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Dear Fashionistas,
I have been in Cairo for a few days now and I can not get over how much history this city holds. Today I got to see one of the oldest buildings ever built, the Saladin Citadel of Cairo, which was constructed over 5,000 years ago!! It was a beautiful, gigantic sanctuary that over looked ancient Cairo (which people still live in today)!
Later on that evening, we went out to fully indulge in all the culture Cairo had to offer in the markets. It reminded me a lot like the Marrakech souks, lots of great salespeople pitching you anything from gold, to herbs, to clothes and furniture. My favorite part was that the market was almost like a tunnel through the city. At night it was even better, when all the lights came to life with the rest of the city.
But what I was most excited to see were the Pyramids. I remember sitting in history class throughout elementary and middle school, learning about these massive capulets of history. I heard about how the slaves lifted thousands of pounds of solid stone and constructed these shrines for their Pharaoh eventual burial. I learned about the making of the pyramids, why they were so important to ancient Egyptian society and how did they hold such meaning still to this day. I thought I had an understanding of what they would be like, but this wonder completely surprised me. Not far from central Cairo, all of the pyramids were lined up to align with the stars, surrounded by endless desert. (There are five pyramids but was a little too hard to fit them all in one pic together while riding a horse in an Arabian desert).
We went for the full on Egyptian experience. I rode on a camel- my new bff Michael Jackson- and a horse for about a 30 minute ride to the stone monuments. Once we were to the pyramids we got to go inside and explore. Instead of stairs there was a ladder going deep underground to where the Pharaoh was buried.
Sorry I wasn’t allowed to take any photos inside the pyramids, but the thought did cross my mind about breaking the law to get a pic for you guys, but didn’t want to be sent to a prison in Egypt, haha)!
Our last stop was to see the Sphinx. Head of a Pharaoh, body of a lion, hands like a lady, it was the biggest hybrid (is there a name for 3 different creatures built into one?) sculpture I have ever seen. The intricate artwork and attention to detail was insane, especially once you got up close to the face of the Pharaoh.
See you back in America!
Love,
KT
P.S. Take it from a personal experience, don’t wear platform sneakers to a desert hike.