LIVING IN EGYPT

As Islamists Flex Muscle, Egypt's Christians Despair

2011-06-15T10:19:00.001-07:00

WALL STREET JOURNAL
By Yaroslav Trofimov

June 11, 2011

QENA, Egypt—Five weeks after the fall of the Egyptian regime, Ayman Anwar Mitri's apartment was torched. When he showed up to investigate, he was bundled inside by bearded Islamists.

Mr. Mitri is a member of the Christian Coptic minority that accounts for one-tenth of the country's 83 million people. The Islamists accused him of having rented the apartment—by then unoccupied—to loose Muslim women.

Inside the burnt apartment, they beat him with the charred remains of his furniture. Then, one of them produced a box cutter and performed what he considered an appropriate punishment under Islam: He amputated Mr. Mitri's right ear.

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Yaroslav Trofimov

Ayman Anwar Mitri, a Christian Copt, had his ear cut off by a militant Salafi in Qena in March.
."When they were beating me, they kept saying: 'We won't leave any Christians in this country,'" Mr. Mitri recalled in a recent interview, two months after the March attack. Blood dripped through a plastic tube from his unhealed wound to a plastic container. "Here, there is a war against the Copts," he said.

His attackers, who were never arrested or prosecuted, follow the ultrafundamentalist Salafi strain of Islam that promotes an austere, Saudi-inspired worldview. Before President Hosni Mubarak was toppled on Feb. 11, the Salafis mostly confined themselves to preaching. Since then, they've entered the political arena, drawing crowds and swaying government decisions. Salafi militants also have blocked roads, burned churches and killed Copts.

The Salafi vigilantes who brutalized Mr. Mitri later ignited a bigger controversy that is still playing out here in Qena, an upper Nile governorate of three million people—almost one-third of them Copts. In April, Egypt's new government appointed a Christian to be Qena's new governor, replacing another Christian who had held the post under Mr. Mubarak. The Salafis responded by demanding a Muslim governor and organizing mass protests, showcasing the movement's new political influence.

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.The crisis in Qena, still not fully resolved, raises questions about what kind of Egypt will emerge from the post-revolutionary chaos—and whether its revolution will adhere to the ideals of democracy and equality that inspired it. The country's military rulers and liberal forces may ultimately succeed at containing religious strife and limiting the Islamists' political power.

Until recently, fears of an Islamist takeover in Egypt centered on the Muslim Brotherhood, a much better known organization that's trying to project a new image of moderation. While many liberal Egyptians remain deeply suspicious of the Brothers' true intentions, the Brotherhood now says it accepts Copts—the Middle East's largest religious minority—in all government positions, with the possible exception of president.

By contrast, many Salafis believe it is forbidden by Islam for Christians to exercise political power over Muslims in any capacity, such as governors, mayors or ministers. "If the Christian is efficient, he could be a deputy or an adviser," says prominent Salafi cleric Abdelmoneim Shehat.

Unlike the Brothers, the Salafis long refused to participate in elections and dismissed democracy as un-Islamic—a view held by their spiritual guides in Saudi Arabia. Numbering in the millions around the Arab world, Salafis seek to emulate the ways of the "salaf," the Prophet Muhammad's seventh-century companions, and usually reject later theological, social and political innovations as heresy. Osama bin Laden belonged to the jihadi current of Salafism that's trying to overthrow Arab regimes. Many other Salafis, including Saudi Arabia's Wahhabi religious establishment, and until recently, key Egyptian clerics, hold that obeying political rulers is mandatory in Islam.

After the revolution, however, many Egyptian Salafis decided that the shortest way to the Islamic state they desire is through the ballot box. They joined the Brotherhood in backing conservative constitutional amendments that passed in a March referendum. Salafi leaders say they are likely to coordinate with the Brotherhood to field a slate of Islamist candidates for parliamentary elections planned for September.

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European Pressphoto Agency

A Salafi Islamist cleric addresses protesters in Qena, Egypt, in April.
."We've found out after the revolution that the Salafis and the Brotherhood have the same concerns," says Safwat Hegazy, a popular Saudi-trained TV preacher who belonged to the Brotherhood in his youth and has emerged as one of Egypt's most influential Salafi voices.

The main difference between the two movements is organization rather than ideology, he says. "The Brotherhood has rules, leadership, staff, formal members—and it can punish those members who don't follow its orders," he says. "The Salafis have no organization whatsoever and no membership. People consider their leader any sheikh that they like."

Amid the recent sectarian unrest, Egypt's military rulers and civilian government have solicited help from Mr. Hegazy and another prominent Saudi-trained TV preacher, Mohamed Hassan, to defuse tensions. Although the overtures have raised the two clerics' stature as national leaders, the absence of a Salafi hierarchy also has enabled them to deny responsibility for the violence.

In Qena, a leafy city that prides itself on being named Egypt's cleanest, the Salafi militants who attacked Mr. Mitri and radicalized the protests against the Coptic governor were led by a young man named al-Hosseini Kamal. He had been incarcerated under Mr. Mubarak on suspicion of terrorist activities and, like thousands of such detainees, was set free after the revolution.

According to Mr. Mitri and witnesses cited in the police report, it was Mr. Kamal who cut off Mr. Mitri's ear, after first slicing his arm and neck. Reached on his cellphone, Mr. Kamal asked to call him later, and then didn't answer repeated phone calls.

In days after the amputation, the Salafi militants threatened to kill Mr. Mitri's siblings and to kidnap his children if he pressed charges, Mr. Mitri and his relatives say. Police refused to help, he says. Scared, he changed his initial testimony to say he didn't know who attacked him.

Instead of prosecution, Egyptian authorities pushed for a "reconciliation" between Mr. Mitri and his attackers. At the reconciliation ceremony, a beaming Mr. Kamal shook hands with the local military commander and other notables.

The ear amputation was a "mistake" and "the young people didn't mean it," says Qureishi Salama, imam of one of Qena's largest mosques and a leader of the budding Salafi movement in Qena. Asked about the concerns of Christians, he responds, without elaborating: "Only those Christians who did something wrong should be fearful."

Shortly after the reconciliation, the government of Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, a reformist chosen by leaders of the Cairo protests, named new local governors. Under Mr. Mubarak, Qena had been the only one of Egypt's 27 governorates ruled by a Christian. The new appointee, police Gen. Emad Mikhail, was also a Christian.

Egypt's police, widely regarded as brutal and corrupt, had been discredited during the revolution. The choice of Mr. Mikhail left Qena's political activists perplexed. A few dozen people protested on April 14, including some Christians.

But the Salafis objected first and foremost to Mr. Mikhail's religion. "We didn't want an imposed Christian quota" on governors, says Mr. Salama, the imam. He and other Qena imams agreed to urge the faithful to show their fury. "In most, if not all, Qena mosques, the imams said that a Christian cannot rule over Muslims," recalls Nasr Yasin, a 27-year-old activist. "The Salafis mobilized the people on a sectarian basis."

Angry crowds left the mosques and converged outside the governor's headquarters for a sit-in. Qena's revolutionary coalition split. Some liberal Muslims, such as Mr. Yasin, were offended by bigoted slogans and left. Others, including Muslim Brotherhood youths, stayed.

Hala Helmy Botros, a Coptic blogger active in the uprising against Mr. Mubarak, was stunned to see a former comrade-in-arms with a poster that read: "I am against sectarianism—but I refuse a Copt as governor!" Other protesters screamed: "Islamic, Islamic—we want a Muslim, not an infidel."

The Muslim Brotherhood's Abdelaziz Mahmoud, a 39-year-old concierge at the luxury Winter Palace Hotel in nearby Luxor, says it was his idea to ratchet up the pressure by temporarily blocking a major railroad passing through Qena just before the new governor was sworn in in Cairo. He proposed a one-hour sit-in on the tracks.

But once the Salafi militants, including Mr. Kamal, erected tents across roads and railroads leading into Qena, they decided to camp indefinitely. The blockade severed transportation links between northern and southern Egypt, and between the Nile Valley and the Red Sea coast. Some protestors raised the Saudi flag, which Egyptian Salafis have adopted as their own.

Though Egyptian Salafi leaders deny receiving financial support from Saudi Arabia, liberal Egyptians charge that the movement is backed by the kingdom's deep-pocketed Islamic charities. While Egyptian Salafis often criticize the Saudi government system as un-Islamic, they usually hold its Wahhabi religious establishment in high esteem. They admire Saudi Arabia's prohibitions on alcohol, the mixing of sexes, and Christian worship.

In Qena, as the Salafi-led protests continued, the anti-Coptic rhetoric swiftly got more radical. Protesters shouted "Mikhail is the enemy of God" and carried the new governor's mock coffin through Qena's streets, vowing to assassinate him if he ever set foot in the city. Leaflets urging a boycott of Christian businesses circulated in mosques.

"It started becoming very dangerous," says the Muslim Brotherhood's Mr. Mahmoud. Brotherhood leaders ordered him and others members to abandon the protests. "We withdrew once we realized that some people are raising a sectarian issue. We don't have any prejudice in dealing with our brother Copts," says Mohammed Beltagy, a Brotherhood leader in Cairo.

Prime Minister Sharaf's government tried to stand firm. "The governor of Qena has not and will not resign," said government spokesman Ahmed al-Saman. "Objections based on religion are unacceptable."

Mr. Sharaf dispatched his ministers of interior and local affairs to Qena to try to restore order, but their appeals for calm were drowned out by shouts of "We want a Muslim!"

Maj. Gen. Mohammed Ibrahim, until recently Qena's security director, says the army and the police considered breaking up the blockades, but dropped the idea as impractical. "After the revolution, there are constraints in dealing with protests," he said. "If we dispersed them by force, this could have had serious implications. They could have used weapons, and we would have had to respond with weapons. So we decided to hold a dialogue instead."

For that, Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and Prime Minister Sharaf reached out to Messrs. Hegazy and Hassan, the Salafi TV preachers. Flanked by military officers and feted in Qena as celebrities, the two sheikhs quickly endorsed the demonstrators' demands while asking them to lift the blockade.

Mr. Hegazy, who contends the sectarian strife is being orchestrated by the U.S. and Israel to discredit the revolution, says he believes that the entire population of Qena—Muslim and Christian alike—opposed the appointment of Mr. Mikhail. He says he told Egypt's prime minister and ruling generals that the new Christian governor should be removed immediately.

The young militants, however, defied the preachers' requests to reopen the roads and railways, vowing to maintain the blockade until Mr. Mikhail's ouster.

As the protests entered the second week, demonstrators threatened to cut electricity supplies from the Aswan Dam on the Nile and to stop fresh water to Red Sea coastal towns. Mr. Salama and other local imams called for a "million-man march" after Friday prayers.

Prime Minister Sharaf dispatched his strategic-planning adviser, Ahmed Omran, a Qena native, to the city to seek a solution. As he tried to address the crowd, Mr. Omran had the prime minister on his cellphone, ready to assuage the protestors. The angry crowd started chanting "Down with Sharaf!"

"This was a total failure," says Mr. Omran.

Undeterred, he donned a traditional galabiya robe and went to meet the Salafi militants, including Mr. Mitri's attacker, at the railroad tracks.

He also solicited the opinions of Christian clergy. With the Coptic Easter two days away, Qena's priests were worried that the crisis, if unchecked, could lead to pogroms. They told Mr. Omran they were not insisting on Mr. Mikhail assuming office, and would go along with whatever the government decided.

That weekend, Mr. Omran says, he told Prime Minister Sharaf that the only solution was to meet the protesters' demands. He says the prime minister reluctantly agreed.

On April 25, the government announced on television that Mr. Mikhail's appointment was being "frozen" for three months—and that the deputy governor named days earlier, a Muslim former army colonel, would temporarily take over the governor's duties. Appointing Mr. Mikhail "was not a very well thought out decision," says Mr. Saman, the government spokesman.

At the sit-in, the news was greeted with shouts of Allahu Akbar, or "God is great." The protest tents were dismantled and the trains started running within hours.

Mr. Mikhail continues to draw his governor's salary at the local-affairs ministry in Cairo. In theory, when the freeze expires next month, he is supposed to assume the governorship. Coptic activists worry that if that doesn't happen, it would set a dangerous precedent.

Mr. Salama, the Salafi imam, counters that making him governor would lead to a "big disaster."

Back to Cairo

2011-04-19T07:05:00.000-07:00

There is a saying in Egypt that anyone who has drunk from the Nile, is fated to return to the Nile again.. I didn't quite drink from the Nile (if I had I might have been permanently unable to go anywhere), but yes, did wet my feet on a number of occassions and left with a wrench when we had to!

But it would appear that even getting your feet wet, works just as well!! After a gap of two years, we are heading back to Cairo, with a sense of excitement and anticipation on our part, and, a lot of trepidation on part of friends and family who are not quite sure whether they should commiserate with us or congratulate us, lol!

My folks are clearly worried, some close friends even wanted to know if we had completely lost it, other polite ones murmured a congratulation after a brief shocked silence (:-)) and some, who are adventurous like us, promised to visit us soon!

I for one, am quite excited! Egypt is going through tumultous change - how often does one get to be part of, and, see history in making? I am keen to see if there is really a difference in Cairo before and after Mubarak.

As for Cairo being dangerous, if you have lived in Cairo, and spent time amongst the Egyptians, you would realise that Egyptians are by nature not violent people. Excitable yes, emotional, absolutely, but violent? No! I think in the history of revolutions, relatively peaceful revolutions like the Egyptian one, can be counted on fingertips.

So my bags are packed, am ready to go....

My food blog

2011-04-17T19:29:00.000-07:00

In all my journeys / travels, the one constant has been the search for interesting food - both in terms of taste, and, novelty value.. and I have come from a long way from young vegetarian tastebuds to a much travelled, seasoned and hopefully a tad knowledeable palate!

At a friend's suggestion, decided to start writing another blog on food, though this time, I thought I would try and use Wordpress instead of Blogger..so far the experience has been decent though I suspect I haven't used half the features of Wordpress as I have not with Blogger!

But here it is - Eat-cetera, my ramblings about food!

http://eatceteraeatcetera.wordpress.com/

April 9 : a day to remember?

2011-04-11T11:08:00.000-07:00

April 9 may well be a day that would be remembered by Egyptians, not just for the firing on protestors in Tahrir Square, but perhaps for the beginings of what might be yet another form of dictatorship - how benign,only time will tell..

Egypt's Military Court sentencing a blogger to 3 years imprisionment for daring to criticise the military is a tad harsh and seems to go against the spirit of the revolution and the freedom from Mubarak's rule that they ostensibly supported..if anything, it just ties in what Wikileaks had "leaked/ exposed" a few weeks ago- that the army head honchos had agreed to Mubarak's shoot orders, it was just the rank and file that rebelled! Imprisioning the blogger is a gross violation of a right to freedom of expression which is at odd variance with the ideals of the revolution that the army purportedly supported! If this continues, it would be interesting to see how the army's rank and file reacts this time!

Would it be that Egyptians have simply got rid of the dictator and not the dictatorship.

Early days ahead, and maybe, one should give the army benefit of doubt to see if the elections actually take place and power is indeed handed over to the people. It tough times ahead for Egypt and my prayers go out to you.. wish you well old friend!

Egyptian Army - To be feared or revered? WikiLeaks

2011-02-16T20:11:00.000-08:00

Was just flipping through WikiLeaks when I came across this article... something I am sure Egyptians also have access to, given the amazing ability of technology to facilitate dissemination of info.

Robert Fisk, a respected British journalist who for many years has covered the Middle East and whose integrity has not been questioned, has reported that Mubarak actually ordered a Tiananmen Square like execution of the protestors in Tahrir square, which is not surprising.

What is surprising though is the fact that according to Fisk, the military honchos agreed to carry out the order but it was the soldier on the street who refused to follow the bidding of the military higher-ups. A far cry from Tunisia, where General Rashid Ammar, refused to follow Ben Ali's orders for a public massacre!

So the key question is whether the Army that is currently holding the fort in Egypt will be able to exercise control and enforce law and order or it too, may be at the mercy of the emotions of its rank and file? Anyone who has worked in the police / army knows that a large amount of power that the police or army wields is psychological - the fear of what the army and police can do often drives the public's response to them. In the absence of that fear, their ability to enforce law and order is hugely compromised.

But even more than that, is a bigger question, a bigger fear - is Egypt really safe in the very hands that were willing to order a massacre to control the pro-democracy demonstrators?

The Army has moved in, suspended the constitution, assumed power, promised to rewrite the constitution in 10 days and put it to vote, to limit its tenure to 6 months, to hold elections and the fact that it has included 2 on-line activists, Google executive Wael Ghonim and blogger Amr Salama, in the group of opposition leaders, augurs well.

But it has still not released prisoners that it took during the revolution, it has not lifted the longstanding emergency law which allows the authorities to arrest people without any charges and also allows them to restrict the right to freedom of speech...Has Egypt got rid of one kind of dictatorship only to be replaced by another?

On the flip side, maybe the refusal of the rank and file to obey the massacre orders was a good thing to have happened. If nothing else, this would be an indication to the Army that they cannot ride rough over the people, cos its own rank and file - its means and tools of imposing control - may well rebel against it dictates if the dictat is against the common will and good.

See Link to WikiLeaks: http://wlcentral.org/node/1298

Musings on the new path for Egypt

2011-02-13T01:17:00.000-08:00

As I watch television, the visuals of the celebrations in Tahrir Square make me think about what all the commentators are talking about – establishment of democracy in Egypt. As I go through the names and the forms of government in the neighbouring countries, I pause and wonder at the probability of success of such an endeavour in a Muslim country. I am not being bigoted , condescending or racist (in terms of religion) but am just going through the list and I find that I come short when it comes to counting successful democracies in this region!

Of the 56 sovereign states that make up the membership of the International Islamic Conference, the only one that I can think of that is a relatively successful working model is Turkey. It makes you wonder why?

I think it’s safe to define democracy in simpler terms here as in a system of constitutional government in which the ruling party can be replaced without any violence in accordance with rules and procedure laid down in a constitution and by fair means. I don’t know, maybe democracy is over-rated? But I guess that the relative affluence achieved by United States & Western countries seems to reinforce benefits of democracy. Success of Japan and Germany once they renounced their autocratic institutions seem to add weight to the assertion that democracy is good :-0

Democracy may be good, but is it good for the Islamic world? Does it work in the Islamic World? Is it possible that some cultures are more conducive to democracy than others? Or is it because Islam is a strong religion in terms of its connect with its people? Is it difficult for rights and freedoms (including right to speech and freedom to practice religion as per your interpretation) that are inherent in a democracy, to exist in a state where the ultimate source of law is Islam?

I don’t know, and like I said, maybe democracy is over-rated 

There are enough and more ills even in functioning democracies. I guess Egypt needs to figure out for itself what works for it in the long run…..

What next?

2011-02-11T19:19:00.000-08:00

One has to admire the Egyptians for sticking it out there, braving the soldiers, the rioting et all, for a cause dear to many an Egyptian's heart - freedom from Mubarak's rule. So the revolution has borne fruit, and, its a moment of great joy and acheivement for the people, but the key question to my mind is what next?

Egypt now enters an even more fragile and dangerous phase of its revolution - even more precarious than the revolution itself! Euphoria and celebration is all fine, but now is the time that the EGyptians need to carefully chose who will represent them in a democratic process if they are to preserve this hard won independence. The 6th October revolution, that Egyptians are so proud of, had a strong steering force - a President Sadat and a strong second-in-command in Mubarak, but the 11th February revolution leaves Egypt in the hands of a motley crew with hugely divergent beliefs and support bases.

More than ever now, the Egyptians need to think and plan who they want to hand the reins over to. The fear is that they are an emotional people, one can only hope that rationality rather than emotion plays a role in their decision making. But who is the alternative?

To make a rational, thought out choice, you need options - where are the options? 6th Of October revolution went down in the anals of Egyptian history cos its established Egyption supramacy on the Suez Canal and established it as a power to be recokned with for Israel, one hopes that 11th february will also be a landmark revolution that will forever pave the way for democracy in Egypt. Inshallah!

All the best to you Egypt.

Mubarak's speech

2011-02-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

To be or not to be

2011-02-02T08:07:00.000-08:00

For all the protests, Egypt's tragedy is that it has no viable political alternative.

A Baradei, who has spent a privileged life, lived most of his time overseas, has no real experience of an average Egyptain's suffering? A man whose family has not lived in and continues to live outside Egypt? To my mind, and I may be wrong, an opportunist who is using the current situation to his advantage...

Or a Muslim Brotherhood which is still not organised enough to run a government and which will plunge Egypt into a abyss of fundamentalism furthering the Shia Sunni divide, rendering the Middle East even more fragile than it is? Egypt has been a beacon of stability in an otherwise volatile Middle East. There is always a danger that Muslim Brotherhood coming to power may change all of that!

Whether you like or hate him, the reality is that Mubarak has kept Egypt from becoming another fundamentalist state much like the army has done in Turkey. Was his reign perfect? Far from it! Tragedy is that power and wealth became concentrated in a few hands and Mubarak and his people failed to deliver basics to the people.

If Egypt becomes a fundamentalist state under the leadership of the Muslim Brotherhood, it spells doom not only for the freedom that the Egyptians so crave but also for stability in the Middle East. Is that stability important for Egypt itself? Of course it is, at a minimum for the 11 billion dollars of tourism and American aid that supports the economy to a large extent.

Revolutions in the Islamic world appear to run the danger of alternate military /totalitarian/ fundamentalist regimes. An Iran is an example.

It is time for a change in Egypt. Whether its time for a change in regime or change in the way the regime functions remains to be seen. If the Egyptians do get Mubarak to go, what happens next? Is a rudderless state better than the existing state? Your heart goes out to the Egyptian people, whose long drawn suffering has finally found an outlet in this civil outburst but what next? Does Egypt really need a Muslim Brotherhood or the army? Both alternatives are equally scary!

Blogging on Bombay

2009-11-15T19:54:00.001-08:00

Have finally roused myself to begin blogging on my stay in Bombay (http://living-in-mumbai-manisha.blogspot.com or http://www.living-in-mumbai-manisha.blogspot.com )! But somehow, its much slower.. as someone said, familiarity breeds contempt - having stayed here so long, its almost like I know Bombay so well that sometimes I wonder what do I want to blog about! But Bombay has changed so much in the last 6 years that I have been away! I just need to get a little less lazy!!!

Egypt cleric to ban full veils

2009-10-05T11:17:00.000-07:00

Egypt cleric to ban full veils

The niqab has become increasingly popular among Egypt's Muslim radicals
Egypt's highest Muslim authority has said he will issue a religious edict against the growing trend for full women's veils, known as the niqab.

Sheikh Mohamed Tantawi, dean of al-Azhar university, called full-face veiling a custom that has nothing to do with the Islamic faith.

Although most Muslim women in Egypt wear the Islamic headscarf, increasing numbers are adopting the niqab as well.

The practice is widely associated with more radical trends of Islam.

The niqab question reportedly arose when Sheikh Tantawi was visiting a girls' school in Cairo at the weekend and asked one of the students to remove her niqab.

The Egyptian newspaper al-Masri al-Yom quoted him expressing surprise at the girl's attire and telling her it was merely a tradition, with no connection to religion or the Koran.

Just read this article on BBC and it gladdened my heart. Not because I believe wearing a niqab is wrong, though I certainly feel that that it is onerous, but because he has finally articulated what a lot of less fundamentalist people have been saying - it is not mandated by religion or the Koran. It is a tradition born out of tribal practices which a male dominated society has continued to enforce. And I am glad that a cleric has chosen to finally clarify this.

It makes such a wonderful, sensible and saner change from people like Sheikh Muhammad al-habadan who has called on women to wear a full veil, or niqab, that reveals only one eye. According to the man, showing both eyes encouraged women to use eye make-up to look seductive. Clearly a man wearing colonge, or shaving or getting a facial done (all of which is quite common in Saudi)is not aimed at looking better or "seductive". Or perhaps the Sheikh believes that Saudi men are bereft of any sex appeal, so all of this wouldn't make a difference anyways!

Colour me Indian!

2009-08-23T11:02:00.000-07:00

Color Me Indian
By Ethar El-Katatney

Music, spices, jewelry, Bollywood, long jet-black hair, floral wreaths, candles and color — all the things that usually come to mind when one thinks of India. And all things that featured heavily in Egyptian singer Hisham Abbas’s 2001song “Nari Naren” (My Fire is Two Fires). The song, which became an instant hit, captured the essence of the Indian-Egyptian relationship, one that began when Ancient Egyptians chose to wrap their mummies in linens imported from India: a relationship of fascination, mutual affinity and genuine fondness.

