Although
the first week offers a tremendous number of visits and leaves you
little
time to process all your experiences, this is really relaxing compared
to
Cairo. It looks as if this city would never come to a rest.
Some
people might like this city, well I didn't, and at the end the conclusion
was
that two days spent here were more than enough.
Anyhow,
coming back to the highlights of this short trip, they start with
a
day tour of Cairo and a visit to the Citadel which includes some museums
and
among others, the well known Mohammed Ali Mosque.
The
multiple Bazaars of the city offer a possibility to be absorbed by huge
crowds
of
people. You will be offered all kind of special deals, it's however more
than doubtful
that
you won't get these good bargains at other places for less money.
One
site definitely not to miss while being here is the Egyptian Museum.
Although
large crowds of people (mostly more or less small groups of tourists with
their
guides) make it rather hard to explore this museum, the visit is a must.
You
will certainly have the impression that the building has become to small
with
the
huge amount of antiques displayed. A highlight is certainly the upper floor
and
the
exhibition of Tutankhamon's treasures.
The
second day leads to Sakkara, well known for the Step Pyramid, the oldest
one
known
in Egypt, and which was built by Imhotep for Djoser I. Sakkara, where the
kings of
several
dynasties are buried, was a part of the ancient capital Memphis.
Today
little is left of Memphis as the major part of this important city has
disappeared
or
lies beneath villages and cultivated fields.
Finally,
a last highlight of Cairo, the Giza Plateau with the Pyramids and the Sphinx.
The
visit starts at the smallest of the three major ones, the Pyramid of Mycerinus
(or Menkaure).
It
has a height of about 67 metres and was the last of the three to be built.
Three
small Pyramids located south of the main one, were constructed for the
Queens.
The
Pyramid of Chephren (or Kahfre) has a height of 137 metres although it
might look taller
than
the Pyramid of Cheops (or Khufu) with it's height of 140 metres.
About
2.3 million stone blocks weighing an average of 2.5 tons each were used
for the
tallest
of the three. Over the time, the heights changed due to erosion or blocks
being
removed. The whole site includes more smaller Pyramids built for the Queens,
Temples,
rock cut Tombs and the Sphinx. The Sphinx, representing a creature with
a
lion's body and a human head was shaped some 4500 years ago.
