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Renovated recently Cairo Tower or Borg el-Qahera is a modest 187 meters and is located on Gezira Island (Zamalak). It may not be one of the highest towers at present but when it was built 40 years ago it was boasted to be the tallest all-concrete structure in the world with no steel frames or columns.

El-Borg is just 45 meters taller than the Great Pyramids of Giza, which stand 15km to the southeast. But what El-Borg lacks in height it sure makes up for in the spectacular panoramic view of the massive city of Cairo. The view from Cairo Tower is unequaled, definitely not to be missed especially at twilight when millions of twinkling lights of the city start coming to life. El-Borg’s working hours are from 9:00a.m to 1:00a.m daily, and the ticket costs around LE 50, although cameras are free, there is an extra cost for video cameras.

From the eastern side most of the medieval quarter can be visible just beyond the Nile Hilton Hotel and the Television Building. Also eastward the city skyline fades out against the cliff face of the Muqattam Hills. Whereas westward the city limits are marked by the desert and the outline of the Giza Pyramids. But it’s the majestically serene Nile flowing below that is the most bewitching, carving its way through Cairo. Through the telescopes available you can get a better and closer look of the entire city.

Built in 1961 under the direction of Naum Chebib, the design is unique as it resembles a lotus flower, which along with papyrus was the most revered plant in Egyptian history. It is made up of 8 million small mosaic lozenges that form its partially open lattice-work tube that slightly fans out at the top. El-Borg is made of granite which was often used in building by the ancient Egyptians. Crowning the Cairo Tower is a revolving restaurant, cafeteria and an outdoor observation deck.

In November 2004 a renovation project was initiated following a series of renovation projects to several monuments in Cairo that have damaged after a moderate earthquake hit Cairo in 1992. A clean improved Cairo Tower now elegantly stands tall over the city. With seven hundred and seventy light bulbs inserted into each space in the lotus-shaped structure, Cairo Tower requires more than one gigavolt each day to light up at night.

Back in the 60s it was President Gamal Abdel Nasser favorite place to dine out with is family. One of its first visitors was Hollywood movie star, Katherine Hepburn, even though the tower had somewhat of a rocky footing back then in Egyptian-American politics. It was actually financed with American funds, but was not exactly what the Americans expected Nasser to do with the money.

El-Borg may not have been famous for its height or flamboyance but it made up for its fame in print thanks to its controversial origin, which resulted in its mention in countless biographies dealing with Nasser’s Egypt. It was first written about in CIA’s Miles Copeland in “A Game of Nations”, where he revealed how the LE 450,000 tower was paid for with American hush money originally meant as a bribe to Egypt’s strongman to be “used for purchasing presidential security accouterments.” Furious at the suggestion anyone thought he could be bought, Nasser decided to use the American taxpayers’ money to send the most blatant of messages back to the US. So he built the Cairo Tower providing a vantage point and a truly breathtaking view over the entire city!

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem

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The Tale of Sinuhe (pronounced as “sA-nht”) is considered a supreme achievement of Ancient Egyptian literature. It was probably written during the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom in the aftermath of the death of Pharaoh Amen-em-hat I, in the early 20th century BC. Historically it is debated as to whether or not the tale is based on actual events involving an individual named Sinuhe, although the more probable consensus being that it is most likely a work of fiction.

The story is told in the first person by Sinuhe himself, and written in the form of a poem, combining in a single narrative an extraordinary range of literary styles. The poem continually examines the reasons for Sinuhe’s flight and his possible culpability for it, without reaching a conclusion.This biography yields information about political and social conditions of the time. The poem also explores the nature of what it is to be an Egyptian, without ultimately undermining the Egyptian assumption that life outside Egypt is meaningless, by placing an Egyptian character in a non-Egyptian (i.e. Asiatic) society.

His tomb has not been found, but the account of his adventures was a favorite tale in Ancient Egypt and was written many times on papyrus and read for hundreds of years after his death. Specifically, it has been recorded on 6 papyri and 26 ostraca (singular for ostracon and is a piece of pottery or stone, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel), making it one of the most popular literary works, and one of the oldest.

The tale starts with Sinuhe speaking from his tomb. He begins his story while on an expedition to Libya with the eldest son of the King Amen-em-hat Ι. He overhears a messenger speaking of the assassination of the Pharaoh. He decides to flee in a panic, either from fright or because of his complicity it is not clear. He intends to travel southwards but was blown north while crossing the Nile, and continues into the Desert of Sinai and onto Palestine and Lebanon. There he almost dies, and as he gives up all hope for life he hears the low of cattle. He is found and tended to by a Bedouin who recognizes him as an Egyptian of importance.