Filmed in Kerala in the south and at the Taj Mahal in the subcontinent’s northern region, “Nari Naren” is an explosion of colors, passion and life. Captivated by a beautiful Indian woman, Abbas sings to her at the Taj Mahal, chases her through a busy Indian market full of men in turbans and women in saris, and dances with her amid temples and lush scenery. Dancing in a traditional sari, decked out in gold jewelry with braided hair reaching halfway down her back while she croons to him in Hindi, Abbas’s muse epitomizes a vision of India that has been cemented into Egyptian’s minds by decades of Bollywood hits, whose dramatic storylines filled with love, tragedy, tears and death have always struck a chord with the drama-loving public.

“Egyptians love Indians,” says Ajay Mehra, Vice President of Finance at Mena House Oberoi, a property managed by the Indian-based luxury hotel chain. “The first thing I am always asked when Egyptians realize I am Indian is whether or not I know Amitabh Bachchan, the famous Bollywood superstar.”

In the mid seventies and early eighties, Bachchan — the undisputed king of Indian cinema — was not only one of India’s most revered actors, but also one of Egypt’s. Rivaling both Omar Sharif and Nour El-Sherif, in Egypt, Bachchan became synonymous with India. His movies were screened regularly on Egyptian TV, he starred in Eid movies, and his posters sold abundantly. He was so famous that one Egyptian singer actually renamed himself Hamdi Bachchan (of the infamous folk jingle “Eih el asatok da”) in an effort to make his music more marketable here.

Today, Bollywood may no longer have such prominence in local cinemas, but its allure and memory remains. Ask any Indian here what reaction they get from Egyptians when they reveal their nationality, and the answer is unanimous: “India. Oh, Amitabh Bachchan!”
As Abbas’ video proved, Bollywood is still in demand. The recent popularity of productions such as award-winning film Slumdog Millionaire and MTV India, as well as an increased interest in yoga and the spread of Indian restaurants here also speak to the revival of a fascination with the country and its culture. Yet what is not as commonly noted, but equally thriving, is Egypt’s small and vibrant Indian community.

India and Egypt

In recent years, the number of Indian tourists visiting Egypt has surged. According to the Egyptian Tourism Authority, 47,000 Indians visited the country in 2005; that number almost doubled within two years, with 90,000 Indians visiting in 2008 — a number that has already been reached in 2009 thus far.

Along with their visiting counterparts, the resident Indian community in Egypt has increased substantially, and much of this can be attributed to economic relations between the two nations. The trade relationship that began during the Pharaonic era is now booming, worth almost $3.5 billion (LE 19.42 billion) in 2007, quadrupled from $700 million (LE 3.88 billion) in 2003. Encouraged by these figures, a number of Indian companies have set up shop in Egypt. In addition to Oberoi, which manages two luxury properties and two Nile cruise ships in the country, the Mumbai-based Marico locally manufactures leading hair care brands Haircode and Fiancée. Indian companies are also involved locally in healthcare and the automotive industry, among other industries.

Egypt’s exports to India are worth $2.1 billion — 95 percent of that is oil and gas — which is almost double the value of imports, making the subcontinent Egypt’s third largest trading partner behind the US and Italy as of 2006. (For more on trade between India and Egypt, see “Indian Summer” in the February 2009 issue of Business Today Egypt). As a result of increased trade, more Indians are choosing to settle here, with the Indian Embassy estimating that roughly 3,000 Indians currently live in Egypt, compared to fewer than 300 a decade ago.

According to the latest issue of the International Religious Freedom Report, 80.5 percent of all Indians are Hindus, a henotheistic religion that originated in India and is currently the world’s third largest religion, followed by 14.4 percent of the world’s population (for more on Hinduism, see box). In Egypt, it is estimated that over 90 percent of the Indian population is Hindu. Yet trade isn’t the only area where the two have found common ground; despite this being a mostly monotheistic country, Hindus report feeling very much at home here. In a country where religious tensions are often high, the commonalities between these cultures seem to bridge the divide between their fundamentally different religions.

A Sense of Community

Helping to unify the approximately 3,000 Indians living in Egypt is the Indian Community Association Egypt (ICAE), a volunteer organization that, according to their website (desiegypt.com), seeks to “bring together Indians living in Egypt, and help them connect, share and enhance their life. [ICAE] takes us back to our roots, and celebrates our social and cultural events while away from home.”

According to Dr. Harish Pillai, current president of the ICAE and chief executive officer of As-Salam International Hospital, 70 percent of the Indian community in Egypt is based in Cairo, 20 percent in Alexandria, and the rest is scattered in Ismailia and the surrounding areas. The Indian community, he explains, is “a floating population,” with some 90 percent working in rotation jobs, only staying in Egypt for two to three years at the most.
Most of the Indian residents in Egypt, he says, have senior level jobs, with the majority being “very educated professionals working for multinationals in the oil and gas, banking and IT sector.” Unlike the United Arab Emirates (UAE), where an Indian community of over 1 million people works in all sectors of the economy in a variety of jobs, postings of Indians in Egypt are at senior positions, which means typically they are at least in their thirties and accompanied by their families. The overwhelming majority, says Pillai, are men.
Indian women who come to Egypt usually do so because their husbands’ companies have sent them here. Anjana Das, a 37-year-old Indian, moved to Cairo in 1999 with her husband; she is trained as a dentist.

“I’m not allowed to practice here because jobs are for Egyptians,” she says, “but I don’t mind because that’s what we do in India. Indian women in Egypt who want to work do what they can — I’m a freelance writer now.”

Pillai says, “India is more of a subcontinent of many languages and religions and habits,” therefore, Indians are used to living among different cultures and lifestyles.
“The only way to coexist is to have a strong belief in a common destiny. When we succeed there, we show everyone that in spite of all your differences you can coexist together and live a happy life.”

In addition, explains Pillai, members of the Indian community in Egypt usually come from diverse, often multicultural backgrounds, which helps them integrate well into Egyptian society. Pillai, for example, was born in Dubai and went back to India when he was 15 years old. He finished his education there, and returned to Dubai when he was 30 years old. After four years, in 2006, he was offered the chance to come to Egypt, and he brought along his wife, a microbiologist, and their two young sons.

Das has a similar story; she lived in Ghana until she was 13 years old then returned to India before coming to Egypt in 1999.

Unlike in the UAE where there are many Indian organizations because of the sheer number of Indians (approximately 40 percent of the total population), the ICAE is the only such organization in Egypt outside of the embassy. And because the community is relatively small, it is close knit — unlike in India, where until the 1990s, the linguistic divide between the Indian states prevented a greater national cohesion, Pillai says.

“[As a result] people identified themselves as belonging to their state and the pan-identity was not so imprinted. But though India is a very fragmented country, because our numbers are so small [in Egypt], we are all one unit, one family. It’s cohesive and special and everyone helps each other out. Almost 90 percent of Indians in Egypt are members of the ICAE.”
Many are also members of the Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Center for Indian Culture in Egypt (www.indembcairo.com/macic), part of the Indian Embassy. Open to the public, the center hosts Indian film weeks, lectures, yoga sessions, Urdu language classes, Indian photo galleries and much more. In November 2008, it hosted the first week-long Days of Indian Culture festival, with photo galleries, dance and singing performances at the Cairo Opera House.

Feels Like Home

Oberoi’s Mehra came to Egypt with his wife and two sons 11 years ago, and stayed because he felt very comfortable here. Apart from a two-year stint with Oberoi in Saudi Arabia, he had spent his entire life before that in India.

Mehra explains that “when we are children in India we are taught about ancient civilizations in class, and of course we talk about Egypt. When we get older and learn about politics, we also talk about Egypt because of the historical relationship between the two countries. You can say that Egypt for Indians is never an unknown country.”

It’s an affection, says Pillai, “which cuts across class barriers and is unique for Egypt. [] It is unique because the socio-economic background [here] is similar to back home. You don’t just have the very rich and middle class and poor, you have all segments and we can relate to that.”

Bollywood is only one reason Egyptian-Indian relationships are so smooth. It’s the similar values and common elements of culture, say Indians here, that make Egypt such a pleasant place to live.

“There is never any culture shock,” says Mehra over drinks in one of Egypt’s most famous Indian restaurants, The Moghul Room. “I felt like I was going home. It was a ‘wow.’ For most of us in India, when we come here, we feel like we are going home. There are so many similarities in the value system, especially [with respect to] families: Absolutely the same culture, tradition, respect for parents, so much love for next of kin. These are all common things.”

Mehra, whose two sons were both under six years old when they moved here, made sure that they learned to speak Hindi and remembered their roots and customs. “It’s up to each family to make sure their children do not lose their roots,” he says.

Das adds, “The concept of being an Indian is imprinted in your mind, and you are always sensitive about your culture. Most Indian families, no matter how far they go away from home, are still brought up in very traditional [households]. It is part of our culture to retain our culture. And since the cultures are similar here, it makes life easier.”
Das and her husband left Egypt after a couple of years, but returned “because people on the street were so very friendly. We felt that being Indian meant there was something common between us.”

Zaheer Shah, managing director of Coats Egypt and Coats Israel (branches of Coats PLC, the world’s largest sewing thread and needlecraft supplies manufacturer) is one of India’s Muslims, which make up 13 percent of the Indian population at large. Shah was born and lived in India until he was 44 years old, when he joined Coat’s international management pool. In 1990, he left India and spent the next eight years in four different countries. Ten years ago, he moved to Egypt, and stayed.

“The people here are lovely,” he says. “The way they accept the foreigner and react to us is very open and welcoming. I found you have the same basic culture, and that creates a bond.”
For Shah, that bond made marriage possible. Wrapped in a beautiful glittering sari, Abeer Shah looks like a traditional Hindu bride in her wedding photo, only her sari is green and she is an Egyptian Muslim.

“Zaheer has lived all his life in India and he is Indian through and through,” she says as she gestures around her house, lavishly decorated in the Indian style. “And although he is not Hindu, I can tell you that it is because of their culture that Indians do so well in Egypt. If you didn’t know, any Indian can pass for an Egyptian. We like felfel [green pepper], they like shatta [spices] — there’s little difference.”

Questions of Faith

In India, relations between Muslims and Hindus have often been strained, and the conflict occasionally becomes violent.

India’s Muslim population exceeds 150 million people, making it home to the second largest Muslim population in the world after Indonesia. Muslim revolutionaries played a huge role in India’s struggle against the British occupation (Maulana Abul Kalam Azad, the namesake of the cultural center in Egypt, was one of them), and Islam has influenced all aspects of Indian culture, from architecture and literature to food and politics.

However, India’s Muslims have often been in conflict with the nation’s Hindus. In 1947, the aftermath of the partition of India to create the predominantly Muslim state of Pakistan saw intense bloodshed. Enduring tensions have flared over the past decade, most notably with the Gujarat riots in 2002 resulting in the deaths of an estimated 1,000 people.

Pillai estimates that 90 percent of Egypt’s Indian community is Hindu, but points out that, unlike in India, there is no conflict here between Hindus and Muslim.

“There is no religious conflict because our religious practices are not manifested in the public sphere,” Pillai says. “In Egypt, there is no Hindu temple, and [even if] we had one, I do not believe there would be trouble.”

Rajesh Swami, press officer at the Indian Embassy, believes there’s one thing that makes it unlikely that any religious conflict between Hindus and Muslims would arise in Egypt. “Most of the Indians in Egypt are in very senior positions such as CEOs and vice presidents of companies,” he says, “and therefore they are very educated and wise enough to know when to talk about religion in what way depending on who they are talking to. Religious practices, if they follow any, are private.”

Das elaborates: “In terms of religion, people don’t understand that Hinduism is not really a religion per se. It’s a way of life, of restrictions, [of] our relationship with God. I get the questions [asking if] we pray to a lot of gods, the sun, the wind, etc, but I can’t explain it because the concept of religion doesn’t exist. Having no temple doesn’t signify anything for me. [] My temple is within me, my God is within me.”

Shah’s wife Abeer, who has been married to him for six years, says that mixing with the Hindu community has not presented a problem. “Perhaps in the beginning they were worried how I would look at them, especially when they knew I was conservative and they dance and drink, but it’s okay. Hindus in Egypt are not like in India, where they worship cows and there are idols everywhere.”

This common misconception — that Hindus worship cows, when more accurately the religion reveres them as a symbol of life and thus prohibits people from killing them — reflects the need felt within the Indian community to educate people about its culture, which it often does by opening its cultural festivals to the public.

“We have celebrations where we spend time with community members, and everyone volunteers time,” says Shah. “We don’t look at it in a religious point of view, more of a socio-cultural point of view.”

Diwali, the Festival of Lights, is celebrated at the Mena House Oberoi every October and is attended by the majority of the Indian community in Egypt. Symbolizing the triumph of good over evil, Diwali is celebrated by Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs and Jains. The famous Indian singer Usha Uthup was flown in especially for the last Diwali festival. In March, Holi, the Festival of Colors, is celebrated in the Indian Embassy in Zamalek. Holi involves throwing dry colored powder or wet paint on each other to celebrate spring. These events bring the Indian community — and Egyptians — closer together.

The diverse backgrounds of their upbringing and education, their levels of professional status, and above all their rich and welcoming culture have contributed to the easy acceptance and transitions of Indians into Egyptian society. Theirs is a recipe for life that makes coexistence not only possible, but something to aspire to.

Hinduism 101

Hinduism, one of the world’s oldest religions, is the third largest religion in the world, with nearly a billion followers — 90 percent of whom live in India. It has no founder or known date of origin; its name derives from the word Indian.

Hinduism is not a religion in the sense of having a specific theological system based on scriptures. It is much larger than that and encompasses philosophies, religious traditions and cultural practices. It is often believed to be a polytheistic religion, owing to the existence of many gods in Hindu literature, the most famous being the triumvirate of Vishnu the preserver, Shiva the destroyer and Brahma the creator. In reality, Hindu beliefs vary widely from henotheistic (believing in one god without denying the existence of others), pantheistic, and polytheistic. Most Hindus recognize a single deity —Brahman, the supreme spirit — viewing other gods and goddesses as manifestations or different aspects of that supreme god.

There are a number of beliefs shared by all Hindus. The first is samsara (reincarnation), which includes the goal of reaching nirvana or mosaka — liberating oneself from the cycle of reincarnation.

Mosaka is attained in two ways: by following dharma, the path of righteousness, by living religiously and ethically, fulfilling moral, social and religious duties and, the second way, by resolving one’s karma. Karma is the law of cause and effects, and is based on the belief that good acts are rewarded with a better status in your next life and vice versa. Once karma has been resolved, the atman (soul) attains mosaka.

Scriptures in Hinduism, collectively referred to as shastras, are a collection of laws discovered by different holy men throughout Hinduism’s history. They are split into revealed (sruti) and remembered (smirti), with the most famous sacred texts being the Vedas, Upanishads, Sutras and Bhagavad Gita. Most provide information on abiding by dharma and discuss theology, among other topics.

Hindu practices involve seeking awareness of God, and there are many practices and forms of worship (puja) that Hindus perform to help them connect with the divine. Puja usually involves images (murtis), prayers (mantras), meditation, chanting, scripture reading and prostrations in addition to applying a tilaka, a mark between the eyebrows made with sandalwood paste in order to identify followers of the faith.

Visiting temples, which are usually dedicated to one deity, is not obligatory. Instead, many Hindus have a shrine at home dedicated to their chosen forms of god, using icons to serve as a link between themselves and the deity. Their worship involves making personal offerings and repeating mantras.

Three types of religious rites exist in Hinduism — nitya, performed daily, naimittika, performed during special occasions such as birth, marriage and death, and kamya, optional but desirable rites such as pilgrimage to sacred sites in India.

A number of Hindu holidays are celebrated throughout the year, many of which are observed by all Indians regardless of their faith. The most famous is Diwali, the festival of lights

Stepping Out: A walk Downtown evokes memories of Cairo’s old glory

2008-12-21T00:49:00.000-08:00

An intereting article that I came across...so the next time I am in Downtown, this is what I shall do!

Stepping Out: A walk downtown evokes memories of Cairo’s old glory
By Kate Dannies
First Published: December 5, 2008

The Groppi building's aristocratic architecture remains captivating.
Living in a city that seems to grow and change everyday, it’s easy to forget the rich history that is embodied in the buildings and streets of central Cairo.

Cairo’s downtown was built by Khedive Ismail, who strove to create a “new city” that was European, modern, and easy to secure. This meant wide boulevards centered around spacious squares and grand buildings modeled after Europe’s architectural masterworks. This was in stark contrast to the twisting alleys and narrow streets found Cairo’s ancient Islamic city.

This is Cairo’s “Tale of Two Cities”—an analogy that remains appropriate today as endless expansion continues and the popularity of new neighborhoods and satellite cities replaces the appeal of downtown life.

Downtown’s glamorous past is something that everyone acknowledges but few have experienced; the area’s glory may have long since faded, but it remains a fascinating place to visit for locals and tourists alike.

Due to the area’s one-way streets and many instances of interesting architecture, a walking tour is the best way to appreciate the myriad sights there.

A great route begins at an easily identifiable landmark: the old campus of the American University in Cairo — itself an institution whose buildings are about to join the rest of downtown’s architectural marvels in the history books.

Beginning in front of AUC’s Greek campus on Youssef El Guindy Street, walk down the street towards the Bustan Center. Continuing down Youssef El Guindy, passing by craftsmen making woven chairs and couches, you will arrive at the intersection with Hoda Shaarawi Street.

Besides boasting lovely architecture, this area is known for its fabulous selection of antiques — here, upper-class Zamalekites can often be found mixing with downtown regulars as they search for old treasures in crammed shops.

Turning left and walking up Hoda Shaarawi towards Talaat Harb, Bustan café will be on your left. This quaint coffeehouse in an alley is popular with locals and expat downtowners alike, and will be filled with an eclectic mix of people at any time of the day. Sit and have a shisha and enjoy some prime people-watching, or continue up the alley to Talaat Harb Street.
Historic Café Riche is nestled up between Bustan alley and Talaat Harb Street. Pop in for a look at the café’s portrait hall, featuring shots of famous Egyptians such as Naguib Mahfouz, Om Kolthoum and Ahmed Amin who frequented the café over the years.

Downstairs, Café Riche’s political history comes alive — visitors can see the old printing press that was used to create nationalist literature and the secret passageway that helped smuggle activists in and out of hiding.

Hang out in Riche for a bit and you're bound to meet some interesting people — many of Cairo’s top contemporary writers are patrons, and visiting scholars, writers and artists make for a captivating crowd at this landmark.

Across the street from Café Riche is the legendary Groppi — Cairo’s original chocolaterie and patisserie. Groppi’s pastries may no longer be the best in Cairo, but the aristocratic architecture of the place makes it easy to imagine the appeal it held for elite Cairo of old.

If you turn left past Groppi onto Mahmoud Bassiouni Street and take the second right onto Champollion, you will pass by one of downtown’s most beautiful, and most neglected landmarks. This is the Mansouria Girls’ School: an abandoned building that has, nevertheless, managed to maintain its dignity over the years.

While the building and its grounds have been granted protection as historic monuments, nothing has been done to bring them back to their former glory, so visitors must be content to look and imagine from the street.

At the end of the street is the Townhouse Gallery. An excellent example of the recent gentrification that has been taking place on a small scale in downtown, the Townhouse has managed to integrate itself seamlessly into the neighborhood. Gallery visitors can be seen sitting in the coffeehouse with alley residents enjoying a shisha under artistic light and banner arrangements put up by the gallery. This is one of the rare places where the diversity of downtown can be truly enjoyed.

The Townhouse’s exhibits are some of Cairo’s best, and the gallery’s gift shop, which boasts crafts and jewelry from all over Egypt, offers a refreshing change from the endless papyrus and perfume shops that offer the only other options for souvenirs.

Across Talaat Harb Square, turn onto the pedestrian thoroughfare of Sherifain Street, and you will be immediately struck by the architecture of the historic Cosmopolitan Hotel. Designed by Italian architect Alphonse Sasso and built in 1928, this building is one of the most beautiful examples of belle-époque architecture in Cairo.

Further up the pedestrian walk, is Egypt’s stock exchange, El Borsa. Newly renovated, El Borsa is a quintessential example of the architectural treasures to be found in the area. During the day, visitors can enter the rejuvenated building for a tour, but if you go after hours, it’s best to stop for a quick look and head along to the stylish Borsa Café for a street-side coffee break.

If you need more than coffee at this point in the afternoon, continue down Sherifain Street past the Mobil station to Mahmoud Mazloom Street. At the intersection with Hoda Shaarawi Street is a classic: Le Bistro. While not necessarily a true French dining experience, Le Bistro’s typical downtown shabby chic atmosphere and excellent steak frites make it worth a stop.

A walking tour of historic downtown concludes with a final stroll past Falaki Square, down Bustan Street back to the American University in Cairo, where walkers will get into their cars and head back out to the fringes of the city, far away from the Cairo of days past.

Four Women in Egypt

2008-12-20T15:31:00.000-08:00

Have been searching the net in vain to try and download a documentary titled Four Women in Egypt. It is supposed to be a brilliant documentary exploring the lives, arguments and friendships of for very different women.

Teacher, writer, activist, politician--four extraordinary women testify about the tumultuous events they have lived through during their long friendship in Egypt. The four women speak animatedly about the nation, politics, culture, and Islam.

The four are friends. They are nationalists and progressives; one among them is a veiled Islamist. The women defy the stereotypical notion that "fundamentalists" and "secularists" do not talk to each other, that they do not have shared experiences or common concerns.

Have read fantastic reviews of the documentary. Tried looking for a copy in the video shops but no luck. If anyone reading this has a link or can tell me where I can get a copy, shall be eternally grateful!

Diversity

2008-12-20T14:06:00.000-08:00

Came across this the other day while surfing "Cairo" and was amazed. This is a KFC run by people who are hearing impared. The video is taken by JehanneMc.

This place is in Midan Vini, Dokki, Cairo, Egypt. Walking distance from the Cairo Sheraton. The manager of the outlet is not hearing impaired.

I think the whole concept is a tribute to the indomitable spirit of mankind and kuos to a company which has the courage to do something besides pay lip service to concept of diversity at the woerk place.

No time like the present!

2008-12-10T14:14:00.000-08:00

Countries gain and loose an hour in daylight savings, I've lost a day!

For the last few days Blogger's clock has been running a day behind the actual date, well at least for my blog e.g. currently the time in 1.17 a.m. Dec 11 while Blogger shows the current posting time as 2.14 p.m. Dec 10. Am completely unable to figure out what happened. Have been through the layout, can't seem to find how to set it right! My laptop's clock shows the right time, so I know its not my comp but Blogger!

At times like this, I am forced to acknowledge that I am reasonably technologically challenged, lol!

Quirky News

2008-12-09T17:03:00.000-08:00

Was generally browsing the net looking for something when I came across this website "Digg" which had some really quirky news items, which I could not resist posting for the amusement value of the same...

Men under threat from 'gender bending' chemicals
telegraph.co.uk — Men are at risk of being "feminised" by thousands of "gender bending" chemicals that are changing the behaviour of humans and animals, according to a report. Scientists are warning that manmade pollutants which have escaped into the environment mimic the female sex hormone oestrogen.

Academics invent math equation for why people procrastinate
telegraph.co.uk — It might seem an idle pastime but academics have come up with a mathematical equation for why people procrastinate. Prof Piers Steel, a Canadian academic who has spent more than 10 years studying why people put off until tomorrow what they could do today, believes that the notion that procrastinators are either perfectionists or just lazy is wrong.

"The Ice Man" aims to break freezing record
telegraph.co.uk — A Dutchman who is able to withstand freezing temperatures that would kill most people will submerge himself in icy water for almost two hours in a world record bid.

SitOrSquat.com - Public Toilet Search with GPS Locations
sitorsquat.com — SitOrSquat is a web based index of public bathrooms. In addition to providing the basic map-mashup and rating system. Sit or Squat users can provide and browse photographs of the restrooms in question. The real selling point is the applications available for iPhones and Blackberries, enabling GPS based directions to the nearest bathroom

Origins of Sphinx

2008-12-09T14:25:00.000-08:00

Looks like historians are not going to let the myth and mystique of the Sphinx survive! They are keen to demystify the origins and contruct of the spectacular structure at the earliest.

Just came across an article in the Telegraph, Uk which talks about how they have come to the conclusion that the Sphinx was probably built much earlier than the 3 pyramids at Giza, and, how the head/ face that it was originally built was one of a lion which was subsequently replaced by that of a Pharoah when the pyramids were built.

Its fascinating isn't it, how even centuries ago they were capable of building structures on a gigantic scale that would withstand the test of time...

