Sunday, January 28, 2007

Cairo, Al-Qahirah : Day Three


Our first destination on day three was the Egyptian Museum a.k.a Tahrir Museum. Just like many places in Cairo, we had to go through security checks and despite that I managed to smuggled in my camera. Not that I wanted to use it but was concern of losing it. We were given 3 hours to tour the museum but then again I knew the time given would not be enough as the museum consists a huge collection of objects and artifacts. It was impossible to read all the descriptions about the exhibited objects, so I decided the best was to focus on the main artifacts particularly King Tut's golden mask, treasures from his tomb and of course the mummies although I had to pay additional LE100 to enter the Mummies Hall. It was a bit creepy looking at the mummies placed in the glass in the As I expected, we took more than 3 hours touring the museum and before leaving, I left a short note in the guest book at the museum.

Next, we headed to the Paharaoh's Village, a living museum complete with the exact reproduction of houses and temple during the ancient Egypt with actors and actresses performing the daily activities during those time, among others pottering, perfume making, weaving, mummification process and agriculture activities. An English speaking guide took us through the tour which originally was supposed to be on a motorized barges sailing down the canal with these activities being acted out along the canal. Unfortunately, we had to go on foot as the water in the canal was too shallow for the barges. We were then taken to the reproduction of King Tut's tomb where his coffin and treasures were arranged exactly like when the tomb was discovered. Although all these objects were merely replicas but it was amazing to see the exact details that have gone to make it look so much like the ones we saw at the museum.

When we arrived at our next destination, it was already closed to public. It's a holy place to the Christians where in the church courtyard stood Tree of Maryam and Maryam's well. The Christians believe that Virgin Mary sat under the tree with Jesus and quenched their thirst with water from the well. Somehow, our tour guides managed to negotiate with the guardian to allow us in but it was quite dark and we relied on the streetlights to see the tree and the well. There were stone carvings on the wall of Virgin Mary and Jesus and a beautiful statue of Virgin Mary in the compound. We had to be quick to avoid being caught and questioned by the authorities.

Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped at the largest shopping mall not only in Egypt but in Africa as well. The CityStar Shopping Mall looked exactly like any other typical shopping malls and packed with locals particularly the youths. I guess that's the only shopping and entertainment centre available for them to hang out. I was not interested to browse the shops but headed straight to Virgin Records to buy a few more Amr Diab CDs original from the birth country of the singer himself.

Once back at the hotel, at around 11 p.m. all 18 of us including our tour guides gathered in my hotel room to joinly celebrate Kak Rosni's birthday which fell on December 31 and Mom's birthday on January 1. Before the small birthday celebration, we watched photo slideshow of Cairo taken by a member of the tour, Richard complete with background songs. They were indeed beautiful photos. The birthday celebration was a small one with a chocolate cake, some puffs served with tea. Mum had received her birthday present earlier i.e. the fully paid trip to Cairo and I gave mum a hug and wished her a Happy Birthday. There were tears in her eyes. The night ended with a group photo as Liza and 3 of her friends had to leave for Dubai the following morning.

Background Song : Betkhaby Leh by Amr Diab

Sunday, January 21, 2007

Cairo, Al Qahirah : Day Two


Idul Adha fell on the second day I was in Cairo i.e. December 30, a day earlier than Malaysia. Sejak ketibaan aku di sini, kelihatan di sana sini binatang korban either kambing atau lembu dikumpulkan di tepi-tepi jalan atau diangkut dengan lori. Apa yang mengejutkan aku, binatang-binatang korban ini disembelih dan dilapah di tepi-tepi jalan sahaja. Tak sanggup aku nak tengok tapi selambanya kanak-kanak menyaksikannya. A little after 8 a.m. kami dah bertolak ke Malaysia Hall Abbasiah untuk solat sunat Idul Adha. Dalam perjalanan Bob selepas menceritakan sedikit sebanyak mengenai sejarah upacara korban dan erti pengorbanan dalam konteks sekarang, kami diceritakan juga latarbelakang tentang tapak dan bangunan Malaysian Hall. Tanah di mana bangunan Malaysian Hall itu dibina dihadiahkan oleh pemerintah Mesir (tahun berapa tak ingat) kepada penduduk keturunan Melayu dari Thailand, Malaysia dan Indonesia yang telah membantu beliau dalam peperangan sehingga mencapai kemenangan. Bangunan yang dibina di situ asalnya diduduki oleh students Melayu dari ketiga-tiga negara ini sehinggalah Kerajaan Malaysia menyumbangkan sejumlah wang yang besar untuk membaikpulih bangunan ini dalam tahun 1990-an. Sejak itu, bangunan ini dimiliki sepenuhnya oleh Kerajaan Malaysia dan diduduki oleh students Malaysia.

