What do you think of when you hear the name “Cairo”? The most populous city in Egypt, it has a population of nearly 20 million (technically Cairo is 10 million, lying on the east side of the Nile with Giza, also 10 million, on the west, but they form a single metropolis). It is a bustling, dirty city.
We landed at Cairo International Airport on a Thursday evening. After making our way through customs, we had a shuttle prearranged to carry us across town to our hotel in Giza. The 19 mile drive through rush hour traffic took about 1.5 hours, meaning we averaged less than 13 mph. Lane markers are guidelines in Egypt. A three lane highway will often have four or five vehicles wide crammed into it. Drivers are constantly honking, quickly changing lanes, maneuvering around donkeys pulling carts, and avoiding pedestrians sauntering across anywhere. Traffic lights in Cairo are scarce. I have no desire to ever drive in Egypt.
After checking into our hotel, we wandered around its vicinity. Looking at the hotel, it is very modern and clean. Step onto the street and that picture quickly changes. Nearby we saw a shop selling fresh chicken. Very fresh. As in, the birds were alive in their cages. Bananas were clearly in season with multiple street vendors selling them.
Cairo lies close to the first of the ancient capitals of Egypt: Memphis. That was our first stop the morning we woke up in Cairo. The capital would move over the centuries, depending on who was in power. Memphis was the most important city of the northern part of the country. Its ruins are currently fenced off from the public. They’ve gathered various artifacts from the area and put them on display. Here are a few of the notable items.
