Mohammed Ali Mosque |
I asked about half-day tours but it was too late, so I was on my own. I first went into the Citadel - the ancient walled city of Islamic Cairo, which was uber awesome. I got to go into a couple of mosques, this was a first for me. One thing I will say: if Westminster Abbey is almost enough to inspire a girl to attend church, mosques are almost enough to convert a girl to Islam. Beautiful! And, thank God (al Hamdal Allah!) I wore a hijab because there were a lot of inappropriately dressed tourists who had to donn these hideous paper robes with hoods that made them look like Ku Klux Klan. I took a picture of one. Poor lady.
KKK Robes |
envision when you think of Arab vendors in the street peddling everything from spices to scarves and these days, cheesy T-shirts. Oh my God, Laurie, there are purserias and jacketerias galore! My nephew humbly asked me to bring him a pyramid, so I bought him a set of three.
I can only assume that this marketplace that has been in operation for hundreds of years has changed considerably in the last fifteen. Because I know an Arab male who went in fifteen years ago with a watch and two other Arab males and came out without the watch. However, I went in and walked all the way through from beginning to end with: a bag, an iPhone, a camera, a pocket full of cash, a bogus wedding ring and a belly pouch containing more cash, my credit cards and my passport. I came out with everything, and three pyramids to boot. At no point was it crowded enough that I was worried about being pickpocketed. I had much worse experiences in major cities in Spain.
Kahn al Khalili |
So enjoying your posts!!
ReplyDelete