You can read the article here

Infidel

2008-12-09T09:30:00.000-08:00

I was browsing through "Not without my daughter" when I remembered having read a very interesting book called Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. I remember having heard of it due to the rather unfortunate killing of Theo van Gogh, the man who had the courage to make the movie "Submission" along with Ayaan Hirsi Ali. That sparked off an interest to see the movie and to read the book.

Born in Somalia, the daughter of a politician who opposed the Siad Barré dictatorship, Ayaan Hirsi Ali grew up with oppression. The accounts of violent retributions at the hands of her religious teacher make you cringe, her mother's obduracy in sticking to what she is familiar with and her unwillingness to look outside that frustrates you, her mother's frustration in dealing with a life she does not understand makes you feel sorry for her while wanting to shake her up, the sisters' reading of romantic novels just like other young girls anywhere makes you smile, her first attraction for a member of the male species and their hesitant fumblings make you want to hug her, her all encompassing embrace of Islam including the wearing of a shapeless black garment makes you want to shake her for allowing her thoughts and her fire die out, her dissapointment as she realises that the father that she revered as a rebel, a thinker did deem her opinion / wishes / desires important make your heart cry for her, her mother calling her a "filthy prostitute" makes you cringe, her fear and anticipation as she awaits asylum in Holland keeps you on tender hooks.

Her description of her genital mutilation is narrated matter-of-factly without stretching it, which makes it even more agonising. And this happens across Africa, and, is not specific to a religion. I had to put down the book twice, before I could pick it up and read any further, it felt so real and personal.

And, not for the first time while reading the book, I thanked God for my blessings!

A couple of questions that arise when you read the book relate to the detailed description of her childhood when she was barely 10 years old. The detail in which she describes it, makes you question the veracity of the events. Can a person remember such details of a childhood that she strives to forget and move on? And if she has filled in the blanks at some places, is it concievable that there may be exaggeration at some other places?

Yes, a lot has been said about her falsifying some of the information on her application seeking political asylum, but is that an inconceivable thought and is she the first person to have done it? Though I wish she hadn't criticised the same action by others subsequently.

Yes, she appears to talk only of an oppressed Islamic world and has invited the ire of the more liberal muslims, but the fact is that she will talk about only what she has been exposed to in the Islamic world. Could she be a little less all encompassing in her denouncement of Islam? Definatley.

Yes, she paints a very rosy picture of the Western world but can you blame her? Her only yardstick are her experiences in Somalia, Kenya, Nairobi and Saudi, which is what she uses for comparision. As an educated woman, having spent time in the Western world, being a politically active woman, does one expect a more objective viewpoint? Definately.

And finally, in the last two years, having read so many books about muslim women in muslim states and their stories, I wonder whether all of what she says is really so far away from the truth for some women? Do many of us, who live blessed lives (irrespective of our faith), prefer to gloss over the fact that life is not so rosy for many other women?

I guess there will be many opinions and viewpoints about the book, but I think its definately worth a read.

I am attaching the links to the movie "Submission" by Theo van Gogh. Worth seeing, if not for anything but just to see what caused the man to loose his life.

I can imagine that he may have offended religious sentiments courtesy Quranic verses being written on a naked body of a woman. I remember an instance in India when Hussein, a famous painter, had painted pictures of Hindu goddess and invited the fundamentalist's ire. I remember it surprising me, cos we are the land of the Kamasutra, and, Ajanta and Ellora. I guess fundamentalists are the same everywhere, irrespective of the religion!

Top 10 things to do in Cairo

2008-12-09T09:27:00.000-08:00

Had some friends visiting us from Singapore. While they've done the Nile Cruise and Abu Simbal, and of course, the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum, they asked me a very pertinent question? Other than the antiquities, what are the top 10 things to do in Cairo? Not Egypt but in and around Cairo?

For a moment I was fazed! First thing that comes to your mind when someone mentions Cairo is the pyramids and the museum...that set me thinking....I am writing down what I would def like to do in and around Cairo, in random order...and these are things that I would like to do...

1/ Coffee and Sheesha at El Fishawy
2/ Tannoura at Al Ghouri
3/ Felucca ride
4/ Dinner at the revolving restaurant
5/ A day trip to Fayoum
6/ A trip into the White Dessert
7/ A night out at Darts (Heliopolis) After Eight or Budha Bar
8/ The 11 pm to 4 am show with Dina at Semiramis
9/
10/

Cannot think of the balance two which does not include the antiquities... needs some thought!

Anybody who is reading this and has suggestions, would love to hear your top 10 things to do...I have this nagging feeling that there is something very obvious that I am missing out!

Evans - Maadi City Centre

2008-12-08T14:46:00.000-08:00

While I continue to fight a loosing battle of the bulge, my state of depression is enhanced by the lack of availability of clothes in this city.

Nah, let me rephrase it, lack of availability of clothes that I would want to wear, and, more importantly could wear! Brands like Rojada, Dalydress and sometimes Bella Donna do have some wearable stuff but by and large I don't seem to find anything that I like, though they do have my size..

Happened to be in Maadi City Centre when I chanced upon the store Evans. Evans is a high street UK retailer that specialises in 14 plus sizes...walked in quite excited cos in London at least, they have some very smart outfits.

However, my reaction was rather mixed. They have a couple of decent outfits but most others tend to be sequined, slightly shiny, more lycra and synthetic, though the jeans and troussers and a couple of skirts were not bad. But the prics are quite astonishing. Something that I had picked up in London for 25 british pounds was around 480 le here. I guess with the duty etc, the prices would be higher but here Evans was being positioned as a luxury brand.

But I think that's true for almost all foreign brands. I suspect if even Wal-mart was to open an outlet in Cairo, it would position itself at the high end of the market, lol!

So I shall continue to haunt Bella Donna, Rojada or Dalydress to find something I like, but for women looking for really large plus size outfits, at least there is a retailer in town.

Wedding fun or tradition?

2008-12-08T01:19:00.000-08:00

Was driving to a friend's place on Road 214, listening to some music, I suddenly registered a persistent honking. Thinking that maybe I had blocked traffic lost in my own thoughts, I moved aside to let the car behind me pass. To my irritation, the honking continued! I lowered the window pane, and, turned around to see who was being so irritating!

To my surprise, there was a cavalcade of some 8-10 cars, with their parking lights blinking, and all of them playing the beat with their horns - beep, beep, beeeeeeeep, beep, beep! I followed rather intrigued, as they all decided to do laps around the midan after the railway tracks.

And then the penny dropped! It was a wedding procession, cos the car in front was beautifully decorated with flowers. They all kept going around in circles with the car headlights flashing and the rhythemic beat of their rather loud horns. It was quite cute, actually. I must admit, the Masrys certainly know how to enjoy themselves and have fun!

But I was wondering whether this was a one off thing or is this usually done at / after weddings?

I have been had!

2008-12-05T06:27:00.000-08:00

Well, it would appear that the Genpets website is a hoax, so yours truly has been truly had! Thanks Connie for pointing this out. But am I glad. The concept deeply offended me.

A site called Snope GENPETS are actually artworks - made from latex and plastic - made by 24 year old Canadian commercial artist called Adam Brandejs. As per him Genpets was a way to have people sit and up and think about bioengineering and where the science might lead us.

The artist has similar works in the form of an animatronic Flesh Shoe (egad!) and and animatronic Heart.

The Grill, Semiramis

2008-12-04T06:23:00.000-08:00

One of my friends asked me to recommend a good continental place to eat - "The Grill" pat came the reply. It indeed is a pleasure to dine at The Grill with a caveat - you have to be a non-vegetarian!

Since she reminded me of The Grill, just thought I would write about it. The Grill is the French restaurant at The Semiramis Intercontinental. Located on the 3rd floor, you can't but help being drawn towards the loud music coming from the night club as you walk towards the restaurant.

The decor is very elegant and classy with a whole wall covered with an art deco wine rack as you walk into the eatry. We went past the main area, past the pianist, into a more private alcove overlooking the Nile. Faith, the view was lovely! The restaurant also has private glass cubicles that are segregated from the rest of the eatery with dark glass affording privacy.

We started off with a complimentary amuses-bouche, which consisted of salmon slices, piped with avacado mousse. It was wasted on my hubby, who is not fond of fish, and definately wasted on a poor vegetarian like me! My mom-in-law is the only one who loves fish, and, she swore that the combination was delicious! The maitre de very quickly realised that I was a vegetarian, and very thoughtfully got me small toasts piped with some delicious cheese. I thought that was very nice and considerate...

Then came the menus. It took me just a moment to scan through them to confirm that there was nothing for me to eat except mashed potatoes and grilled vegetables. So much so for my fine dining experience!

I swear, for a moment I felt like throttling my hubby especially since I had wanted to eat at Bird Cage, and he had insisted on The Grill! "Well, what would you expect at a grill, other than grilled vegetables for vegetarians?" Pertinent comment that, not one that I could argue with!

Then arrived my saviour and my downfall - tons and tons of carbs! The bread basket at The Grill is fantastic, with fresh, soft, flour and whole wheat breads, some stuffed with cheese, other with olives, and some just brushed with olive oil and sesame seeds, served with soft butter! They were delicious!! If you cant beat 'em, join 'em! Dunk the carbs, I was going to enjoy my bread! What had Mary Antionnette said "If they dont have bread, give em cake!" So be it!

We ordered fresh juices, and, some soft drinks, and the mango juice was deliciously fresh. Actually now that I think of it, I have yet to come across an eatery in Cairo that does not serve delicious fresh mango juice.

For starters, I ordered a tomato soup, while others ordered a goose pate, and salmon mousse. The latter is a part of a set menu which is offered by the restaurant and costs approx LE 230-250.

I must admit, the tomato soup was delicious, albiet really thick. Hubby swore that the pate was one of the best that he had eaten in a while.

For the main meal, yours truly ordered, what else but grilled vegetables (LE 15)?

The restaurant offers a fantastic choice of meats - beef, veal, rib eye, US, Angus etc. I understand that The Grill is famed for its meat - that explains hubby's insistence on coming here. The grilled meats come with a choice of sauce, mashed potatoes and grilled vegetable or an au gratin.

My son ordered grilled veal with mashed potatoes and hollandaise sauce while my husband ordered a beef stake with mashed potatoes and a pepper sauce. Mom-in-law got grilled sea bass with rice and a lemon butter sauce as part of her set menu.

Surrisingly enough, the helping of grilled vegetables was very large, very delicious, consisting of very sweet peppers, zuchini, pumpkin, carrots etc. The mashed potatoes came wth a twist - they had a guest chef on for that week and the mashed potatoes were served with truffle. They were melt-in-your-mouth delicious!

My son loved his veal, though he thought my husband's veal was far more tender. Halfway through the meal, they decided to swap their dishes but my husband pronounced both to be equally good and the quality of meat excellent. Mom-in-law agreed saying her sea bass was excellent as well.

The service is quiet, attentive and efficient. We did order desserts, and, while my hubby and mom-in-law liked theirs, I must admit I was not too enamoured of them. I am rather masry in my sweet taste preferences, and I like my sweets to be a little fuller and richer.

I think the bill came to around LE1700 without any alcohol being consumed. The price includes the ambience, the service, the Nile View and of course, delicious food. Even my grilled veegtables were grilled to perfection!

A lovely evening with great food and great atmosphere, I am sure we will be back again, though my husband still owes me another fancy meal for the grilled vegetables that I had, lol!

King Tut's face revealed

2008-12-04T06:11:00.000-08:00

While I know the news is over a month old, I just found this video while browsing YouTube, so posting it now.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21623825/

Playing God?

2008-12-03T22:56:00.000-08:00

Was looking up a BPO by the name of Genpact on the internet, and, my search threw up something so bizzarre that I was left astonished at what I was reading! Sometimes, I suspect, human being were better off as cavemen, at least you could find a justification for things they did, cos they knew no better...

A company called Bio-Genica, has designed these creatures called Genpets, using a process called "Zygote Micro Injection" that combines DNA strains from different species.

As per the company's website (http://www.genpets.com/index.php) "The Genpets™ are Pre-Packaged, Bioengineered pets implemented today!" Yup, they are not toys but living, breathing genetic animals!

Each creature comes pre-packd in special plastic packaging and is equipped with a fully functional heart rate monitor and Fresh Strip to gauge the state of each pet while it lies in its hibernation state.
The Genpets are colour coded depedning on the personality type, and each personality displays a different emotion, ugh! You can determine the life of the pet by choosing a 1 year or a 3 year pet. Of course, should your child get bored before the "expiry" of the pet, you can always stop the nutrients, and, the pet would die.

Are we playing God? Creating and manipulating life? Determining when and how much a creature can live? Much as I am in awe of the human mind, its ability to think, fathom, decipher, imagine, create and much as I beleive that science and technology has done much to improve the qaulity of our life, this to me seems a little strange.

I don't know, maybe I am overreacting, but to me, giving a young child a live creature over whose life and death, the child has absolute control, creates the danger of the child having little or no respect for the value of a life.

You've been had!

2008-12-02T20:56:00.000-08:00

Mom-in-law came back from the CSA library a tad stressed out. She mentioned how everyone was talking about an expat lady who was stopped by a couple of men posing as cops and demanding her passport!

Technically, as per law, you are supposed to carry your passport showing your visa/ resident permit, and, the police can haul you up / fine you for not carrying the passport. The poor lady was not carrying her passport, and the so called cops threatened her with imprisionment unless she paid up cash.

I am not very sure, but I believe she had the presence of mind to tell them that she needed to call her husband, and, they would talk to the cops. On hearing this, the scamsters vamoosed.

Since I roam around quite a bit on my own, ma-in-law was very worried that I should be careful and not get caught by some scamsters trying to act funny. While its never happened to me, I guess its never harmful to be a little wary and be careful. In any case, replicating a Cairo cop's uniform is of no difficulty at all!

Cellar Door

2008-12-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

Restaurant: Cellar Door
Address: 9, Road 151, Maadi
Tel Number: 2359-8328
Timing: 11am to 11pm
WiFi available

I am not sure why I have never written about Cellar Door though hubby and I have been there for meals ever so often. At one time "Petit Swiss Chalet", Cellar Door has made a huge leap from its erstwhile avtaar, and, I suspect for the better!

Its a chic yet cosy, small eatery located just around the corner from Bua Khao. A few steps transport you down into a trendy, relaxed place whose warmth is further enahanced by the easy manner of its new owner. He's usually to be found there, mingling with the guests, cracking a joke or two, and, generally adding to the atmosphere of the place which is a little irreverent, which makes it a fun place to go to!

They serve you the most delicious garlic bread with a vegetable spread while you browse through two, not one, menu! One is a printed, regular (er stable, lol!) menu while the other is a changing one! Quirky, ain't it? But thats what makes the place fun! Its nice going to place every 6 months and not knowing what to expect!

Today, we ordered a mushroom salad (LE 23), which was very basic but really nice The lemon vinaigrette greatly enhanced the flavour of fresh mushrooms and arugula. Even the Greek salad (LE25), with fresh tomatoes, onion, cucumbers and feta cheese, which I have had before, is quite nice.

Being a predominantly Italian place, there is enough and more choice for the poor vegetarian mortals like me. We ordered a home made gnocchi (LE27) in a tomato sauce, a home made lasagna (LE29) and spaghetti with a cream sauce (LE27).

The gocchi was soft, which is great, cos you can really mess up the gnocchi and the last thing on my mind was a battle between my teeth and the gnocchi! The lasagne tasted good though I though the pasta was a liitle underdone, but the yummy roasted vegetables made up for it! The spaghetti was a nice foil to the cheese and tangy tomato sauces we had had so far.

One of us had ordered fish in butter lemon sauce that was served with some rice. She thought the fish was very well done, more so cos a similar fish she ate at Crave the previous night had not been so good.

The other thing that I love about Cellar Door is their tableware. Plain white porcelain in large outsized plates and serving dishes , it makes the food look delicious - half the battle won! I was very tempted to ask the owner where he got the tableware from, but desisted from doing so!

We ordered a caramel cheesecake, which I must admit, was yummylicious! Though we all shared it, I thought it was perfect. In fact, I think I will send my driver to pick one up for lunch tomorrow! Now I know why I seem to fight a loosing battle as far as my waistline goes!

If I remember correctly, they allow you to carry your own wine but you need to pay corkage at LE 40. A bottle of wine at Cellar Door costs LE135, so it makes sense to carry your own and pay the corkage, if you have a specific wine in mind.

But I think, the place is definately worth a visit, and, we at least like the food quite a bit!

Your name in hieroglyphics!

2008-12-02T14:20:00.001-08:00

Came across this while looking up something on hieroglyphics. This is a utility that tells you what your name would look like if it had been written in heiroglyphics!

http://www.upennmuseum.com/cgi-bin/hieroglyphsreal.cgi

Everytime I buy a cartouche for someone with their name inscribed in hieroglyphics, I wonder whether its really written correctly. Well, now I can check! Well to the extent, this utility is accurate, lol!

Fresh pizza dough

2008-12-02T14:04:00.000-08:00

My son loves the pizza I make at home, and the biggest secret to my pizza is the base. As I have learnt, if you look for something hard enough in Cairo, you will find it!

Road 9 in Maadi, has this small innocous looking bakery called "Maadi Bakery" before McDonald, on the right side of the road. They give you fresh pizza dough at about LE 16 / kg. The dough is really delicious, and, can be frozen and used upto 4-5 days.

I use it to make pizzas, calazones etc and they always come out excellent. I would recommend the dough any day over frozen, ready made bases!

Indian recipes: Butter Chicken

2008-12-01T01:24:00.000-08:00

Have some friends who absolutely adore the Indian dish Butter Chicken, and, have been asking me to show them how to making it, sans any chillies...

So finally, yesterday, held a small class for 4 of my friends where we decided to make Butter Chicken with Naan. Needless to say, we had a lot of fun, my kitchen looked like a war zone after we were done, and, I was the only one who was not eating, since I am a vegetarian!

Now usually I do not post recipes, but they all liked it, and, asked me to post it on my blog so that they don't have to write it down, and they can direct their friends to it as well.

This is how I make my butter chicken, I sure plenty others would have different and better recipes..but everyone at home seems to like it!

Butter Chicken / Chicken Makhanwalla
Serves: 4

For Marination
750 grams of chicken cut into pieces (boneless)
3 tablespoon yoghurt
3 tablespoon lemon juice
3 teaspoon each of coriander, cumin and red chilli powders
1 onion chopped and made into a paste
4 teaspoon each of ginger, garlic pastes
salt to taste
you could add orange food colour to get that authentic look to the chicken but that’s optional. I dont usually add colour cos my husbandis allergic to soem artificial colourings

Gravy
4 large tomatoes, roasted, peeled & chopped
6 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoon fresh cream
1 teaspoon each of coriander, cumin, red chilli powders
2 teaspoon each of finely chopped ginger and green chillies (the chillies is optional)
salt and sugar to taste
melted butter, fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves for garnishing

Preparation
Cut chicken into medium sized pieces (slightly larger than bite sized). Make small cuts in the chicken pieces. Mix the ingredients for the marinade and coat the chicken pieces with the marinade. Let the chicken marinate for a few hours, overnight if possible. Keep it in the fridge if you are marinating overnight.

Heat 2 tablespoons butter, in a pan and put in the chicken along with the marinade. Cover and cook for about 25 minutes or till the chicken is fully cooked. After the mixture turns dry, stir fry the chicken for some time.

Roast the tomatoes on fire, then peel the skin off and chop. Alternately, you can even puree the peeled tomatoes & then use it. Its a little more cumbersome, but thats what I do.

Heat the remaining butter (4 tablespoons) in a saucepan and add the red chilli, coriander, cumin powders. Fry for a few seconds.

Add the chopped tomatoes, sugar, salt and cook uncovered on medium level for about 8-10 minutes till the puree thickens and the fat separates. Stir in the beaten cream and reduce the heat to low. You can thin the gravy a little bit by adding milk, but not too much otherwise you will loose the taste.

Add the chicken, chopped ginger and green chillies to the simmering gravy. Sprinkle salt to taste if needed. Mix well. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 10 minutes or till the curry is thoroughly heated through.

Just before serving pour melted butter over the curry. Garnish with a swirl of fresh cream and finely chopped coriander leaves.

TIP:
If you want a richer gravy, then you can add cashew nut paste (soak cashew nuts in water for an hour or so and grind them) while making the gravy - fry it along with the spice powders and then proceed as above.

Little creative minds

2008-12-01T00:19:00.000-08:00

Ever since my son joined CAC, I have volunteered at the class. It gives me a way to participate in my son's life at school and see first hand how he operates at school. Also, if I am honest, I am trying to make up for the last 5 years of his life where as a working mom, I had long working hours and could not spend as much time with him as we both would have liked.

Anyways, this year, have volunteered to help out with the kids' Writers Workshop. CAC has a very cute concept where every day they have half hour / hour where they are allowed to let their creative juices run, and, write and finally publish stories. The stories can be about anything, and, they need to illustrate and detail them. As a volunteer parent, you are expeced to hear them out, help with ideas and suggestions if they are stuck and generally operate as a sounding board.

I must admit, this has to be the best volunteer stuff that I have done. Its a joy to sit with young minds, completeley unfettered by preconcieved ideas and notions and willing to let their imagination run wild, and, to hear their views and opinions!

Someone is writing a story about a bubble planet where there were bubble creatures, while another passionately describes a train journey through Germany and what the train was like. Another had a wonderfully descriptive account of how she and her friends played golf. Two aspiring screenplay writers penned new series for George Lucas to delight Star War fans with! And these were no small short notes, they were long, descriptive, and, beautifully detailed stories that were a pleasure to read!

Its so refreshing to be sitting with these young ones and hearing their take on life and events as they unfold. Their delightful priorities, their understanding of things around them, and their willingness to look beyond the obvious and take things at face value. I guess plenty of lessons for us adults to learn from them, to be able to think breaking free from all that is a given...

In the name of art!!

2008-11-30T09:04:00.000-08:00

Art installation placed on a fountain in the middle of the Nile river in Cairo entitled ‘Going Bananas’ on Nov. 28. The art installation project, organized by the Austrian Cultural Forum, consisted of around 2,000 1.6 meter-long inflatable yellow bananas which were to be ejected into the river by the Nile fountain.I beleive the event did not go as planned cos os some technical hitch...

This I must go and see, if only to figure, how strange can one get in the name of art!

Saudi Sheikhs’ fatwas in the spotlight

2008-11-30T01:56:00.000-08:00

While browsing through the net, came across this. I know I have been there (fatwas that is) before, but I wanted to post it so that I kept the article.

By Yasmine Saleh
Daily Star
First Published: October 2, 2008

CAIRO: A Saudi Sheikh recently issued a fatwa stating that women who wear the niqab (full face veil) are only allowed to show one eye, covering the other along with the rest of their bodies.

Sheikh Mohamed Al-Habdan issued that decree during his appearance on Al-Majd satellite channel.

“When Ibn Abbas [known for his knowledge and his interpretations of the Quran and the Prophet’s sayings] was reading the holy Quranic verse that mentions the veil, he covered his face and one eye, while showed a little of his other eye and said: this is the face veil, just enough to be able to see the way,” Al-Habdan said.

He went on to urge Muslim women who wear the niqab to adjust it so that it only shows one of their eyes, adding that showing both eyes is “Islamically incorrect.”

However, controversial fatwas are nothing new to Al-Habdan. He had also issued another fatwa forbidding Muslim women from going out without a mehrem — a male guardian, usually the husband or a relative who is religiously banned from marrying that woman (father, brother, son, maternal or paternal uncle, grandfather or nephew).

Al-Majd satellite channel was once before the platform for another controversial fatwa by Sheikh Saleh El-Lheidan, chief of the Saudi’s Supreme Judiciary Council, against watching the Olympics and Turkish soap operas.

El-Lheidan said the Olympics includes “obscene scenes” and “nothing made Satan happier than seeing females athletes dressed in skimpy outfits.”

As for the Turkish soap operas, El-Lheidan commented on the scenes that show bedrooms or are shot in bedrooms.

He went further to issue another fatwa that permits the killing of the owners of satellite TV stations who show “immoral” content.

“I advise the owners of the shameless satellite stations who distribute programs promoting impudence, insolence and silly humor,” said El-Lheidan. “I warn them, they’re wasting people’s time and corrupting them. If they don’t heed our call, their killing could be permissible.”

The holy month of Ramadan has seen its share of controversial fatwas such as one deeming Mickey Mouse “an agent of Satan.”

Saudi Sheikh Muhammad Munajid reportedly said that “both household mice and their cartoon counterparts must be killed.”

Hell hath no fury than a woman scorned!

