There has been lots of talk recently in Egypt about tourism, now that the Islamists have come to power in the parliament. Are they going to ban tourism? What’s to become of the 5 million people employed in the industry? What about the alcohol and the gambling and the bikinis?

As with everything in life there are etiquettes to travel and tourism within Islam, these etiquettes are there not to govern or dictate the way we should enjoy ourselves, but rather to temper it. Away from home and being among strangers gives a false sense of freedom to people, and makes them do things that they would otherwise never think of doing in their homeland; non-smokers become smokers, non-drinkers might indulge in a beer or two, and even if they make a different country their own, they are likely to take on jobs that they would normally sneer at home, like driving a taxi.

The main concept in Islam is that everything is HALAL (permitted) unless there is solid proof that it is HARAM (forbidden).

Since Adam and Eve set their feet on earth and we have been in constant motion, the curiosity within us led us to always be on the move, to discover new lands, greener pastures, far away wonders, and to trade in all sort of things. In fact travel is encouraged in Islam; it is a means of contemplation, learning, and earning livelihood.

Within Islam, everything has a higher purpose, and it is this refinement that makes a difference for Muslims in their daily lives, from the moment they wake up till the moment they go back to bed they can gain a higher level of spirituality. Travelling as an activity is no different.

The etiquettes of travel for Muslims are meant to give them the greatest benefit materially and spiritually while travelling, be it for business, pleasure, or a pilgrimage.

However, looking closely at these guidelines, and opening a guidebook you can find lots of similarities, they are not unheard of and they are not meant as a deterrent to roaming the earth and sampling its wonders.

The following guidelines are from the book Journey in Islam by Dr. Abdul Hakim Abdul Latif Al-Saeedy.

Petra, Jordan.

General Guidelines.

• Seeking the Pleasure of Allah:  When travelling one has to have the proper intention; and nothing is better than seeking the pleasure of your creator by turning the act of sightseeing into an act of worship.
• Sincerity: An integral part of seeking the pleasure of Allah is being sincere in your intention and your action. It is also required in all manners of interaction with people all over the world.
• Deriving Support from Allah: Nations and people all over the world have their traditions, rituals and prayers to help them in their daily lives, just as ancient mariners prayed for their deities or saints for help and good luck while sailing the seas, modern mariners smash a champagne bottle on the hull of a new ship for prosperity. Muslims are no different, only they ask for Allah’s assistance in their travels, they ask for spiritual support and for success in the trip, whether it was for business or pleasure. They also ask for good company while on their journey.
• Last Will and Testament: Sounds very ominous, however, this is exactly what a lot of insurance companies offer now, travel insurance in the case of death or injury. Muslims, on the other hand are encouraged to have their will written before the travel, stating their financials in it and whether or not they owe or somebody else owes them money. This way these rights and obligations don’t get forgotten in case of death or injury.
• Appointing a Guardian: When travelling for business, particularly when travelling for long periods of time, it becomes a good idea to appoint a trustworthy guardian to care for your interests and your family while you are away.
• Hiring a Guide: One of the best things anyone can do while travelling is hire a good local guide; especially if it is their first ever visit to a place. They know the ropes of their city, and they can definitely make a trip less stressful.
• Looking at things with Calm and Prudence: A traveller has to be balanced in their travels, in his sightseeing, and his actions. They can’t – and shouldn’t – imitate everything they see, and they can’t – and shouldn’t – be fascinated by all the thoughts and beliefs without proper contemplation.
• Show Good Morals: Muslims carry Islam with them wherever they go; it is not just in their acts of worship, but also in the way they carry themselves and most importantly, in their morals. They should act accordingly, be humble and moderate in their walk and talk as well as lower their gaze and voice.
• Tourism and Disobedience do not need to Mix: Disobedience is not to be confused with mistakes, everyone makes mistakes, disobedience, however, is intentional. Once it comes into the mix all benefits go out the window.
• Do Good for those who need it: Chivalry and helping those in need is an integral part of the Muslim character, it is embedded in the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah, and helping people in need, wherever we are in the world, regardless of their colour, creed, or gender comes with the territory.

Alhambra, an open window into beauty.

Fail to Plan. Plan to Fail.

Planning and preparing for a trip is essential – regardless of your religion or gender – it can be the difference between having a great experience or a miserable one. Sometimes failure to plan can even lead to death.

