Egypt - Day 4

We began this day with a visit to the Citadel. Started in 810, the Citadel was originally a retreat for the governors and dignitaries of Cairo. The site was chosen for its sweeping view of the city. Then in the 12th century, a fortification was built to fend off the Crusaders. Since then, the complex has been expanded to encompass over 60 acres and houses several museums and mosques. We visited the Alabaster Mosque, also known as the Mosque of Muhammed Ali. No, not The Greatest but this Muhammed Ali. Instead of slugging it out with George Foreman and Joe Frazier, this guy was fought Napoleon, eventually driving the French out of Egypt.

From the Citadel, we headed across town to the Egyptian Museum. This is kind of like the Smithsonian in that it is so big and has so much to see that it is impossible to take it all in. Making matters even worse is the incredible number of people. It's not just difficult to see the displays but at times its nearly impossible to move. We didn't spend much time here - just tried to hit some of the high points, like King Tut's relics. The best part was the Royal Mummy Room. It costs extra for a ticket to this room so many people pass it up. This, combined with the fact that tour guides are prohibited from entering, makes this a nice break from the crowds and noise in the museum. I guess is sounds a little morbid to refer to looking at dead bodies as a "nice break." The room contains 11 mummies, with the oldest being from around 1650 BC. Some are in better shape than others and it's obvious that the mummification techniques were a work-in-progress. Some wore wigs, one had its eyes replaced with stones, and another had her cheeks stuffed to make them look full. Sadly for her, they got carried away and the skin had burst open. Unfortunately I have no pictures of any of this. Photography was not only prohibited but cameras were not even allowed to be brought in and we had to be searched and pass thru metal detectors before entering the museum.

From there we boarded the bus again and headed east for the seven hour drive to St. Katherine's Monastery at the foot of Mt. Sinai. I was looking forward to seeing some of the Egyptian countryside but this place is just barren once you get away from the Nile. I hoped to at least see the Suez Canal but we ended up driving under it and never saw anything. Pictures can be found here http://picasaweb.google.com/baamick/EgyptDay4.