2008-11-29T23:48:00.000-08:00

Nestled practically on the bank of the Nile, at No. 1 Kafour Street , is a beautifully restored mansion, that is home to an enviable Western European art collection. Once the home of Senate President Khalil Bey and his French wife Emilienne Hector, the contents of the museum are a tribute to the Khalils' passion for art, and perhaps Emilienne's desire to be considred creme de la creme of Cairo's high society!

Mahmoud Khalil Bey, a lawyer by profession, would later go on to become a senior statesman and later senate president.
Emilienne Hector, born into a French family, worked in the French theatre for a while, was known for her passion for being over dressed especially as far as her jewels were concerned.

It is said that Khalil Bey was enamored with everything French. French wife, French cuisine, French theatre, French culture, French architecture and thanks to his wife, French art! That would explain the huge collection of French artists that the museum houses.

This collection would have remained in private hands, had it not been for the fury of a woman scorned! In his old age, Khalil Bey became enamoured of a much younger and beautiful Egyptian lady, and, supposedly had a male offspring from this association, something that Emilienne had been unable to give him. While Khalil Bey's will bequeathed the house and the art collection to Emilienne, she wasn't willing to forget and forgive. Consequently, she bequeathed the entire collection to the State upon her death!

So I guess one needs to thank Khalil Bey for his promiscuity for being able to view this collection in Cairo!

No 1 Kahfour Street houses a number of very famous French painters like Champmartin, Daumier, Ricard, Delacroix and Toulouse Lautrec, Renoir, Monet, Pissaro, Trovon, Sisley, Millet, Moticelli, Milot, Diaz de la Penas,a and, not to forget Van Gough.

There is a painting "Jeune Fille Assise" by Morisot Berthe Marie which is very remniscent of Renoir.

You are not allowed to take photographs so I tried to look up the paintings on the net. Except for a few paintings, the images are not available, probably given that this was a private collection.

There are signed replicas of sculptures by Rodin. The ones to especially see are The Thinker and The Head of Victor Hugo.

There is a painting "Fatima au Odalisque" by Jeane Auguste Ingres (see below) which intrigued me due to the name (given that it was a nude)..

I thought "el Nil" by Eugene Fromentin, depicting a group of girls on a bank of this mighty river with a fortress visible on the other side, is also very striking. Pissarro's Cricket in Bedford Park is nice.

And I absolutely loved Monet's Westminster Abbey. A part of his London series, it shows Westminster Abbey through the typical London mist, and its hazy reflection in the waters of the Thames.

Renoir's Pommes et Poires and Tasse et Mandarines are ok.

Also a must see is The Singing Lesson by Toulouse Lautrec.

I think the piece de resistence of the museum is the painting "Life and Death" by Paul Gaugin. Valued at 10USD million, (or thats what I was told)the painting was a part of the Gauguin exhibition in Rome and was returned to the museum only in March this year. Am glad I did not go earlier. Would have hated to miss this!

In the painting a naked female bather with red hair, is looking at her arm, over which is draped a cloth, while another girl has her head in her hands, her legs raised, her elbow on her knees, holding her head. Obviously, the girl in warm red hues represents life, while the one in death-like blue represents death.

There is also a beautiful Van Gogh "Rhythm and the Poppy Flower" but I think I preferred the Gauguin.

The place is well maintained and beautifully restored. Wonder what it must have been like to stay here? Imagine the confusion in deciding the room that you wanted to occupy? Mercifully, they had no kids, or Emilienne might have had to spend her time running around looking for them!

Another word of caution. The paintings are catalouged in French, so you don't have a clue to their names unless you've read about it earlier! Or if you know French! They are supposed to have some literature in English, but the guy apologetically shrugged his shoulders saying that he had run out of them!

The museum offers you reproductions of Life and Death and a couple of other paintings, so I ordered one. At 30 LE its a steal, except that the quality is not really good. Its been simply printed on canvas, not the quality that you can pick up at other big museums. But hey, I liked Life and Death so much, that even this was welcome!

If you enjoy Western European art, do go visit the museum, its worth the time that you spend. The ticket is priced at LE 25, but if you are a resident, you get to pay only LE 12. Open from 10 am to 5.30 pm, its closed on Mondays.

Location: On the corner of Giza Street & Kafur Street next to the state council (Maglis al Dawla).

The Step Pyramids of Saqqara

2008-11-29T23:40:00.001-08:00

Most people living in Cairo / visiting Cairo would have been to the Step Pyramid of Saqqarra..Well, despite all my travels, I had only seen the Step Pyramid from the outside, never ventured inside the complex. This is despite sending tons of guests to see the pyramid!

According to historians, the Step Pyramid complex holds a very special place in the history of Egyptian architecture as it was here, that limestone was first used on a large scale as a construction material, and here the idea of a monumental royal tomb in the form of a pyramid was given shape.

Since hubby was out of town, and, I had the time, decided to go see the Saqqarra pyramids.

Near the ticket office is the small Imhotep Museum which contains the sarcophagus of Imhotep, who is credited with building Egypt's first pyramid. He is recognized as a doctor, a priest, scribe, sage, poet, astrologer, and a vizier and chief minister to Djoser, the second king of Egypt's third dynasty.

The colours from centuries ago are still bright and the detailing absolutely clear!
The Step Pyramid of Djoser! While many credit it to be the first known pyramid to mankind, recent findings seem to suggest step pyramids of earlier vintage, but as per popular concensus it is still considered the first known pyramid to mankind!

It is believed that this pyramid marks the transition of funeral tombs from a mastaba to a proper pyramid. In fact, the pyramid probably started out life as a mastaba and was subsequently added to, which explains the structure and the distinct steps...
There is a large facade through which you enter the complex, and, walk into a colonnaded entrance.

The colonnaded entrance contains 40 columns - 20 on each side. They are considered to represent the provinces of Upper and Lower Egypt.

The corridor opens into a rectangular vestibule which served as the final entrance to the courtyard. I understand that this courtyard used to serve as a running field for the King's Sed Festival during which the king would demonstrate to the people his continuing physical prowess and ability.

The south tomb's chapel. Its exterior has niches over which a frieze of cobras protect the facility..

The carvings above the entrance of the tomb of Inefrt..

The name of the Prince Inefrt written in heirogyphics at the entrance of the tomb.
Frescos on the wall at the entrance to the inner chamber of the tomb..

Heirogyphics on a false door in the tomb....
Original colours on the frescos from over 3000 years ago....

I can just imagine what this must have looked like when the colours were still bright!I understand that there are two other tombs which are in a better condition, but did not go in there this time.

Another engraving at the entrance to another tomb...

The pyramid of Unnas, the last king of the 5th dynasty. The pyramid is infinitely more well known than the man who built it, because for the first time in the history of the excavation of pyramids, they discovered 128 magical spells of the Pyramid Text on the walls of its subterranean chambers!

The duck like figure at the bottom represents the number 1000. The fresco indicates sacrifices made of 1000 cows, 1000 horses, 1000 deer etc...

In the shadows of Dsojer's pyramids, stands the pyramid of Userkaf who was considered the founder of the 5th Dynasty.His pyramid was called "Pure are the (cult) places of Userkaf", but today, in keeping with its state of disrepair, locally its known as the "ruined pyramid".

The duo at Saqqara...

I am glad that I did make the trip. Now my son and I are hoping to be able to go see the new pyramid that they discovered at Saqqara!

Playing around with my photographs

2008-11-29T05:47:00.000-08:00

My newest toy is a software that allows me to mess around with photographs and creating silhouttes, cartoons, sketches etc with them...

My first attempt were the most common and famous sights of Egypt! This is what it looks like! Quite nice, well, at least my 7 year old son thought so!

My frustrations with Blogger!

2008-11-28T23:32:00.000-08:00

I am feeling rather targetted and prosecuted right now! Can someone explain to me why Blogger refuses to upload my photographs the way I want them uploaded?

I usually upload them in the sequence that I plan to write but for the last 1 week I find that irrespective of the order in which I attach them, when they get uploaded, they are in random order!

As it is, it takes ages to upload a JPEG file, on top of that if I start loading them one by one, instead of a batch, I'll be only uploading photographs the whole day long!

The Cairene Sabil: Umm Abbas

2008-11-28T11:40:00.000-08:00

After seeing the Sultan Hassan mosque, I still had some time to spare before my son came home, so my driver volunteered to drive me around that area. As per him, there were a number of old and beautiful buildings in that area which I could see from the comfort of my car.. Since I had time to spare, I happily agreed. It seemed like a good idea!

Suddenly, my driver very excitedly called out "look Miss Manisha" and I looked around rather fazed for I could only see traffic , and, some dilapidated buildings around me. And then I spotted what had got him so excited. A lovely marble structure with beautiful gold engravings that was juxtaposed against a brown wall. Having read a little about Cairo's monuments and structures, I recognised it as a sabil.

A sabil was a kind of water reservoir built by the rich & famous to provide water to the denizens of Cairo. I believe the origins of the sabils lie in the Quran and the hadith since providing free water for all to drink, something that is highly regarded in the Koran.

Very often, a sabil would have a first floor which would be used as a khutub or a school where the poor could be taught the Koran.

This particular sabil was built by Bambah Qadin - the granddaughter of Abbas I, who ruled Egypt from 1848 to 1854 A.D, and the mother of Abbas II. "Umm" in Arabic means mother so the sabil of the mother of Abbas, hence the name Sabil Umm Abbas!

Located off Saliba Street at the corner of the side alley ‘al-Siufiya’, Saliba Street can be reached from Midan al-Qal’a (Citadel Square), also called Mohammed Ali Square where Sultan Hassan mosque and Rifai mosque stand.

The sabil's facade is really beautiful with Ottoman style decorative panels running around the sabil & inscriptions above the windows. Obviously, the monument has been recently restored, as is obvious by the bright gilded decorations. The colours are too bright for them to be original, but the restorers have done a wonderful job. The facade is adorned by gilded Ottoman inscriptions & decorations standing out against blue and deep red backgrounds to which the marble structure provides a perfect foil.

Umm Abbas's sabil is obviously a labour of care and detailed attention. You don't really need to spend much time, but the structure is gorgeous and definately worth one look! It stands out amidst the stone, dull brown buildings and crowded roads.

I believe, some sabils were open only at certain hours; others remained open day and night. However, during Ramadan, all the sabils were closed. Each sabil was run by a manager or a keeper who made sure that it functioned well.

As per records of the 18th century, there were over 300 sabils in existence, while current records show only around 70 still extant. Now while I have no intentions of seeing all 70, there a few others that I do want to see, like the Bazdar and Maghlawi sabils , and the sabil of Tusun Pasha & that of Katkhuda....

Mumbai blasts

2008-11-28T08:02:00.000-08:00

Have been to a lot of places the last few days that I wanted to write about but for now my mind is numb as I watch my city reeling under the worst possible terrorist attack that the country has ever seen...so many lives wasted, so much destruction, terror and the feeling of helplessness and anger...

Broke my heart to see a 2 year old child whose birthday gift today was the news of his parents' death...

I wonder how does anyone ever justify the deliberate destruction of innocent lives, no matter what the cause? Whose God condons or pardons horrifying acts perpetuated in the name of a cause? What kind of people actually get to sleep carrying the blood of so many innocent lives on their hands?

El Pannello Cafe

2008-11-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

I had just got my son back from the barber, after a rather close encounter with the barber's scissors, the result of which was a rather close cropped haircut, much to my son's dismay, nay agony! Much angst was directed at a heartless mother who'd made him part company with his lustrous locks!

To make up for that I decided to take him to El Pannello Ceramic Cafe where he could paint for all he was worth and we could grab a bite to eat as well. I had been reading about the cafe ever since we came to Cairo, and had even safely kept a cutting of its ad in the Egyptian Mail. However, like may other items on my "to do list", this too had remained undone. But I was about to remedy that!

The Cafe has two branches - one at Heliopolis and the other at Mohandasien. We decided to go to the one at Heliopolis.

As you walk into the cafe, there is a shelf full of painted and fired ceramic items in myriad hues, all on sale at a fixed price of LE 35. I guess these are things that people painted but never came back to collect.

As you walk into the dining area, there is a big shelf covering an entire wall which is stacked with all sorts of objects in clay that have been fired once , and, then dipped in distemper.

They are a lovely white, and, you can choose from a variety of shapes & figures - a Santa, reindeers, snowmen, a mexican figurine, cups, plates, tiles, a pharonic head...you can turn the figures over to check out the price underneath. A pharonic head would cost you LE 145, mugs range from LE 30 to LE 50, a plate could set you back by LE 120...

My son chose an astronaut! This is what it looked like before it was painted!

Next you've got to choose your colours. You can choose any 6 out of some 15-20 odd colours that they have. They have a plate fired with all the colours that they have on offer, so that you know what these will look like once the object has been fired! The cost of the item includes the cost of the colours and firing. This is my son busy figuring out the colours that he wants for his astronaut.

Having chosen his paints, now came the fun part. While we waited for our food, my Van Gogh got to work! Though given his current style of drawing . painting, Kandinsky would be more appropriate!

The food at the Cafe is quite nice too. The menu is extensive, offering a reasonable choice, even for the vegetarians. My son and I ordered some Morzzarella sticks (LE 15 ) and Spring Rolls (LE 12.50) to share as starters. Son also decided that he was hungry enough to wolf down a Spaghetti Bolognese (LE 25) while my mother-in-law decided to be safe with a club sandwich (LE 24). My greed getting the better of me, I ordered a cheese mozarella sandwich (LE 13).

There were a number of special platters with veal and chicken on offer. It sounded tempting especially since they are served with Basmati rice, curry and mashed potatoes! But we had already placed the order!

The starters were nice, and, the portions of the main entrees really large. Neither my mom-in-law nor my son were able to finish their main courses.

While we ate, Van Gogh continued to paint furiously, and, at least for the moment forgot about his haircut!

Watching him, I was inspired too, and, decided to paint a long mug. Unfortunately, I droped two blobs of paint on it, and, the guy at the counter very helpfully offered to fix it! Unfortunately, that was the last I saw of the mug! They spent half an hour hunting for the mug subsequently, but I fear, in their enthusiasm to help, they erased the entire mug instead of just the blobs of paint, lol!

Barring this, the service is quite polite and efficent, and, the food quite nice!

The Cafe hands you receipts for your pieces of art, and you need to collect them after 5 days, during which they fire and glaze them. So shall send my driver to collect them sometime next week!

We had great fun at the ceramic cafe, and, ended up spending 3-4 hours there instead of the 1-2 hours that we had envisaged. My son enjoyed himself, and the rather sensitive topic of "haircut" was forgotten, at least temporarily!

El Pannello Cafe

2 Omar Ibn el Khattab Street

Haroon Rasheed Square

(in front of the English school)

Heliopolis

Tel: 22417603

or

12 el Mahruqi Street

from El Batat Ahmed Add el Aziz Street

Mohandasein

Tel: 33038696

Pirated DVDs - just desserts!

2008-11-27T09:16:00.000-08:00

Talk about co-incidences and just desserts. Whoever said "dont buy pirated DVDs" was absolutely right!

My son has been whining about not having been able to watch Ironman while all his friends did (yup, I know its a very old whine but kids tend to get fixated!) so when I saw a DVD at Hyper, I decided to buy it. I knew it was piratd but decided to buy it nevertheless! Occassionally, its good to contribute to the parallel economy. In any case he or I were not going to get to watch in a theatre now, and, I had not been able to find the original. At the least, it would stop his constant cry for Ironman!

Came home to a very excited child, who immediately ripped open the cover and decided to watch it NOW! To our utter surprise, nay, shock, the movie came dubbed in Hindi (India's national language)!! If this was not surprise enough, the next 10 minutes were in English and then again Hindi! Rather discerning DVD eh, language suited to the country of the audience, lol!

Clearly this had been originally dubbed for the Indian market, but obviously the guy who was dubbing was napping, so got his tracks mixed up! Or this was his idea of international integration, lol!!

The Yacoubian Building

2008-11-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Last week went and bought myself this book after having heard so much about it.

The Yacoubian Building was the best selling Arabic novel for 2002 and 2003, and was voted Best Novel for 2003 by listeners to Egypt's Middle East Broadcasting Service. With credentials like this, definately wanted to read it...

Unfortunately, have not been able to read it as yet....

Typealyzer

2008-11-25T12:29:00.000-08:00

Was looking up how to do some stuff on a blog on the internet, when my search threw up something which analyses your blog. I must admit it intrigued me a little. This was like "answer x number of questions and get to know more about your personality " type of stuff. But for a blog?

In all honesty, I assumed that this would take a while for someone to read and figure out what kind of blog it was, so why bother? However, as I was at a loose end, for a lark, I decided to try it out anyways!

You've got to input your blog address and hey presto, the utility throws up an analysis of your personality based on how you write your blog!, Yes, that's right!

I must admit, the response time fazed me....pages and pages of posts written over months, and it took the darned utility all of 2 seconds to analyse it!

Here is what it says about my personality...

ENTP - The Visionaries

The charming and trend savvy type. They are especially attuned to the big picture and anticipate trends. They often have sophisticated language skills and come across as witty and social. At the end of the day, however, they are pragmatic decision makers and have a good analytical abilitity. They enjoy work that lets them use their cleverness, great communication skills and knack for new exciting ventures. They have to look out not to become quitters, since they easily get bored when the creative exciting start-up phase is over.

Hmmm.. interesting! The big question - how much of it is really true? Should ask hubby dear! lol!

Nilometer

2008-11-24T00:37:00.000-08:00

While everyone does the regular tourist circuit, Cairo has a number of other places of varying vintage and interest, that you just need to have the time, and, of course the inclination to go see.

One such place, that had been on my agenda for over a year, is the Nilometer on Roda Island, but somehow everytime I planned to go there, something came up, and, I could not. However, a friend was equally keen to see the place, so we finally did manage to make the trip, and, at least for me, it was worth the trip, notwithstanding my vertigo!

Deciding to go see it was the easy part, finding it was another story all together! Its amazing how these things are overlooked not only by tourists but also locals. Finally, it was a hotel concierge who came to our rescue, and, after a broken car mirror, a visibly upset driver, and, terrific traffic, we made it to the Nilometer. Nestled between the Nile and a lot of greenery, it is rather easy to miss it. And while you are searching for it, might make sense to ask for Mikyas al-Nil - might make it easier to find it!

I guess the importance of Nilometer in earlier Egyptian life cannot be underestimated. The rulers and their officials derived their power from the Nilometer? Strange? Not really, when you consider that the levels of the water as measured in the Nilometer, helped the officials predict the level of inundation, which indicated the extent of deposits of fertile black soil which was so crucial to cultivation. More importantly, this determined the level of taxes to be paid to the ruler, hence playing an important political and administrative role.

Though you would have thought that the years of experience would have taught the peasants to read the signs when the Nile was flooding, much better than the officials reading it off a Nilometer, but there is a premium to being royalty and having access to years of acumulated data which probably made the prediction a little more accurate, and, made it sound a lot more hi-fi (much like management speak vis-a-vis common sense, lol!)

From the outside, the conical dome is very modern and you need to hunt out the caretakers to open the doors and allow you to go in. We found a very helpful one, who could not speak a word of anything other than Arabic, but nevertheless, very sweetly proceeded to explain things to us (God bless CSA and my driver for my Arabic lessons!).
The Nilometer was built on the oredrs of the Caliph al-Mutawakkil (847-861) under the direction of Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Hasib at the end of his reign in 861.The Nilometer, as it stands today, is almost as it was originally except for the wooden painted dome roof which was a later addition as part of a restoration project.

The roof, I understand, was destroyed in a bombing by the French during their occupation of Egypt (wonder why the Egyptians are still so fascinated with the French? French language, French au pairs, french food?) after which a new dome was built in the same style as it is today. This however, was not destined to last too long either, and, was destroyed by a factory explosion, and, then restored as close to the original as possible, based on an 18th century painting by the Danish traveler, Fredrik Ludvig Norden as a reference. It is indeed beautiful (see photo below)!

The Nilometer consists of a well which houses an octagonal marble column which is graded and divided into 19 cubits. From what I understood with my limited knowledge of Arabic, water upto the 16th mark meant an ideal flood, anything below 16 meant famine and drought, and anything above 19 meant tragedy! I also read somewhere that prior to the expected flood, this column would be anointed with saffron and musk in order to help induce a good water level!

This well, that houses the marble column, continues deep into the ground, beyond the surface level of the Nile. This well was connected to the Nile through tunnels, which are sealed now (see tunnel doors below).

The walls of the well are inscribed with Kufic Qur'anic inscriptions referring to water, prosperity and vegetation.

The Nilometer was also importat as a trigger for Fath al-Khalij or the festival of the Opening of the Canal. The Khalij Canal originated opposite Roda Island and would be opened when the Nilometer reached the 16 mark. At this level, the water filled up the canal and provided irrigation for the farmers.

From what I have read, during the celebrations, decorated boats would crowd the river. Those who witnessed it referred to it as Cairo's most spectacular festival. Of course the celebrations were not guaranteed. If the water levels remained below 16, then far from celebrating, the locals would be fasting and praying to the rain gods!

The first time I went, my vertigo got the better of me, and, I did not manage to go down the well. The absence of any railings/ support makes it worse!

The next time round, I gritted my teeth and went down, couldn't let a fear get the better of me! And believe me, the view, as you look up from the ground, with the light streaming through the dome, is really worth the trek down!

How to get there: Nilometer is located inside the gardened compound of Cairo's Al Manasterly Palace. The entrance fees is LE15 er head.

Toxic brown cloud expected to appear in Egypt’s sky

2008-11-24T00:28:00.000-08:00

Daily News
By Yasmine Saleh
First Published: November 19, 2008

CAIRO: The United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) warned of the passing of the “brown” cloud, which is full of toxic chemical material, over the Middle East.

The cloud is around three kilometers long.

According to the UNEP report, which was first released on Nov. 13, the cloud would pass over the Middle East within three to seven days. Some suspect that the fog that has engulfed the city on Wednesday is part of the cloud. No reports have confirmed such claims.

When contacted by Daily News Egypt, officials at the Ministry of Environmental Affairs were unavailable for comment by press time.
According to the report, “the cloud center is in South Korea and is called brown because of its brown color.”

The report also indicated that the cloud is considered to be of great danger to the international environment.

“The cloud will have a serious reaction that might lead to the death of thousands of people and harm agricultural products,” read the report.
According to Achim Steiner, UN under-secretary general and executive director of UNEP, the cloud started to move from Asia to Africa and the Middle East.

The report also stated that the cloud had serious impacts on air quality and agriculture in Asia “increasing risks to human health and food production for three billion people.”

“Cities from Beijing to New Delhi are getting darker, glaciers in ranges like the Himalayas are melting faster and weather systems are becoming more extreme, in part, due to the combined effects of human-made Atmospheric Brown Clouds (ABCs) and greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” stated the UNEP report.

The report has also identified 13 cities as ABC hotpots. Those cities are: Bangkok, Beijing, Cairo, Dhaka, Karachi, Kolkata, Lagos, Mumbai, New Delhi, Seoul, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Tehran, where soot levels are 10 percent of the total mass of all human-made particles.

According to the report, cities with large concentrations of ABCs may be getting cloudier which might lead to a 25 percent decrease in visibility.
According to Steiner, the clouds can lead to serious respiratory problems and complications in blood vessels.

As for the agricultural products, the cloud might lead to a decrease in the productivity and the quality of products like rice, wheat and Soya beans.
The report also explained that the brown cloud resulted from burning of fossil fuels and biomass in some cases and regions aggravating the impacts of greenhouse gas-induced climate change.

“Globally, however, brown clouds may be countering or ‘masking’ the warming impacts of climate change by between 20 and up to 80 percent, the researchers suggest,” the report indicated.

On the other hand, Sabri Abdel Hadi, manager of the health department at Egypt’s Ministry for Environmental Affairs, said that “he did not receive any information about this cloud” and added that “South Korea is tens of thousands kilometers away from Egypt which makes it unreasonable for the cloud to reach Egypt,” according to his statement to Amal Al Omah news website, that is run by the Muslim Brotherhood in Alexandria.

Dr Ahmed Aboul Seoud, manager of the quality of air department at the Ministry for Environmental Affairs, also told the website that the arrival of this cloud to Egypt is “far-fetched” but added that the ministry will issue a special warning to all citizens not to leave their houses in the unlikely case of its appearance.

Aboul Seoud has also indicated that the Ministry of State for Environmental Affairs will be able to monitor this cloud by satellites if it appeared in the Egyptian sky and will find solutions to eliminate it by water.

Paradox?

2008-11-21T00:50:00.000-08:00

Its amazing how sometimes we don't look beyond the obvious, well, at least I did not..

My car is usually fuelled by the driver, and, the only cognizant memory I have of the fuel is that its cheap. A 100 le goes a long way, and I don't have to fill up petrol every other day, despite the fact that I move around quite a bit.

