Photos: The Industrious World of Egypt

The industriousness of the ancient Egyptians was remarkable, although much of the construction was achieved thought the despicable exploitation of slave labor.  The large scale would be impressive all by itself, but the brilliance of the design, engineering and construction techniques is even more impressive. The smooth facade of the Great Pyramid remains only near the top. 
The ancient Egyptians built and buried a massive solar boat next to the Great Pyramid to carry the Pharoah to the afterlife.  It has been preserved by the dry sand and now in a museum next to the Pyramid.  The state of preservation was so remarkable that even some of the rope survived.
It is always a treat when Dave and I can admire one of the world's great monuments, teeming with tourists, and find camera angles that make it look like we are alone with the monument.  
The intricacy of Arabic design requires careful thought, planning, and skillful artisanship, as this doorway shows, transitioning from the shape of a Roman arch above the door to an Arabic arch. Modern Egyptians are industrious as well.  This young boy is hard at work carrying a poultry cage.  The markets bustle with activity.  Cairo is a large, crowded metropolis. Most of the land in Egypt is uninhabitable desert.  The industrial output of this nation of about 60 million people is about the same as Costa Rica, with about 4 million.  We so hope that the country can achieve the domestic tranquility and stability needed for the development of a diversified and prosperous economy.

Photos: The Architecture of Egypt

We like Arabic architecture.  The intricate geometric patterns, typical of Arabic ceramic tiles, are highlighted by the daylight behind this screen in a Cairo mosque.  Part of the goal of Islamic art is to reduce the scale of objects, which symbolizes the transitory nature of life.
Entering a house of worship creates a mood.  It sets the tone of solemnity.  This photo shows the entrance to the giant Al Rifa'i Mosque, which holds the tomb of the late Shah of Iran. 
Arabic writing looks like a work of art.

This stained glass window differs in design from the typical stained glass windows in Christian churches and cathedrals.  Islamic art emphasizes the orderliness and symmetry of design, without the depiction of religious figures in human forms.When people think of Egyptian architecture, they probably think first of the pyramids.  This is a close view of the Great Pyramid of Giza.  In ancient times, it was covered with a smooth surface. Today, its blocks are exposed, so close up the pyramid looks like an orderly stack of blocks. The blocks close to the ground are too big to climb upon, and climbing is prohibited, as it should be.

Photos: Fabulous Egypt During Ramadaan

This photo of Abu Simbel shows the massive scale of these monuments. They are in the south of Egypt's stretch of the Nile, but it is well worth the effort to get there.
Tourist police keep a watch on the grounds of many of the monuments visited by tourists in Egypt.  This camel-mounted guard surveyed the perimeter of the grounds of the Great Pyramids at Giza, with the urban sprawl of Cairo in the background.  We had tourist guards who accompanied our tour group throughout our stay several years ago, before the recent regime change in Egypt.
The hotel where we stayed outside Cairo, the Mena House, is next to the Pyramids.  What a setting for a poolside meal.  They also had a golf course that sought to attract golfers with views of the pyramids.
Horse drawn carriages were a delightful way to travel from the river front where our boat docked in Luxor to the temple.During Ramadaan, many Egyptians do not eat until sundown, and they many times would offer for us to sit down with them to share their meal.  This woman was baking bread in an outdoor kitchen area behind the restaurant where we had lunch.  It must be tough to prepare food during a time that one cannot eat until the evening.

Photos: The Sights of Egypt

This is an attendant standing at one of the entrances to Abu Simbel. I did not realize until we visited that behind the giant statues is an elaborately carved and painted interior, with many more large statues. It is miraculous that this was moved and saved from the flooding from the Aswan Dam.
Arabic calligraphy is quite artistic. This sign is above the doorway in the Ar Rifai Mosque in Cairo, where the tomb of the Shah of Iran is located.
This is a typical street scene in the old Fatimid district of Cairo, a teeming maze of narrow streets and alleys dating back about 1,000 years. Vendors and merchants push carts with food and other goods for sale. Not surprisingly, there is a minaret visible in the background.
We travelled to Egypt on a group tour. We saw the crowds thinning out and remained a few minutes until we were the last ones at Abu Simbel. We hustled back to the bus so we would not keep the rest of the group waiting. The reward for our effort was being able to get some photos of the temples without dozens of other tourists in the pictures.
The shape of these arches show that this is a Roman structure, not an Arabic building. Indeed, this is part of what is called the Babylon Fortress and was constructed by the Roman Emperor Trajan on the site of a Persian fort dating to the 6th Century, B.C. It is located in the old Coptic Christian quarter of Cairo. The Arab conquest of Egypt included a siege of this fort for 6 months until it fell in 641 A.D.
When we travel as part of a tour group, one of the challenges and at times frustrations is not being able to stop whenever we want and take photos. Sometimes we will sit with the camera the bus window to try to snap quick photos of street scenes, which is what I did with this photo of watermelons being sold from the back of a pickup truck in Cairo. There are advantages, of course, to group travel, including security and convenience. The Egyptian travel police had an armed guard with our group at all times. He was very helpful in looking after everyone in our group, along with our excellent tour director and local guides. We have done about 10 Tauck Tours.

Photos: The Wonders of Egypt

The Sphinx is one of the most recognizable landmarks on earth. In addition to exploring it during the day, we returned at night for the laser light and sound show, which illuminates both the Sphinx and the nearby Great Pyramids of Giza, a suburb of Cairo.
I love to take photos of people in foreign lands, especially children. We were in Egypt about 5 years ago. I wonder how this child is doing today, after the civil unrest in Egypt this year.
We walked around the old Coptic Christian are of Cairo. While walking down one of the pedestrian streets, we saw this monk walking in a church courtyard. I was able to et this photo of him as he approached the church door, decorated with the Coptic cross.
This is the entrance to St. Sergius and Bacchus Church, which is believed to be the site where Mary, Joseph and the Christ child stayed when they fled into Egypt. The church was built in the 4th century.
A camel ride near the pyramids, and this classic pose, is perhaps an obligatory tourist activity for any visit to Egypt. Dave and I could not resist. Riding a camel is much more comfortable than a horse, and they squat down to make it easy to climb on and off.
This is part of the dining room at the Mena House Hotel, where we stayed. We had a view of the Great Pyramid from our room. At this hotel, we had dinner in the same room where Roosevelt and Churchill met during World War II and where Presidents Carter and Anwar Sadat commemorated peace between Egypt and Israel. I love staying in hotels with a spectacular view, as I feel like I am on vacation even if I have to spend most of the day in the room on the computer and telephone doing work.