The (Suzanne Mubarak) Children's Museum

The formerly known Suzanne Mubarak Children's Museum in Heliopolis is a hidden gem for all parents and visitors to Egypt. Tucked away on a busy residential stretch in Heliopolis, you can never imagine the amazing gardens that lay beyond the colorful entrance gates.

The fees are very reasonable, for 40 LE you get to have a "tour of the Nile" (a walk through a fake safari along the length of a model Nile, a visit to the museum (one floor only per visit -- don't bother asking why), an activity for your kid (painting Nefertiti on papyrus), and an enjoyable stay in the gardens which have one of the best and safest children's playgrounds I've seen in Cairo and even feature a butterfly museum (seasonal).

It is clean, highly under crowded (one of the few places - truly undiscovered so far by the masses), and I'd rate the interactivity and exhibits of the museum itself as better than the ROM in Toronto.

The first floor has Ancient Egypt and this is just awesome. It includes large rubber Sphinxes that kids can assemble like a puzzle, wall drawings, an X-ray scanner of a mummy and a replica of King Tut's tomb. Next floor up is agriculture, then the desert and the sea, and the top astronomy (top two floors are reserved for schools but with a bit of convincing we got to see the desert/sea floor minus use of some of the electrical gadgets).

Awesome, not to be missed by any family coming to 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."

Swimming in Ramadan

Going to a pool during Ramadan is fabulous because you practically have the pool all to yourself. One of the advantages of Ramadan taking place in the summer in Egypt and why its a great time for tourists to come here! The waters start to get a bit fuller just before sunset (when a lot of people do exercise), so be sure to go early!
Travel to Egypt!

Fabulous Sunsets

Egypt has some fabulous locations to take in the sunset. Whether it is in a falucca floating along the Nile, or walking along the Corniche, from across the sand dunes in the desert, or in a vacation spot along the beach of either the Mediterranean or Red sea, or simply from rooftops over Cairo or your very own balcony, or even - stuck in traffic.

Travel to Egypt During Ramadan

Ramadan is a great time to come to Egypt. This video is oriented towards tourists from the Arab world, however it shows a glimpse into how special a time it can be to be in Egypt for all tourists. In 2011 Egypt needs your support.

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

Taxi Rides

In Egypt, riding in a taxi can be a real adventure. Taxis drivers are the ears and eyes of the city and talking to them (usually they are quite gregarious and talkative) can reveal tons of stories and insight.

Belly Dance

When people think about belly dance - usually a sequined open bellied seductress comes to mind. While these do abound at weddings and hotels, there are also more traditional fully clothed versions of belly dancers too, in a variety of amazing colorful folkloric fabulous costumes. Egyptian dance is playful, creative, can tell a (humorous/love) story, and can feature everything from traditional dance of men fighting with sticks to ladies balancing large brass (and lit) candelabras on their heads.

Beaches that need to be inhabited

Egypt has some gorrrrrgeous fabulous beaches that don't get the recognition they deserve. This summer, the beaches are too empty - tourism has been hit not only from the revolution but also due to Ramadan being in the summer this year.

These beaches are in need of some love. Come visit Egypt people.

(the beaches pictured above are in Marsa Matrouh, a hidden gem).

Unmatched Hospitality

I've been told that travellers are considered to be like orphans, in need of extra care and shelter.

Just a few weeks ago, when the revolution here in Egypt was just getting underway, there was an evening when we found ourselves on the streets after curfew and needed a place nearby to stay. A woman who was a "friend of a friend" took us in. All NINE of us, complete strangers. And treated us as if we were family.

The expression "A friend in need is a friend indeed" can easily be changed here in Egypt to: "A stranger in need is family indeed."

Now, crisis situations do have the tendency to pull people together, but this sort of hospitality is not just limited to emergencies in Egypt; it is the norm.

This sort of welcoming environment makes it easy for foreigners to quickly call Egypt Home.

Night Swimming in January

A few nights ago, I took my daughter to a swim class after sunset.
Quite fabulously, it is January.

My daughter's swim class at the club. She's at the top corner of the pool.
Note the silver orb of the moon at the top left.

This is how children look in Canada in January:

(Randy from "A Christmas Story",
filmed about 10 minutes from where I grew up
for more on Canadian winter bliss watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HW4IZ0Flh3M)

Need I say more?

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.