June 29th & 30th-Amman Jordan and Jerash

As we arrived in Amman Jordan and drove to our hotel we noticed a different pace of life.  Traffic was much different then Cairo and you could tell that Amman was a more modern newer city.  The buildings were all finished in beautiful limestone that had been quarried from different areas of the country.  We were told that we could walk anywhere in the city as it was very safe.  After checking in to the Marriott, which felt like we were in the US, we ventured out for a walk.  Finding a nice local cafe we enjoyed a coffee and yummy pistachio ice cream. Then back to the hotel for dinner and a rest for the next part of our tour tomorrow, the city of Amman and Jerash.

Mosque at the Citadel

Roman Theatre

View from the Citadel

Lunch at the Green Valley Restaurant in Jerash

The ancient city of Jerash was the home to over 25,000 people.  Theatres and temples were continuously added as the city thrived under the Roman Empire.  In 330 AD Emperor Constantine announced that Christianity would be the new religion of the Roman Empire's eastern half and Jerash fell into the newly formed Byzantine segment.  Some temples were transformed to churches and many new churches were erected with mosaic floors similar to those found at Madaba.  The massive streets whose pavements still show the grooves of chariot wheels.  The south theatre, the biggest of Jerash's three amphitheatres, is still used for performances and festivals today.

Jerash

Roman Columns

Temple in Jerash

Islamic style wall

Entrance to Jerash

Ancient Roman street in Jaresh

We enjoyed the day very much not only for the historical sites but the drive through the country for the view of the farms and olive groves. Jordan is a wonderful mix of modern and nomadic day life.  Tomorrow the journey on the King's Highway to Petra and some wonderful sites along the way!!

June 28th-Islamic & Coptic Cairo, Egyptian Museum & Bazaar

After our return to Cairo and a much needed day of rest we continued with a tour in the morning of Islamic Cairo then Old & Coptic Cairo.  We started with a visit to the Citadel, a spectacular medieval fortress dating from the 12th century and perched on a hill above the city.  Also located in the Citadel are the Mosque and Tomb of the great Ottoman ruler Mohamed Ali.  Then we went to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan, notable for containing religious schools for each of the four main Sunni Moslem sects within in walls.

Mohamed Ali Mosque

 

Purification Fountain at the Mosque

Next we toured the oldest area in Cairo where we saw the remains of the Fortress of Babylon. First built by the Persians around the 6th century BC, these ruins are indeed Cairo's oldest original structure. Within the confines exists the Church of St. Sergius, where the Holy Family is reported to have stayed, and the Hanging Church, the seat of the Coptic patriarchate for centuries. 

Citadel-Medieval Fortress from the 12th Century

The Market

The Fortress of Babylon built by the Persians

Coptic Church of St. Sergius

Khan El-Khalili Bazaar in Cairo

Revolution Graffiti 

The afternoon tour included the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities, exhibiting over 120,000 objects in its 107 halls, it comprises the world's greatest collection of Ancient Egyptian artifacts.  We saw the treasures that were extracted from the tomb of King Tutankhamen in which we visited while in the Valley of the Kings. It was amazing to see all the items that where buried in such a small tomb and to try to imagine what treasures may have been in the tombs of the great rulers such as Ramses II.  We marveled at the beauty of King Tut's death mask and golden sarcophagus. We also visited the Mummy Room which housed several wonderful exhibits of preserved mummy's they have located.  There is also an exhibit with animal mummy's of cats, dogs, birds and very large alligators.  As cameras were not allowed in the museum you can view photos through many website links such as http://egyptsites.wordpress.com/2009/03/01/cairo-museum-of-egyptian-antiquities/

After our amazing visit to the museum off to see the Khan El-Khalili Bazaar, where we enjoyed a wonderful lunch of traditional foods and a very quick shopping experience.  The streets where very narrow and loaded with vendors eager to sell you everything.  We were pretty tired of vendors from our previous experiences, so did not have much desire to shop at this point in our trip (probably should have started our trip there instead of ending it there ;)

This day concluded our time in the wonderful country of Egypt as tomorrow we fly to Jordan.  We enjoyed our adventure in Egypt very much. The people, the culture and the history have enriched our lives forever!!!

June 26th-Karnak and Luxor Temples

After a much needed rest we began our afternoon tours of the temples in Luxor.  The first stop was the Temple of Karnak, a complex built over more than a thousand years by generations of Pharaohs.  The great "Hypostyle Hall" is an incredible forest of giant pillars, covering an area larger that the whole of Notre Dame Cathedral.

The last stop of our long hot day is to Luxor Temple. The temple has been used over the years for many different things, as much of it was covered with sand and debris until it was excavated.  They are currently working on the Avenue of Sphinx and uncovering many new treasures in the city of Luxor.

Back to the river boat for the farewell dinner followed by a belly dancer and whirling dervish show.  We really enjoyed being on the Nile River, it was beautiful and relaxing!!!

Tomorrow back to Cairo for a much needed day of rest.