Two days ago, the driver called in sick, and, I had to drive, and, fill petrol. It was then that the penny dropped! Well, high time it did!

Petrol costs 1.80 le per gallon (1 gallon = approx 4 litres) while water costs 1.50 le for a litre bottle. The difference was so stark that it caught me by surprise. Well, it should not, cos this is dessert land, where water is at a premium. Plus in a sense, water is essential to life, and, petrol is not, so there should be a premium for it!

But coming from a country where the petrol cost is some 10 times the cost of water, this seems such a paradox!

Or is it really? Every situation, every circumstance warrants its own set of peculiarities, and, we need to learn to make the most of them. I guess that's true of everything in life, isn't it?

A 4,300- year-old pyramid discovered in Sakkara desert

2008-11-21T00:46:00.001-08:00

Daily News Egypt
By Marwa Al-A’sar
First Published: November 11, 2008

CAIRO: A 4,300-year-old pyramid of a Pharaonic queen was discovered in Sakkara desert, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Zahi Hawass told reporters in a press conference on site Tuesday.
“The pyramid is believed to belong to Queen Sesheshet, the mother of King Titi (2323 – 2291 BC), the founder of ancient Egypt‘s Sixth Dynasty,” Hawass said.

The pyramid is part of the cemetery associated with King Titi, who had his funerary complex built north-east to that of King Djoser (2630 – 2611 BC). It is 4.5 meters high with a square base of 22 meters on each side. The original height is estimated to be about 14 meters.

“We are about to reach the burial area, yet I don’t think we will find much because we found traces of robbery there,” Hawass said.
Sesheshet’s pyramid is located near those of Titi’s two wives, Khuit and Iputi. The three pyramids were designed similarly.

Though Sesheshet was recognized from inscriptions on a medical papyrus, no identified tomb for her has ever been discovered in the Sakkara necropolis, according to Hawass.

He pointed out that the Egyptian excavation in the Titi cemetery has added a lot to the understanding of the beginning of the sixth Dynasty.

An Egyptian archeological team has been excavating the site since 1988. But the discovery was made a few months ago when it appeared that the structure unveiled under the sand was a pyramid.

The Sesheshet pyramid is the 118th discovered so far in Egypt. There are 20 pyramids more found out but with only the bases remaining.
“The newly discovered pyramid is expected to be unveiled after two months,” Hawass concluded.

The queen mother played an important role in the establishment of the sixth dynasty at a time when two branches of the former ruling family were in conflict.

For many years, scholars believed that Iputi was the primary wife of King Titi. Recently, however, Hawass excavated the pyramid of Khuit, discovering that her pyramid was built before Iputi’s, which indicates she was the chief wife.

Gorgeous graffitti

2008-11-11T06:17:00.000-08:00

Talk about hunting for a needle in a haystack - now I know the feeling! Went around Downtown and Dokki the whole morning in search of some graffitti! Suspect when my hubby hears this, he'll shrug his shoulders in one of those resigned gestures, lol!

However, I think the trek around town was worth the graffitti that I saw. Just check out the pictures below and then go see them in person. To me, it was certainly worth the visit!
Goethe Institute is the headquarters for learning German in Cairo, and, operates as a cultural centre as well, organising numerous events all through the year. This year, the centre completed 50 years of its existence in Cairo, and, decided to celebrate the occassion by rolling out year long celebrations.

Four German artists of the graffiti project “Masala Movement” and two Egyptians came together in the lavish garden surrounding what used to be former East Germany’s embassy in Cairo, and, were allowed to pain the walls of the now defunct East German embassy.

The project tasked the six artists with transforming the walls of the language center (known as ‘the empty space’) into a large piece of art, and, I must admit, they have done a fabulous job.

Bright colours, bold, larger than life figures are beautifully juxtaposed against the brown stone of the walls. There are yet others that been painted at the intersection of two walls, with slatted windows in the middle, lending an interesting perspective to the graffitti!

There is a enormous worm in black and white which resmbles a dragon or an equally wild creature. Painted on the 3 walls of an alcove, its lifelike and really seems like its crawling along the walls!

Then there is a mother and child which seems to represent the connection between the two when the child is born and also when its in the womb or maybe, thats just my hyperactive imagination!

If you’re thinking about checking out their work, make sure to stop by soon.
This one is somewhat remniscent of the work of a famous Indian cartoonist called Mario Miranda.

Just a word of Caution. Goethe Institute seems to be spread all over the place 3-4 buildings. The one that you need to go to is in Dokki at 17 Road.

I, of course, finally got there after seeing practically every Goethe Institute building! The helpful guards/ counter guys at each building, enthusiastically nodded their head and said "aiwa (yes)" when I asked for graffitti. Next time, must remember to check the arabic word for "graffitti" or whatever else it is that I am going looking for!

English news in Cairo

2008-11-10T23:49:00.000-08:00

Other than the Daily News/ Egyptian Gazzette or Mail that you normally read with your morning cuppa, I finally managed to find a list of websites which you can go browse for Egypt news, if you want to!

Al-Ahram Weekly
Government affiliated leading Egyptian newspaper, so news / reviews to be read accordingly. However, I find that soem of the articles are very good and most importatly, the travel section in this one is usually good!

AllAfrica.com: Egypt
News reports from African sources.

Cairo Live
News on Egypt from international and Egyptian news outlets.

Cairo Times
Small English language section of Egyptian news magazine.

Caravan
American University in Cairo's student-produced newspaper. Covers campus and regional news in English and Arabic.

Daily News Egypt
The only local independent daily newspaper in the English language, bundled with the International Herald Tribune.

Egypt Daily News
Provides aggregated Egyptian news from various sources.

Egypt Guide
Online magazine featuring information regarding news, business, tourism, travel, and more.

Egypt Information Portal
Official portal providing business and political information and news.

Egypt Today
Leading current affairs magazine in Egypt.

Egyptian Gazette
Middle East's oldest English-language newspaper published in Cairo.

MEMRI: Egypt
Site of US based Middle East Media Research Institute providing analysis and translations of Arabic media reports.

Middle East News Agency (MENA)
Subscription-only news agency.

Middle East Times
Egypt-based regional magazine. Provides more or less objective reporting of Middle East and Egypt news, as well as cultural and business features.

State Information Service
Features official news stories, Cairo press review, and country background information

And while technically not a news site, this does give information of an oft heard name in Egypt.
Ikhwanweb
London-based official web site of the Muslim Brotherhood.

That should be enough for any news / information buff!

Egypt's 1st underwater museum?

2008-11-10T23:20:00.000-08:00

Wow!

The European Institute for Underwater Archaeology is currently carrying out a feasibility study for the construction of the first underwater museum for Egyptian antiquities on the Mediterranean coastal city of Alexandria! Now that would be something really unique! Like the underwater restaurant in Israel?

The museum's design is by the French architect Jacques Rougerie. The design was chosen in an UNESCO-supervised international competition held for this specific purpose. The design envisages a museum which shall be partly above sea level and partly submerged.

However, visitors to Egypt will have a long wait for this, cos the feasibility study alone will be completed only next September. Then there would be the funding, the construction etc.

Hmmm, I think I shall come for my return visit to Egypt once the museum is completed!

Religion over sentiment?

2008-11-10T14:29:00.000-08:00

Just read this article in Daily News on the internet, and, was left wondering what should have more value - emotions bound with relationships or religion?

Like in all almost all other countries, laws in Egypt allow for the child to live with the mother till the age of 18, in the event of dissolution of a marriage. I am sure that if lawmakers all over the world recognise and acknowledge the need for the child to be with the mother who typically is an emotional anchor, there must be a justifiable reason for it.

However, came across a rather interesting article in Daily News today. The article (http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=17388) talks about Egyptian men who converted to Islam from Christianity, and, happen to be separated from their wives, and, how they are fighting the custody battle on the grounds of incompatible religions! How can the child of a Muslim father be brought up by a Christian mother, is the argument being used by them.

To me that's such an unfair argument. The child needs its mother for the emotional sustenance that he/she draws from the mother. While a lot of fathers of today's generation are active participants in their children's lives, the reality of the majority, especially in Oriental and Asian cultures, is that the mother plays a larger social, emotional and physical role in the child's life. So how can religion be a consideration, let alone the deciding factor, in determining custody?

As it is, a child, of a marriage that has not worked out, lacks the combined presence of both his natural parents in his life. Unless the mother is physically torturing the children, they tend to turn to their mothers especially the young ones. This is about emotions, feelings, relationships, so where does religion come in?

Or does religion take precedence over the emotional comfort of a child?

Vital - the healthy food!

2008-11-10T14:08:00.000-08:00

The name describes the product very appropriately! What would describe health food more aptly than the word "Vital"? So clearly Sage Foods got their branding bang on!

In case you are wondering what I am rambling about, there is a bunch of entrepreneurs who call themselves "Sage Foods" who have got together to set up a virtual food chain! They basically figured that the huge fixed overheads of running a physical restaurant is what impacts return on capital employed and renders it unviable. So they decided they would only do home delivery!

Essentially, Vital will offer salads, soups and juices for the health conscious. They claim that they have a wide range of salads in decent size portions, giving you a nutritious, yet satisfying lunch / dinner.

You can also make your own salad by choosing everything from the base salad to the ingredients and the dressing.

They currently deliver only in Maadi, and , their food is also served in El-Shader café, also in Maadi. They plan to open more outlets soon.

This sounds good, so tomorrow I am going to call Sage Foods and try one of their salads and soups! They can be contacted at (02) 2522 2204/5.

In case you want to know more about them, call them and read about them at http://www.dailystaregypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=17487.

P.S. They already do home delivery of beef burgers under the brand name "The Burger Kitchen"!

A Global Village

2008-11-06T12:35:00.000-08:00

Was watching a program on MBC4, when an ad caught my attention. I had to wait for a couple of more ad breaks to see the repeat telecast of the ad.

Came back to Youtube to see if I could find the ad and I did, though, unfortunately I found only the English version of the ad! I googled for quite a while but could not find the Arabic version.

Its an ad for a toothpaste "Close-Up" - just watch it...

Ok, so what's so great about it? Nothing, except that it exemplifies what a global village the word has become!

If you watch the Arabic version, the ad shows an Indian girl romancing an European boy / Westerner in what appears to be a Chinese market, with a Hindi song in the background, and an Arabic voiceover, and, I am watching it in Egypt!

How much more global and integrated can you get?

P.S. Even though the voiceover in this ad is in English, the background score is beautiful! You need to catch the Arabic ad on MBC to appreciate what I mean!

City of Dead - Khankah of Sultan Farag Barquq

2008-11-05T16:20:00.000-08:00

I think part of the problem of going to see the tombs in the City of the Dead is the complete lack of any signage of any sort which would help find the tombs you are looking for!

My driver used to work for a travel agency before, but even he shrugs his shoulders when its comes to this part of Cairo. "No English tourist come to cemetry" he looks at me rather accusingly! "Er... ana min el Hind, ana mish engeltera!"

I suspect he's not too happy, having to roam the "Qarafa" (the local name for the City of the Dead) but does not have too much choice, given the "idosynchrasies" of his expat employer, lol! Though I keep telling him to look at the brighter side of this - after we are gone, he can probably go back to work for a travel agency, and, this time take them to places where "no man has gone before"! Pardon the last line, but my son's current obsession with all things Star (Star Trek, Star Wars etc) is rubbing off on me!!!

So willy nilly, he had to ask around for the nexy tomb on my list.

Khankah of Sultan Farag Ibn Barquq
My second stop was the Khankah of Sultan Barquq which my driver mistook for another mosque. A Khanqah used to be a kind of hostel / monastery for the Sufis, where they could stay and learn. The tomb was built by his son Al-Nasir Faraj for him, but he was never buried here!

While he ensured a place in the history of Cairo's architecture for his father with this tomb, Al-Nasir Faraj, however had the misfortune of being "the most tragic king of Egypt". He took the throne at the age of ten, and was only twenty-three when he was deposed and killed in Damascus. The khanqah took so long to complete (eleven years), that during its construction the sultan was dethroned twice and traveled to Syria seven times to quell disturbances. His reign was really one of continual strife among the amirs .(www.touregypt.com)

Given this background, wonder where he managed to find the time to build such a beautiful masoleum and kankhah? Lessons in time management, much to learn!
The khankah is rather special on account of two beautiful domes and two minarets. One can climb both minarets, from which there is a fairly panaromic view, not only of the necropolis but of the surrounding areas.

The place has a huge sprawling courtyard which makes you wonder that it may well have been used as a congregational mosque rather than only a madrasa / khankah.

In one corner are stairs which take you to the upper floor to what must have been the living quarters of the sufi scholars who stayed and studied here.

Couldn't see much beyond this, cos I had to be back home in time to pick my son up, but shall be back another day!

City of the Dead

2008-11-04T04:27:00.000-08:00

While driving from the airport to Maadi, past the Citadel, if you look around, you can see a sea of small brown buildings and masoleums dotting the landscape. Some of the domes of the masoleums are beautifully carved. This entire sea of mausoleums is probably the largest necropolis in the Arab world - the City of the Dead. The area covers five major cemeteries - the Northern Cemetery, Bab el Nasr Cemetery, the Southern Cemetery, the Cemetery of the Great, and Bab el Wazir Cemetery.

I remember the first time I drove through the area, I was fascinated by the buildings and the tombs and the contrast between some densely populated, bustling and other desolate, quiet, desserted sections in that area. When I mentioned this to a friend, she told me about the City of the Dead. Its not an area that many Cairenes like to visit, given that its a necropolis, she explained. As a name, it is, I must admit, a little macabre.

However, some of the tombs are really beautiful, and each time, I go to the Khan and come back I am very tempted to stop, but never could, due to paucity of time. But a few days ago, I decided that this was D day and come what ever may, the City of the Dead it was going to be!

I had been looking up some stuff on City of Dead before, and, I realised that big mausoleums like these were intended as complexes which included residential areas, kitchens, baths, bakeries, grain mills, a market place, rooms for travelers and small streets.

Also in cemeteries during those times also included small palaces and other residences for the wealtly to visit their dead in comfort. So most of the mausoleums belonging to the rich noblemen were large complexes, and, not just small tombs.

Other than just roaming around the necropolis, and exploring the various tombs and mosques, there were a few places on my list that I definately wanted to see:

a/ Mosque of Sultan Qait Bay
b/ Khankah of Sultan Farag Ibn Barquq
c/ Khankah of Sultan Al-Ashraf Barsbay
d/ Mausoleum of Ahmed Hassanein Pasha
e/ Tomb of Emir Sulayman

Unfortunately, I only managed to see two - that of Sultan Qait Bay and Sultan. Will have to go back for the other three another day!

Mosque of Sultan Qait Bay
Perhaps, one of the most beautiful mosque/ tomb in the City of the Dead is the mosque of Sultan Qait Bay. In fact I remember it being described as the "jewel in the crown" for the mausoleums in the Cities of the Dead.

Purchased for a princely sum of fifty dinar, Sultan Qait Bay was a Mamluk slave who worked his way up through the ranks to become commander-in-chief of the army, and ultimately sultan.

He fought sixteen military campaigns, but is best remembered for the spectacular buildings he left. His buildings graced Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Damascus, and every quarter of Cairo. Out of more than 60 constructions and renovations he sponsored in Egypt, Syria, Palestine and Mecca, his most famous is the Qait Bay Citadel in Alexandria

The mosque though small is beautiful. The magnificent dome has a beautifully carved star pattern.

When you walk inside the mosque, you understand why someone had referred it to as the "jewel in the crown". It is indeed beautiful albiet small.

I had asked one of the caretakers to take a photograph of mine, and, after that I was surprised to find a policeman / guard following me around, muttering in Arabic and wildly gesturing towards my camera. For a moment I thought that perhaps it was not permitted to take photographs, so rather hesitatingly I asked "mish mumkin (not possible)?" He gestured no and once again at the camera. Then when I was reviewing the photos, it struck me! The man had happily sneaked in behind me while the snap had been clicked and wanted to see his photograph! There you can see him, pose et all!
The ceiling is decorated beautifully with the traditional Islamic design tools - calligraphy, geometric patterns and arabesque designs. You can see the shape of the star worked in the ceiling pattern (below). The star, I understand is quite prominently used in Islamic art as a symbol of guidance often mentioned in the Quran.

The mosque has beautiful stained glass windows on two sides, much in the fashion of the long windows in old English castles.

During the afternoons, when the sun rays filter in through these windows, they cast the coloured shadow of these windows on the floor and the walls giving the impression of the stone smoldering in the aftermath of a raging fire!

Of course, you see this mosque every single day, but might find it difficult to recognise it. Where have you seen it? Well, on the LE 1 note that you handle every single day!

The reality is far more beautiful and the picture on the LE 1 note does not do the mosque justice. Go see it!

Piped Gas

2008-11-03T09:15:00.000-08:00

My endless wait for the bohab to rouse himself to replace my empty gas cylinder is finally going to be over! We are going to get piped gas!

After weeks of promising to turn up to install the gas pipes, the workers finally land up on the one day that my maid takes off. Out of fear of further procastination, I allow them to work in the kitchen, and, now, it looks like the khamaseen had visited!

I look around the kitchen to take account of the damages - a hole in the wall which he will patch up tomorrow (inshaallah), cement dust all over the floor, broken legs of the cooking range (now I wonder how he managed that?) and, a grining worker who nods towards the pipe and grins and asks me "kwayyis (good)?" I cant help but grin back. There is something so irrepressible about the Egyptians that you can't help but grin back even in resignation!

"bukra mumkin (possible tomorrow)? " I ask in my faltering Arabic, hoping that this will end tomorrow. If it was not bad enough to have the contruction work outside the house, it seemed like I had carried it right into my home. "Hadr, mumkin bukra (Yes, possible tomorrow)" and some other stuff which I am afraid I did not quite understand!

"Feyn (when)?" I ask hesitantly, hoping that this would not be another day long vigil. The man, very engaging smiled and shrugged his shoulders. So great, there go my plans for tomorrow in smoke, but hey I think its worth the sacrifice, if I can get piped gas from tomorrow!

Halloween at CAC

2008-11-03T08:53:00.000-08:00

My son had been counting days to Oct 31st so that he could attend the Halloween bash at CAC. We went through all his dress-up clothes a millon times deciding what he would go dressed as that night. From Dracula to Superman to Batman to Spiderman, we went through them all, only to revisit them again!

But there is something to be said for a child's enthusiasm which is very infectious, and, I could not help but join in the fun. And I absolutely adore the excietment that a child's anticipation brings with it.

As the evening of the 31st drew close, we were all excited, and dressed up to go! My son insisted that I should at least wear black to celebrate Halloween if I was not going tp dress up! So black it was!

To my amazement we had to stand in a long line that stretched from the school gate to the medan before the school! It didn't help that I had two Batmen (my son and his friend) who kept asking me "how long"? As I told them, I wish I knew!

20 mins and we were in! The boys squealed in delight at the pumpkin carriage being driven by skeleton coachmen! They insisted on taking a photograph!

They had to walk through this scary spooky gate, after getting their hands marked off, to enter the “trick or treat” lane!

The school had very effectively used netting to create a lane along the pathways of the school, and, middle / high schoolers sat in every nook and corner doling out candy! The lure of candy was such that even Count Dracula seemed a lot of fun!

The highlight of the evening was clearly the Haunted House for which we stood in line for 45 mins. The middle/high schoolers put up a fantastic show wth lots of blood, gore and scary noises that made the kids squeal in fear and excitement! The boys enjoyed it thoroughly, clutching me for dear life, and, screaming for all they were worth. So enamoured were they of the Haunted House, that they wanted an encore, except that for all the love in the world, I was not about to stand in line for yet another 45 mins.

The field was very festive, and the elementary CAC community had turned out in large numbers to enjoy the event. The field was dotted with stalls for games and the boys ensured that they played every single one of them! Food stalls galore, ensured that their stomachs were full, not to mention the candy in their hands!

All good things must come to an end, so after two hours of noisy fun, we decided to head back home, much to the reluctance of the two Batmen with me!

I believe that we missed a lot of excitement by leaving a tad early, cos some young boys peleted cars with eggs and tomatoes as people were leaving CAC after the party was over! So if you did not manage to get an omlette for breakfast next morning, you know who to blame!

Of "laid back" drivers!

2008-11-02T23:51:00.000-08:00

I had to take a cab back home from school this morning cos hubby has the exclusive use of the car today courtesy the driver being on leave! I could, of course, have walked, but my feet have been killing me after all the walking, dancing and standing that I have subjected them to the last one week.

I am very intrigued with the way Egyptian drivers drive their cars. They recline back, halfway house to lying down. The rare occassions that I do take a cab, I can never sit behind the driver's seat cos its like having the cab driver in my lap, lol!

Now I am reasonably tall and probably the same height as the average Egyptian. Plus I definitely do not qualify for size 0, in fact far from it! I drive with the seat's back rest pretty much straight, so that I can see the road bumps clearly, and, I feel in control of the car.

Even with my driver, I have to tell him to pull his seat to the front and raise the backrest before we can get in behind him. And this is not specific to my driver. All cab drivers or even hired limo drivers, drive with their seats pushed back, and, the back rest almost at a 45 degree angle. I don't know but I find it really difficult and uncomfortable to drive, not to mention that reclining back, I am tempted to doze off!

Am trying to figure out how they manage to drive, but for now it remains an unsolved mystery!

Cairo

2008-11-02T00:08:00.000-07:00

There is a saying that if you get your feet wet in the Nile, you always come back. Before I leave,and whenever that may be, am planning to get completely wet, if this really helps!

There is something about the city, its way of life, its people that endears itself to you, and, you dont want to let go.

A friend of mine, who had lived here for over 10 years, came back for a short holiday, and she kept reiterating how much she misses Cairo. I can completely appreciate it!

Egypt sheikh backs women's right to beat husbands

2008-11-01T00:48:00.000-07:00

By AFP
First Published: October 28, 2008

CAIRO: Sunni Islam's highest authority has approved a woman's right to fight back if her husband uses violence against her, Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported on Monday.

The declaration by Sheikh Abdel Hamid Al-Atrash, who heads Al-Azhar University's committee for fatwas, or religious edicts, comes after similar rulings by religious leaders in Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

"A wife has the legitimate right to hit her husband in order to defend herself," Atrash was quoted as saying.

"Everyone has the right to defend themselves, whether they are a man or a woman... because all human beings are equal before God," he said.

Over the last few days, Saudi Sheikh Abdel Mohsen Al-Abyakan stressed the fact that a wife should resort to "the same kind of violence" as her husband used against her, whether it be with a leather strap or a wire cable, the paper said.

Prominent Turkish Muslim preacher and writer Fethullah Gulen went one step further and ruled that a woman should return the violence with interest.

"She should give back two blows for each one received," the paper quoted him as saying.

Rights groups quoted by Amnesty International say that 35 percent of Egyptian women killed each year die as a result of domestic violence.

Segragation in mosques

2008-10-30T06:26:00.000-07:00

This one is credited to Cairo Typ0 who sent me off on this path after a thought about why were there separate areas for men and women in mosques.

As far as I knew Islam specified behavioural norms and dress codes for men and women, but whether any text specified segregation I was not aware. Quite honestly, I always assumed that it was probably part of the hadith, and, never gave it another thought since it did not really impact me.

Browsed through a number of websites and this is what I have understood:

Both men and women are allowed to pray in the Mosque in the same congregational prayer. However, when they do pray, the men line up behind the Iman, then the children and finally the women.

As per this website (http://www.islamonline.net/), this was the way that Muslims prayed, seated behind the Prophet, and the practice has continued since, but the Prophet did not ordain a curtain / wall between the men and the women praying with him.

According to the Shari`ah, it is not required to have a partition, temporary or permanent, between men and women in the Masjid. However, it is expected that the women would be appropriately dressed in an Islamic way.

Another hadith talks about Asma, the daughter of Abu Bakr who said,

I heard the Apostle of God say, "One of you who believes in God and in the Last Day should not raise her head until the men raise their heads (after prostration) lest she should see the private parts of men."(Sunan Abu Dawud, No. 850).

This implies that there was no segregation but a norm of behaviour specified and the order of seating defined - women behind the men.

From what I have read on the net (and I would be very happy if someone who reads this has any idea about this) the Quran also does not specify segregation but seeks to reduce physical proximity that may lead to improper (?) behaviour.

I guess somewhere in the later years, a Victoran sense of morality prevailed or more likely, some cleric probably interpreted the texts in a conservative manner which resulted in praying areas being segregated for men and women.

Diwali with Kids

2008-10-29T08:27:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine came up with the brilliant idea of celebrating Diwali with all the young Indian kids, and, giving them a sense of what Diwali is like back home.

