Cairo is a city of conflicting descriptions. It is definitely the largest city in Africa, but it is rarely thought of as African. It shows definite signs of its population continuing to grow to over 16m, yet we were frequently surprised by the occasional quiet oasis. Most of all, however, it belongs to an area of the Nile whose history is dominated not only by the wonder of ancient civilization, but also by a long, rich and sometimes tumultuous periods of empire. Today, we saw some of the many sides of Cairo.
The Mohammed Ali mosque, at the Citadel built by Salah al-Din.
Suleyman Pasha Mosque, the first Ottoman mosque built in Egypt.
In the evening, we were reminded again of the ancient history that has dominated the landscape where present-day Cairo stands. We were also reminded that it is impossible to go anywhere in the world and not hear pagpipes. The pharonic pipers were, without a doubt, the strangest ensemble of pipers we've seen. But our last view of Giza at night was the mysterious Sphinx.
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