Islamic Art, Cairo the capital

Islamic Art chose the old city of Cairo as its capital. As Cairo was one of the main cities in Islamic history, and at the same time the destination of the most profiled artists of that time, it was bound to become the next cultural centre of the world, starting with "El Fustat Mosque" which was the first Mosque not in Cairo alone but the first to be built outside of Arabia. Now known as "Amr Bin El As Mosque Picture below taken by me" it still stands as a witness of the elegance of Islamic Architecture and art.


Islamic Art is considered the art produced by people not necessarily Muslim that lived in Islamic territories in the 7th century onwards, these artists were famous for masterpieces in the fields of architecture, calligraphy, painting, and ceramics, among others.

As is well known Islamic art is not a religious art but better known as the art of the people who committed to the rich and varied Islamic culture as well. Islamic Art is developed from many sources: Roman, Early Christian, and Byzantine styles were taken over in early Islamic architecture; the influence of Sassanian art—the architecture and decorative art of pre-Islamic Persia was of paramount significance; Central Asian styles were brought in with various nomadic incursions; and Chinese influences had an important effect on Islamic painting, pottery, and textiles.

Cairo Nile Cruise

Cairo Nile Cruise, It could be the most relaxing and dazzling experience you'll get in Cairo, it doesn't matter if you board a five stars ship or just rent a Felucca from the Nile's shore, and if you are lucky enough to be there just before sunset I'm sure you would be more then happy to watch the sun set over the waters of the great and ancient river that was once holly for the Egyptians.

Don't forget to take your camera with you, because the first time I took a Cairo Nile Cruise I didn't have my camera on me, so I missed a lot of photos I should have taken, If you're into photography follow my advice and take your camera with you. The image above is one of the hundreds that I took to make a gallery of the Nile River, I later edited it using photoshop so that it matched the theme of my graduation project which was about Cairo. Although it is not from a boat but it still is one of my favourites because I took it from the same spot where I first met my girl friend, and it gives you an idea of what you will be seeing, and I hope you enjoy your Cairo Nile Cruise.

Net Blackout In Egypt

Egypt went off-line yesterday "Saturday morning 20th Dec. 2008" due to breaks in the under water cables "near the shores of Italy" that carry the DSL Signals to Egypt from France. Not Egypt alone faced the problem, but also parts of the Middle East, and South Africa.

I kept on searching for my good old "US Robotics Fax Modem", remember that? but I couldn't find it so I had to wait until the connection came back later that night.

Being forced to be off-line for me is an experience that I haven't had before and I with that doesn't happen again.

What would you do if you suddenly were forced to stay off-line?

In Alexandria

Alexandria is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest Egyptian port on the Mediterranean sea and as one of the oldest cities in the world it holds treasures that landmark the old civilizations, also has a rare nature, and great weather through the whole year.

Alexandria is more then five thousand years old, with hundreds of touristic sites like Pharoahnic, Greek, Roman, Islamic, Coptic, and modern monuments. Many great gardens and rocks can be found also in Alexandria.

The greatest witness of a history full of civilization is "The Library Of Alexandria" that was recently rebuilt to stand as one of the most important libraries in the world. Alexandria is also well known for its spectacular beaches and resorts and sunny weather through the four seasons.

Egypt's Arts... Sand In A Bottle

Glass is not just that window or mirror we have in our houses, it's also an art and a craft that is hard to master, Egyptians are known to have mastered the art of glass for thousands of years. Glas is made from the pure white sand that comes from the deserts of Egypt, so it was easy for Egyptians to get quickly inspired by the Idea of mastering the art of glass. Either by hand made moulded bottles or by filling a glass bottle with coloured sand. Which is a craft that is admired by all of Egypt's visitors alike.

The art of glass is one of the oldest crafts known to the Egyptians, even nowadays you can find street sellers selling their cheap bottles that they made at home, while elegant and beautifully crafted bottles are sold at fancy bazzars and antique shops.

It is said that taking a bottle full of sand home with you from Egypt is just like taking a peice of Egypt home with you, with all the elegance of history, and greatness of the Pharaohs, so if you do visit Egypt some day be sure to take a nice bottle full of sand home with you.