So she invited all the young Indian kids that we knew in Maadi. Yours truly had the responsibility of doing a half hour session with the kids on the legends associated with Diwali (that by the way is the origin of the earlier post on Diwali). Some of us moms cooked traditional Indian food, so that potluck would reduce the pressure on my friend whose house the entire event was being organised.

While I narrated the legends of Diwali to the kids, I was amazed at the extent of awareness that these NRI (non resident Indian) kids had about their roots - it was much more than I had expected. At the same time, their irreverent take on some of the characters was hilarious. As one of the kids, rather uncharitably said of the mighty "Kumbhkaran" - that fat dude! But it was a fun session and kept the kids occupied while my friend got the games ready.

Once the games were over, came the fun part! The fireworks! My friend had organised lots of fireworks which she had got from Downtown. I was surprised at the variety that she had managed to get. I had only seen sparklers and some bombs before, but was delighted to see some anars (that is what you can see in the picture below).

The kids just loved the whole evening, and, for all of us, it was reinforcement of the spirit of joy, fun and enjoyment that Diwali embodies!

Diwali at home

2008-10-29T07:56:00.000-07:00

Since I am on the subject of Diwali, we celebrated Diwali at home on 28th. Of course, it was a much smaller affair than it would have been if we had been at home. But not being at home, was no excuse to not celebrate Diwali.

My son and I made a small rangoli at home. My son was very excited about making the rangoli and scurried around fetching and carrying for me. Traditionally, we use rice paste or even poster paints but I was worried that these would stain the marble, so we decided to be innovative and used dry flour instead. Of course, it made the process very tedious and long, but we both enjoyed ourselves!

All the rooms in the house were lit with candles. Back home, we would have used diyas filled with mustard oil and lit using cotton wicks, but tea lights worked just as well!
Traditional sweets and food were made at home. I sat my son down and read to him the stories related to Diwali. After all this, we burst a few crackers and lit a few sparklers that we had purchased in Downtown.

It made me feel closer to home and the associated festivities , and hopefully, gave my son a perspective on what all we do during Diwali.

Tomorrow we are going to celebrate Diwali with all the young Indian kids, that we know, who live in Maadi. Shall write about it and post snaps.

Diwali - the festival of lights

2008-10-29T07:16:00.000-07:00

28th October was a big Indian festival - Diwali or Deepavali - which is celebrated with great enthu and lights and firecracers back home.

The literal meaning of Deepavali in Sanskrit is 'a row of lamps.' That's why Diwali is called the festival of lights.

Before the Diwali season, houses are cleaned and white-washed. One of the main features of the festival is the worship of Lakshmi (Laxmi), the Goddess of Fortune, Beauty, Prosperity and Wealth. Deepawali is celebrated on Amavasya, the darkest night of the month, and houses, shops, places of work, etc., are lit all through the night, least Lakshmi turn her back on a house that is dark. Since she will not enter a dirty place, the residence or the place of work is thoroughly washed and cleaned.

This post is for my son - for him to read and re-read and acquaint himself with the rich mythological heritage that India has. This has been collected from numerous sources on the internet, and, some input from yours truly.

Compiling it made me realise how many aspects and legends there are to our festivals that even I am not aware of!

Day I
The festival begins with Dhanteras, which celebrates the birth of goddess Lakshmi from the bottomless ocean.

A very interesting story about Dhanteras Festival says that the son of King Hima was doomed to die by a snake-bite on the 4th day of his marriage. However on that particular day, his wife did not allow him to sleep. She sang to him, told him stories, and covered the entrance of his room with glittering jewels.

When Yamdoot, the God of Death, arrived to claim the young prince, he was blinded by the dazzle of the jewels, and, captivated by the melodious songs and fascinatings tories of the young princess, so much so that he forgot to claim the young prince and had to leave empty handed in the early rays of dawn.

Since then this day of Dhanteras came to be known as the day of "Yamadeepdaan" and lamps are kept burning throughout the night in reverence to Yam, the god of Death.

Day II
The second day is "Narak Chaturdhashi", which commemmorates the felling of the demon "Narakasura" by Queen Satyabhama with the help of Krishna.
Day III
The most famous legend behind the celebrations of Diwali is about the prince of Ayodhya, Lord Shri Ram Chandra, his defeating Ravana and his return from exile by lighting lamps on this darkest night of the year.

Exiled to the forest for 14 years, Ram waged a war against Ravan, the Kinf of lanka to rightfully claim back his consort who had been abducted by Ravana. The battle signifies the eternal struggle between the good and the evil, and Ram's victory a declaration of the victory of good over evil. His victory and turn to his kingdom from exile is celbrated by lighting lamps during Diwali.
Day IV
The fourth day of Diwali is devoted to Govardhan Pooja which celebrates Krishna's feat of lifting the Govardhan hill on his little finger. People organize a special puja on this day.

On seeing that the inhabitants of Vrindavan had neglected to worship him, lndra, the King of Heaven, decided to punish them by sending terrible rain clouds to inundate the land of Vrindavan. The inhabitants of Vrindavan approached Lord Krishna for shelter. Krishna immediately lifted Govardhana Hill with His left hand, and, held it up like an umbrella. Bringing all their household possessions, the inhabitants of Vrindavan, along with their cows, took shelter from the torrential rains under Govardhana Hill. For seven days they remained safe under the hill, not even disturbed by hunger and thirst. This was how he saved them from the wrath of Indra.

Day V
The five day festival is wrapped up by Bhai Duj, the time to honour the brother-sister relationship. There are many versions as to how Bhai Dooj originated. One version states that Yamraj, the Lord of Death, visited his sister Yami on this day. She welcomed him by applying a tilak (vermillion powder with raw rice grains) on his forehead. From there originated the parctice of bhai dhooj where a sister applies a tilak to her brother and prays for his long life.

Customs & Traditions of Diwali
Diwali is associated with many customs and traditions. Like the tradition of rangoli, tradition of burning crackers, tradition of lights, tradition of Diwali pujas and Diwali gifts.

Lights and diyas are lit to signifying the driving away of darkness and ignorance, as well as the awakening of the light within ourselves

Lighting of diyas is also an important part of Diwali celebration. Lighting diyas brings divine brightness and joy with the hope of finding light in darkness, achieving knowledge where there is ignorance and spreading love where there is hatred. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil and light over darkness.

The tradition of gambling on Diwali also has a legend behind it. It is believed that on this day, Goddess Parvati played dice with her husband Lord Shiva and she decreed that whosoever gambled on Diwali night would prosper throughout the ensuing year.

Rangoli is a traditional Hindu folk art; it is a kind of designs generally created on a floor on special festive occasions. Rangolis are a symbol of auspiciousness. It is believed that during Laxmi Puja, the Goddess Laxmi actually enters the household .The rangoli made at the entrance to a home, invites Goddess lakshmi into the household, and drives away the evil spirits. It is also created to please her, in the hope that she may bless the house and to ensure that she stays the full year.

Diwali is the joyous celebration of the triumph of good over evil. It is the popular belief that the fireworks that add splendor to the festivities actually reduces the evil to ashes.

Sultan Hussein mosque

2008-10-23T11:51:00.000-07:00

This is the Sultan Hussein mosque near Khan el Khalili. As you are walking out of the Khan, you can see one of the minarets through the higgedly piggedly maze of the buildings of the Khan..

The mosque is really large with the areas for women and men being segregated and seprated by a wall. There is a shrine covered in silver which has access from both the male and the female section of the mosque.

The women's section.......

EDITED (3 Nov '08): Met some Pakistani friends yesterday with whom I raised this topic. As per them, physical segregation in terms of separate places does not exist even at Kaba, so its arisen more out of practice than a specified tenet.

Of sleepless nights that never seem to end...

2008-10-22T22:59:00.000-07:00

Last night my mother-in-law finally lost it. The incessant loud noise from the contruction site next door, I think, finally broke all barriers of her patience. Not that I blame her! We are all suffering from lack of sleep courtesy the drill that seems to drone on and on the whole night, till our eyes shut with sheer exhaustion!

And it would appear that there is no rule about not working through the night, or at least no rule that appears to apply to the Wadi Degla guys who are promoting the property next door!

We have complained to the police before, but all they seem to be interested in is our passport, the report be dammed! An Egyptian neighbour explained that it was not enough to report, you need to know the right senior policemen to get this stopped, and even then, the respite will be temporary!

You can imagine her sense of frustration cos she even called on the number advertised for the Flying Squad, but I suspect that they were lucky enough not to have a contruction site next to their office, and were blissfully asleep at night, cos no one answered!

I understand that Maadi has a rule about no trucks entering the area before 8 pm and after 8 am, so I can understand trucks coming in after 8 loading and leaving but continuing to drop / load stuff that makes a racket till 2.30 a.m. is a bit unfair.

So last night ma-in-law freaked out , and, I think, took them by sheer surprise, cos we slept in blissful silence thereafter.

Egyptians have a huge amount of respect for "mother". Everywhere, we go ma gets preferential treatment cos she's "mother"! It would appear that the respect extends to construction as well!

So willy nilly, mom-in-law has been nominated to yell every night in the hope that they shall discontinue work, and, we shall, sleep in peace, lol!

Molestation

2008-10-22T15:49:00.000-07:00

Last night, dinner conversation was rather serious about the molestation of women in Gamet al-Dowal in Mohandaseein during Eid and what drives men to do it especially when they're emerging from what is supposed to be the most religious period of the year (Ramadan) and during the holy festival of Eid! And the tragedy? This is not the only Eid that this has happened. I believe "hormonal imbalance" happened earlier in 2006 as well!

I was trying to look up views on the entire episode when I came across a post by someone called KAding in a forum (http://www.islamicboard.com/) where a copy of an ad released by the local authorities in the newspapers has been reproduced.

And the post translates the text as " You won't be able to stop them (i.e. guys), but you can protect yourself. He who created you knows what's best for you!"

The ad left me completely speechless, not to mention flummoxed! I am not sure what the ad is trying to say?

a/ Guys will be guys, can't be helped?
b/ As a society we are unable to do anything about this, so women, you've got to help yourselves?
c/ If you are not covered (am a little unsure what covered here refers to), expect to get harrassed? So the victim is responsible and not the perpetuators?

But does being covered, really protect you? Apparently not, cos the newspaper reports all talk about women wearing a niqab also being subjected to this terrible experience. And you possibly can't be more covered, in every sense, than with a niqab! So what does a woman do, cease to have a life outside the home?

And what about the men who perpetuate this? Don't they need to be made an example of so that others do not dare to do the same?

Saudi medical standards?

2008-10-18T14:25:00.000-07:00

I have pulled a muscle in my lower back and its quite painful. So bought a muscle relaxant "Radian Massage Cream" at the local pharmacy, which the pharmacist assured me was the best.

While applying the cream, noticed that its made by a Ransom Consumer Healthcare in the UK, but what was interesting is the legend on the face of the tube "New pack to comply with Saudi MOH standards".

I am very intrigued. Is this because Saudi has the most stringent Ministry of Health (MOH) standards in the Arab world or because they are the largest medicine market in the Arab world? Still trying to figure out why Saudi MOH standards?

Al Azhar

2008-10-18T14:22:00.001-07:00

This is a random photograph. While at Khan, waiting for the car, I happened to look out towards Al Azhar, and the towers against the white clouds looked really beautiful so just clicked a photograph!

Bab Zuwayla

2008-10-18T11:33:00.000-07:00

Next to the Al Azhar mosque is the sprawling Al Ghouri Wikala or at least what I suspect is a part of the Al Ghouri complex. There is an open archway through which a bustling passage stretches as far as the eye can see. If you take this pathway and keep walking, you come at the other end at Bab Zuwayla, which is the Southern gate of the old walled city of Al Qahira.

Bab Zuwayla is one of the three gates that remain of the original 60 that guarded the walls of Al Qahira. Built in 1092, the wall has survived the years being beefed up at different points in time. In fact you can “read the wall” or see the different reinforcements effected in the form of different colours / textures of stones.

The word “Bab” means gates and “Zuwalya” refers to the soldiers of the Berber tribe Zuwayla who was part of the Fatimid army and whose barracks were near this gate. Local folklore has it that the gate was considered unlucky, probably on account of the fact that in the earlier times executions were carried out here and the heads hung out on spikes on the top of the gate! Ugh!

However, the gate subsequently gained popularity as Bab al Mitwalli after a saint who lived near the gate and was rumoured to perform miracles!

As you enter the gate, you find yourself standing on steps which are atop the walls of the old walled city. One step you are within the limits of the old Fatimid city of Al Qahira, and, the next moment you are not!

A set of 76 steps carry you to the roof of the gate which is adorned by two circular towers. This is the loggia that at one time used to house the Royal Orchestra which would announce the arrival of the Royal Fatimid processions. During the Mamluk reign, drummers at the loggia would herald the arrival of the Amir into the city! I suspect this is also where the executions were carried out – a rather creepy feeling!

On both sides of the gate are beautifully carved minarets. Each minaret has a narrow staircase that leads up to the top, to a panoramic view of Cairo, though I must admit, the immediate view is not exactly eye candy! For a moment I had second thoughts about going up, seeing it gets a little dark and rather narrow but decided to brave it!

Despite the fact that you are in a crowded part of old Cairo, its incredibly peaceful, and, at this time of the year, very pleasant!

Local Musical instrument at the Tannoura performance

2008-10-17T18:40:00.000-07:00

I had mentioned the local instruments that the musicians play like rebaba (fiddle), ney (flute), mizmar (shawm), sagat (cymbals), and tabla (doumbek drum). This is what they look like

MIZWAR

SAGAT
TAMBOURINE

NEY
REBABA

TABLA

Tannoura at Al-Ghouri wikala

2008-10-17T18:04:00.000-07:00

The one thing that has been on my agenda for the past one year has been to watch the Tannoura performance at Al Ghouri. Unfortunately, not too much information is available on it on the net, and, somehow the things never fell into place.

My husband is travelling, and, I was footloose, so decided this was my moment. The performances are held on Wednesdays and Saturdays so decided on Tuesday morning that I would go. Asked a few like minded friends if they’d like to come watch the show and round it of with dinner at Naquib Mahfouz at the Khan! They all agreed, it sounded like a plan!

Wednesday night found us at the Al Ghouri centre near the Khan, trying to figure out where the show was being held. Finally, a kind soul showed us the way. Al Ghouri centre is on the left of the foot bridge, which by the way is popularly known as the 6 hours bridge, cos it was supposedly erected in 6 hours. At night the resident went to sleep, and, in the morning, hey presto, the bridge was there! I am not kidding. They had pre-fabricated the bridge and then erected it here, my friend explained.

You have to ignore the main building and go to the left of this (if you are facing Al Ghouri) and head towards the Wikala.

You walk past the security to a host of finely made wooden Mashrabiya, overlooking the courtyard as well as the facade of the building. The stone of the walls and the dark brown of aged wood make for a startling combination that looks hauntingly romantic in the subdued hues of the yellow halogen lamps.

I could close my eyes and see the bustling place the wikala must have been with women peering down into the courtyard from their mashrabiya windows as they watched the hustle and bustle of the courtyard, I fancied I could hear the sounds of the traders dismounting with their goods, and, the conversation of the workers as they lugged goods to the storerooms on the 1st and 2nd floor. I could imagine the laughter and yells of young children as they ran around the courtyard, playing their childish games!

Was brought back to reality as we realised that most of the seating was taken! The courtyard had free seating, based on first come first served. The gates are opened at 7.30 p.m. and the show begins at 8.30 p.m. sharp. There are no tickets, and the show is rather popular, the courtyard small, so it fills up very quickly.

The show starts with a set of musicians playing local instruments. The pristine white of their Sufi dresses reminded me the Mawlawia singing praise of the prophet. The musicians all play the local instruments like rebaba (fiddle), ney (flute), mizmar (shawm), sagat (cymbals), and tabla (doumbek drum).

The highlight of the performance was the “jugalbandi” that took place between individual musicians and the rest of the troupe. Each musician steps forward, and plays his instrument which the rest of them attempt to match. It was fantastic!

There was one chap with cymbals / castanets who was grace personified in his movements and the music he made with just the castanets was soothingly gentle and reflected the grace of his movements. And his “jugalbandi” with the rest of the troupe was fascinating. It was amazing that so light an instrument could sound as majestic and strong as a set of drums and tambourines!

This set the mood for what was to come. Accompanied by a singer and the musicians, the Lafife (main dancer) came centrestage. All I can say is that his performance had me captivated for the entire half hour or more that he was twirling. The bright hues of his skirt, the trance like devotion with which he twirled, the white robed Hanatia (junior dancers) who dance tirelessly around him, the soulful melodies that the singer sang so effortlessly, the music rhythms that swung from the slow, the moderate to the accelerated, all added to the impact of the dance.

People say that the secret of the Lafife even with consistent whirls lies in his foot movement. The twirls are broken by the different foot movements which ensures that he does not loose his balance. I do not know whether it’s the footwork or the trance like devotion which keeps them straight on their feet, but whatever it is, its awe inspiring.

Just when we thought the program had ended, the stage was set ablaze by three tannoura dancers in bright hues of red, green, blue, yellow, orange and what have you. If the earlier dance was frenzied but devotional, this was pure entertainment. They twirled, they bent back, lay on the floor, toyed with each other, continuing to twirl the detached skirt. It made me wish that my son was here to see this.

It was a visual delight – myriad colours meshing with a flurry of movements to the recurring beats of drums and some enthusiastic singing! While talking to the manager later, I discovered that these guys are not professionally trained but have inherited this art spontaneously from their forefathers.
The Egyptian Tannoura is different from the Whirling Dervishes of Turkey in that it’s folksier and is much more a popular Egyptian dance rather than a religious one with direct religious rituals, at least that is what was explained to me. This is reinforced by the colourful costumes which reflect the local environment rather than the stark pristine white robes of the Dervishes.

We decided to round the evening off with dinner at Naquib Mahfouz café at the Khan – befitting and appropriate end to an Egyptian evening!

Spotlight on Egypt's marriage crisis

2008-10-17T06:10:00.000-07:00

By Magdi Abdelhadi
BBC News, Cairo

"I want to get married" is a perfectly normal thing to say for a young Egyptian man. But when a girl says it in such a conservative society - let alone writes a book with that title - she is making a political statement.

"Girls are not supposed to be actively seeking something, a girl simply exists for someone to marry or divorce her," says the author of the top-selling book, Ghada Abdelaal. "To say she wants something is seen as impolite."

The book started as a blog, before it was spotted by an Egyptian publisher and printed as a series of comic sketches in which flawed and failed suitors came knocking at her parents' door.

A paranoid policeman, a hirsute fundamentalist, a pathological liar and other hilarious caricatures are portrayed in sparkling Egyptian vernacular.

Marriage anxiety

The veiled, softly-spoken Abdelaal is a sharp and witty observer of social incongruity in Egypt, a feisty spirit trying to tear up stifling tradition.

She says her target is not Egyptian men but a tradition known as "gawwaz el-salonat" (living room marriage), where a stranger is brought to the family home and the daughter must decide whether to marry him on the basis of this brief encounter.

"People who go for a picnic need to know each other a little longer than that - let alone make a lifelong commitment," Abdelaal says.

The book's popularity - it is in its third print run with a sitcom in the offing - reflects a widespread anxiety in Egyptian society. More and more young people cannot afford to get married.

Although the book focuses on finding Mr Right, she acknowledges finding an affordable flat remains an almost insurmountable obstacle. Many young people stay engaged for years before they can save up enough money.
"By the time they actually get to live together, they are already tired of each other," says women's rights activist Nihad Abou El Qoumsan. This causes the unusually high rate of divorce among the newlyweds in Egypt, she says.
Such is the impact of property prices on the marriage crisis, a popular talk show has invited engaged couples to join a draw to win a flat.

A new apartment will be given away by a wealthy businessman every day of the fasting and holiday month of Ramadan, in September. Huge numbers have registered.

Sexual frustration

Some describe it as a social time bomb. Religious customs mean there is no sex before marriage. So how do young people react to this situation?

Sociologist Madeeha al-Safty of the American University in Cairo believes one consequence is sexual harassment of women and rape reaching unprecedented levels in Egypt.

"If you are frustrated, there is the possibility that you take it out [through] violence. "Some people choose the safer way in moving towards a more religious attitude - not necessarily extremism, but it might reach the point of extremism," she adds.

But anthropologist Hania Sholkamy hesitates to link the problems of sexual harassment and rape to the marriage crisis. "I don't think people who harass women on the street are necessarily single, or necessarily sexually frustrated. There are many millions of people who are extremely frustrated, but they do not harass women.

"I think the issue is one of violence and gender disparities, pure and simple."

Gender disparity is a theme running throughout Abdelaal's book, from the provocative title questioning the women's passive role in a traditional society to the way children are brought up.

"They ask young girls here when they are three or four, who would you marry… they implant the idea your only purpose in life is to get married.

"Even after she goes to school they tell her that a girl's only future is in her husband's home. So what happens when a girl for any reason cannot get married. Should she set fire to herself?"

Abdel Zaher book binder

2008-10-16T08:15:00.000-07:00

Had read about the bookbinder's market near Khan but save for a few shops on Al Azhar street, did not really see much else.

However, a few days ago, while googling, I came across the name of Abdel Zaher on Times (of London) as being a book binder who practices the old oriental art of book binding and who is in great demand. So decided to go see what he was all about.

First of all, it was very difficult to find the shop. Its behind Al Azhar mosque in a narrow street, where driving a car is definately a test of skill. And we overlooked the shop twice, since there was no signage which mentioned his name or if it was, it was in Arabic!

Went in to a shop that was being renovated and most of the stuff was lying on tables in the centre of the shop.

The shop is full of a number of items all made of papper or cloth. There are photo albums, sketch books, tissue boxes, CD holders, magazine holders etc. They are made from varied materials including tuscany paper, handmade papper, canvas cloth printed with arabic calligraphy etc. The notebooks and photo albums have a leather binding and which can be stamped in gold print depending on what you want written, at no extra cost.
You can check out his website at http://www.abdelzaherbinding.com/. You can also order online.

I bought an old fashioned photo album with black sheaves and self adhesive corners, though much of his stuff reminded me of smilar things available back home (am I begining to sound like an Indophile or is is that India has so much varied art and craft that I find so many things similar?). I am planning to add the photographs and then go back to him to get the name of the place stamped on the binding!

261 Al Sudan Street

2008-10-16T05:51:00.000-07:00

Off the main Al Sudan street, through a nondescript entrance lies the access to clay, colour and fire! Two fierce, large peacocks guard the wooden entrance to Aladdin’s earthy treasure! Welcome to The Pottery Workshop alias the Mud Factory!

261 AL Sudan street in Mohandasein is home to Cairo’s well known potter – Samir Gindi. He does traditional pottery and the workshop is full of vases, dinner plates, tea sets, lanterns, figurines etc of all shapes, hues and sizes. The smell and feel of clay pervades the place, and, when you pick up a piece, you gather all the dust around it as well.

The lady in charge took us upstairs to a room to watch the artisans at work. I wish I could have taken a video, but it did not strike me then. As I watched, a ball of clay was moulded into a small hunched man in galabeyya. Then the man moved to another artisan who in front of our eyes, gave him an aged look with fine wrinkles, a lovely beard, and, loose flowing robes! The speed and deftness with which he worked was amazing!

At another table, an artisan was preparing moulds for lanterns, which were then moved to another table where another artisan, very deftly and without stencils or any instrument other than a sharp knife, cut out the most intricate pattern on the mould.

There was yet another who was busy embellishing a vase with Arabic calligraphy. It was quite an experience watching them at work.

It is worth a visit just to see the artisans at work but you will also find a lot of stuff to buy.

Hunting through piled table ware, I found a beautiful bowl that was glazed lime green on the inside and matt black on the outside. There was another large bowl fired in green, with a traditional Egyptian camel motif running all through. You also have the option of choosing your own colours and designs and asking him to make those for you. They regularly exhibit at the Cairo American College when the school celebrates an Egyptian day. In fact, you can see their pottery at CAC from November 9th I think.

If you are a potter, and, go there looking for something unique, you may be disappointed. He does regular pottery, meant for daily use and is not for eclectic, shapes, designs, glazes or firing styles. But some of the stuff is really lovely, and, I did pick up a tea set, and, 2 bowls.

He had a very nice vase which I asked to be glazed differently and made into a lamp. I hope it turns out well!

Egyptian currency notes - a journey through religious monuments

2008-10-15T23:45:00.000-07:00

When I had gone to see the Sultan Qait Bay mosque, I kept thinking that I had seen it before, it seemed so familiar. But I knew for sure that I had not, because I had never managed to explore the Cities of the Dead prior to this.

