On Tuesday we headed back to the airport in Hurghada and boarded a short Egypt Air flight to Cairo. The flight was comfortable, the staff was friendly and efficient. We took off right on time after the safety brief and a Muslim prayer. In Cairo we were greeted by our tour guide and driver. Our guide was a Egyptologist and the tour included transportation and transfers. I would highly recommend Egypt Tours Portal. The two days we spent with them were the best.
Cairo was pretty intense. It's the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Middle East. Like all mega-cities, you're immediately bombarded by the number people, the pollution and overwhelming traffic. The city is home to over 15 million people with another 10 million in the surrounding area. Life is happening in Cairo on every square inch.
We were only in Cairo for a short time, so our driver whisked us through the city while our guide gave us a brief overview and we headed straight to the The Egyptian Museum near the Tahrir Square
Tahrir Square is also known as Martyr Square and was the epicenter of the 2011 Egyptian Revolution. We tried not to be too bothered by the long line of tanks on hand in case there is any sign of unrest.
The Egyptian Museum holds the largest collection of ancient Egyptian antiquities in the world. The do not allow photography inside but the entrance holds many pieces to photograph along with stray cats.
We quietly asked our guide about the burned out building next door. He explained that it was once the National Party Headquarters which was set afire during the Revolution.
We spent several hours exploring the museum. Tourism is low in Egypt due to terrorist threats and political unrest so the museum is underfunded. The building is beautiful but could use a face lift. It is poorly lit and there isn't a lot of information about the collections. There has been recent talk of a revival of the museum and amazing collections.
We spent most of our time in the museum exploring the incredible Tomb of Tutankhamun Exhibit. Here is a really interesting ABC News Australia video Inside Tutankhamun's Tomb. We saw the gold mask that was recently damaged and shoddily repaired by a museum worker.
There is so much to see that there is no way to get it all in with a short visit. Our tour guide pointed out many important pieces before giving us time to explore on our own.
We left the museum and set out into the heavy traffic for lunch. Our guide told us more about Cairo and what an interesting and vibrant city it is. He encouraged us to return and spend more time. I found this article about Life in Modern Cairo fascinating and it did make me want to spend more time in this massive city.
Lunch was on this river boat on the Nile and was very filling including breads, dips, meat and veggies. Everyone that we encountered in Cairo was extremely friendly and welcoming.
Can you see the pyramids rising up in the background? That first glimpse took my breath away and I felt it in my gut.
Giza would be the next stop on our short tour chock full of bucket list moments.
Have you spent time in a Mega-City? Which one?