After this, Sinuhe goes on to the ancient city of Byblos in Syria and further still to the city of Retenu east of the great valley beyond the Lebanon. There he was welcomed by King Ammi-enshi, who adopted him and married him to his eldest daughter. At the height of his power he is challenged to a duel by a Syrian champion. Sinuhe kills his opponent and gains even more power and prestige. But as he approaches old age, he yearns to return to his homeland and to be buried back there, so he sends a letter to the reigning Pharaoh Sen-Usert, begging for forgiveness. He is invited back to Egypt and returns to the palace he once left.

Sinuhe becomes a great man in Egypt and a close friend of the Pharaoh, who lavishes him with land and riches. King Sen-Usert is said to have commissioned an extravagant tomb for Sinuhe to be buried in, where the story of his adventures are carved and decorated on the tomb walls.

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Gawhara Hanem
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Following up on our story telling, I came across the tale of “Rhodopis” (the rosy-cheeked), which resembled the story line of “Cinderella” with a few variations here and there, the most significant being the glass slipper, which in the still romantic ancient Egyptian version is a “rose red-gilded slipper.” This version is the oldest dating back to 570-526 B.C. which makes it older than the Chinese “Yeh-Shen” which was first recorded in a book called The Miscellaneous Record of Yu Yang from the T’ang dynasty of 618-907 A.D.

The story is told in the time just before the country was invaded by the Persians. The ruling Pharaoh at the time was Ahmose Ι and to strengthen his country against this inevitable invasion he invited as many Greeks to trade and settle in Egypt. He even gave them a city of their own, the city of Naucratis.

Naucratis was at the mouth of the Nile that led to the sea, and was one of the richest cities at the time. One of Naucratis’ richest merchants was Charaxos. He was originally from the Greek island of Lesbos, and the brother of the famous poetess Sappho. And as he had spent many years trading with Egypt he settled in Naucratis in his old age. One day as he passed through the market place be noticed a crowd, curious he pushed his way through to find a beautiful slave girl, who had just been set up on the stone rostrum to be sold. Her beauty caught his breath for she was fair skinned and with rosy red cheeks and being wealthy it was easy for Charaxos to buy her.

Rhodopis had been kidnapped by pirates as a child from her home in the north of Greece and sold into slavery. Her rich employer had many slaves, and one of her fellow slaves was a little old man called Aesop, who was kind and told her stories and fables about birds, animals and humans. But her master wished to make more money so he sent her to the rich Naucratis to be sold.

As she was different from the other house-girl servants, with pale skin, rosy cheeks, golden hair that blew in the wind and bright green eyes, they were very jealous of her, teasing and making fun of her. They gave her all the dirty chores of washing cloths and weeding the garden. Her master was old and spent most of his day sleeping under a fig tree, but one day he woke to see Rhodopis dancing with such beautiful grace, he presented her with a pair of red-rose gilded slippers, which caused even more jealousy from the other servant girls.

One day the Pharaoh was holding court, to which everyone in the land was invited, but the servant girls made sure that Rhodopis had chores that she would not finish in time to attend the celebration. And as she sang to her friend the hippopotamus while she did the washing by the edge of the river, he splashed water on her rose red slippers. Rhodopis cleaned them and put them behind her as she went on with her chores. The god Horus came down from the sky as a falcon and took a slipper in his talons. He soared with his great wings, still carrying the slippers, south over the valley of the Nile until be came to Memphis, and swooped down towards the palace of the Pharaoh. He dropped the slipper in the Pharaoh’s lap, since it was bright he thought it was a scrap of the Sun, and then he realized it was a gift from the gods.

He was so moved by what happened that he decreed that, all the land be searched for who ever fits the slipper, and the owner will be Pharaoh’s wife. Ahmose’s search eventually leads him to Rhodopis’ home. Though Rhodopis hides when she sees the Pharaoh’s barge, he sees her and asks her to try the slipper. After demonstrating that it fits her, she pulls out its mate, and the Pharaoh declares that she will be his Queen and the Royal Lady of Egypt, and they live happily ever after of course!

