Day 42 – Mummies and Artifacts

We got rolling at 5:30 am with breakfast and then a dash to the airport for our flight to Cairo. We then visited some of the most important highlights in Cairo including:

· The Egyptian Museum

It includes a rare collection of 5000 years of art with over 250,000 priceless artifacts including the marvelous collection of treasures of King Tutankhamun. We saw his golden items such as his golden Mask that was enclosed in his tomb for about 3,500 years. A whole lot of mummies were available to see as well. Our guide did a masterful job of moving us through the exhibits while seeing the best of the best in Egyptian history.

· The Hanging Church

The most recommended religious destination for both Copts and Muslims who come to visit Egypt because of its shape and size as it was built over the Babylon Fortress and that is how it gained its name. Its construction dates back to the 3rd century AD.  We all lit prayer candles and gave thanks for our special time in traveling together.

Remember from our Bibles – The Flight into Egypt refers to the biblical account in the Gospel of Matthew where Joseph, Mary, and the infant Jesus fled to Egypt to escape King Herod’s plot to kill the baby Jesus. An angel warned Joseph in a dream about Herod’s intentions, prompting the immediate flight. They remained in Egypt until Herod’s death, say about three to four years, after which they returned to Nazareth. 

· Khan El-Khalili Bazaar 

It is the largest open-air market in the world where you can find all of the Egyptian items which you may want to see or buy including clothes, spices, etc. We picked up a few extra soccer shirts as the prices were just right – dirt cheap!

A dinner of Egyptian pizza with a street cafe vendor was a good way to end the day.

A phrase we learned here from our tour guides – “Yalla Yalla” – which means come on or let’s go! We indeed have been Yalla Yallaing our way through Egypt.