Museum
of
Egyptian
Antiquities
Despite
the dust,
poor
lighting
and
general
chaos,
the
Museum
of
Egyptian
Antiquities'
vast
collection
makes it
one of
the
great
museums
of the
world. (And
you
thought
the
British
and
French
had
taken
everything!)
Bazaars
Cairo's
famous
bazaars
live up
to their
billing
-
they're
overflowing
with
brass
and
copper
goods,
jewelry,
rugs,
hand-crafted
musical
instruments,
and
spices;
and even
for non-shoppers,
the
haggling
and
frantic
peddling
are
sights
in
themselves.
Felucca
Nile
Cruises
The
felucca,
the
colonial
form of
Nile
cruising,
is now a
booming
business.
Used
since
antiquity,
the
lateen-sailed
boats
allow
you to
experience
the
Nile's
many
moods
like no
other
vessel.
Coffee
Houses
Coffee
and tea
are a
way of
life in
Cairo.
Leave
behind
your
Earl
Grey and
try the
local
brews,
such as
karkaday,
a deep-red
infusion
of
hibiscus
flowers,
or
sahleb,
a thick,
creamy
drink of
arrow-root
topped
with
cinnamon
and
nutmeg.
Cities
of the
Dead
Approximately
300,000
Cairenes
live
amid the
Cities
of the
Dead,
two vast
cemeteries
that
have
merged
with
poor
neighbourhoods,
where
funerary
architecture
and
shops
and
schools
stand
side by
side.
Horse
and
Camel
Rides
into the
Desert
For
adventurous
types,
days-long
horse
and
camel
trips
into the
desert -
during
which
you
sleep on
the
dunes
and eat
meals
cooked
over a
dung
fire -
will
give you
a taste
of life
as a
desert
nomad or
merchant.
Whirling
Dervishes
The
Whirling
Dervishes,
a Sufi
sect
founded
inTurkey,
extol
music
and
dance as
a way to
shred
their
earthly
ties and
give
themselves
wholly
to God;
for
voyeurs
like
you,
their
form of
worship
will be
a
dazzling
- and
dizzying
-
spectacle.
Cinemas
Cairo's
art-deco
cinemas
stand in
stark
contrast
to the
cineplexes
of
today,
and
they're
sociologically
fascinating,
too, as
the
predominantly
all-male
audiences
cat-call
at
anything
remotely
risquι
on
screen.
Floating
Restaurants
Floating
restaurants
- such
as
The Nile
Pharaoh
and
Golden
Pharaoh,
a
mock-pharaonic
barge
bedecked
in
scarab
friezes
and
golden
lotus
flowers
-
provide
a
refreshing
if
somewhat
kitschy
way to
view the
Nile.
Moulid
al-Nabi
Celebration
The
Moulid
al-Nabi
celebration,
held in
honour
of the
Prophet
Mohammed's
birthday,
includes
music
and
singing
in the
streets
and
groups
of
chanting,
swaying
worshippers
striving
to
attain a
state of
oneness
with
God.
