Vlog 16 | Up above Cairo so high... | Cairo Tower | Khan El-Khalili Bazaar

Vlog 16 | Up above Cairo so high... | Cairo Tower | Khan El-Khalili Bazaar

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We are on our way to see the Cairo Tower. The Cairo Tower is the tallest building in Cairo;  in fact it was the tallest building  in all Egypt for 31 years until 1998.  Not only that, it was the tallest building in  all of Africa when it was completed in 1961. When we reached the tower we shall  climb to the top and see a Bird's   Eye view of Cairo from its  circular Observation Deck. 

I have heard that the view  from the top is amazing! After the Pyramids of Giza,   it is the most conspicuous monument in  Cairo albeit very modern in comparison. To reach the Cairo Tower we will have  to cross a branch of the Nile to an   island in the river, the Gezira island. This is one of the poshest areas of Cairo   with all the high-rise buildings and luxury  hotels, it is a popular tourist destination.   We are now crossing the same bridge that we  saw in the beginning of the last Vlog that   is the Qasr El-Nil Bridge which joins  downtown Cairo with the Gezira island.  On either side of the bridge are  four bronze lion statues designed   by Henry Alfred Jacquemart, a French Sculptor. And we get our first glimpse of the Cairo Tower.  We are now on the Gezira island between  two arms of the great Nile River.

We are now inside the tower. We shall take  the Express elevator to the very top floor,   the Observation Deck which is the 62nd floor. We shall reach it within a minute! The cars on the road look like toys; it  reminds me of my childhood toy car collection.

This is the 6th October Bridge. Another bridge  that runs parallel to the old Qasr El- Nil   Bridge. Its name commemorates the outbreak of  the Yom Kippur war or the October War of 1973   between the Arab Coalition and Israel. The  Arab Coalition was led by Egypt and Syria.  This is the building of the Ministry of Foreign  Affairs which we have also seen in Vlog 3. We can see some Cruise ships on  the shores of the Nile. We shall   soon board a Nile cruise ship  ourselves in the coming Vlogs.

Beautiful landscape this! Cairo  is a beautiful Metropolis. Can you see that man riding a  horse? Is this a Polo ground? Misr (Egypt) is a land of Palms. You will  see these Date Palm trees everywhere. Those hills you see at the distance are  the Mokattam hills. The Citadel or Fort   of Cairo is located on these Hills. This  Islamic era Fort was where the rulers of  

Cairo lived for almost 700 years from  the 13th century to the 19th century.  That is the Tahrir Square, the heart of Cairo;  and this is the Nile Ritz Carlton Hotel;   this Orange Building is the Egyptian Museum where  we have spent considerable time in Vlog 13 and 14. I have come here at sundown  and the views are breathtaking! That is the Qasr El-Nil Bridge which we have  just crossed to reach this Tower. If you look   carefully you can see two bronze Lions behind  the two pillars at the far end of the bridge. This is the Cairo Opera House - the  main Center for Performing Arts in   Egypt. It has seven theaters, a music  library, an art gallery and a museum.

Look at those cars. WOW! There it is! The Sofitel  Cairo Nile El-Gezira Hotel. What an unconventional structure!  Mother doesn't seem to be afraid of  heights. She is enjoying the view. Unlike Indian cities,   Cairo has very few motorbikes. The  roads here are full of four-wheelers.

I can see a Sailboat in the Nile from here. That seems to be a Public Swimming Pool. What happens if someone  dives in it from this height?  Seems a very bad idea... That is a football ground. Egypt is a football  crazy nation and Egyptians come together almost  

daily to watch football matches of various  Egyptian clubs. Mohamed Salah (Mo Salah) is   the most popular player who is the captain  of Egypt's national team and also plays the   Premier League for Liverpool. The Sun God Ra is watching us! That hemispherical structure is the venue  of Egypt's popular talent show - El Dome.   This structure was constructed especially for  the show in only a 1000 hours. This structure   seems to be inspired from the American inventor  Buckminster Fuller's Geodesic dome concept.

What's written here? Some facts about Cairo Tower. How many of you can recognize the structure  we see on the far end of the horizon?  Those are the Pyramids of Giza!  Difficult to see clearly because of the  smog, but you can make out their silhouettes. The Bridge on the River Kwai. I mean River Nile. For those   who don't know, The Bridge on the  River Kwai is one of the finest   films ever made. A classic! if you  haven't watched it yet, go watch it.

That is the Nile Ritz Carlton that  we saw from up above the Cairo Tower,   and that is the QasrvEl- Nil bridge that we  crossed while coming to the Gezira island. We are on our way to the  shopping district of Cairo, the  khan El-Khalili Market or Souk - the  word for market in Arabic. This by the   way is the GAD restaurant. A good  place to eat if you are interested   in tasting authentic Egyptian  Delicacies at reasonable prices. This customer seems to be bargaining quite  hard just to buy a pair of Track-pants! the Cairo traffic is Infamous at this time of  the day. We seem to be stuck in a traffic jam! Oh a restaurant! if I'm stuck here  all night at least I won't starve! That is one of the old Gates of the Khan  El-Khalili Market. This Market is from the  

Islamic era more than 500 years old,  but it has changed considerably from   that time. Look at this engraving from a  book published in the early 19th century. This Bazaar is one of the most  popular destinations for tourists   in Cairo and a great place to get some Souvenirs. I am on my way to my hotel. It has been a  fantastic day and I need some rest. We shall  

leave Cairo early in the morning tomorrow before  Sunrise. We have to catch a flight to Aswan.   The next city... I hope I do not get stuck in the traffic again! So long, till the next Vlog...

2023-03-07 18:12

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