Selepas solat sunat Idul Adha bersama dengan students Malaysia di sini, kami dijemput menjamu selera dengan students yang lain. Walaupun juadah ringkas terdiri daripada mee goreng, nasi lemak dan kuih muih, tiada ketupat, lemang dan rendang, suasana Idul Adha tetap dirasakan. Lagu nasyid dan Hari Raya berkumandang dan ada students dan tetamu lengkap berbaju Melayu beserta dengan samping dan yang wanitanya pulak berbaju kurung. Actually terasa kekok dan segan juga sebab we all bukannya students kat situ and we had had breakfast at the hotel tapi sebab dah dijemput makan dan juadah pun nampak tempting, so we went ahead and digged in.

Lebih kurang pukul 10 a.m., we left Malaysia Hall to witness and set foot on the oldest, yet the only surviving of the seven ancient wonders of the world and the original reason that prompted me to go on this trip. From afar, I could see the Pyramids of Giza which consists of three pyramids of different sizes, Pyramid of Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure. My excitement built up as we approached the pyramids and finally stopped in front of the biggest pyramid of the three and the one which is actually called one of the seven ancient wonders of the world, Pyramid of Khufu and not the other two pyramids. As I stood at the base of the pyramid, touched the ancient stone and looked up at the piles of blocks rising to the sky, I find the structure was a bit plain but what was playing in my mind was the picture of how the ancient Egytians then transported the blocks which were at least 5 feet high and stacked them up into this pyramid shape. Of course, these pictures were fed by my readings on the pyramid and Discovery Channel, but still those theories may not be accurate, but logical yet still shrouded with mysteries.

I climbed up the small steps between the blocks towards the entrance into the pyramid but was told by the guard, tourists are allowed to enter only at 1 p.m. and it was too early then. So, after snapping a few shots there, we headed to a plateau to get the panoramic view of the pyramids.Di sini, we got some nice shots of the pyramids in full view in the background. Tapi, di sini juga kena watch out sebab banyak 'periuk api' i.e. najis unta dan kuda. I took the oportunity to ride on a camel for the first time. Nasib baik Liza sounded awal-awal suruh pegang before the camel raised to its feet, if not mesti dah jatuh terjelepuk. Our final stop at the Pyramids of Giza was at the Sphinx. I was a bit suprised because it was not as big as I thought. Hidung Sphinx ni sudah rosak kena bom semasa peperangan.

Next, we headed to The Citadel, famous for Mohamed Ali Mosque and the Sultan Salahuddin Ayubi's Fort. This landmark is visible from any part of Cairo and forms part of its skyline as it is situated at a high ground. When I first saw this landmark from afar, at a glimpse, it resembles the Blue Mosque in Turkey with its great dome and towering twin minarets. I must say as I entered the mosque, pictures what more words do not really do justice to the Mohammed Ali Mosque. To truly appreciate the beauty of the mosque especially the impressive interior one will just have to be there. After marvelling at the beautifully decorated high ceiling in the mosque, snapping as many photos as I can and performed Jamak Takhir in the mosque, we walked out to the open courtyard of the mosque to a spectacular view of the city of Cairo.

Then, we hurried back to the plateau of the Pyramids of Giza to watch the sound and light show. On the way there, we stopped at a fruit juice stall by the roadside where some of us dengan beraninya ordered and drank juices from there despite the stories we heard about drinking from the stalls by the roadside. We arrived there early so that we could get the best seats and indeed we did. With the Sphinx and the pyramids as the backdrop, dazzling lights and images projected on the sphinx and the temple wall, the storyteller narrated stories about ancient Egypt. I was a bit lost in between the storytelling especially with the names of the Pharoahs unfamiliar to me and also distracted by trying to keep warm. Even the three layered thick clothing and a rented blanket were not able to keep me warm. I was shivering especially when the cold wind blew. I practially let out a sigh of relief when the show was over and hurriedly headed to the bus coach and eventually to the hotel.

Background Song : Agheeb By Amr Diab

Thursday, January 18, 2007

The Sweetest Thing

Those who have been waiting in anticipation for my entry on Cairo, Al-Qahirah - Day Two will have to wait for a few more days. I have just finished downloading pictures from my gmail sent by my sister and currently is uploading it to slides. It has also been a hell of a week at the office with multiple deadlines to meet. Bear with me for a few more days.....
Anyhow, this is just a brief and quick entry to thank a fellow blogger, Xis for posting a special entry on his blog sempena my birthday siap dengan a custom-made pic and a lovely poem. I didn't plan to make any entry on my blog on my birthday as it has never been an important and celebrated event for me. Kadang-kadang aku sendiri terlupa sampailah family and friends hantar birthday wishes. Anyhow, a heartfelt thank you to Xis for the sweet thought and kind words. Also, my appreciation to Rush for his thoughtfullness mentioning and wishing me a happy birthday in one of his entries. Definitely this is one of my memorable birthdays which I will truly treasure.