Egypt Climate

The Climate Of Egypt
Egypt has a great climate through the whole year, in the winter Luxor & Aswan are the best place to go to enjoy the sunny atmosphere and warm climate, also Cairo in the winter is a cosy city to be in with the temperature rarely going below 16 degrees Celsius which is almost 61 Fahrenheit.

In the summer I always visit the Egyptian North Coast which is full of fabulous resorts and also a great summer climate, or I just go to the Princess of the Mediterranean "Alexandria".

But for a enjoyable climate all year round you should choose Hurgada & Sharm El-Sheikh those two cities facing the red sea have a climate too hard to resist, They also have a high profile in means of tourism and diving and beautiful sites and landscapes.

The Most Beautiful Temples On Earth

Abu Simbil, the city of love and beauty, the capital of culture, a city which holds in its folds the most beautiful and amazing temples in the world..

They are the famous temples of Abu Simbil, and the Ramsis the 2nd temple, which he had built to honour the god of love and beauty “Hat-hoor”, then he gave it to his most beloved wife the beautiful “Nefertary”.

Abu Simbil became famous when the High Dam was built in Aswan across the Nile River, because these temples were threatened to drown in the Nile, If it weren’t for the 51 countries that held together with Egypt in order to move the entire structures to higher grounds, the world’s culture will stay forever thankful to these countries.

Now, the reason why these are the world’s most extraordinary temples is that they were carved into the body of a mountain a structure like that isn’t found anywhere else on earth.

My Extraordinary Cairo Trip

Two years ago I was finishing my graduation project in the Academy of art in Cairo, the Graphics & Advertising department, my Idea was a campaign called "Different Eras & One Cairo" meaning that Cairo has lived through a lot of historic periods, holding in its folds monuments and treasures other then the Pyramids and Sphinx, such as the Coptic, Islamic, Roman, Greek, Mamluk, Arab, and modern eras and much more.

So one day I decided to take a walk along with my camera in Cairo, I was intending for three hours of photography, but it turned out a much longer adventure, for nine hours I kept walking and photographing until I just couldn't stand on my feet any more, sad that I had to go home but happy with my photos, my journey for that day was over.

The path I took was a long one, I'll explain it here if you would like to try it yourself.

I started out taking the subway to "Mar Girgis" station, where my first scene was "The Virgin's Church" then I passed by "The Roman Tower of Babylon" then the famous "Mar Girgis Church" known as St. George Church, I then entered the "Coptic museum" where I had a free pass.

I then walked down Mar Girgis st. down to the famous "Seven Churches Alley" which is a splendid site, it is a narrow alley with seven churches and a Jewish temple, all with extraordinary architecture, after a few arguments with the guards there and showing them my collage ID which gives me access to many historic places they allowed me to photograph there as they say only foreigners are allowed to photograph there.

After that I moved on a little bit more down Mar Girgis st. to "Amr Ibn El-As Mosque" which is the first mosque to be built in Cairo 14 hundred years ago.

Then I took a long walk towards "Magra Al-Eyoon Wall" Which was built hundreds of years ago for many reasons one is to protect cairo and the other was to supply the Citadel with water from the Nile River.

After walking the whole length of the amazing wall I reached The "Citadel" which was built by Salah El Din in order to protect Cairo from Invaders and it still stands as one of the most treasure holding buildings in Cairo.

Then I moved on to the famous mosques of "El sultan Hassan and El Refaie Mosques" with the very tall minarets (a splendid site to see), Then it was time for me to go visit The Azhar Gardens where you can see the entire view of Cairo from.

Then I went down to The famous "Azhar Mosque" and "AL Hussain Mosque" then I walked through "Khan El Khalily Alley" which is full of great architecture arts, then I took a look at the "Complex of Qalaun" which was still being renovated at the time, I really did sneak in because it was not allowed to enter it yet.

Later I saw the extraordinary street called "El Darb El Asfar" or the Yellow Alley, which is full of Houses of famous Arab merchants that lived there hundreds of years ago, full of art and ornaments, what really dazzled me was the art of Arabesque which is a wooden plate on the windows that is cut through in very small and delicate holes for the light.

Then I moved on to another famous wall that was built to protect Cairo with the enormous gates of "El Nasr and El Futooh" after that with almost 200 images on my memory card I was ready to call it a day.

