Egypt; it's just an eight-hour flight away but a world apart. As the flight from Johannesburg descends into Cairo, chances are you'll have mixed emotions at the scene unfolding below. The winding streets of Africa's largest city, home to some 18 million people, are abuzz with a chaotic, frenetic energy that'll both exhaust and excite you.
Gridlocked traffic and crowded pavements aside, the city is a mesmerising maze of history and cultures. Egypt is predominantly a Muslim country, and al-Qahirah (the official name for Cairo) is home to some of the holiest sites in the Middle East. The Citadel – part palace, part fortress – was the seat of power for over 700 years and survives to this day, while the magnificent mosque of Amr Ibn al-As is the oldest in Africa.
In amongst the minarets piercing the skyline you'll be surprised to see almost as many crosses alongside the crescents. Egypt was a Christian country until 650AD, and these historic Coptic churches offer a quiet respite from the city heat.
The sprawling metropolis is unbearably hot and humid in the summer months, so plan your visit between November and April when you're more like to enjoy mild days and sunny skies. Even in winter the city can be hard work to explore though, and many visitors do little more than walk from hotel lobby to tour bus and back again. However, take to the streets in between the sightseeing and you'll soon scratch the surface of this captivating capital.
It all makes sense really. Just as the pharaohs wanted their prized possessions buried beneath layer upon layer of stone in the famous pyramids at Giza, in Cairo you'll find the real gems require a bit of effort to uncover.
The city is an intoxicating mix of east and west, and there's no better place to be assaulted by the sights and sounds than at Khan al-Khalili, one of the world's largest markets. Traders have been bargaining with buyers in these twisting alleyways for over 600 years, and this historic bazaar in the heart of Islamic Cairo has been declared a World Heritage Site. This is the place to keep your cash in your pocket and put your bargaining skills to the test for spices, perfumes and handfuls of gold trinkets to take home.
To see some trinkets that are slightly more valuable, a visit to the world-famous Egyptian Museum of Antiquities is something no visitor to Cairo should miss out on.
You could spend days exploring the 107 halls which hold the museum's astounding collection of over 120 000 artefacts from tombs across Egypt, but most visitors head straight for the Tutankhamen gallery where treasures from the tomb of the boy-king, as well as his solid-gold death mask, are on display. If the history grabs you, the statue of Khafre (more about him later) and the Royal Mummy Room are other highlights not to be missed.
If you have the time and money it's best to take a guided tour of the museum so that knowledgeable guides can put the thousands of years of history into context.
Mummies in a museum are one thing, but seeing their intended resting place is the reason most visitors come to Egypt.
The pyramids are the planet's oldest man-made tourist attraction, and although conspiracies abound that the pyramids of Giza are alien landing lights or star maps, Egyptologists agree that they were most likely burial tombs for powerful kings and pharaohs.
"…a hot and dusty day amongst the ancients…"
The Great Pyramid of Khufu (also known as Cheops) is the only ancient wonder of the world still standing, and the main attraction at Giza, just 20 kilometres away from central Cairo. This incredible monument was the tallest building in the world for over 4000 years, towering 138-metres above the sun-baked sands. With not many cranes around in 2560BC it's no surprise that it took over 20 years to assemble the Great Pyramid's two million two-ton blocks of limestone!
Flanking the Great Pyramid are the smaller tombs of Menkaure and Khafre, and Egyptologists agree that it is probably the face of Khafre on the Great Sphinx, another popular site at Giza. With the face of a man and the body of a lion, the statue is also known as 'The Father of Fear'… a fitting title for one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs.
The pyramids are easily visited on a day trip from Cairo, but in peak season be prepared to share the ancient monuments with hordes of other tourists. Camel rides, tourist stalls and annoying touts are plentiful, but ignore the hassles and soak up the history of one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
The pyramids of Giza look down towards the Nile, flowing languidly back towards Cairo, and after a hot and dusty day amongst the ancients a Nile river-cruise is the ideal way to chill out and let the chaos of the city float by. There's a wide range of cruise companies, but try and book your trip on one of the traditional feluccas. Most cruises leave around 8pm and return two hours later after a buffet dinner-cruise with voluptuous belly-dancers for entertainment!
At the end of a long day it's tempting to head back to the hotel, but when the sun goes down Cairo comes to life. Down almost any alleyway you'll see locals huddled around tables outside their local coffee house, and visitors are always welcome to pull up a chair and order a pot of freshly-brewed Arabica.
The perfect accompaniment, of course, is the traditional shisha water-pipe. No, you won't find any Durban Poison in the mix, just delicious fruit tobacco that's bubbled through water to soften the flavours and cool the smoke. With the throb of Africa's largest city surrounding you, images of ancient civilisations burned into your mind and the bubble of a shisha echoing off the alleyway, it's easy to feel like a king in the land of the pharaohs.
» Originally published in Greenside Golf World
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Or just a sign of commercialism heading south? Refuse to shop at Melissa's nowadays: overpriced and average