And of course, I truly appreciate the birthday wishes from others - family, friends and bloggers who have sent their birthday wishes via smses, e-mails and comments on the blog.

Sunday, January 07, 2007

Cairo, Al Qahirah : Day One

Memang sukar hendak summarize about my 4 days and 3 nites trip to Cairo in one single entry kerana on each day I covered several places and there are so much to tell about each places I visited. I guess for the next couple of weeks, I'll have to post serial entries on Cairo and hope I will not bore anyone to the brink of insanity if not to death.

Ketibaan di Cairo on the evening of December 28, 2006 disambut oleh four Universiti Al-Azhar students yang menjadi tour guides selama tempoh kami di sini. Selepas makan malam di Nile Restaurant, kami checked-in di The Golden Tulip Hotel Flamenco yang terletak di Zamalek. Awal pagi selepas bersarapan di hotel, kami bertolak ke tempat pertama di dalam itinerari, kilang pengeluar kristal yang kedua terbesar di dunia, Asfour Crystal. Showroom belum buka lagi, kami dah tercongok di situ. Apabila masuk ke kawasan showroom terpegun melihat crystals yang dipamerkan berkilau-kilauan di bawah cahaya lampu. Aku bukanlah peminat crystal sangat, yang ada dalam simpanan pun hadiah dari rakan (which I truly treasure) tetapi bila melihat crystals pelbagai bentuk dari figurines, jewelleries, chandelier, rosaries, vases dan macam-macam lagi, hati tertarik juga lalu aku membeli beberapa buat koleksi peribadi dan souvenier. Harga memang unbelievable! and you have to pay in Egyptian pound or credit card as US Dollar is not accepted here.

Kami makan tengahari nasi kerabu di sebuah restoran Kelantan berhampiran kawasan hostel Malaysian students di Universiti Al-Azhar. Di sini memang senang cari makanan Malaysia sebab Malaysian students di sini ramai dan restoran menyajikan makanan Malaysia pun ada. Sementara menunggu yang lelaki pergi solat Jumaat, kaum wanita bertanggak di Rumah Negeri Sembilan, to be exact, rumah warden Malaysian students dari Negeri Sembilan. Semua hostel penuntut Malaysia si sini dibiayai oleh kerajaan negeri, oleh itu dinamakan dan diduduki oleh penuntut dari negeri masing-masing. Kami disambut oleh isteri warden tersebut, Ibu Noraziyan yang merupakan seorang Cina mualaf. Kami tumpang solat Jamak Takdim di situ dan dijamu pula dengan teh/nescafe panas dan biskut. Memang lega dapat menghirup teh panas memandangkan suhu di luar memang sejuk.


Tempat berikut yang dituju ialah Masjid Hussin, Masjid & Universiti Al-Azhar dan Pasar Khan El Khalili yang terletak berhampiran di antara satu sama lain di El Hossein Square. Halfway perjalanan ke sana dari Asfour Crystal, kami diiringi oleh kereta peronda polis. Hairan juga pada awalnya kenapa kereta peronda polis ini membunyikan siren di hadapan bus coach kami. Rupa-rupanya di sini, adakalanya polis akan memberi khidmat escort kepada kenderaan tourist for safety reasons. Terasa macam VIPlah pulak bila kereta yang lain kena beri laluan kepada kami. El Hossein Square ini memang sesak dengan bukan sahaja tourists tetapi the locals as well bersantai, kanak-kanak happily berlari ke sana sini, the cafes filled with people dari yang tua ke muda berbual-bual kosong or just seating there doing nothing. As a matter fact, everywhere we went and passed by in Cairo seemed to be full with people seperti berpesta tapi kemungkinan juga kerana keesokan harinya Idul Adha.

Tempat tujuan pertama kami ialah Masjid Hussin, di sinilah dipercayai kepala cucu Rasulullah s.a.w., Saidina Hussin ditanam. Kami kaum wanita pada awalnya tidak dapat menziarahi makam Saidina Hussin kerana waktu Asr sudah masuk dan kami tidak dibenarkan masuk ke makam semasa waktu sembahyang. Kecewa juga hati kerana sesiapa yang ada hajat, boleh bertawassul di makam Saidina Hussin dan aku memang berhasrat untuk mengambil kesempatan itu. Allah itu Maha Pengasih, sebelum pulang dan sementara menunggu yang lain habis membeli-belah di pasar Khan El Khalili, aku dapat memasuki dan menziarahi makam Saidina Hussin. Setelah menghadiahkan al-Fatihah kepada Saidina Hussin, aku menadah tangan bermunajat kepada Allah. Aku bisikkan suara hati dan hajat aku berulang-kali di sisi makam. Aku beredar dengan rasa syukur dan tawakal kepada Allah s.w.t. semoga doa aku dimakbulkan olehNya.