• How much will it cost and what will I need: Each trip is different from the next, and each country is different from the next, having enough money for a trip depends on your knowledge of the region you are visiting. The amount of money needed to visit the UK, for example, is not the same as the amount needed to visit Egypt. Same goes for attire, warm clothing or light clothing, tickets, whether you will need a visa or not. All of the above is necessary when planning a trip; otherwise, chances are things will always go wrong.
• How about their Culture: A simple hand gesture in Egypt can be an insult in Italy. Table manners, what to do when you enter someone’s home, learning about the traditions and customs of a country is very important, not only will it make for a smooth visit, but it is guaranteed to enrich your overall travel experience. Even learning how to say ‘thank you’ in the native tongue can go a long way in leaving a good impression.
• Health issues: This is perhaps the most important part of preparing for a trip. Learning about health issues that might arise during the journey, will they need special travel vaccination, will the trip have several different modes of transportation that might cause motion sickness, any special medication that must be readily available.

Travelling in itself is not forbidden in Islam, the majority of the most famous explorers were Muslims, like Ibn Battuta and Ibn Fadlan just to name two, it’s what happens during the journey itself is what that might cause a specific trip to be unacceptable, and as Al-Imam Al-Shafei said:

تغرب عن الأوطان في طلب العلى … وسافر ففي الأسفار خمس فوائد

تفريج هم واكتساب معيشةٍ … وعلمٍ وآدابٍ وصحبة ماجد

Leave your country in search of loftiness

And travel! For in travel there are five benefits,

Relief of adversity and earning of livelihood

And knowledge and etiquettes and noble companionship

•  •  •  •  •

Globe: Some rights reserved by Elizabeth Thomsen

Petra: Some rights reserved by sharnik

Alhambra: Some rights reserved by Fotos de El Jubilado

By Mousha El-Haggar

Getting out of Cairo is always my favourite thing to do. I enjoy going to new places and experiencing new things that are outside of Cairo. This time around my trip was to Fayoum, a place I always wanted to go to but never had enough encouragement; people who live in the city are taken in by the city crowd and never want to leave their comfort zone. That; and many Egyptians don’t view travel within Egypt as a vacation, unless, of course, it’s to the beach! Recently, though, I had a friend who was planning a group trip to Fayoum and I decided it was time to go and experience it for myself.

Doors are always open at Zad Al-Mosafer. By Mousha El Haggar.

We travelled to a small village in called Tunis (pronounced like Tunisia in Arabic); a picturesque lakeside village overlooking Qaroun Lake famous for its amazing pottery work and pottery schools. The village is a mix between two very different kinds of people, Bedouins and Peasants, a mixture of rural Egypt and desert life.

Landscape of the desert. By Mousha El Haggar

In the heart of the village is an eco hotel called Zad Al-Mosafer – Provisions of the Traveller, surrounded by lush greenery and very simple furnishings. It’s built in the same simple mud-brick style that is a symbol of the rural houses surrounding it which I loved most. Out here, the atmosphere, the air, and everything is different; it makes you forget all about Cairo’s pollution and traffic.

I can keep going on about how nice it is there, about the richness of the culture, about the wondrous desert and the ancient monuments, but that will need for a book not an article.

Fossils can be found all around Lake Qarun and in the desert around Fayoum. By Mousha El Haggar.

It was not possible to see all the places in only three days. The scenery is fabulous in the desert and you are surrounded by fossils almost everywhere you go. It awakens your senses with the scent of ancient times and ignites your imagination to what used to be here before all of us. As I walk, I find fossils of sharks and sea creatures that make my mind drift away to how this place was like 40 million years ago; it was a big sea and now it is a desert land!

Simple mud-brick structures add to the organic feeling of Tunis Village. By Mousha El Haggar.

Egypt to me is not synonymous with Cairo only; it’s much more, and when I visit such places I start wondering why people are stuck in Cairo. Just because most of the services are in Cairo doesn’t seem like a good reason to me.  The more we live in the city, the more our needs grow, and the more we start changing – to the bad not the good.

Getting out of Cairo and seeing real nature makes me feel more spiritual and reminds me of my humanity.

Beautiful desolation. By Mousha El Haggar.

