Egyptian Culture and Final Thoughts

Our final full day in Egypt kept us moving with visits to several wonderful sights even as we were beginning to reflect on all that we had seen and learned over the past eight days. In addition, all of this was set in the timing of the end of Ramadan and the beginning of the festival of Eid for Muslims. We were walking through a market on a final day of Ramadan when the call came to break the fast and we witnessed people scatter into groups, men with men, women with women, to sit and share dates and then pots of food that had been prepared earlier. In the parks there were families gathering with children to share a meal and enjoy the evening together.

Our tour of Cairo included a visit to Ahmad Ibn Tulun Mosque, completed in 879, which no longer serves as an active mosque, but provides a wonderful setting for visitors to learn both a bit of history and some of the practices of prayers without interruption. From here we made our way to Khan El Khalili Market, a huge winding bazaar in Old Cairo where we encountered (not kidding) thousands of teenagers out celebrating Eid. This was just a quirk of timing as our guide said she had never seen anything like it. It would be like leading a tour of Times Square in NYC and coincidentally doing so on New Year's Eve. For Eid, it is common for everyone to receive a new set of clothes and it was apparent as the boys and girls posed for pictures with each other in their new outfits and dresses.

Another highlight of the market was a stop at the famous El Fishawy Cafe for Turkish coffee where we just happened to sit below a picture of Naguib Mahfouz, a Nobel prize winning Egyptian author, who's book, Midaq Alley, we were in the middle of reading. On our way out, we drove through the City of the Dead, a vast necropolis several square miles in size, where millions of Egyptians are buried and 2 million of the poorest live. It was a reminder, in part, that the economic benefits of tourism in Egypt and its growing economy, are not yet providing a path for everyone out of poverty.

Today concludes a first chapter of this adventure and we have learned and been reminded of some important lessons. First impressions of people and places are powerful and lasting and yet an extended encounter or immersion brings history, context, nuance and perspective that can dramatically reshape our own views and opinions. Taking time to get to know a person and a place requires patience and an open mind, but the payoff in both cases is enormous.

Because our tour guide was herself a woman who had chosen a less traditional path in life (especially for a Muslim Egyptian), we have also had the privilege of being exposed to a wide breadth of women's experiences, lives and lifestyles in Egypt. While there are certainly still strong traditions and expectations that can hold back women from certain choices, we were able to witness places where opportunities for education, new careers, and flexibility for family life are evolving.