Masjid dan Universiti Al-Azhar terletak across the road from Masjid Hussin. Seperti yang diketahui umum universiti Al-Azhar merupakan universiti yang tertua di dunia, dibina more than 1000 years ago. Mengikut penerangan Bob (one of our tour guides), Oxford University dibina untuk menandingi Universiti Al-Azhar dan menghapuskan pengaruh Islam tetapi uasaha ini gagal. Untuk ke Masjid Al-Azhar, kami melalui tunnel di bawah tanah dan apabila aku menaiki tangga keluar dari tunnel, I was mesmerized by the sight of the mosque emerging in front of me, subhanallah. As you entered the main door, you will walk in to a marble courtyard and the feeling and ambience memang sukar nak disuratkan. Terasa sungguh tenang berada di dalamnya despite the fact that masjid ini terletak di tengah-tengah kesibukan kota Cairo. Memandangkan Asr telah aku jamakkan, aku hanya melakukan solat sunat Tahiyatul Masjid di tempat solat yang tertutup di sini sebelum further melawat sekitar masjid. Memang perasaan rasa tenang dan syahdu sewaktu menunaikan solat di masjid yang menyimpan dan menyaksikan pelbagai sejarah dan kisah riwayat Islam sejak lebih sekurun yang lalu. Selesai solat, aku joined the rest melawat dan bergambar di sekitar masjid. We then took the spiral staircase leading to one of the towers untuk menaiki ke bahagian bumbung masjid. I went further up the tower eventhough I had to climb up in total darkness led by an Egyptian lad. From the balcony of the tower, you can see the city of Cairo, terasa seperti you travelled back in time because unlike Dubai, buildings di sini memang mostly look ancient.

Khan El Khalili

After a while at Al-Azhar Mosque, we returned to Pasar Khan El Khalili untuk aktiviti apa lagi, shoppinglah. Like the pyramids, pasar Khan El Khalili is a must destination if one goes to Cairo. The market is not just any market, being one of the oldest markets in the world, this sprawling market played an important role in Egypt history. Barangan yang dijual di sini dari alabaster, jewelleries, gold brass, goods made from mother of pearl and papyrus, museum replicas, leather, essential oils, perfume, perfume bottles, crystal, home decor items and a whole lot more. I must say perfume made from Lotus flower memang mempunyai bauan lembut yang wangi believed to be worn by Queen Nefertiti. Most of these items are available at other tourist spots but at pasar Khan El Khalili, you can do some serious bargaining and the prices are cheaper. So, kalau nak shopping, do it at Khan El Khalili. Having Arabic speaking Malaysian students as our tour guides helped a lot whilst bargaining. Do not be surpised kalau ada shop owners there speak a few words in Malay to you as they pick these up from the Malaysia students there. Tambahan pula tourists dari Malaysia pun ramai ke sana. Since it was eve of Idul Adha, ada kedai yang tutup especially those selling precious stones but kedai yang buka pun dah cukup banyak and tak terlawat. Anyway, most of the shops here sell the same thing, it's just a matter how much less they are willing to go down for the goods that you want to buy.

Our tour for the day diakhiri dengan cruising Kor nish El-Nil over dinner on a ship. Sebelum dinner, kami dihiburkan dengan pelbagai persembahan dan sudah pastinya tarian gelek included. Ironically, tak seperti tarian gelek yang aku saksikan di Dubai, di sini pakaian penarinya lebih seksi dan tarian lebih raunchy. Halfway through her performance, aku joined some of members of our rombongan di atas dek untuk menikmati pemandangan Cairo di waktu malam sambil mendengar cerita tentang sejarah Islam dan kehidupan di Cairo dari our tour guides. Memang kurang jelas kota Cairo di waktu malam kerana dari sungai Nil, hanya cahaya suram sahaja yang menerangi kotanya. Bila dah tak tahan dengan kesejukan walaupun dah berlapis baju dipakai, we all turun semula ke restaurant for dinner. Dinner adalah secara buffet terdiri mixed of makanan Middle Eastern dan Western tapi kena beratur panjang juga untuk mengambil makanan kerana malam itu memang restaurant tu full house. The cruise lasted for about 2 hours and we headed back to the hotel after that. Sampai di hotel baru terasa kepenatannya tapi nevertheless it has been an exciting day.

Insyaallah, coming soon entry Cairo, Al Qahirah : Day Two about my visit to Pyramids of Giza.

Background Music : Aiam We Ben3eshha by Amr Diab