If you are willing to take that trip someday contact me, and I would be willing to give you all the info you might happen to need and a map also :)

Egyptians looking forward to the Obama Era

The Egyptian Street is looking forward to a good era of political relations with the American side, because on the personal side the two nations were always friends, but the problem when present is always on political issues, so, what will happen next I don't know, if you've got an idea on the issue please feel free to leave a comment here.

Cairo International Film Festival Opening Yesterday

Finally Cairo is ready to start the most prestigious Film Festival in the Middle East and Africa, Honoured by Spain as the honour guest, we are really happy to have them here.
“Once again Cairo is ready to celebrate the fine art of Cinema during its annual Cairo International Film Festival."
these were the words Dr. Farouk Hosny (minster of culture) said as he started the fun

Top 10 Places To Visit In Egypt

Egypt is the most mysterious place on earth, The taste of Ancient Egyptian Mysticism still lingers in the air, This ancient atmosphere really does give you the feeling that secrets are yet to be revealed. Maybe you could be lucky to reveal some secrets yourself, here's where to find them:

1- Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx
These pyramids of kings Khufu, Kafhre, and Menkaura, are the greatest tombs on earth in means of size and structure, these perfectly shaped structures leave anybody seeing them with the mysterious questions of how they were built.
As for the Sphinx, the saying "The riddle of the Sphinx" is full of meaning because archaeologies until this day still argue about its purpose and orgin

2- Abu Simbil
Ramsis II had these two temples built in order to give himself and his wife Nevertari mortality, It is said that these two temples are of the most beautiful in Egypt and the world, What is also extraordinary is that these temples were relocated in order to avoid the floods in the late years of the 20th century.

3- Cairo, The capital of culture
Cairo isn't the place you would want to miss, if you really want to dive in Egyptian culture Cairo is the place to go, full of luxurious bazaars and great restaurants makes it your chance to grab a bite from Egypt.

4- Al Azhar Gardens
As one of the most beautiful parks in the world. Al Azhar Gardens remains a landmark in Cairo, where you can catch a panoramic view of the old city, and it's spectacular minarets.

5- Temples of Karnak
This is where the ancient Egyptians worshipped their gods, This temple holds a monument of almost every single god in the Theban religion.

6- The Nile River
Who would be willing to miss the famous Nile Cruise? Yes that's right, Nobody.
It is the reason why all the other wonders are present, the legendary river has been the vein of life in Egypt for thousands of years, and it is said that the Nile river will be the last water source to dry out on earth, what else could be magic?

7- Valley of the Kings
The most sacred place of the Pharaohs, this is where the most esteemed kings were buried , present there are many mummies and lots of un-revealed treasures, in fact the most famous mummy was found there "Tutankhamun".

8- The Egyptian Museum
After visiting where the treasures were found, you sure would want to see what was found, if that's the case then the Egyptian Museum is the place to go.

9- Siwa Oasis
If Alexander the great liked this place, Why wouldn't you? Egypt is not all about monuments and Pharaohs, this place is one where you could loosen up a bit and take a swim in the cool waters in the middle of the desert.

10- Hurgada & Sharm El-Sheikh
Two world ranked resorts also well known for the great coral reefs and scuba diving sports, Here you can swim in the spectacular waters of the red sea, or dance your hips of at the famous bars and discos.

Ancient Egypt Pyramids"New Pyramid Found"

"Image copyrights Yahoo.com 2008"

I heard a rumour on the 10th of November that a new Pyramid was discovered In "Sakkara" area, on the next day the rumour was confirmed by the Egyptian press & media, the BBC, and yahoo news.

Now Egypt has 118 revealed Pyramids and lots more hidden ones, The Egyptian Antiques Chief thought it to belong to the mother of a Pharaoh who ruled more than 4,000 years ago who is said to be Queen Sesheshet, the mother of King Teti, founder of the 6th Dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom.

English Speakers in Egypt

I was blogging on a really nice blog about Egypt called whazzupegypt and its author posted a thread about English speakers in Egypt, and she posted that it would be really hard to do your daily tasks in Cairo only speaking in English, to a cab driver, to a customer, anything you normally do.

Well as a foreign visitor to Cairo I think that would be easy to try out!! but being an Egyptian and trying that!!?......... Well that's something else, anyway I liked the idea and decided to give it a shot.

The results were great almost everybody I spoke to responded really well, the taxi driver, the cashier and even a police man they all could communicate to an acceptable standard.

