Alexandria

The first of the calls to prayer siren went off at 3:30 a.m. Really?! Our day, in turn, started with a tour of the catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa from the 2nd century AD. It was an interesting reminder of the ceremonies surrounding the celebrations associated with a death and subsequent visiting by the family to the resting place.

Then it was off to Pompey’s Pillar which included descending in the dusty, dark underground of what had been the second largest library in Alexandria. Here we encountered our first contact with large groups of visitors from China. (Tourism in Egypt has been decimated in recent years – from 12M annually to just over 1M – due to real and perceived threats of violence. China is the source now of the majority of those visitors). The pillar itself is front by two ‘small’ Sphinx which, of course, presented the perfect family photo op.

The ancient library of Alexandria is long gone but it’s modern replacement is quite stunning. We were guided through parts of the facility and wowed by its technology applications for examining ancient artifacts. Numerous museums also exist within the facility that added to our knowledge of the city’s history, some famous artists and the peace accord with Israel that eventually cost the Egyptian president Anwar Sadat his life.

Lunch along the ocean at a bustling fish market meant point and choose from the display cases of fresh fish and seafood from, likely, right off the dock downstairs. Most went for piles of shrimp including Mo who obviously enjoyed every bite.

Sharie el Corniche, the main seaside boulevard along the harbour is fronted by what were undoubtedly upscale, desirable buildings pre revolution (ie before 1952). While still architectural attractive that area now is shabby and somewhat rundown. Property development and occupancy include a process not found in North America. A base building is constructed and as units are sold the occupants must complete the buildout including installation of windows, doors, all interior fitouts etc. This means any given building looks half finished as unoccupied units remain open to the elements. It makes for a bizarre look to say the least.

The day’s tour took us along the waterfront to the site of the Pharos lighthouse, one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. Now occupied by a massive fort one can only imagine what existed centuries ago.

Back to Cairo tomorrow which means an early start and a long bus ride.