And then the helpful man in the mosque solved the mystery for me! I have been seeing the mosque every single day on the LE 1 note! I pulled out the note, and sure enough there it was - the Qait Bay mosque, just like it was before me now.

This had me fishing out all the notes in the wallet and trying to identify what was on them. I recognised the Ibn Tulun mosque on the LE 5 note, the Citadel on LE 20, the Al Azhar moque on 50 piasters and the Sultan Hassan mosque on the LE100 note.

I asked my driver about the other notes, but he was not able to identify the mosques. Neither was my maid. By now I was really hooked to this quest to find out which mosques where on the LE200/ LE 50 and LE 10 notes. Googled and searched, and, finally got 'em all!

So here goes!

Le 1

The note features Mosque (actually, his funerary complex) of Sultan Qaitbay who was a Mamluk who ruled Egypt from 1468 through 1496.

Le 5

This has the really beautiful Ibn Tulun mosque with its unique square base minaret. You must visit the mosque. It is very serene, very peaceful and very beautiful.

Le 10

The Refa’ie Mosque is printed on this note. This mosque is located opposite the Madrasa of Sultan Hussain in Cairo. Work was originally begun under the supervision of architect Husayn Pasha Fahmy in 1869, but numerous problems, including the deaths of both the architect and his backers. Work was suspended until 1905 when it was finished under the direction of Max Herz Bey.

Le 20

This one can be identified by anyone living in Cairo. The leaded trio of domes of Mohammed Ali Mosque need no introduction!
Le 50

This features the Abu Hurayba Mosque, which is better known as the Al-Ishaqi Mosque, but Prince Qijmas al-Ishaqi died in Syria in 1487 and was buried there. Abu Hurayba though, was entombed here in 1852.

Le 100

Anyone who has been to the Khan often enough, should be able to recognise the Sultan Hassan Mosque.
Le 200

This has the Qani-Bay Mosque, which I know precious little about. Shall try and find out some. Have not been able to find a picture either!

50 piasters

This one should be easy to identify as well. The famous Al-Azhar Mosque.

25 piasters

The main item is said to be the Al-Sayida Aisha Mosque printed in blue. Interestingly, this is not a very well known mosque. Located in the Southern Cemetery (cities of the Dead) in a section known as the Lesser Qarafa, it was built in 1762 by 'Abd al-Rahman Katkhuda and was restored in the early 20th century .
In this quest of mine, came across an interesting article which talks about the first note of each kind issued in Egypt and their modern day version.

http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/egyptianmoney.htm

Cairo Khiyamiya

2008-10-14T23:35:00.000-07:00

While to many from the Indian subcontinent, appliqué work is not a novelty, the bright cheery colours and the traditional local designs on the appliqué work done in Cairo is a delight.

Indians are used to the extremely fine, delicate booti / patti work from Aligargh and up North, so the first time I saw cushions of the Egyptian appliqué work, I must admit that I was not very impressed! Yup, they were colourful and pretty, but I thought I had seen better.

Then a couple of days ago, I had gone to Bab Zuwayla – the southern gate of the old city of Al Qahira, and while returning, I saw a shop selling these cushions. Amongst the standard floral cushions, I saw, a couple of what looked like wall hangings, which caught my eye. There was an ocean scene with a cacti like plants spreading their branches everywhere and all around were lovely, multicoloured fish. And in a flash it came to me - this was the coral reef and the beautiful fish that inhabits it all around the Red Sea coast. It was beautiful!

Seeing my interest, the khiyamiya, who was busy drawing designs on a blank cloth, insisted that I follow him to see many more colours of omesh (fabric) and many more designs. The coral reef was so pretty that I decided to go see what other things he had.

To my surprise, he took me into a couple of by lanes, and, up a narrow staircase. All this while, I am telling myself, that I am a fool, not knowing the language and following the man, god knows where! Before I could take this thought process to any other conclusion, the man threw open the doors to his workshop. I must admit, I stopped for a moment, as a smorgasbord of colours hit my eye.

On the wall, were a number of beautifully crafted wall hangings depicting different local scenes, though all the large ones were typically floral.

This one was huge, and the lovely colours took my breath away. I don’t think the picture does justice to the piece. According to the gentleman, this piece took 6 months to make. I can well imagine!
There was a forest scene with two banyan trees and flocks of birds sitting on the branches which took 2-3 months to make.

Yet another one is with just one tree and birds.

The shop is owned and run by Mohamed Dandan who is an extremely enthusiastic and pleasant chap.

The prices range from 30-40-100-200 LE for cushions depending on the size and the detail of the work involved. The large wall hangings and bedspreads are in the range of LE 7,000 – 10,000. There are smaller wall hangings for LE 500-700 pounds

I believe the origins of this art lie in the ancient craft of making huge tent pavilions, or Suwan, out of beautiful cloth patterns. Now of course, this work has turned to pillow cases, wall hangings and comforters.

I have been told that the Tentmakers market has many such shops with beautiful appliqué work. Must go one of these days and check them out as well.

While I still maintain that the appliqué work back home is far more delicate and exquisite, the khiyamiya has a lovely, rustic and earthy appeal, and, makes it a must own – well at least one piece!

Caravanserai

2008-10-12T03:19:00.000-07:00

Had been hunting for some nice Egyptian lamps and somehow the standard ones available in Khan and some other local shops, just did not appeal to me! I don't particularly care for the coloured glass danglers and the very shining brass / bronze finish that they have. I wanted something that looked a little delicate yet very Egyptian.

Have a friend who is leaving Cairo, and, she asked me to accompany her to a shop that she had heard a lot about. So we both jazzed off to Zamalek for a look at the shop, and I must admit, I fell in love with most of the stuff that I saw there!

The shop stocks a number of very interesting lamps with typical Egyptian chainmails. They have lovely focus lamps as well as chandeliers and hanging lights but they don't come cheap. Most of the chandeliers are upwards of LE 2000 or more, while the single hanging lights are upwards of LE 700. But the designs are unique, if limited, and you could mix and match and ask them to make one of your own choice.

I ordered this one which I thought was beautiful, and, I am sure when I hang it up in one corner it will look absolutely gorgeous.

Just a word of caution. Some of the pieces on display are not readily available and you need to place an order. Be prepared to wait for 2-3 weeks for your order.

But its a shop worth a visit especially if you want a classy Egyptian lamp which is a beautiful piece to own.

Caravanserai
16 Marashly Street
Zamalek

The Modern day Hijabs

2008-10-11T17:46:00.000-07:00

As you can make out, I am currently obssesed with hijabs. Its just that while looking up the different types of headscarves, I came across so many divergent views, opinions, sensitivities that my head is still full of them. While many write-ups were worthy of posting and reading again, this one caught my interest, cos it was about Cairo. It made interesting reading so thought I would post it here! But this is definately the last word on hijabs! No more hijabs or hijab discussions after this!

THE MODERN DAY HIJABS

By Elliott Woods

Daily Star

First Published: October 10, 2008

CAIRO: For those unfamiliar with the Islamic practice of veiling, the many variations of the hijab found on the streets of Cairo can be perplexing. Why are some hijabs bright, fashionable — sometimes downright flashy — while others seem conservative in the extreme — solid black, un-textured, and designed to cover as much of the wearer’s body as possible?

Then comes the full-face veil, or niqab. Why do some women cover every inch of skin, sometimes wearing black gloves and eye-screens, while others sport body-hugging undergarments and designer jeans? Is there any doctrinal difference between the Islam of a woman who wears a niqab and the religion of a young woman whose Italian silk hijab is as much a fashion accessory as a gesture of modesty?

With these questions in mind, I set out for downtown Cairo on Thursday evening, where I spoke with women of all ages, wearing all sorts of different veils. What I found was surprising — I expected to discover a lexicon of terms for all of the different styles of veils, but the lexicon is meager at best.

There is the niqab, of course, which is always accompanied by a full-length abbaya, the female version of the traditional galabiyah. And then there is the khemar, which — like the niqab but without covering the face— descends over the shoulders, down to the elbows, and is also accompanied by traditional clothing in subtle colors. Finally, there is the hijab.
Simple enough, right? Except that all veils — indeed, the entire practice of veiling — are part of the concept of hijab, which stipulates that Muslim women should cover their features and hair so as to discourage the lascivious gazes of men, allowing both women and the men to avoid sin.

In common parlance, hijab refers to the trendy veils worn by the younger generation — the ones that come in dozens of textures, dozens of fabrics, and hundreds of colors. Compared to the niqab and the khemar, these fashionable hijabs, and the tight clothes that sometimes accompany them, seem nothing short of revolutionary.

But the older generation doesn’t feel terribly threatened. “You can’t obligate the people to wear any particular thing,” said Mona, who wears a niqab, when I asked if she worried about the boisterous colors and tight clothing worn by most of Cairo’s younger women.

Mona’s husband, Salah, agreed. Many women shift to more traditional styles of veiling at the bequest of their husbands. Mona said, “It’s the decision of the husband. If he wants you to wear the niqab, you wear the niqab. If he tells you, ‘I don’t want you to wear niqab,’ you don’t wear it.”
“There are a few women who wear the niqab before marriage,” Mona added, “but not many.” Mona began wearing a niqab several years into her marriage, at Salah’s request. For his part, Salah said, “Someday God will ask us about our lives and what we did … the decision comes from inside [the husband], because he wants Allah to be very satisfied with him, because he wants to do the maximum.”

Salah also believes that a woman maintains her virginal beauty before God by leaving only her eyes uncovered, because eyes remain youthful well into old age.

As conservative Muslims, Mona and Salah, who sell spices in Khan El-Khalili, do not approve of any clothing that draws attention to a woman’s face or body. However, their attitude is far from domineering. Like other older people with whom I spoke, their sentiment could be summed up as, “Khalas. Let the kids do their own thing.”

“Every generation has its own style of hijab,” said Nehal, 19, who wore retro sneakers, tight jeans, a sparkling gold Karina shirt under a white t-shirt, and a pink and blue patterned hijab done up in a “Spanish wrap.”

Young women today model a variety of wraps; the Spanish wrap, the Gulf wrap, and the Indian pashmina, are a few of the most popular. “We wear the veil because Islam says we should wear it,” Nehal said, “but after that, we can have fun with it.”

Early Thursday night, the Continental shopping center on El-Khim Street downtown —entirely devoted to hijabs and Karina tops — was filled with women, young and old, hip and conservative, poring over the massive selection of hijabs, arranged on floor to ceiling racks throughout the hundred-meter-long arcade.

I asked Nehal how many hijabs she owns. She laughed, “Too many to count. You need a hijab in every color to match everything you wear … and you also need warmer hijabs for winter and cooler ones during summer.”
Nashwa, also 19, who works in the Continental, showed me the variety on offer at her shop, Ganna, or “Heaven.” Materials include silk and satin from Italy and India, fine linen, muslin, and synthetics; there are crinkled patterns, called mekassar, or “broken satin,” and there are even hijabs fringed with decorations, like miniature flowers and tassels.

I had a few practical questions too: how much do hijabs cost, and how long does it take to put one on? Ironically, it’s the new styles of hijab that are more costly and more time consuming. A Spanish Wrap — the tousled style that leaves the tails of the hijab dangling over one shoulder, the most popular according to Nashwa — takes as long as 15 minutes to finish, while a traditional khemar can be donned in a little over a minute. Trendy hijabs can cost as much as LE 300 in boutiques in Heliopolis and Nasr City, but most of the Continental’s hijabs fall between LE 15 and LE 30.

The best bet for time and money, interestingly enough, is the niqab.
Some women prefer a bonneh, an elaborate one-piece bonnet available at Zalaat Shop on Sherif Street, starting at LE 160. Zalaat Shop also sells simple pullover hijabs in a variety of colors for about LE 30.

The final answer is that there is no appreciable difference between the religion of a hipster in a hot pink hijab mekassar and Karina and a woman in a niqab — both groups of women are simply demonstrating their respect for Islam in their own ways. The differences in veiling practices are mostly the result of generational differences in the perception of modesty. Culture changes over time, and even a centuries-old tradition like veiling is susceptible to modern trends.

Despite the differences in their individual veiling styles, all of the women with whom I spoke agreed on one thing: the amount of women who choose to veil, in one fashion or another, has been on the rise for some time, and shows no signs of deceleration. Egypt, by all accounts, is growing more religious in the 21st century — even as Egypt’s muhajabas embrace modernity

Hijabs - to be or not to be?

2008-10-11T01:49:00.000-07:00

Now I am entering a territory that some of my friends would term "dangerous" but this entire discussion and talk about hijabs triggered off some thoughts which I thought I would pen down.These are just thoughts, and, not a judgement on a religion or its people.

One hears a lot of discussions on the hijab and the rights of Muslim women. I remember asking some Egyptian friends / acquaintances / women I met, who wear a hijab, about what prompted them to wear the hijab, and, the responses were interestingly varied.

Obviousy, a couple said that they wore it cos their religion mandated it. Some others said that they started wearing it only after marriage because their husbands demanded it, and felt that they would be answerable to Allah if their wives did not wear it! So for some, its pressure from husband / family/ relatives etc which I can understand.

However, what surprised me were two sets of reasons which came from the younger lot!

One was safety and the other economics, and they were both interlinked. Couple of young women mentioned that they needed to go out and work, given economic imperatives, but their families were worried about them being alone and out of the house. Wearing the hijab offered protection, as many people believed that if you wore the hijab you were pious, and, were therefore left alone. So wearing the hijab enabled them to step out and work. Now while this may sound simplistic and far fetched, I increasingly find that safety and economics do play a large part in many of the younger women voluntarily wearing the veil.

That set me off on another trail, whether wearing a hijab actually ensures safety or not? And I came across a newspaper article (Daily Star), an extract of which I am reproducing below.

“Sexual harassment has become an overwhelming and very real problem experienced by all women in Egyptian society, often on a daily basis, in public places,” said the study released last week by the Egyptian Center for Women’s Rights, a Cairo-based organization.

The survey showed that 83% of Egyptian women of different ages reported ...

... exposure to harassment, while 98% of foreign women stated they had been sexually harassed while in Egypt. Harassed women have experienced men staring inappropriately at their bodies, inappropriate touching, sexually explicit comments and stalking, stated the study".

So I am left wondering whether wearing the hijab really affords any safety to the women wearing it?

On the issue of hijabs, there is a lot of heated debate on how it impinges on a woman's freedom. Sometimes I think this is driven by the Western concept of "personal freedom" which in some sense is true but again, in many Asian / Oriental cultures, "personal freedom" does not merit a premium. It is not a prominent part of our ethos. Though I also wonder that if it has been ingrained in you since you were a child, that you must wear a hijab, then is wearing it really a choice?

As a non Muslim, I, like many others, tend to think of the hijab as restrictive, and, impinging on a woman's position, especially cos there is no equivalent hullabaloo about men covering themselves in any which way!

But then on the other hand, isn't wearing a hijab better than some of the other ills that women are subjected to the world over? Being burnt alive for dowry, being sexually harrassed, physical abuse, women being denied the right to chose their husbands, being battered and domestic violence? One reads about so many evils that a woman is subjected to, that having to wear a hijab, actually seems heaven in comparision!

And does wearing a hijab take away from the woman the right to look attractive? Met a very educated gentleman, who was rather critical of the fact that Egyptian women make the hijab a fashion statement. He was deeply offended that they chose to be well dressed rather than look like a sack of potatoes! I was astonished that a man as educated as him could hold such archaic views, and, even more amazed when I realised that he was not an isolated case! There are many men, and, tragically, some women who believe this too.

And finally, I wonder if Islam really specifies behavioural / dress norms only for women, and, none for the men? Someone once told me that the equivalent norm for men, is having a long beard, but I am not sure if that is really true. If it is, then why is there no "song and dance" about men and their beards? Or is the burden of religion only the woman's to carry?

None of this is intended as a sleight to the religion, (and, my apologies if I have unintentionally hurt any sentiments) but just my thoughts on the practices of a religion that I, unfortunately, know little about. I admire it for some of its tenets which ensure that the blessed share their wealth with the less fortunate, and, the sense of community and oneness it fosters, but these are things for which I am trying to understand the rationale, and, find myself at a complete loss....

Hijabs

2008-10-11T00:34:00.001-07:00

My father had visited Cairo many years ago and then again last year after I moved here, and there were two things that stood out in his mind:

a/ He was shocked at the construction that had been allowed to take place right next to the Pyramids. When he had come, many years ago, you could only drive upto some distance away and then ride camels upto the Pyramids. He was appalled at the risk the Pyramids had been put to!

b/ He was also surprised by the number of women who were wearing the hijab or the head scarf. When he was here earlier, there were very few women sporting the traditional hijab but now he found an overwhelmingly large number of women wearing it.

The latter sparked off a discussion on hijabs and how would we feel if we had to wear one, and, more importantly, the amazing varieties and types of hijabs that one could see in Cairo. In fact, I remember an Egyptian wedding that we attended where my biggest regret was not carrying a camera, just to be able to capture the myriad ornate, colourful and very fashionable head gear worn by the women! I would happily wear one of those as a fashion statement!

Though I must admit, I am quite amazed by the difference in the hijabs worn here. Some are extremely fashionable, with two layers of cloth with each layer coloured to match the outfit being worn! While there are still others who will wear lifeless, dull black or brown, severely draped and extremely utilitarian. And then there are those, worn usually by older women, which are fashioned like exotic turbans and look very avant garde!

That triggered off an interest to find out the different kinds of head gear that are there for muslim women to wear, and, I came across the following. This is what I found browsing the net, on different websites, so if there is an error or misrepresentation its completeley unintentional.

a/ Al Amira is a 2 piece affair. It usually consists of a close fitting cap, and, an accompanying tube like scarf.

b/ Shayla is a long rectangular scarf popular in the Gulf. drapped around the head, flung across the shoulder, it is usually pinned at the shoulders to keep it in place

c/ Khimar Like a cape, it covers the head, the hair and the neck and usually hangs down upto the waist, but the face is clearly visible.

d/ Chador Worn by Iranian women, when outside the house, and is a full body cloak, usually accompanied by a small headscarf underneath!

e/ Niqab A full veil that covers the women from head to toe leaving the eyes uncovered.

f/ Burqa The most concealing of all the hijabs. It coveres a woman completely leaving only a mesh for the eys for the woman to lok through.

In fact, while browsing the web for different types of hijabs, came across this interesting template!

The other thing that amazed me while browsing the net for these, was the way different versions of hijab have been stylised to make them fashionable. I think that's extremely sensible & progressive. If a woman has to wear the head scarf, there is nothing which says that it should not be stylish!

Traffic blues

2008-10-09T00:25:00.000-07:00

Went to Dokki yesterday for some work, left at around 1.30 p.m. from Maadi and reached at 3.20 pm.! The traffic en route was unbelievable! My driver told me that we had set out at the wrong time and caught the school traffic, and when we went back the traffic would be easy and we should be home in 25-30 mins.

Finished my work and set out around 4.30 p.m., banking on the 30 min drive home to get to school to pick my son up after his activities were over. To my horror, we finally reached Maadi at around 6 p.m.! Where did this traffic come from?

In my 2 years in Cairo, I haven't seen traffic move at such a slow pace (except around 3 o'clock during Ramadan), and, everything was jammed in all directions! Wonder if this is the norm (since I normally do not travel to Dokki) or I just got caught on a bad day!

Al Khatoun

2008-10-08T00:26:00.000-07:00

Its amazing isn't it, how looking for one thing leads to another? I had gone hunting for the binder Abdel Zehen, behind Al Azhar mosque and stumbled across a quaint little gallery called Al Khatoun.

Around the corner from the busy streets of Al-Azhar is a courtyard between Beit Al-Harawi and Beit Zeinab Khatoun, and, tucked in this courtyard, is Al-Khatoun Gallery.

The interesting part of the gallery is that it is housed in an erstwhile masbagha (dyeing house), which was abandoned in the 1970s. 4 artists (Hani El-Bora'i, owner of an iron workshop and creator of gorgeous standing candelabras; experienced gallery owner Ayman El-Azabawy; artist Mustapha Khalil, whose distinctive style appears on several items throughout the gallery; and Suzanne El-Masri a designer and the creative talent behind a unique range of silver jewelry) got together, bought the place from its owners, and, restored it to a quaint little gallery.

The gallery has some really interesting stuff - a pile of old movie posters printed on canvas, canvas lamp shades with arabic calligraphy, trays painted with “saha wa afiya” (the local equivalent of “bon appetit”), arabic poetry on lamp shades, filgereed metal candlestands and coasters, beaten aluminium bowls and platters, cast iron standing lamps, wooden boxes painted with old arabic movies in technicolour, very quaint & old fashioned furniture, CD boxes & magazine holders in hardwood covered with printed canvas, running lengths of canvas printed with calligraphy & images of belly dancers, lots of silver & stone jewellery, some clothes made of light cotton...its a delight to browse through the store.

And the best part of the shop, no one breathes down your neck. You are free to browse through the store and as and when you need, someone will appear to help you with the prices or try out whether the lamp is working etc.. the staff is friendly and helpful without snapping at your heels all the time!

I picked up a calligraphied CD box and lampshade, a quaint travelling mirror and cosmetic contraption in wood, a couple of old movie posters, and a set of beaten brass & aluminium coasters...

I loved the place, and the atmosphere. It was like stepping back a little in time. Its difficult to believe how peaceful and quiet the place is even though its located right in the middle of bustling Islamic Cairo!

Al-Khatoun Gallery
3 Mohamed Abdu Street,
behind Al-Azhar Mosque, Cairo
Telephone: (02) 514 7164.
Open daily from 11:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. during Ramadan (and until 9:00 p.m. during the rest of the year)

A day out on the Red Sea

2008-10-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

One of the friends, with whom we were holidaying, lives and works in Sharm, making him a native, and, trust me, a city through the eyes of someone who is local, is hugely different from what you and I would see as a tourist..and he is exceptional, in terms of his knowledge of what to do, knowing what would appeal to us and especially in his organisation.

Out of the days that we spent there, he had asked us to keep one day aside for a trip out to the Red Sea. We left around 8.30 - 9.00 a.m. in the morning to the jetty where you board the boats going out to sea, carrying our sunblocks, our glares & caps (it was really hot), and, our beach towels. You can't park close to the beach as that area is reserved for tourist buses etc, so if you're carrying heavy stuff, its best to get dropped off there.

While there are plenty of yatchs that you can hop on to, we hired a yatch exclusively for us. The yatchs have an enclosed lower deck and an open upper deck where the breeze ensures that you dont feel the heat from the blazing afternoon sun. Before we boarded the yatch, we collected our snorkelling gear, and, duly filled out our names & nationality for records ( er...just in case?).

Our yatch was called Venture, and, was manned by a young, smiling crew. Our guide was an English speaking young chap by the name of Magdy, who had a ready smile, and, lots of enthusiasm! He explained that we would put down anchor at three places, out of which snorkelling would be possible at two. Lunch would be served on board.

Our first stop was near Ras Mohammad. Magdy explained that we all would need to don our snorkelling gear, and jump in quick succession, and, most importantly stay together, so that we dont leave anyone behind. Even the ones who could not swim could snorkel by using life jackets. He warned us that where we made the jump, the water would be deep, but as we swam towards the coral, it would become shallow as the coral covered the floor of the ocean. We would need to swim very slilently without too much motion, lest we scared the fish away.

While I have been to beaches and ventured out into the sea, have never dived into the water in the middle of the sea when you know that the bottom is some 40-50 feet away, and, I must admit, as I sat at the edge of the boat, ready to jump in, for a moment had a twinge of unease. But then the water was rushing up to meet me, and there was no room for any thoughts other than looking out for our guide and the group. We swam towards the coral and as I dipped my head into the water, I must confess, I have never seen anything so breathtaking! The coral is alive here, and, the myriad shapes and colours leave you spellbound. There were some that looked like splayed laced fingers from the palm, some like the brain, yet others reminded me of cacti. There are some that look like stars, elkhorns and pillars and seem to be hard, strongly embeded on the sea floor. There are others that look like fans or rods, seem soft and sway gently in the water.

And the fish! Schools of brightly coloured fish swam around us, completely oblivious of our presence. There were two zebra striped fish who swam over and under my arms, and, around my head, probably trying to figure who this giant creature was! Another stretch, I swam alongside a school of blue and lime green fish, who seem quite content to give me company. Clearly I passed muster!

The fascinating part about snorkelling here was that the coral reef is omnipresent on one side right upto to the shore and then there is a sudden drop to the depths of the sea, and the marine life at the edge is just gorgeous!

The photographs are not mine, since I ommitted to carry an underwater camera, but are quite representative of what we saw.

