A Taste of Cairo – Journals from Abroad

The weekend of Easter, I had Easter Monday off, as is important for the French, so I decided to use the time to visit my friend Nada in Egypt!

Nada was an international student here at Linfield a couple of years ago, and I was able to visit her last year in Egypt when I went with Dr. Noussi for the Women of the World Conference in Alexandria. This time, I spent four days in Cairo with Nada and her friends, experiencing everything I wasn’t able to see last time!

Nada also let me partake in Ramadan with her! We fasted for the day and broke fast to eat Ful Mudammas around 6:20 pm, when the sun set. We’d go out after to the markets and historical monuments, staying out late to eat Mahshi until our fasting began again around 4:00 am. We’d get a few hours of sleep and go back out to explore Cairo.

Image of a door in a mosque with the intricate designs in the Islamic art style. Light is shining through the wooden cutouts. — Wood-carved Door in Mosque

The first day I went to work with Nada, where she is a doctor at a physical therapy clinic. Afterwards, we broke fast at a viewpoint overlooking all of Cairo and headed to the market, Khan Al-Khalili, that was decorated with Ramadan lights and beautiful lanterns. The market was right outside the ancient gates of old Cairo, a UNESCO world heritage site. We then walked along the Nile and ate some sweet treats before heading back to Nada’s apartment to rest.

Design of inlaid tiles made out of colored stone and ivory on the floor of a mosque — Tiles Lining Floor of Mosque

On Sunday, we went to the incredible Ibn Tulun mosque and toured the museums in the Cairo Citadel. We ordered food and sat at a park on the bank of the Nile and waited for the sun to set to break fast. We ate so, so many Ramadan desserts over some Turkish coffee and then finished off the night by going bowling.

Image of the box of Ramadan desserts that we ended up buying. There are six rows of all different types of pastries. — Ramadan Desserts

Nada picking out Ramadan desserts

Nada and I in front of the view at the top of the hill where the Cairo Citadel stands. — Me and Nada at the Cairo Citadel

The next day while Nada was at work, I went with her friend to the religious site Mogamaa Al-Adyan, where there was a Coptic museum, a few churches, a mosque, and a synagogue. Nada and I then broke fast at her apartment, drank some Ramadan juice and milk and hit the town again. We started at a mall then when to another market. At the end of the night, we got on a party boat for a cruise on the Nile.

Image taken at night of the river Nile with a sailboat lit up. — Boat on the Nile

Image of a stairwell leading up to the Hanging Church in the religious square in Old Cairo. The stairs and church are made out of the iconic Egyptian sandstone. — Hanging Church in Old Cairo

It was a whirlwind of a journey, but definitely worth it. Next year I’m hoping to visit Nada in her hometown of Port Saïd!

Until next time,

Natalie