Korba

Korba is a burst of excitement. Great cafes and shopping. Beautiful and elegant architectural style (almost reminds me of Jaipur the "pink city" of Rajasthan). With the proximity of the presidential palace it has also been transformed and back again into a small war zone of barbed wire and barricades and rows of gunmen to a return to the usual cacophony of daily sights and sounds of life in Cairo

Sayeda Zeinab Mosque

Ceiling in the ladies section of Sayeda Zeinab

The following quote is from Naguib Mahfouz's book "The Mirage", describing a sublime experience experienced by the protagonist within the Sayeda Zeinab Mosque:

"My nostrils were penetrated by a sweet aroma that may have been some perfumes being sprayed by a magzub, while the sounds of the supplications being made by those circumambulating the shrine filled its corners with melodic echoes. A sheikh passed near me chanting verses from the Holy Qur'an in a hushed voice, and I remembered how I'd fallen away from the religion's obligatory rites to the point where the only thing I did regularly anymore was to fast during Ramadan. I thought to myself: If I returned to the right guidance found in the prescribed prayers, might not my heart find serenity and assurance, and might I not experience relief from the burden of anxiety and fear? Despite the pain it had endured, my heart had continued to find refuge in the prophets and the guidance they brought, and to drink deeply from a wellspring of cool, pure waters. I was flooded with a tranquility so profound, I wanted to soak up all I could of the wholesome, untainted serenity that I was experiencing in those moments. In that peace-induced rapture, my sufferings appeared to me as nothing but a fine threat in the fabric of destiny's invincible sway over all that is, and I was drawn into a state of contentment and surrender. A cloudlessness of the spirit set my soul in an upward spiral until I reached a pinnacle of bliss beyond anything I'd ever hoped for."

Beautiful Fountains

The below pictures are taken from Al Azhar Park and are all recent, however Egypt has many historic fountains dating back centuries. You can learn more about the history of such fountains when you are visiting Egypt by a trip to Cairo's Islamic Museum.

For another fabulous modern version of fountains in Egypt - check out Chocolate Mania Egypt for chocolate fountains. Yum.

Uum Ali

Uum Ali, when well prepared, is one of the best - and more calorific - desserts you will ever feast on. Puff pastry, heavy cream, pistachios, almonds, pine nuts, condensed milk all cooked to a golden crisp in the oven (think of the taste of marshmallows over the campfire, peeled back to reveal lots of other melt-in-your-mouth yummy stuff added inside that forms a sweet bread-pudding-like milky goodness)

The Story of Uum Ali, so I've been told, is quite interesting as well, a historic tale of a fight over ascension to the thrown in Egypt and a mother (Uum Ali, the Mother of Ali) desperate to secure her son's place, driven to murder another woman with a ShipShip (wooden sandal used for the baths).

I am not sure how this nasty story got associated with this heavenly dessert... :( but most certainly don't let that stop you from eating it!

Islamic Museum of Cairo

The newly renovated Islamic Museum of Cairo is a great place to visit to learn about art history in Egypt and the Middle East. It seems while the museum itself has been nicely renovated, its website is consigned to ancient history, so ignore the online site and go in person yourself to witness a fabulous collection of beautifully displayed artifacts.

Source: http://www.islamicmuseum.gov.eg/museum.html

As I wandered through the museum on my last visit, I wrote down a series of vocabulary from the titles on the items on display, the following was my luxuriant list of scribbles:

- Astrolabs
- Sundials
- Arches
- Geometric patterns
- Wood assembled "tongue and groove"
- Mother-of-pearl
- Marble inlaid with colored stones
- Colored glass windows
- Carved marble
- Vegetal design
- Mortars
- Hexagonal kohl container
- Surgical instruments
- Medical instruments
- Perfume bottles and chemical liquids
- Bowls with talisman inscriptions
- Pages of manuscript "benefits of herbs"
- Balance
- Anatomical panel of circulatory system, digestive spine and rib cage
- Prescriptions for treatment
- Ottoman
- Mamluk
- Wide use of geometrical compositions more than 12 centuries
- 12 c. polygon an essential figure of elaborate geometric patterns replaced by a star
- Geometric decoration in Egypt at peak under Mamluk reign
- Star replaced by decentralized composition - creates depth
- Fascinates eye
- Riot and harmony of geometry to enhance elaborate architecture
- Fountain carved marble resembling fish scales
- Blue and white tiles
- Fragments of a frieze with arabesque scrollwork
- Marble inlaid with black paste
- Floral and animal design
- Fish decoration
- Public fountains (sabil) 19c carved and painted marble
- Ceramic lusterware
- Kufic inscription
- Fatamid Ayyubid
- Arabic script, fluid letters
- Boundless inspiration
- Calligraphy
- Rules of proportion
- Lamps from madrasa
- Mihrab
- Colored glass inset in stucco
- Turned latticework (mashrabiyya)
- Wood joined and turned
- Court carpet from Iran
- Wool silk, silver threads
- Prayer carpet
- Textiles
- Spindles
- Knot methods
- No. of knot in each square inch increases value of carpet and durability
- Brocade
- Damask tapestry
- Embroidered
- Rich glass making
- Cameo glass
- Iranian potters
- Resemble ceramic lace
- Rich painted enamels
- Shallow reliefs enhanced with gold
- Decoration with metallic oxides
- Long-necked bottles
- Poet Firdawsi (Iranian) The Book of Kings (The Shahnama)
- 13 c. Mongols promoted great artistic accomplishments in Iran
- Timurid empire / Tamerlane
- Buyids
- Samanids
- Ghaznavids
- Copper alloy jug inlaid with gold
- Candlesticks
- Mirrors with ring of lions
- Quranic inscriptions stand out in cobalt on a metallic luster background
- Turquoise ceramic
- Mongol Ilkhanid Dynasty
- Overglaze painting
- Lapis Lazuli
- Cobalt blue
- White red blue enamels
- Manuscript
- Compass
- Panels from cenotaphs
- Tubercle
- Saddle cloth cotton and silk brocade with metallic thread red and gold
- Fascination with numbers order and structure
- Candlestick with ducks
- Coins
- Salah al Din
- Glass vessels
- Gold dinars
- Panels decorated with birds
- Collection of gold jewellery
- Dishes with dance and music scenes
- Desert hare
- Gazelle
- Lion sphinx and hare