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With its share of legends, myths and ghost stories, Baron Palace or Qasr El-Baron is one of Cairo’s landmarks that has been standing for over a hundred year at a halt. On one of the main roads leading from the airport into Cairo, this unique palace with its extraordinary and curious architecture has been ignored for years until recently.

The owners of the palace had plans to sell it for a notorious $50 million US, but according to Egyptian law it was forbidden to sell or purchase a building that was deemed to be antiquities. The stalemate finally ended in 2005 when the Egyptian government managed to wrestle the property from foreign owners, reimbursing them with another chunk of land in the Cairo suburbs.

Since restorations have been done on the gardens but renovation to the house will be costly so have been as yet difficult. The palace grounds are now used for TV events and musical concerts.

Heliopolis, the city that Baron Empain has envisioned has now become synonymous with power in Egypt. President Hosni Mubarak lives less than a mile from the Baron’s Palace. The Military intelligence headquarters stands around the corner. Just opposite is the former residence of Sultan Hussein Kamel who ruled Egypt between 1914 and 1917 and is now the Presidential Guest House. And the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s villa is just down the street.

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Gawhara Hanem
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It’s evident that ancient Egyptians cared about how they looked just like the rest of us do today, and of course hair was a major concern to them, just like it is for any one of us today. As everything they did with style and flamboyance, so did their headdress, which too was of major significance to the Egyptians. And elaborate hair styles were not confined to royalty even the working labor class flaunted some very interesting hairdos.

Although hair length was not limited to one gender or other, both men and women adopted a wide range of hair styles, ranging from a shaven head to long flowing locks, which to some archeologists was misleading, so was the fact that individuals with a shaven head were automatically assumed to have held religious office which too proved to be misguiding.

Hair styles have always marked different periods in modern time as fashion statements; this was true over the course of history, as Egyptian hairstyles varied over the ages. Evidence of these styles is provided by surviving wigs, inscriptions, tomb scenes and statuary. During the Old Kingdom, men and women alike kept their hair basically short and simple, although there were variations in style. Young girls wore their hair in a pony-tail, down the center of their back, weighed down with an ornament or metal disc or the end of the tail was curled naturally or encouraged to do so by hair irons, which have been found in excavations.

However, in the New Kingdom women wore their hair long or used wigs. Hair was decorated with flowers and ribbons; a favorite was a lotus blossom. Also used for decoration were coronets and diadems made of gold, turquoise, garnet, and even malachite beads, but poorer people decorated their hair with petals and berries which they used to hold their hair back. Headbands or ivory and metal hairpins were also used to hold the hair in place. But to attach wigs or hair extensions Egyptians sometimes used beads to keep them in place.

Children wore a special hairstyle during ancient Egyptian history, called the “side-lock.” The hair was shaved off except for a long lock of hair left on the side of the head. This was sketched on hieroglyphic as a symbol for depicting a child or a youth. Both girls and boys wore this style until the onset of puberty. Children decorated their hair with amulets of small fish, presumably to protect them from the dangers of the Nile. Children sometimes used hair-rings or clasps.

Priests had to shave every third day because they needed to avoid the danger of lice or any other uncleanness to conduct rituals. They were required to keep their entire body cleanly shaven and that included eyebrows and lashes.

Near El Deir El Bahari in Luxor excavations have revealed a factory for manufacturing wigs out of natural hair or fibers. Besides being popular and worn by men, women and children, with all their variety, they were a headdress worn on special occasions, such as ceremonies and banquets. If the hair was not dark enough, thick enough or plenty enough, Egyptians preferred to flaunt a wig or risk not being beautiful enough to appear in public! As much as washing their hair regularly was a routine for Egyptians, they were very fussy about caring for their wigs! Wigs were usually made from human hair, sheep’s wool or vegetable fibers. The more it looked like real hair, the more expensive it was and the more it was sought after. Of course the ones made completely from human hair were the most expensive and Egyptians used emollients and oils made from vegetable or animal fat to properly care for and make the wigs last longer.

Egyptians loved coloring their hair as much as the next modern-day fashion conscious person, and certainly something had to be done about hiding gray hair, so “henna” was used. The leaves of the henna shrub are used to make the henna paste that produces a red-orange dye that bonds to protein and so was used to dye hands, nails and hair. In fact henna is still used to date for its vibrant red color and its excellent gray-hair coverage.

