"You are going to a historical and religious place. Al Azhar is a place of spirituality and barkat and there is the holy Nile." I distinctly remember these words that my father told me and my husband as we packed our bags to set off to Egypt. With a population of 20 million, Cairo is a mix of chaos, confusion, noise all blending with rich legacies of the past. History drips from every corner. Good-humoured people ease the rough and tumble of life.
The Lonely Planet describes old Cairo as "Islamic Cairo". The heart of this is the majestic Al-Husayn Mosque and the classical Al-Azhar. In the past, this whole area must have been the spiritual centre of Egypt. Today, the vast space in front of the Husayn Mosque and Al-Azhar is occupied by restaurants for tourists, the Khan-e-Khalili, shops selling jewellery, Egyptian handicrafts, from papyrus bags, models of Cleopatra, stuffed toys and gaudy outfits of belly dancers. Horror of Horrors, most of these shimmering hang bang outside Husayn Mosque! Scores of cafes occupy the space and men, women can be spotted enjoying their sheesha (hookah) and tea here for hours together. Winter seems to be the time when tourists land here in loads and gather around the Husayn Mosque area round the clock. The Azhar Street is also lined with shops, restaurants, vegetable market and bakeries. Koshary (a delicacy that takes in a lot of vermicelli, rice and lentils) along with the famous filafel are staple food items here.
The Al-Azhar University today is guarded by security officials and it takes umpteen number of permissions before one is ushered into its sprawling campus. However, one could avoid all this if an inmate student could sponsor the visit. We met scores of Indian students who had graduated from Indian madrasas studying here. I expected the campus to be overflowing with students wearing the traditional Galabiya and caps, but most students wore T-shirts and jeans. Several book shops around the Azhar area sell good books in Arabic, but not many in English.
The road to Imam Shafi's (RA) Mosque in Cairo is lined with vendors of poultry and sheep. Heaps of garbage piled across the road has given cats and flies a great time. I wished the road to shrine of this great scholar was paid some attention by the civic authorities.
The mosque of Amr bin Aws (RA), (a companion of the Prophet) is simple and designed well, but again his tomb is in shambles with filth and garbage surrounding his grave.
Taking a break from the Cairo chaos, it is worthwhile to venture into the Oasis of the Sahara Desert. The inhabitants of Siwa Oasis are gems. Simple and straightforward folks, they have held on to their cultural ethos. Dignified donkey carts trodding along the roads, beautiful Siwan handicrafts and mud mosques lend the place a spiritual aura.
With images from Arabian Nights having shaped my expectations from Cairo, the humdrum life of the megapolis is, for sure, a shock. But then Cairo is fascinating too what with its easy-going folk, streets pulsating with life, cafes brimming with youth and oriental scents and sounds dominating the air. Of course, the Citadel (fortress built by Salauddin Ayyubbi) and the mosque built by Mohammad Aly reflect a fairy tale picture at night when all tourists have vanished from there.
Cairo is overwhelming at times and could also exhaust one with its speeding taxis, blaring of Quranic intonation from the cafes, and designer blazers hung inside cars.
My late mother had often advised me against pursuing something that defied my comprehension. Pyramids at Giza were one such monstrosity. Scarcely did I understand why my maths teacher was intent upon me learning those triangles of the pyramids that were beyond my ken. So folks, forget the pyramids. Sorry Pharaohs!
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February 2010 |
