In-depth Travelogue of Egypt in Winter 2019 (13) – History and Reality of Cairo

In 969 AD, the Fatimid Caliph Al-Mu'izz dispatched his general Jawhar to lead an army into the ancient city of Memphis, renaming it Cairo (meaning 'the victorious' in Arabic), and moved the capital of the Fatimid dynasty to Cairo, ushering in a period of great development for the city.

After the Ayyubid dynasty founded by Saladin replaced the Fatimid dynasty in 1169, the city expanded further; in 1260, the Mamluk dynasty replaced the Ayyubid dynasty, still keeping Cairo as its capital, and constructed a large number of buildings, many of which have been preserved to this day, becoming precious cultural heritage of Cairo. In 1517, the increasingly powerful Ottoman Empire marched south to occupy Egypt, making Egypt a province of the Ottoman Empire with Cairo as its provincial capital, and Cairo began to decline. The invasion of Egypt in 1798 by the French army led by Emperor Napoleon marked the beginning of the Islamic world's subjection to Western invasion and colonization, and also the start of Egypt's transformation from a feudal autocratic society to a colony. In the nearly 1,300 years of Islamic rule before this, many historical buildings and profound cultural imprints were left on Cairo and Egypt. However, from a historical perspective, the Islamic Egypt of over a thousand years had almost no cultural connection with ancient Egypt; this thousand-year Egypt was merely a 'copy' of Arab culture.

Although in 1801, Muhammad Ali led the Egyptian people to expel the French invaders and established the Muhammad Ali dynasty, once again making Cairo the capital, in 1867 the British occupied Cairo, forcing Egypt to become a British colony, initiating the process of Westernization in Cairo and even in Egypt. Under the rule of Ismail, the grandson of Muhammad Ali, Egypt gained some economic development by ceding sovereignty, but it was merely an appendage of European colonizers in North Africa. As European capitalism developed, the exploitation of Egypt intensified, causing numerous internal contradictions and a succession of nationalist movements. Finally, in 1953, the revolutionary party uprising overthrew the rule of the Ali dynasty and established the Republic of Egypt, opening a new chapter for ancient Egypt.

We visited the Khan el-Khalili market in the evening of December 21, 2019; on the afternoon of January 2, 2020, we went shopping at the New Cairo shopping center, and on January 3, we took a bus to visit Ramses Station and tried riding the Cairo metro. This gave us a superficial understanding of the current situation in Cairo. This section mainly describes our sightseeing in downtown Cairo.

Khan el-Khalili market is the most famous market in Cairo and all of Egypt, and a must-visit place to experience retro Arabian atmosphere. The enthusiastic hawking calls, the pervasive smell of spices, and the dazzling array of handicrafts interweave to become a signature scene of Cairo.

Ramses Station is the largest railway station in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. It is named after the ancient Egyptian pharaoh Ramesses II. Built in 1892, it blends Islamic and industrial-era architectural styles. Its interior is decorated with ornate ceiling chandeliers and an inverted pyramid surrounded by desert plant carvings. It was one of the great buildings of Egypt at the time. The fact that such a grand building could be constructed in the 19th century demonstrates that Egypt already had a fairly high level of architectural skill and capability.

Masjid Al-Fath (Al-Fath Mosque) is located on the south side of Ramses Station, separated from the station by an overpass. It is said to be the largest and most modern mosque in Cairo, with a minaret reaching 130 meters. In July 2013, the Egyptian military overthrew the democratically elected president, Mohamed Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood, triggering massive unrest. Among the events, the standoff between Muslim Brotherhood members and military police in front of Al-Fath Mosque was the most notable. It eventually ended with a forceful crackdown by military police, resulting in at least 173 deaths and 1,330 injuries. When we visited, everything was normal, as if nothing had happened.

Cairo's first metro line opened in 1987, making it the first operating metro system in Egypt and Africa. Currently, there are three lines (Lines 1, 2, and 3) with 61 stations, covering a total length of 77.9 kilometers. According to incomplete statistics, only about 200 cities in 56 countries worldwide have metro systems; the number of countries and cities with metro in 1987 was certainly even smaller. That Cairo already had a metro at that time indicates that its development in the 20th century was quite impressive.

It is said that the metro is currently the only means of transportation in Cairo that is free of traffic jams and rarely delayed. After visiting Ramses Station and Al-Fath Mosque, we originally planned to take the metro to the New Cairo area, but due to the language barrier, we asked several people but still couldn't figure out the direction and transfer stations, so we just randomly rode two stops and then returned, which counted as experiencing Cairo's metro.

Reportedly, starting from 2015, the Cairo authorities have been building a new administrative capital in the desert 45 kilometers east of Cairo, named 'New Cairo'. New Cairo is planned to cover an area of 714 square kilometers, accommodate 6.5 million people, and include a new city, a theme park, a modern international airport, a commuter railway connecting to old Cairo, and a 90-square-kilometer solar-powered drip irrigation oasis. We visited a commercial district in New Cairo, which features large shopping malls, supermarkets, brand-name stores, and large parking lots, as well as restaurants, hotels, and pool water features, somewhat resembling comprehensive commercial complexes in China.

Near the old town area, there are some rather peculiar residential buildings. These houses look unfinished but are already occupied. Upon inquiry, we learned that this is deliberately done by ordinary Egyptians to avoid taxes. It is said that the Egyptian government has a regulation that unfinished houses (without a roof) are not subject to property tax.

The above is the Cairo we saw, where history and reality intertwine, and modernity coexists with tradition.

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