I was told that these are the nicest spots for snorkelling in Sharm el Sheikh:

a/ Ras Mohammed National Park. Virtually every hotel, resort, diving centre and watersports centre offer excursions to this marine paradise. The Park has a couple of beaches where snorkelling is easy, such as Marsa Bareika, and some off shore reefs reachable with snorkelling or diving boats.

b/ Tiran Island, a favourite destination for full day snorkelling trips, with a wealth of corals and underwater fauna.

c/ Ras Umm Sid, with its walls covered with awesome gigantic gorgonians, is another famous diving site, and it is accessible from land via the private beach of the restaurant El Fanar.

Our second stop was a lagoon in the middle of the sea with white sand that felt like powder under my feet, and crystalline turquoise water. We jumped into the sea and then swam to the lagoon, including my 7 year old who can just about float. But it seemed criminal not to take him ashore since he loves the sand and the water. But I made the mistake of jumping into the water with my eyes open and without swimming goggles. As I surfaced from under the water, my eyes were burning and my lens had popped out. It caught me by surprise cos this has never happened in a swimming pool - guess has something to do with the difference in water pressure. So, if you wear lenses, and, are diving, do wear your eyewear.

After frolicking on the finger of sand, we swam back to a local feast. There were 5 different kinds of salads for the vegetarians including a delicious dish of fried aubergines. Fish, caught by the boys earlier in the day, and, fried chicken graced the table along with some yummy sticky rice, spaghetti with tomato sauce and a local version of potato lyonnais with some baladi aesh! The meal was delicious especially after having been in the water for so long.

After this, we dropped anchor at another spot for snorkelling, though this was not as good as the one at Ras Mohammad. Some of us swam in the water while a few others decided to snorkel. I was very proud of my intrepid 7 year old, who despite not knowing how to swim, wore a life jacket and jumped into the deep blue sea, and, had great fun!

As we sailed back to the pier, after having spent a lovely day out at the sea, I think I will, forever, remember Sharm by this day!

El Fannar

2008-10-06T19:41:00.000-07:00

While Sharm abounds with restaurants offering to tickle your palatte with different cuisines at all price points, the one place that must be visited is the El Fanar restaurant located in the Ras Umm Sid bay.

"El Fanar" actually means "lighthouse" in Arabic, and the restaurant is located on a cliff overlooking the Ras Umm Sid bay with a Lighthouse located right there. Its essentially an Italian food place, and I believe, in the earlier years, it was frequented mainly by Italians who used to throng to Sharm in large numbers. This is the reason why you will find that by far, Italian is the most popular cuisine on offer at Sharm.

As you walk in, there is a tent like structure housing tables built in the fashion of cave dwellings giving the impression that the restaurant has been carved into the rock face (maybe it was?).. Its quite rustic and attractive, but the evening breeze tempted us to sit out in the open, next to the edge of the cliff.

If you look down, there is another ledge with thatched bamboo sunshades and chairs laid out. I believe for a fee of LE 20-30, you can use these sunshades. A level below, is a pier jutting out into the sea, which is the most fascinating part of this restaurant. You can clearly see the coral beneath the pier as you walk towards the end of the peir, and, then suddenly, it just drops away to a deep deep blue ocean..the effect is breathtaking, even at night! Other than the food, I think the place is a must visit just to see this!

There is a round bar in the open, built in an open air beach style. The menu is fairly large, offering decent choice for vegetarians as well (and this time I was not alone!).The prices were also reasonable but the service was a mixed bag! We ordered the food for the kids first, and, that came super quick. My son ordered a gnnochi which was soft, melt in your mouth. Pizzas were a decent size and were delicious, our appetites having been whetted by the salty sea breeze.

However, our food was a different story, with it taking time, and they forgot our order of bruschettas and diet cokes! But the pastas were good, my mom-in-law liked her fish, the sea food platter was good and so was the grilled chicken. My husband said his pepper stake was ok. Despite the confusion on the orders, the general service is with a smile, and the atmosphere is so relaxed that you really do not mind waiting a wee bit!

To me, the highlight of the restaurant was not only the food, but also the view of Ras Umm Sid that it offers. As we paid our bills, I resolved to return during the day to get a good look at the reef and the marine life that is visible to the naked eye, and, of course , the fascinating sheer drop of the ocean! So if you are in Sharm, do go and have a meal at El Fanar, you will not regret it!

Back from my Eid break

2008-10-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

Just came back from 4 glorious days at Sharm! Had planned to descend on Athens, but decided to go to Sharm instead with some friends, and, I am so glad that I did!

Had a fabulous holiday but just a few random thoughts....

a/its much hotter in Sharm than in Cairo, yup I've always known it but you are never prepared for the difference

b/ given that its a 6 hour drive, why aren't there any decent places to stop and eat? My young son has a very clear agenda, mom, why are there no McDonalds & Pizza Huts? I dont know! Forget about the chains, but I am not too impressed with what is there, and, I am the last person to be fussy!

c/ Forget the eateries, why aren't there really clean toilets on the way? Dont get me wrong, there are decent places to stop but the toilets are invariably dirty. I would be happy to pay even LE5/10 for a clean toilet!

d/ the simplicity and the friendliness of the people en route never ceases to amaze me...and this time, given the holiday spirit, there was general bonhomie all around...I walked away with a smile, and a lilt, from the small restaurant where I had stopped to buy some water.

e/ the road has been repaired and redone in many stretches making it a pleasure to drive on! We did the journey to Sharm in a little under 5 hours (including stops) without panicking over the speed

f/ the journey remains as fascinating as ever...and the repaired road looks like a majestic black snake slithering between the dark, brooding , brown mountains which some artist has painted on the blue canvas of the sky

g/ the different hues of blue of the sea as it plays hide and seek along the drive are as fascinating as ever

h/ the atmosphere of Sharm is as charming, exciting and laid back as ever...now I know why people keep going back to Sharm. This was my third trip!

Of endless construction

2008-10-02T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have been in Cairo now for two years, and, do the stretch to the airport very often on account of our travels or on account of visitors. My driver always takes the autostrad route past Mirage City, cos according to him this is much faster than going through Heliopolis.

I am not sure whether that's true, but that trip is always interesting to me me because it intrigues me. Over the last two years, I have seen rapid contruction taking place along that road, be it between Maadi and Carrefour along the autostrad or the myriad complexes that seem to be springing up along both sides of the autostrad.

Rapid construction is a measure of economic growth and development of a city, but I wonder if that is really the case here? What intrigues me is how is the city going to provide electricity and more importantly water to these outposts? Main Cairo, with its proximity to the Nile is well taken care of, but this unbridled expansion of the city into the dessert, doesn't it pose problems?

According to the Land Center for Human Rights, an independent research and advocacy group based in Cairo, 30 percent of Egyptians are not supplied with potable water and must retrieve it themselves from wells, neighbors or directly from the river.

I remember reading last month that 500 residents of Suez blocked the main highway to Cairo due to lack of municipal water supplies for a 2 month long period. Through the summer, demonstrators blocked roads radiating from Burullus, a Mediterranean coastal town, complaining of chronic water shortages.

Given this background, wonder how construction continues unabated or are they so well organised that all this is taken care of? And is the basic infrastructure, needed to support this, in place?

Egypt ranks 115 in global corruption index

2008-10-01T02:09:00.000-07:00

By Sarah Carr
Daily Star
First Published: September 23, 2008

CAIRO: Egypt has been placed at 115 in an annual list of perceived corruption in 180 countries, according to the Corruption Perceptions Index, published by independent organisation Transparency International.

While Egypt was ranked 105 in last year’s CPI, Transparency International emphasize that a country’s score is much more important than its ranking, since ranking can change because of the addition or exclusion of new countries in the CPI.

Egypt scored 2.8 in this year’s CPI, a point lower than its 2007 score. Scores below 5 indicate a serious corruption problem. Top country, Denmark, received a 9.3 score, while Somalia, ranked 180, got 1.0 score.

Founded in 1993, Transparency International is a global network of country chapters bringing together government, civil society and business stakeholders to challenge corruption.

The CPI ranks countries “in terms of the degree to which corruption is perceived to exist among public officials and politicians.”

The data used in the CPI is collected using 13 sources from 11 independent institutions including banks, business leaders and think tanks.

All sources measure the overall extent of corruption (frequency and/or size of bribes) in the public and political sectors and all sources provide a ranking of countries.

Regionally, Egypt ranked 13 of 18 in the Middle East and North Africa region, above Libya, Iran, Yemen Syria and Iraq.

Qatar heads the MENA region with a score of 6.5. At the bottom of the list is Iraq, whose CPI score is 1.3.

“The 2008 CPI results illustrate that although corruption and lack of transparency still constitute a fundamental challenge for the region’s development, increased debate on the issue of corruption is driving slow but steady steps towards structural reform,” Transparency International said in a commentary on the MENA region.

“From Morocco, through to Egypt, Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait and Yemen the issue of combating public sector corruption has gained momentum and legitimacy and is now being addressed openly as a principal obstacle to development.”

Economist Nabil Abdel Fattah from the Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies suggests otherwise.

“Anti-corruption measures taken by the state apparatus and national institutions have proved ineffective, with the result that corruption has become a system of law in Egypt organising relations between citizens and public officials, and between workers and employers in the private sector,” Abdel Fattah told Daily News Egypt

The weather has turned!

2008-10-01T01:49:00.000-07:00

Just last thursday, we decided to go for a felucca ride that was an absolute disaster! There was no breeze at all, and, it was WARM. Some of us were tempted to take off our clamy shirts except that I suspect the felucca boatman would have probably jumped into the Nile leaving us pretty much stranded in the middle of the river, considering there was no breeze to take us anywhere, let alone to the shore..

But stepped out last night around 9 o'clock to buy some books and go out for dinner and the weather was fantastic! There was a strong breeze and a slight nip in the air, heralding the onset of winter! That is the wonderful thing about Cairo's weather, its turns completeley unexpectedly!

Expect the weather to be delightful over the next month, at least in the mornings and evenings...methinks, shall do that felucca ride again!

Of crowded streets & skillful driving

2008-09-28T01:54:00.000-07:00

I suspect that once I leave Cairo, and, am driving elsewhere, I shall suffer from agoraphobia! Not that roads in Maadi are very narrow, its just that they are really crowded.

Try driving around on a Friday or Saturday morning! Cars parked on both sides of the road, and two vehicles trying to cross each other in between these two lanes of parked cars - you need immense skill and concentration to pass through without scratching each other! And I must, unhesitatingly, admire the driving skills of the average Egyptian driver - they pass through this with consummate ease while I stress and worry about damaging my car!

Went to the Arab souk on Road 7 early morning yesterday. As is par for the course, cars were on both sides of the road, and, an enterprising lady had parked her vehicle right in the middle of the road, deigning it too tiresome to park elsewhere and walk back to buy her meat and chicken for the day! Tried my level best to squeeze through, but even my Peugeut would just not scrape past.

Honked and honked to no avail! The lady was not to be disturbed...and then when she did finally appear with boy & meat in tow, I got a rather disdainful look and what sounded like an earful in rather agitated Arabic! A rather helpful shopkeeper explained in broken English that she was appalled at my pathetic driving skills! Typical expat woman, scared of a few scratches? Huh?

I must admit that really fazed me! Here I was, awaiting a hint of an apology, an acknowldgement of my inconvinience, and all I got was complete and utter disdain for my driving skills! So have firmly resolved to "practice" and improve my driving skills! lol!

Mickey Mouse - on endangered species list!

2008-09-23T23:07:00.000-07:00

I have heard many stories on fatwas, and, sometimes, they do get distorted out of context by media and certain elements, but this one was so unbelievable that I had to keep this for posterity!

Sheikh Muhammad Al-Munajid, a former diplomat who once served in the Saudi embassy in Washington, condemned cartoons that endear rodents to their viewers.

Islamic law, he said, sees the mouse as "a repulsive, corrupting creature" while children today see mice as loveable and "awesome" because of animated shows like Tom and Jerry, and Disney staple Mickey Mouse.

"Mickey Mouse has become an awesome character, even though according to Islamic law, Mickey Mouse should be killed in all cases," Al-Munajid tells the interviewer.

"The shari'a refers to the mouse as 'little corrupter,' and says it is permissible to kill it in all cases. It says that mice set fire to the house, and are steered by Satan. The mouse is one of Satan's soldiers," he goes on to say.

The man clearly spends all his waking hours thinking up creative fatwas. Earlier, I believe he criticised the Beijing Olympics as the "bikini Olympics," referring to them as "satanic" and lashed out at the immodest dress worn by female atheletes. Yup, I can see women attempting the high/long jumps in full length skirts & trousers, lol!

I wonder why Sheikh Muhammad Al-Munajid does not better utilise his time working for the good of the larger mankind, (as should any religious leader with a following) using fatwas or other religious means to ensure that the world is a safer place not marred by death and fear, preaching peaceful co-existence instead of wasting his time issuing useless though terrifically entertaining fatwas!

Ah I forget, all of the above doesn't get him his ten minutes of fame that targetting poor Mickey does!

But I believe that this is not the first time that poor Mickey has been in a bit of a spot! lol! A few years back, Hamas used a duplicate of Mickey Mouse, called Farfour, as a host for a local show where the poor mouse used to preach death and destruction to young Palestinian children. Doesn't he look just like Mckey?

That's not all, the character was also “murdered” on air by a co-actor pretending to be an Israeli official trying to buy Farfour's land. Essentially Farfour was martyred while defending his land!Egad, what gore to show children!

So Mickey, watch your back!

Carrefour bread

2008-09-23T22:43:00.000-07:00

I am not sure, and, maybe its just me, but I find that the bread from Carerefour is really yeasty, if there is such a word!

Yesterday I picked up a large wholewheat loaf, and some chocolate donoughts, and I am completely unable to eat the bread. Everytime, I come close to eating it, a strong yeasty smell engulfs and overpowers my oalfactory senses, rendering it nigh impossible to have the bread. My 7 year old, who usually loves donoughts refused to eat them cos they smelt "strange"!

Or maybe, I am just fussy. I dont even like Rich Bake that is available in supermarkets. The bread is way too soft, in fact sometimes I suspect that its not fully baked. I prefer the sandwich or the multi-grain pre-packed Monginis bread which is quite decent. Otherwise, shall continue to pick up my bread from Bread Basket on Road 9 or Fino on Road 213 esp the multi-grain ones!

An early morning post on food? Well struggled with the Carrefour loaf while preparing son's lunch box at 6.30 in the morning, hence the irritation!

Ghaneli.com

2008-09-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

I enjoy listening to Arabic music from time to time, esp if it happens to be Amr Diab, Nancy Ajram and a few others that I have come to appreciate.

Was hunting for sites to download Arabic music from, and, stumbled upon http://www.ghaneli.com/. Lots and lots of music, not all of it likeable, but if you hunt through it, I am sure you will find songs that you enjoy, just like I did!

The site is quite user friendly, and has an alphabetic listing of artists which is good if you know whom you are looking for. It also has a "latest singles/ albums" segment that you can browse through.

Unfortunately, my search for the very old and famous Arabic song "ya Mustafa, ya Mustafa" on MP3 continues to be completely unfruitful, even with Ghaneli. If anyone reading this can send me a link, I'd be ecstatic!

By and large, the quality of the sound is quite decent except for the live performances. So if you think, there is a chance you may like this music go download a few songs, and, see if you enjoy them...

What's in a name?

2008-09-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

I buy flowers regularly from the florist in front of Maadi Grand Mall, but these are usually rushed trips. Today, caught in the pre-Iftaar, get-home-quicky traffic jam just in front of the florist, I finally noticed the name board, and, I must admit I was stumped.

The name of the florist is Flowers Blouse. Now I have seen many things which are funny simply because they are misspelt, and, while they make me smile, I can appreciate the fact that English is a foreign language so the attempt is a commendable one, but Flower Blouse?

Flowers and blouse? Is there a related French word? Dont know! I have tried very hard, but am completely unable to understand the genesis of this one! Till I do, a heartfelt thanks to the florist for bringing a smile to my face while I braved the afternoon traffic jam!

Ibn Tulun Mosque

2008-09-21T12:04:00.002-07:00

Ever since I've got to Egypt, and, have been getting my driver to take me to see all sort of places which even his previous "expat" tourists (he worked with a travel agency before) never did, he has been urging me to go see the Ibn Tulun and Sultan Hassan mosques. Sometimes, when I do listen to his suggestions, I regret taking his advice, and, turn away from the place even as we enter the area it is in...but this time I was sure I wanted to see at least the Ibn Tulun mosque, but just had not managed to find the time.

While watching yet another venerable financial institution desperately seek a suitor for redemption, I realised that my son would not be back home till 4.30 p.m. since he had Taekwondo after school. Which meant that I had lots of time to go see the mosque that I had been wanting to for a long time..In any case, I figured, it would be a darned sight more interesting than watching another financial institution pay for profligacy & flawed judgements or worse still follies of others...

So packed a bottle of water, some wet tisues and my hat (its an absolute must even though the summer is starting to get over) and sat back listening to some music while my driver navigated the crowded streets of Sayyida Zaynab to get to the mosque.

When you surf the net for Ibn Tulun mosque, it throws up lots of adjectives in description - third largest mosque in the world, oldest mosque in Cairo, third congregational mosque in Cairo, best preserved old mosque etc, etc, etc...

The mosque was constructed on a small hill called Gebel Yashkur, "The Hill of Thanksgiving." One local legend says that it is here that Noah's Ark came to rest after the Deluge, instead of at Mount Ararat.

Built in 879 AD, by Ibn Tulun (was born in Baghdad, the son of a Turkish slave of Mongol origin owned by the Caliph, al-Ma'mun), its survived largely in its original form, and stands out due to two features - a unique minaret and the fact that unlike other mosques in Cairo, its built from bricks and not stones. It is huge, mainly becuase Ibn Tulun built it to accomodate his entire army during Friday prayers! With an area of 26,318 sq m, it is the third largest mosque in the world.

There are lots of stories about who was the architect, how it was built, what influenced it etc..

Western sources claim that an Egyptian Christian was an architect and used the western concept of piers to support the vast span of the roof of the mosque.

However, Islamic historians claim that Ibn Tulun was influenced by the Great Mosque of Sammara (Iraq) as he grew up there. In fact, there are supposed to be many similarities between the two mosques - the material being brick & plaster that had not been used in mosques in Egypt before, the minaret's spiral shape and its location outside the perimeter of the mosque, etc.

Another intresting story goes that Ibn Tulun asked for advice on how to construct a building that would not be destroyed if Cairo was consumed by a fire, or submerged in floods. Fable says that he was adviced to build with plaster, ash and bricks and not use marble as it does not stand up well to fire! Heed their advice he did, and, built this beautiful mosque in rememberance of the one in his hometown...

The vast courtyard is surrounded by four arcaded aisles.

The soffits of the arches are covered in beautifully carved stucco, the first time this medium was used in Cairo. As you walk through the aisles and glance at the carved arches, you realise that no two arches appear to be same...rows after rows of arches have intricate, beautifully carved stucco which add to the delicate atmosphere of the mosque.

The minaret of the Mosque is a famous Cairo landmark, though completely unique in its design and, similar to that of the famous minaret in Samarra. Legend has it that Ibn Tulun himself was accidentally responsible for the design of the structure: supposedly while sitting with his officials, he absentmindedly wound a piece of parchment around his finger. When someone asked him what he was doing, he responded, embarrassed, that he was designing his minaret.

This minaret, with its only remaining original element being the square base is connected to the mosque by a passage which appeared to be closed right now. Its second story is cylindrical to which were added later, restorations in stone. The original minaret was built of brick. This is Cairo's only minaret with a spiraling external staircase.

The external walls of the mosque are crowned by what appear to be a chain of motifs, or if you allow your imagination to run wild, a chain of human fgures as if forming a human wall protecting the mosque! I was told by some historian friends that there is a belief that these were so appreciated by medivial European visitors that they became the prototype for Gothic pierced and crested parapets!

Gayer Andersen Museum

2008-09-21T12:04:00.001-07:00

This is another place that I have been wanting to go see and I knew that it was in the Sayyida Zaynab district, near the Ibn Tulun mosque.

As I got out of my car, I told the driver to find out where it was so that we could visit it as well. So you can imagine my surprise when I entered the Ibn Tulun mosque and found a sign pointing left to go to the Gayer Andersen museum.

The museum consists of two houses built using the outer wall of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun as support. The larger house, though built in 1632, later came into the possession of a wealthy Muslim woman from Crete, and the home became popularly known as Beit al-Kritliyya, or "House of the Cretan Woman."

The second house was built in 1540 and became known as "Beit Amna bint Salim," after its last owner. The two houses were joined by a bridge at the third floor level at an unknown point, and are both collectively known as Beit al-Kritliyya.

Major Gayer-Anderson, a retired collector and Orientalist, was granted permission to reside in the house, and, he filled the place with his personal collection of art, furnishings, and carpets. In 1942, when ill health forced him to return home, he gifted the contents to the government on the condition that they convert this to a museum, and, in return he was granted the title of Pasha. This is him and his wife.

He got masks made in plaster of his entire family which are prominently displayed, but if you ask me, a little erie! I am not sure I'd like a mask of my own face peering down at me while I am alive and kicking!

The beauty of the house lies both in its construction and use of mashrabeya as well as in the Major's vast collection of carpets, pantings, curios etc..The man obviously travelled quite a bit, as is evidenced by the curios. The house has Syrian, Turkish, Chinese, Persian, English rooms to name a few!

I also suspect that Major Andersen had an exaggerrated sense of self importance. An English style library room, has a prominent picture of him as the Sphinx! Delusions of grandeur?

The rooftop terrace is encased by beautifully carved mashrabeya. Mashrabeya screens use wood patterns to spell out important Islamic phrases. Claim to fame for the terrace is that the James Bond film The Spy Who Loved Me was partially shot here!

Gayer Anderson's bedroom, with a big red bed with wooden posts all around it and a canopy, is designed in Persian style. It is said that during his later years, Major Andersen turned gay which might explain the bed of his favourite servent next to his.

Given that the house is built at three levels, fetching and carrying would have been a tedious, not to mention time consuming execrcise for the Nubian slaves. So they found an ingenious solution in a "dumb waiter" in the main courtyard next to what was originally the kitchen.

Many legends are associated with the Beit al-Kritliyya, which were collected by Gayer-Anderson and published as Legends of the House of the Cretan Woman. Among them are

The house is protected by a shaykh, Haroun al-Husseini, who is buried under one of the corners of the house. He is said to have blinded three men who attempted to rob the house, who stumbled around the house for three days and nights until they were finally caught;
The well in the house is said to possess miraculous qualities - for example, a lover gazing into the water would see the face of his or her sweetheart instead of his/her own reflection.

Ramadan : Of contradictions and more..

2008-09-21T00:20:00.000-07:00

If you decide to venture out in the streets between 3-5 in the afternoon, be aware that you do so at your own risk. Its that time of the day when the Egyptians are jostling on the streets to get back home, the traffic is choatic and tempers frayed...you can rest be assured that you will spend more time on the road than at your destination if you travel at this time of the day. Needless to say, it can be frustrating!

But wait, another hour from now, and you'll find many smiling young men at different junctions, handing out drinks, in a kind gesture to help ensure that people break their Iftaar on time since they are on the road..handed out with a smile, and accepted with a heartfelt one, its like you are looking at a completely different set of people...

I am amazed at the amount the locals party during Ramadan! Work slows down, a kind of lethargy sets in and life operates at half mast. Come evening, post Iftaar, the streets are lined with honking cars, music blaring, restaurants open into the wee hours of the night, families out together celebrating, young men and women out partying late into the morning, traffic jams at 2 o'clock at night, its almost like the city just does not sleep and is busy celebrating as much as it can before the morning light ushers in another day of abstinence!

However, at the same time, as you drive down these same streets, you will see a number of mawaed rahman (free public eateries for the poor in Ramadan), where wealthier people offer the needy a warm iftar meal. They also put together Ramadan packages to give to the poor filled with basic commodities the family will need throughout the holy month including flour, butter, pasta, rice, vegetables, tea, sugar and dates.

I guess its this set of contradictions that is Egypt and its people, that makes the place so special!

Of sleepless nights...

2008-09-20T23:35:00.000-07:00

The construction work next to my house, continues at a frenzied pace, Ramadan notwithstanding! If anything, they seemed to have become completeley nocturnal with Ramadan.

My son's lullaby has drastically undergone a change from hush-a-baby to the cling-clang-bang of the drilling machines. I occasionaly wake up, startled, hunting like a possesed woman, for a electrical socket that has short circuited, till my sleep daze passes over and I realise its yet another piece of equipment that they've dropped, yet again!

I know Ramadan turns the Egyptians into a party happy, noctural lot, but isn't there a rule against working at night? lol!