On the banks of Nile
Egypt (Arabic. Misr) is one of the few modern day countries in the world, along with its rulers the Pharaohs and the river Nile, which have been mentioned at length in the Holy Koran. Prophet Yousaf (AS) too came from the same country and is mentioned in detail in the Holy book. The ancient civilization has long gone into oblivion but the remains of the exalted kingdom still live in full glory and are a favourite destination for the tourists and students of Egyptology. Situated in the northern periphery of the ‘dark continent’, on the Mediterranean coast, Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa. Other than the Nile Valley, where the only arable agricultural land is found, most of the country forms part of the vast Sahara desert which is sparsely inhabited. Misr (Egypt) literally means ‘two straits’, a reference to the dynastic separation of Upper and Lower Egypt.
Cairo has been my cherished destination as a tourist since my student days when after the tragic crash of the inaugural PIA flight near Cairo there were lots of stories about the buzzing Middle Eastern metropolis in the print media. We landed in Cairo in the month of June and immediately noticed two things; one the weather was not as harsh as the one back home in Karachi that we had left a few hours earlier and secondly the populace was two tones. Majority of the urban population were wheatish to fair in complexion and healthy while those from the South, a large number of whom had been transported outside the terminal to receive some one, were thin, black and tall. The contrast was strikingly noticeable. The summer temperatures usually stay within 80–90 degree F and the North Western winds blowing from the Mediterranean help keep the temperatures down. The desert winds blowing from the South bring dust and sand raising the temperature. On both occasions that we visited the place, it was in the months of June and July and the temperature was comparatively comfortable. The average yearly rainfall is very low and as a rare phenomenon it some time snows on Sinai Mountains.
The Pyramids were the first thing that we saw from the air when our aero plane was circling to land at Cairo airport. It was a majestic sight. Egypt is famous for many things; amongst them the pyramids, River Nile and Suez Canal. The pyramids are the tombs for the Pharaohs and their queens and number about eighty in all. Most of these pyramids are in and around the historic city of Luxor in the south but the three largest pyramids, along with the famous sculpture of Sphinx, are located at Giza near Cairo and are imposing structures to look at. They were so named by the Greek because of their pointy-topped structures that resembled wheat cake in Greece. The Pharaohs began planning their ‘houses of eternity’ as soon as they ascended the throne. These pyramids took twenty years to build hence no wonder the Pharaohs planned their eternal abodes so early. According to Egyptologists’ theories these tombs have sloping sides so that the dead Pharaohs could ‘symbolically climb to the sky and live there for ever’. The Sphinx, an imaginary creature, carved from a mound of natural rock with the body of a lion and head of a human being, is meant to guard these royal tombs. Our guide told us that three million blocks of stones were used in each Giza pyramid. There was a caved entry into a pyramid and I too ventured into this passage but came out disappointed as there was nothing worthwhile to be explored.
The gigantic Giza pyramids are visited by tourists from around the world and, like any third world country, destitute stray around the place to make some bucks. Men with camels and donkeys abound in the area offering paid rides to the tourists and sticking to them like bumble-bees till one accepts a ride or tips them off. A teen age boy came up to us with his donkey and offered us a ride. Donkeys and camel rides may be something novel for the westerners but they do not fascinate people from the subcontinent. We declined the offer. The boy then asked me in Arabic if I was a ‘Hindi’ (an Indian) and using the Arabic word ‘laa’ (meaning ‘no’), I told him we were from Pakistan. The boy won’t leave us, insisting for a donkey ride followed by the same stereotypical query if we were from India. Fed up with his blatant emphasis on labeling us as ‘Hindi’, I could not restrain my anger and said ‘I am yahudi, Israeli’ (a Jew from Israel). He quickly vanished from the scene. May be he was under the influence of Hindi films. The Egyptians have a great liking for the Indians.
Due to the aridity of the climate ninety nine percent of population is concentrated along the narrow Nile Valley and the Nile Delta up north which occupies only 5.5% of total land area. Nile valley is also called ‘black land’ because of the fertile black soil deposited by the Nile floods, distinct from the ‘red land’ of the desert. Except for the Nile Valley Egypt’s landscape is a big, sandy desert that protected the kingdom of the Pharaohs from Western threats. Cairo, Alexandria and other notable cities are all inhabited along the banks of Nile, which has been a site of continuous habitation since centuries.
Cairo, the Egyptian metropolis, is Africa’s largest city and a centre of learning, culture and commerce. It is also famous for its mosque minarets and church towers. Head quarters of the (toothless) Arab League, Cairo is also known as Hollywood of Middle East. There is a lot to see in Cairo; the traditional Khan El Khalili bazaar, renowned Al Azhar University, majestic Hussein mosque, famed Cairo museum and the place to hang around in the evenings the Tahrir Bridge on river Nile. We also offered fateha at the mausoleum of the late Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. Khan El Khalili bazaar in the down town is a must see place on a trip to Cairo. It is just like Anarkali bazaar in Lahore, Bohri bazaar in Karachi or the famous Qissa khani bazaar of Peshawar. A large variety of merchandize ranging from shoes to musical instruments and sheesha are available in this bazaar. The prices are competitive, quality compromised and bargaining order of the day. I purchased two leather poufs to carry back home. One more thing that I really relished in Cairo was the seedless, local variety of orange called ‘Bu-Sirrah’ which was a true delicacy of the Nile Valley.
Cairo museum, a neo-classical building of 19th century situated on Tahrir Square near Tahrir Bridge, is a treasure chest of unmatched beauty in art and design and a cradle of African civilization. Cameras are not allowed inside the museum. The place is rich with relics including mummies of the Pharaohs with their pets and items of daily use. I was surprised to see mummified cats, snakes and birds. Body of Tutankhamun, the Boy King, who ascended the throne at the age of nine and died in his late teens, was recovered from the Valley of Kings and a research was carried out to ascertain the cause of his death. His tomb has gone down in history as the best preserved of any royal tomb. His treasures are on display in this museum. A good number of mummies from Egypt are also displayed in the British Museum London.
Nile, the longest river in the world originating in the south as White Nile and Blue Nile to form the main water course, is the life line of ancient Egyptian civilizations. To the ancient Egyptians this river was a source of spiritual dimension so they created a god dedicated to the welfare of the Nile’s annual inundation. A Greek historian writes that ‘Egypt is a gift of Nile’. There was a noticeable difference in the River Nile in Cairo and the River Ravi near Lahore. The area surrounding Ravi is undeveloped and a dumping ground for city’s solid waste while the area around Nile is posh and attractive. There are a number of five star and other hotels on the banks of Nile and cruises are available for the tourists.
Suez Canal is another engineering marvel that is synonymous with Egypt. The 163 km long canal, which engaged 30000 workers and took eleven years to complete, is one big source of national revenue besides a thriving tourism industry, agri and petroleum exports and three million expatriates working abroad.
Egypt is a country of sham democracy with poor human rights records. Being the most advanced country in the Arab world and having an extremely rich cultural heritage its economy is better than ours. The revenues from the Suez traffic are added bonus. India has a great political and cultural influence on Egypt and its people through its political acumen and film industry. Corruption is rampant. I experienced this at the Cairo International Airport. PIA’s local staff of Egyptian origin was uncooperative, demanding and ill behaved and I had to report them to the Chairman of the national flag carrier who very kindly responded to my complaint and took appropriate measures to address my problem.
Written by Dr. Shahid Qayyum
Published by Alisha Khuram