By the way I'm an Egyptian, but I speak English as good as a New Yorker, Maybe try it out yourself waiting for your story

Top 10 Hotels In Egypt

According to customer reviews these are the top 10 hotels in Egypt:

Baron Resort
Sharm el Sheikh

JolieVille Movenpick
Luxor

Ramses Hilton
Cairo

St Georges Three Corners
Sharm el Sheikh

Windsor Palace
Alexandria

Calimera Moderna Beach
Sharm el Sheikh

Sheraton Cairo Hotel Towers and Casino
Cairo

Sunrise Holidays Resort
Hurghada

Sol Sharm
Sharm el Sheikh

Sonesta St George
Luxor

Al Azhar Gardens

As one of the most beautiful parks in the world. Al Azhar Gardens remains a landmark in Cairo, where you can catch a panoramic view of the old city, and it's spectacular minarets.

From Al Azhar Gardens you can easily spot the "Mohamed Ali" famous citadel or look the other side at the Cairo Tower or you could lay back and enjoy the greenery and the beautiful lake in the park.

Behind you is the great Mokattam plateau with its spectacular colours in the sunset, and if you like photography, and landscaping then Al Azhar Gardens is the place to go, I myself photographed the image in the blog banner there .

see you there soon.

Overview about Egypt

From the great Pyramids of Giza to the spectacular Valley of the Kings, Egypt is full of history.
If you are planning a trip to Egypt, you should know the following about the
country.

Egypt has plenty of land, but much of it is sparsely inhabited. This leads to a situation where nearly all of the people live along the Nile River, particularly in Cairo, Alexandria, and the Nile Delta. Cairo in particular is one of the world’s most densely populated cities with a whopping 3,800 people per square mile and roughly 18 million in the extended city.

Egypt covers an area of roughly 1,000,000 square kilometres. The capital is Cairo with a population of 18 million people. The climate is universally dry and hot. In the Summer but in the Winter the weather is always good.

The people of Egypt are known as “Egyptians.” The total population is over 77 million and growing at a rate of 1.78 percent per year. 94 percent claim to be Muslim. Arabic is the official language although English and French are also widely spoken.

red sea, a glamorous site

For Europeans, visiting the red sea is like visiting the Caribbean for North Americans, for a scuba diver anywhere in the world diving in the red sea is the most exotic dream. The red sea has two popular areas that can be dived from Sharm El-Sheikh at the northern part of the Red Sea is the
more established centre having been a popular vacation resort area as both Egyptians and
Europeans, but there is also the famous Hurghada that was once an old fishing village now known with Sharm El-sheikh is two of the most beautiful resorts in the world

Al Ahly FC club the king of africa

The king of African soccer has WON the 1st leg of the final match in the African Champions league against the Cotton club of Cameroon with a spectacular 2:0 lead after a stunning one sided game, but the 5 times African champion "Al ahly" will have a hard time in Cameroon in the 2nd leg.
Way to go Ahly

When you drink from the Nile

It is said that once you drink water from the Nile river you have a passion to drink once again, It's a passion that lasts for ever. If you don't think it's true, then try it!
I personally think it is true, but it's not actually the water that makes you want to come back it's the calm feeling you get when you visit Egypt, and the warm welcome you receive from the people here, and the great places and sites that are found in many cities like Cairo, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria, and Hurghada.
I think it is the enjoyment and pleasure that make visitors want to come back, It's a passion for Egypt.

Cairo the capital of culture

Cairo is not only the capital of Egypt but also the capital of Islamic art, Coptic art, and pharaonic art Cairo is an extraordinary city holding in it's folds all eras of arts and culture.
You can always visit places like the pyramids, Egyptian museum, Islamic museum, Coptic museum, the Cairo opera house, and the museum of modern arts, and a lot more.

Starting the guide

Soon I will start to add more data about egypt and places to visit in Cairo, Luxor, Alexandria, Hurghada and Sinai.

Egypt the land of wondors

Egypt "land of the nile" is well known for it's beauty and elegance, as the country known to hold two of the seven old wondors of the world "the pyramids & the alexandria light house" Egypt has alot to talk about in terms of history, culture and myths.
Egypt geographically is the connection between europe, africa and asia, historically Egypt is a connection between the far eastern culture and the modern west.