I am in Cairo!

September 14, 2012

First impressions of Cairo — the heat, the energy, the chaos and the wonder of arriving in Egypt for the first time. (2 min read)

Last night I arrived in Cairo, Egypt. Me! This has been a long time coming and even though I’m staying within spitting distance of the pyramids at Giza it is hard to believe.

Today we began with a tour of some holy places in “Old Cairo”.

This was a day of “firsts” for me, fulfilling long held desires to visit a mosque (the 12th century Citadel built by Salah ad-Din – the sultan that met with St Francis of Assisi – crowned by the Mosque of Mohammed Ali 700 years later) and a synagogue (Ben Ezra Synagogue – purportedly Egypt’s oldest synagogue but dated to 8th century and restored many times).

We also visited several early Christian churches (The Hanging Church – so called because it is built above roman fortress – which contains many relics of early Christian saints; and the Church of St Sergius and St Bacchus – Egypt’s most famous church because it is built above a place where the holy family was given shelter when they fled to Egypt).

The highlight of the day was the unplanned delight of connecting with the relics of St George in two places in Old Cairo – the Convent of St George and at the Hanging Church.

It was a great privilege to be in these places. For me, the energy in the mosque and the Hanging Church was strong but the other places felt neutral.