Miscellaneous

I read of Palermo markets being raw, full of slaughtered animals hanging from hooks and the like. We caught glimpses of some local markets in Cairo that looked worse and it intrigued us that we tried to go to it. We were met by some ragamuffins, asking for money that we left, jumped into a passing taxi and decided it wasn't wise to visit these places. We did have enough time to take a photo of this cemetery, one for the ordinary folk. We saw people living in it.

One very common snack on the streets of Cairo is roasted sweet potatoes. They set up their roaster in the middle of pedestrain paths and sell their wares, wrapped them in paper that seems to be somebody's homework.

We bought some because we wanted to take a picture of this roaster. One can take pictures of people without asking, just catch them unaware or buy something from them and ask for a picture. The latter is better.

This hot potato is peeking through paper that was once someone's homework, math homework to be exact.

These puffed wheat bread are sold cheaply everywhere, they came from govenment bakeries and are subsidised, so that the people wouldn't starve, at least, they have bread to eat. 'Let them eat bread'.

When we saw this, we knew there must be some significance to it. I think it signifies St George wrapped in chains when his tormentors tortured him.

These and a lot of other photographs are in my computer. I'll post some more as time goes by.

The Roman wall, Cairo

Egypt was under Roman rule as with the neighboring land of Canaan and some remnants of their presence can be seen in Coptic Cairo, the oldest part of the city of Cairo. The wall is at a lower level, the new city having grown over it. Excavation has revealed this part of it and I think there was restoration or maybe not. It looked new but then the dry desert condition has a preserving effect on buildings.

We were here but we didn't visit the Coptic museum. We left it for our next trip. I have just acquired a copy of Christiane Desroches-Noblecourt's book called 'Tutankhamen, life and death of a Pharaoh' and am preparing for an encore visit to Egypt. This time to Upper and Middle Egypt.

While the Romans were here and they left some remnants of their presence, not much has been written about it. It was during this time that the Egyptian woman, Cleopatra, played a some what prominent role in Roman politics in Egypt.

The Hanging Church, Cairo

The Arabic name, 'Al-Mu'allaqah' means 'suspended'. Indeed the nave of the church is built against the old Roman wall and is like it is 'hanging'. From an ornate doorway on Mari Girgis, one enters a corridor and walk up the steps to the church past another corridor where they sell books and cassettes of Coptic literature and then through another very ornate and Arabic styled doorway into the church proper. In the corridor where they sell their stuff, Coptic chants are being played continuously and it is really beautiful. All kinds of pilgrims hang around and try to get into the mood of worship. A tour of the Holy Land could sometimes include Egypt, to some of the Coptic churches, this is one and also the monasteries in Wadi Natrun. We will be visiting the monasteries in Wadi Natrun later.

Matthew 2:14 says, 'So he (Joseph) took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt.... so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet "Out of Egypt I called my son." Matthew 2: 19, 'After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, 'Get up, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel for those who were trying to take the child's life are dead.'

The Holy family, supposedly went to a few places during their stay in Egypt and the Coptic Christians say they know the route that they took. Today these places are places of worship in the Coptic church in Egypt. The hanging church is one of them.

Some interesting visitors....

Before entering the church is this long corridor where Coptic chants are being played and they sell Coptic literature and cassettes.

The entrance to the church, featuring some gorgeous Islamic motifs.

Inside the church.

Some pilgrims from India on a Holy land tour.

Must be tiring but it was such a beautiful sight.

It was a beautiful visit, one I'll always remember. It is always lovely to see that Christianity is still flourishing in countries that are hostile to its existence. We should reflect on our own Christian zeal or lack of in a country where we have no restrictions.

Another cemetery in Cairo

Some of my patients are from Cairo, they've left but they still go back to visit. The disappointing thing with talking to them is they have no clue about what to see and do in Cairo. They live in Heliopolis, near Cairo airport. Heliopolis is dubbed the new Cairo, it is a self contained city with everything and no one needs ever to be in Cairo proper. I've come to conclude that I know more about Cairo than they do. I've other friends who are from Alexandria, they are afraid of going to Cairo, period. I don't blame them, Cairo proper is very different, the culture shock is so great but underneath this is a fascinating city. If you are able to get over the initial discomfort and learn their ways, it is very navigable. My Alexandria friend is visiting Egypt this summer and I've been giving her pointers about how to get around Cairo. She is scared to death, she hails from Alexandria but has moved to the USA years ago. She still returns to Alexandria but won't touch Cairo, she won't have anything to do with Cairo. Her US born daughter wants to see Egypt and now she has no choice. It is so noisy in Cairo and crowded. This cemetery, another one, offers a little respite from the noise and the crowds. It's hard to imagine that one would find a spot like this in Cairo, so clean and peaceful. This cemetery is being maintained by the Greek Orthodox church of Alexandria and is in better shape than other cemeteries. It is almost beautiful. We met some visitors from Giza, local Giza residents, they were the loveliest Egyptians I've ever met. They were warm and friendly, not grabby like Cairo residents. I've come not to blame them, tourism brings in the needed income. I'm preparing my psyche for my next visit to Egypt, to Luxor and beyond and back to the Egyptian museum.

The grounds of St George that leads to the cemetery. It was one of the most pleasant of days.

From outside these walls, I can still hear the faint sounds of traffic and the call to pray.

This is a beautiful cemetery. I was taken to visit the cemetery in Los Angeles where the movie stars were buried, people like Natalie Wood and others. People do visit cemeteries, like the one in Paris where Jim Morrison was buried. Egypt is one big cemetery beginning with the Pharaohs down to modern times. These are fascinating cemeteries.

I was at a flea market last Sunday and I thought about buying an alabaster angel for my house...the Bible does say, 'we have a host of angels encamped around us....' Maybe that is enough, it is enough to know that there are angels encamped around us, though invisible.