Astronomy

Astronomy has always played an important role in Egypt and the Arab world. Indeed, back in the day, the Arabs paved the way to many great advances in Physics, Algebra (Al-Jabr), Optics and Astronomy. The emphasis on charting the moon and the stars was partly traced back to precepts of Islam (see Astronomy and the Quran), which dictated precision in following accurate prayer times and directions, as well as timing for the beginning of Ramadan and the yearly Haj (pilgrimage) through astronomical calculations. In Islamic societies, including Egypt, to this day the sighting by eye of the new crescent moon marks the beginning and end of the holy month (read more on the recent work of Algerian astrophysicist Nidhal Guessoum).

Quran, Sura 6, verse 97:
"(God) is the One Who has set out for you the stars, that you may guide yourselves by them through the darkness of the land and of the sea. We have detailed the signs for people who know."

The Egyptian love affair with the stars goes back far earlier than the age of Islam however. The ancient Egyptians lived by the night sky, and some theories propose that the secret behind the location of the great pyramids lies in understanding a correlation between the location of the "immortal" stars as they were positioned 4,500 years ago with the Pyramids as they still stand today (also see Orion Correlation). The ancient fascination with the night sky is evident in visiting the tombs in the Valley of Kings, many of which have elaborate murals of the sky depicting the Ancient Egyptian cosmogony, with the 12 hour night journey of the sun into the netherworld wherein the Sun God Ra (God of the Living) and Osiris (God of the Dead) became one.

The Ramadan Cannons

Dating back to the Fatamid period in Egypt, cannons have been used to announce when it is time to break one's fast during Ramadan, as a way of sending a signal that everyone could hear and recognize. The tradition continues today, though I believe most people hear the cannon over the radio or television set than by their own ears.

Ramadan Fanoos (Lanterns)

In Egypt, Ramadan is a festival of lights, with lanterns of all sizes and shapes being lit during this holy month. The tradition apparently dates back to 968 when the people would celebrate the arrival of the Caliph. For more on the history of the tradition see this article on The Ramadan Lantern. Today, in Egypt lights are strung from homes and apartment buildings not just in the form of lanterns, but also long strings of LEDS (see my post on Ramadan Lights).

Woodwork

Egyptian crafstmen are masters when it comes to woodworking, especially in designing wood lattices and turnery (which apparently is woodworking with a lathe). The below examples are taken from the Bayt al Shuyami Area, however they abound throughout Egypt. You will often find symbols or words (like the name of God) written inside the latticework. Here's more information on The art of Egyptian Turnery from the Egyptian State Information Service.

 

Bayt el Suhaymi

Bayt el Suhaymi is a hidden gem, unbeknownst (unfortunately) to the majority of tourists who get dragged through Khan el Khalili. It is a true pity that most of Egypt's long and variegated history is overlooked by the tourists who tend to be exposed to very little other than its ancient artifacts.

Bay el Suhaymi is a restored Ottoman building dating back to 1648 AD nestled just behind Khan el Khalili amongst beautiful buildings from the Fatamid period.

This is the street that leads up to Bayt el Suhaymi

  When you enter the buildings complex, one of the first things you'll notice is how cool it is, despite the raging heat outside. The buildings were designed in a brilliant way that somehow naturally cools. It also seems to block a lot of sounds, it is very calm and peaceful inside the area, juxtaposed against the usual noise of Cairo.

Wooden window frames designed in a way to let the inhabitants
have a pleasant breeze and view the street while passerbys cannot see in

Fairytale Landscapes

Fabulous view of Cairo from Al Azhar Park
(Muhammad Ali Mosque top left)

Whenever my 3 year old daughter passes by the Muhammed Ali mosque (atop Saladin's Citadel), she calls it her "castle". Indeed, Egypt's landscape is dotted with castles, ancient fortifications, minarets, domes, giant pyramids, grandiose temples, exotic dunes, black sands, hallowed valleys and mountains. In fact, there is so much to be captured one eyeful, that sometimes we cannot SEE. 

It just takes a young child's whimsical comments about the castles surrounding her to remind us of the magical history of human culture and civilization that fabulously surrounds us at every corner.