A Visit to the Cultural Treasures in and Around Cairo, Egypt, Part 2

VOICE TWO: Visiting the area of the city called Old Cairo provides an interesting lesson in religious history. Before Islam came to Egypt, the main religion of the area was Christianity. Egyptian Christians are known as Copts. You can visit the Coptic religious center known as the Hanging Church. This ninth century structure was built on top of an ancient Roman gate. Or you can visit the third century Church of Saint Sergius. Many people believe the church is built over a cave where Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus hid while fleeing from Judea. Nearby is the oldest Jewish religious center in Egypt. The Ben Ezra Synagogue dates back to the ninth century. VOICE ONE: In another area known as Islamic Cairo, there are many historically important mosques. For example, the Al-Azhar Mosque has been a religious center and university for over a thousand years. The Mosque of Sayyidna al-Hussein is one of the most holy Islamic buildings in Egypt. It is believed to be the burial place of the head of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammed. VOICE TWO: For an unforgettable shopping experience, you can visit the Khan al-Khalili. Since the fourteenth century, the traders of Cairo have been selling their goods there. Today, you can buy anything from jewelry and belly-dancing costumes to spices and floor coverings. Inside the market area, visitors can stop at the Mahfouz Café to enjoy some mint tea or smoke a sheesha pipe. The café was named after the Nobel Prize winning Egyptian writer Naguib Mahfouz who grew up in this part of the city. His stories capture the sights and sounds of Cairo and its people. VOICE ONE: No visit to Cairo could be complete without a trip to see some of the most famous buildings in the world. In the area of the city called Giza, three huge stone pyramids rise out of the desert sands. For thousands of years, these extraordinary buildings have served as funeral monuments honoring three ancient Egyptian kings. The nineteenth century French writer Gustave Flaubert wrote this about the pyramids after visiting them: "Khafre's pyramid seems to me inordinately huge and completely sheer; It's like a cliff, like a thing of nature, a mountain …" His words help express the unbelievable size and power of these limestone buildings. VOICE TWO: The oldest and largest is called the Great Pyramid of Khufu, built as the burial place for this ancient king. This tomb is the last survivor of the Seven Wonders of the World. When it was built four thousand five hundred years ago, it stood one hundred forty-six meters tall. Experts estimate that about two million three hundred thousand limestone blocks were used to build this remarkable tomb. And, each limestone block weighs two and one-half tons. The famous statue of the Sphinx sits nearby. Experts still debate the age and meaning of this ancient statue, which has the head of a man and the body of a lion. VOICE ONE: Experts still do not know exactly how the ancient Egyptians were able to build such technically perfect buildings. How were the ancient builders able to move the huge stone blocks from the quarries where they were cut to the building area? How were they able to raise them to the higher levels of the monuments? And what kind of tools did these ancient builders use to cut stone as hard as granite? VOICE TWO: Over the centuries pyramidologists have developed many interesting theories about how the structures were built. Some believe they were built with help from alien creatures from space. Others believe slaves of the pharaoh were forced to build these structures. Our tour guide Maher Haggag has a different theory about why workers built these structures. MAHER HAGGAG:"Slaves could have never ever created perfection like this. It wasn't slavery, it was a privilege for them. People had a passion to build something like this. Just by their own bare hands. No technology had been involved, just faith and they loved what they'd been doing." VOICE ONE: Outside of Cairo, the ancient burial area of Saqqara helps explain the development of the pyramid structure. The architect Imhotep designed the Step Pyramid over four thousand six hundred years ago for the pharaoh Zoser. It is the first known stone monument ever built. Imhotep designed it so that Zoser's burial monument would last forever. Before, royal tombs were built with mud brick materials that were easily damaged over time. VOICE TWO: Imhotep's idea of stacking layers of stone led to the development of the pyramid tomb. From Saqqara you can look far off in the distance to see pyramids built for a later ruler of Egypt, Sneferu. The Bent Pyramid starts at a sharp angle, then becomes more flat towards its top. Architects did not yet know the correct angle with which to build a stable pyramid. They tried again with the nearby Red Pyramid. This structure is considered the oldest true pyramid in the world. VOICE ONE: After a day exploring Cairo, there is nothing more relaxing than hiring a felucca boat to sail you up and down the Nile. As you watch the sun set on this magical city, you can think about its many cultural treasures, old and new. VOICE TWO: This program was written and produced by Dana Demange. I'm Faith Lapidus. VOICE ONE: And I'm Steve Ember. To see pictures of Egypt, visit our Web site, voaspecialenglish.com. Join us again next week for EXPLORATIONS in VOA Special English. Source: Voice of America