Those of you who follow my articles regularly will recognize that I am constantly surprised by the changes that occur – or maybe that are occurring – to places that I have visited and spent time exploring. The so-called “Arab Spring” has brought many of these changes to mind. Perhaps among the most dramatic of these is the ongoing evolution taking place in the country of Egypt. Daily I am reminded of my visits there, particularly to the city of Cairo itself. Travel back a decade or so with me, and let’s watch what can happen in a few short years.
It was January 1992 when we first set foot in Cairo. Our path to Egypt was a bit convoluted. San Francisco to Frankfurt was our routing, and we stayed outside of the airport in our favorite little town of Kelsterbach. This stopover helps us to overcome any jet lag that may plague us.
Our eventual destination was Nairobi, and as we planned the trip we noticed that should we somehow fly from Cairo to Nairobi we would follow the Nile River from near its mouth to a point near its source. We jockeyed our plans around a bit so as to make that flight during the daylight hours. The thought of seeing the Nile from end to end delighted us, so the reservations were made.
As an afterthought we felt it would be fun to spend a few days in Cairo as long as that city was on the agenda – and so it became a stopover in our plan.
Being a little unsure of what to expect in this exotic city, we decided to break our rule of staying in local hotels and booked reservationsat the Nile Hilton Hotel. How fortuitous! The hotel was sparkling clean and exceptionally beautiful, as most Hiltons are. But its location was superb.
There is a wide boulevard which borders the Nile River on the east side called the Nile Corniche Road. The hotel sat squarely on this highway, and our room on the umpteenth floor gave us a magnificent view. Just to the south of the hotel was the El Tahrir Bridge over the Nile. This bridge crosses the highway and ends two blocks away in Tahrir Square – a location which has dominated the television screen the last few years. But more of that later.
The bridge was lit at night as was the square, and we found ourselves walking through the square on many occasions. There was also a small island in the center of the river which was used as a public park. After dark, we would wander around the park where we could see families congregating and lighting fires to cook their evening meals. The smell of smoke and the cooking of food completely filled the air.
Another of our favorite spots was the Coptic Christian Hanging Church. The ancient architecture, the priest in his ornate robes, the wonderful tapestries – all still linger in my memory. I wonder how this structure fits into the chaos that has recently occurred there.
Out the rear of the hotel was a sizeable parking lot. The area was used by hotel guests, the ever-present tour buses, and as a parking lot for the Egyptian State Museum. This museum was a treasure trove of history, and although the presentation was marginal, the material was magnificent – giving one a sense of the long history of this country, going back some eight thousand years.
We roamed this city freely, along with visits to the usual tourist attractions, i.e., pyramids, Sphinx, mosques, etc. But alas, a decade or more has passed, and the city we traveled in has had a history of violence and turmoil. The first warning occurred some four or five years after our visit. A car bomb went off in the parking locale next to the museum, and several people were killed and many more injured. The latest catastrophe to this landmark occurred on August 17, 2013 when the museum was looted and much damage was done. Valuable artifacts also were stolen or destroyed.
As I mentioned earlier, Tahrir Square is the center of one conflict after another. This serene sanctuary is less than six hundred feet from the hotel we stayed at – but it is now the flash point for demonstrationson a regular basis.Although we walked in this area any number of times, the pictures of the crowds on television in this square were in total contrast to our memory.
I don’t know how it will all end. I don’t know if the change is for the better or for the worse. I will leave that for the future to decide. What I do know is that I’m glad I went there several years ago, and I’m glad I’m not there right now.
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