Although wigs were popular and saved face for men who were balding, the matter was not taken lightly, balding that is. There were many potions and remedies to stimulate hair growth, the most popular being chopped lettuce patches that were applied to balding spots. The things that people do to keep with the fashion goes back beyond time, back to the roots of humanity!

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Gawhara Hanem
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About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem
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A long long time ago, some three or four thousand years before our epoch, around the same time every year, the rise in the water on earth was herald by a sign in the heavens. The brightest of all the fixed stars appears at dawn in the east just before sunrise about the time of the summer solstice, indicating the beginning of the sacred Egyptian year. The brilliant star of Sirius or as the Egyptians called it Sothis, marked the time of the inundation of the Nile. Sothis was deemed by the Egyptians as the star of Isis, the goddess of life and love. They called it so because it was believed that as Isis came to mourn her departed husband, Osiris, to wake him up from the dead; her tears caused the rise in the levels of the Nile water.

The flooding of the Nile was the most important event in the lives of the Egyptians. It was a matter of their very existence and welfare. For a year with little or no flood meant famine in the Kingdom, but too large a flood would mean a disaster for it would over flow into the villages destroying them. A flood had to be just right to determine a good season. The Egyptian flood cycle starts during the second week of August and is divided into 3 stages. The time of the Nile flood, Akhet (the inundation) was the first season of the year. The sowing time Peret marked the time when crops grew in the fields and was considered the Egyptian Autumn from October to mid-February. The last and third season, the time of harvest Shemu, ran from mid-February until the end of May and was the spring season of the Egyptian calendar. This cycle was so predictable that the ancient Egyptians based their calendar on it.

As the Nile flow from the south to the north, the flood brought the silt-laden waters into Egypt, and as the water receded later the silt would stay behind, fertilizing the land. The flood was seen as the yearly coming of the god Hapi, bringing fertility to the land. He was worshipped even above Ra as he brought the fertile inundation; he was a very important deity to any one living in the Nile valley. He was depicted as a blue or green bearded man with female breasts, indicating his powers of nourishment. At the time of the inundation the Egyptians would throw offerings, amulets and other sacrifices into the Nile at certain places, sacred to Hapi.

Today’s celebration takes on a different meaning and form. Yes it is still celebrated at the same time of the year but there is no longer flooding of the Nile, which stopped when the Aswan High Dam was built to regulate the flow of water year round. Now this time of the year is called “Wafaa el-neel Festival” or literally “Fidelity of the Nile”. It was said that the Pharaohs sacrificed a beautiful virgin girl to the river in return for a good harvest. The ancient legend has survived into an ongoing tradition where a wooden doll dressed as a bride is thrown into the Nile instead.

The modern-day celebration is now more contemporary with art competitions for children, poetry reading, concerts and scientific discussions. This year there festival will include flower parades and a Pharaonic procession portraying the ancient legend of the Nile Festival. The events included aqua sports like rowing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming. The celebrations well accommodate floating hotels, restaurants and other places over looking the Nile. This year’s concept is to promote the awareness to protect this vital source of life and a main attraction to Egypt’s ecotourism.

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem
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Of all the ancient temples, the sacred temple island of Philae is said to be the most beautiful. As it is on an island it is reached by boat. From the level of a small boat it captivatingly rises up from the calm deep waters of the Nile like a mirage. Its serene aura reaches you even before you set foot on its stone floor. The placid ambiance may not only be due to its scenic location but more to, the secrets the pillars and walls have witnessed over time. They seem to be willing to share stories and events but only at their leisurely calm pace. The Temple of Philae or “The Jewel of the Nile” in ancient days was the center of the worship of Isis, and the last outpost of the nearly 4000 year old ancient Egyptian religion.

It was told that Isis managed to trick the all powerful sun god Ra into telling her his secret name (the name that held all his divine power). By creating a magical serpent that bit Ra. She was called upon to cure him but to do so she had to know his secret name, which he finally divulged giving her power equal to his own and so she became divine and as powerful as Ra himself.

The end to this religion came in 535 A.D. when the Roman emperor Flavius Anicius Justinianus ordered the closure of the temple, forbad the art of reading and writing hieroglyphs and imprisoned its priests. This put an end to the religion that had spread beyond the lands of Egypt and spread all across the Mediterranean.

