Giza Pyramids and Sphinx

With school being finished on Tuesday, I had two days to visit things in Cairo I hadn't gotten a chance to see yet. I had saved Egypt's biggest attraction - the Pyramids - for my last week abroad, despite the fact that they were only located around three miles from my apartment.

I began by taking the metro from Dokki to Giza Station. Although I had been in Giza plenty of times before, I had never been near its center. The term "suburban sprawl" comes to mind, as Giza is an immense suburb of Cairo, heavily polluted and overly crowded. Cairo's second most prestigious university, Cairo University, is located near the center of Giza. I took a taxi from Giza Station to the Pyramids.

The cost of a ticket to the Pyramids grounds is only 30 LE for a student. There are a limited number of tickets to see the interior of each of the pyramids, though I opted not to purchase one, as I heard from many people that the interior is uninteresting. I had expected a great amount of haggling at the pyramids considering what I had heard from people who had visited, but it wasn't too bad at all. Mostly I was just asked a bunch of times if I wanted camel or horse rides. Nothing could compare to the amount of haggling I had experienced in Luxor.

The Pyramids sit on a plateau to the west of Giza. The plateau is entirely desert terrain, and everything to the west of the plateau is desert as well. In other words, the Pyramids are the western edge of the Cairo metropolitan region. Surpringly, there is a great view from the plateau over all of suburban Giza. One can see a cloudy, polluted haze hanging over Giza. It is also possible to see the smaller pyramids of Saqqara in the distance, located a short drive from Cairo.

View of Giza from the plateau.


As expected, the Pyramids themselves are impressive. There are three of them at Giza - the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the smaller Pyramid of Menkaure. You can approach the front of each pyramid, but the other four sides of each pyramid are roped off. The area surrounding the pyramids is sandy and undeveloped. There are a few roads around the plateau, but for the most part it looks like it has for thousands of years. There are a number of smaller structures on the plateau, which are associated with the Pyramid of Menkaure.

The Pyramids.





At the bottom of the plateau is the Sphinx. Though large compared to a person, the Sphinx is dwarfed by the pyramids that surround it. The area around the Sphinx is a little more developed in terms of modern structures.

The Sphinx and the bottom of the plateau.



The Pyramids are perhaps the most visited site in Egypt, and they are certainly worth the visit. The ticket is cheap, they are easily accessible from other parts of Cairo, and the plateau is so expansive that I can't imagine it ever feeling crowded.

I took a taxi back from the Pyramids to my apartment. As I mentioned, the distance is only about three miles, yet the amount of Giza traffic at midday was so intense that the ride took about forty-five minutes.

The Third Day

First evening in the apartment, and I slept well. It is pretty chilly this morning though, about 50 degrees F with a breeze.

I decided not to go to AUC today because I realized it is just for late registration and I did not send my Survival Arabic registration form on time so I'm pretty sure I'm not enrolled in that. Besides, I wasn't entirely sure how to get there as of this morning.

I began the day with a stroll around the neighborhood, but I didn't go too far because I was nervous I would lose my way.

Door of my apartment. No apartment number or letter, it's just a door.



Looking down the stairwell from the fifth floor


After I returned and ate breakfast, I went back outside through the neighborhood and a little bit into Giza. I know my way around the immediate vicinity now. While there are sidewalks on the streets, nobody walks on them unless they must. People walk between the cars that are parallel parked and the cars driving on the road.

Many people have given me double-takes, which is understandable as there are few Westerners in this neighborhood. Even though I am not dressed unusually, I stand out with blonde hair (albeit shaved), blue eyes, and light skin. I am wearing sunglasses whenever I walk around, as I think this makes me stand out less. I have noticed many people want to see what type of shoes I am wearing, though I am unsure why. They don't seem to mind that I am here. Some of the teenage males give me funny looks, I guess because I'm a foreigner.

Whenever the cab drivers see someone foreign walking, they will beep their horns and slow down to offer a ride. I was even offered rides by a driver who saw me a block away while he was on his break.

After lunch I decided to find out where the AUC Downtown campus was located. I looked at the Google map of Doqqi for awhile, and I can now find my way around as long as I see either Masaha Street, al-Doqqi Street, or Tehrir Street. From my street I walk down Masaha to the intersection of Tehrir Street, and Tehrir goes all the way across the Nile. I think it only takes about 15 minutes or less to get into Downtown by foot, even less by metro.

The old AUC campus is right in the middle of Downtown so I walked around it, but I didn't go inside. Downtown is pretty easy to follow. Most of the buildings even in Downtown are fairly short, about five stories or less. The few that stand out in height are the hotels and the Mogamma, which is a government building. After that I walked deep into Garden City, where I passed a few universities and the Italian and Canadian embassies. I passed the American Embassy but it wasn't immediately visible where I was walking.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Nile Hilton Hotel


Sadat Metro Station in Downtown. I think the red building in the back is the Arab League


More Downtown


I finally got a taste of the pollution for which Cairo is known. Around Tahrir Street and in Garden City there is a thick smell of petrol from the cars. It is not too bad but I wouldn't want to spend lots of time there during rush hour. Strangely enough, Tahrir Street is a popular dating spot with dozens of couples along the bridge despite the many lanes of traffic that run adjacent to the walkway.

The city is rife with police officers, with guards posted every 100 meters or so in the crowded areas. They wear black sweaters, berets, boots, and slacks. Many carry AK-47s around their shoulders. However, I see very few police cars. It appears the traffic is more or less self-regulated. Aside from the dangers of having to cross the street, the city feels quite safe so far.