he would be handing some of his powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman. At the same time, it was also confirmed that there is room for his resignation in the days and weeks to come. On February 11, Suleiman announced Mubarak's resignation.^[50] The announcement sparked cheers, flag-waving, and celebrations from protesters still congregating in Cairo's Tahrir Square.

Lest We Forget...

...the martyrs to this cause:

1000memories.com/egypt

Finally!

Yes! It took almost 24 hours, but he has resigned! Now we have to see what the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces does...
Tears of joy and dancing for joy in Tahrir Square and everywhere!!
http://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish

Disappointed and Disgusted!

What can I say?
Perhaps this cartoon suggests a method of dealing with certain Egyptian officials?
I used to wrap, too, but this is so much easier...

(Still) Loving Egypt...

Please check out this post from a wonderful blog called "Black Coffee and Cigarettes"--

10 reasons why this foreigner (still) loves Egypt...

I couldn't have said it better myself! ;]

Luxor Update

Here's the latest update from my boss here at Chicago House:

Luxor Update February 8, 2011

For those friends and colleagues who are concerned about the well-being of Chicago House and its staff during the events of this last two weeks in Egypt, I am happy to report that we are safe, Luxor is secure, and we have been keeping a normal work schedule on all of our project sites: Luxor Temple, Khonsu Temple Karnak, Medinet Habu, and the tomb of Nefersekheru TT 107. After some relatively minor (compared to Cairo and elsewhere) demonstrations and vandalism of government buildings during the afternoon and evening of Friday, January 28th, order was restored in Luxor the next day, and it has been peaceful here ever since. There was no damage to or looting of any archaeological site in Luxor. We have been in constant touch with the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities / Ministry of State for Antiquities Affairs in Luxor, who informed us that archaeological missions could resume work on Sunday, January 30th. Police presence on the antiquities sites is strong, with some Egyptian military as well, and small groups of foreign and Egyptian tourists continue to visit the sites; a scattering of tourists is still being bused in from the Red Sea.

Two members of the Chicago House team have returned home (one who had no passport was assisted by the US Embassy which had a team in Luxor for a few days). While the rest of us are prepared to leave at a moment's notice, we will remain in Luxor for now and as long as we can to keep our documentation, conservation, and restoration work going with the SCA, and the library open for our Egyptian and foreign colleagues who have stayed to continue their work. Be assured that we will continue to monitor the situation in the country closely, but for now will continue to assist the scientific community in Luxor in any way we can.

Best from Luxor,

W. Raymond Johnson,
Director, Epigraphic Survey
Oriental Institute, University of Chicago
Chicago House, Luxor, Egypt

Crisis for Animal Care in Egypt (ACE)

Dear Friends,

Animal Care in Egypt is one of the charities that I try to support on a regular basis. They do incredible work here in Luxor to make life a little easier for the animals of the area. All CH cats are neutered/spayed ;] there. The carriage horses and donkeys in Luxor are visibly healthier because of their work. I am attaching their plea for assistance in this time of unrest in Egypt. Please consider donating to the cause.

Dear Supporters

At the beginning of the year, we were delighted to welcome Martin Clunes, to Luxor as the first Patron of ACE.  We are excited to welcome Martin to our charity, and honoured that he has chosen to support ACE.

Sadly, just a few weeks on, we are extremely concerned about the situation all over Egypt, and the knock on effect it will undoubtedly have on the hard working animals of the region.

Martin has kindly written this personal appeal to you, as one of our supporters:

Since I visited the ACE centre recently with my family, I have followed the great work of the hospital with interest and admiration. The events that have unfolded in Egypt over the last few days will put even more pressure on the hard working animals in the Luxor area, making the work of ACE all the more critical. I have been in contact with the ACE team, who have already started planning a response for the days, weeks and months that lie ahead.

Please put your weight behind this wonderful charity and support these poor animals, who need our help, now, more than ever.

Martin Clunes
Patron of ACE

This is an emergency bulletin on the current situation at ACE in Luxor.  We cannot thank you enough for all that you do for us, we appreciate it, and hope that you are able to continue to help us at this time of great need.  Please also, pass on this appeal to friends, and family members.  Perhaps you could hold a collection at work?  Arrange a quiz evening?  Or bake sale?

Anything that you can do to help us raise these much-needed extra funds will help.  Every single pound counts.

Thank you all.

Kim

P.S.  "Hello" magazine, which is out now, has a full report and plenty of pictures from Martin's visit to us in Luxor.

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 To donate to this appeal NOW, online:   Please click here.  THANK YOU

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BULLETIN on emergency situation in Egypt

We are sure that as supporters of ACE, you will have watched, with growing dread, the events in Egypt. Sadly the ACE centre has not been immune from the unrest, and Sunday morning we took the difficult decision to temporarily close the centre. A skeleton staff will maintain a service for critical cases and animals caught up in the current situation, however our UK volunteers are being evacuated.

In the days and weeks ahead the service that ACE provides will be more important than ever for the hard working animals and the people of Egypt.  ACE's team will continue to provide emergency care for as long as the situation allows and prepare to care for animals in the aftermath of these troubles which will no doubt come. 
 

For this reason we are appealing to all the friends of ACE to dig deep and continue to support us through this difficult time.

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We need your help to save ACE

PREPARE AND PROTECT - ACE GETS READY FOR THE ONSLAUGHT

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The ACE clinic is already stretched dealing with over 100 new cases per day, can you help us be as prepared as possible for what is to come? 

ACE believes that animals and humans are inextricably linked – in Egypt the survival of one often depends on the survival of the other. 

It is vital for the welfare of both to protect animals in times of crisis. 

People affected by poverty are most vulnerable to disasters such as that affecting Egypt at the moment, they frequently lack the skills, knowledge and resources to rescue or protect their animals. 

The staff at the ACE centre have the expertise and local knowledge to get help to these animals. In the aftermath of the unrest in Egypt, it is more than likely that there will be an influx of animals which have inevitably been caught up in the troubles. 

ACE has already begun to prepare for this, but we can’t do it alone, additional funds are needed for drugs, dressings and feed, to name but a few of the essentials. 

At Night, Protest Gives Way to Poetry

The Egypt and the Egyptians I have come to know and love are nicely portrayed in this NYT article:

At Night, Protest Gives Way to Poetry
By ANTHONY SHADID
Published: February 6, 2011
Some protesters collapse in exhaustion at the end of the day, but no one else seems willing to surrender a moment that feels imbued with the idealism of defiance.

Read the article here

Where are they going?

The most popular joke making the rounds here:

Helwa Ya Baladi...

Just a moment of pleasure in the midst of a sea of ugliness... Dalida sings about the beauty of her country against a backdrop of its ancient and natural wonders:

The Cats

I've been asked by several people to let them know how the CH cats are. They are all OK, eating well ;] and looking forward to our other cat ladies' return next week!

Alive and well...

Just a quick note to let everybody know that we are alive and well and living in peaceful Luxor, as the saying goes! Such a relief to have Internet back, even if it's only for a short time...