Isis was the sister-wife of Osiris and the mother of the god Horus. Osiris was a great and just king who was loved by his people and wife, but he was hated by his brother Seth (the god of the underworld). Seth was jealous of his brother so he devised a plan to get rid of him. He secretly obtained Osiris’ measurements and had a magnificent casket of the rarest wood and decorated with ebony, ivory, silver and gold made to fit him exactly. He then held a great feast in honor of Osiris where he offered to give the casket to whoever fit it exactly. With the aid of 72 of his wicked friends they tricked Osiris into trying it for size, but as soon as he lay in it they nailed the lid shut and threw the casket into the Nile.

On hearing of this Isis was devastated and set out to look for him throughout Egypt. Isis learnt from the children who played near the riverside the direction of the floating casket. She followed it until she learnt that the chest had come to rest near a tree near the city of Byblos (modern day Lebanon) and because of Osiris’ presence the tree shot out branches and grew leaves and flowers, and soon became a famous tree. The king of Byblos cut the tree down and fashioned it into a pillar for his palace. Isis told the queen of Byblos of her plight and was allowed to take the casket out of the pillar. She returned to Egypt and hid the chest in the marshes of the delta.

And when no one was looking she opened the chest and turned into a bird called the kite and flapped her mighty wings. The wind created by her wings gave Osiris the Breath of Life for one day, during which she conceived her son Horus from him. Seth managed to find the casket again and after opening it he rented the body into 14 pieces and scattered them along the shores of the Nile for the crocodiles to eat. Isis seeking the help of her sister Nephthys and Anubus the son of Nephthys, who was said to take the form of a jackal to find all the pieces of Osiris. All the pieces were recovered except for one. She stuck the pieces together and wrapped him in linen making him the first Egyptian mummy. Not able to return in a human form, Osiris was sent to rule the underworld, being the only person to live after death.

Isis then returned to raise her son Horus, who often took the form of a hawk. Horus eventually avenges the death of his father and manages to defeat Seth. Horus was then given the privilege of taking his father’s place and ruling Earth as Osiris had once done.

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Gawhara Hanem
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A portal that transports you back into time, Khan el Khalili gives its visitors a glimpse into what a traditional market was like in the middle ages, with its medieval atmosphere and labyrinth of winding streets and twisted alleyways.

In 1382 Emir Djaharks el-Khalili built a big caravanserai (or khan) in the heart of the Fatimid City. A caravanseri was like a hotel for traders, and usually the central point to an area’s economic activity. This caravanserai is still there, you just ask for the narrow street of Sikka Khan el-Khalili and Badestan. The Khan el-Khalili Bazaar is situated at one corner of a triangle of markets that go south to Bab Zuwayla and west to Azbakiyyah. The Khan is bordered on the south by al-Azhar Street and on the west by the Muski Market. One of the old original gates guards the entrance to the original courtyard which lies midway down Sikkit al-Badistan Street. The al-Hussein Mosque is also in Khan el-Khalili and Al-Azhar University and its mosque are not far away.

On a narrow street leading off al-Badistan, El Fishawi Café (or Café of Mirrors), is open continuously day and night, and you can count on that, because it has been so for over 200 years. It is small, a little crammed, and with mirrors almost everywhere. It has been the meeting place for local artists, and has been frequented by the Nobel Award winning laureate Naguib Mahfouz, one of Egypt’s most well known authors. His novel Midaq Alley is set in an alley in Khan el Khalili.

The place where art and commerce come together, Khan el Khalili is the heart of the city. You can easily wander the streets of this bazaar to take it all in. You don’t need a guide, or even a guide book, and should you get lost, just keep going in one direction and you will quickly come out of the maze, and close to a taxi. But if you’re planning on doing any shopping, be prepared to bargain shamelessly! Just remember that you should never feel that you insult or disappoint a seller by not buying.
Clothes are cheap, spices are of good quality and affordable, souvenirs are of good quality as in the hotel lobby, but at a better price. Jewelry is a matter of taste, and there’s an enormous variety of gold on offer. The perfume shops of the Khan are particularly tempting, saturated with spicy and floral scents. Colorfully decorated and brightly light, they’re run by clerks who can mix any fragrance you desire. Egyptian buyers generally shop in the area north of al-Badistan and to the west, where prices may be lower. Better deals for gold and silver are to be found west of the Khan along the “Street of the Gold Sellers”, and further on one will find the Brass and Coppersmith Markets.

The Khan is a MUST see, not to be missed even on a rainy day, as it is an open market, don’t let anything discourage you from this experience, it is still worth the visit!
 
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