What I notice when I go to any place out of Cairo like Fayoum is that people have a quiet nature and they’re happy and satisfied with what they have, although they don’t have all the luxury that we enjoy in Cairo. They are peaceful; they can sleep at night, because life there isn’t complicated and polluted.

In the short amount of time we have, we seem to be missing out a lot in our beautiful country.

Mousha El Haggar is an up and coming jewellery designer who designs and hand-crafts unique pieces of jewelry, all made of fine silver and natural gemstones, she also loves travel and kite surfing. Have a look at her beautiful collection on her website: http://www.moushaz.com and her Facebook page.

It has been a little over 11 months since the January 25, 2011, ignited to culminate into the ouster of one of the worst rulers in the Arab world in modern history, Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, right on the heels of his brother-in-arms Bin Ali from Tunisia.

A lot has changed since then, some to the better, and some to the worst. We’re not going to get into either of them; they both have long lists.

What we’re going to be talking about is something that has managed somehow to divide the people, mostly triggered by a media that still plays by the pre-Mubarak days of divide and conquer for the sake of the person who is in charge at the time, SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces) at the moment. That something is “Tourism”.

Karnak temple at night, Luxor. By James Farmer.

The media boiled down tourism in Egypt into the following: Booze, Bikinis, and Gambling. Viva Las Egypt.

All of a sudden, Tourism is in danger; after all, the Islamists are coming. They are winning in the parliamentary elections and how better to fight them than to play the very old and tired Islamophobia card, which is a very funny card to play considering Egypt is an Islamic country. Not only did they come up with all sorts of statistics to prove their strange fantasies, they also became obsessed with it, they became the primary source of concern when interviewing any Islamist Presidential candidate.

They forgot why the revolution took place in the first place, or rather; they shelved it for a while.

The Red Sea. By Niels Rameckers.

Their first and foremost claim is that 75% of tourism in the world is beach tourism, and by extension, Egypt.

That is simply not true; on average the Red Sea resorts get about one to two million visitors per year, which is a far cry from 75%, considering that Egypt had 20.05 million international tourists visiting in 2010, and 11.91 million in 2009, according to the World Tourism Rankings, compiled by the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) as part of their World Tourism Barometer publication, which is released three times throughout the year. In the publication, world tourism is ranked both by the number of visits and by the tourism revenue generated.  Source: World Tourism Rankings on Wikipedia.

Which means that Ancient Egypt is still the cornerstone of Egyptian tourism, sites like the Giza plateau, Abu Simbel, Luxor, and Aswan still have enough allure that regardless of the time of year, they still get the lion share of tourists. Even the UNESCO-sponsored Egyptian Grand Museum, when finished, is expected to attract around 3 million visitors per year, still more than what beach tourism attracts per year.

Mohamed Ali Pasha's Mosque insiede Cairo's Citadel. By Andrea De Stefani.

We’re not even going to discuss the gambling industry, I think even the lowliest of gamblers knows that Egypt is not exactly Las Vegas, it’s not even comparable to Macau. In other words it is highly doubtful that gambling would account to even 1% of tourism in Egypt. Same can go for alcohol; Egypt is hardly Napa Valley or known for an Oktoberfest type festival.

That leaves the last point, the wildest claim from the Egyptian media supported of course by the hordes of “experts” who seem to appear out of the blue, then disappear into oblivion after doing their damage. If Islamists come to power, they will shut down tourism, close hotels, deface statues and temples, and put 5 million people out of work permanently!!!

One of the many fellucas on the river Nile in Egypt. By Martyn E. Jones.

There are many reasons why people travel, but tourism is special, it gives people some sense of adventure and exploration, people achieve that by interacting with the culture they are visiting, not by travelling half way across the world just to enjoy a cheap version of where they come from.

Egypt is full of wonders, but the people in charge of the media as well as a vast number of so-called elite, only see a very limited form of it, with no possibility in their skewed vision for any kind of tourism than one that involves bikinis, booze, and gambling. In doing so, they effectively recycle Mubarak’s views of Egypt and echo his words that Egypt is not a land of creativity, entrepreneurship, ideas, let alone a land that would ever be ready for freedom or democracy.

We proved him and the likes of him wrong, we are creative, and we are perseverant, we can think for ourselves, and if the only things that would bring tourists to Egypt are alcohol, gambling and bikinis, then we are in a sorrier state than we ever believed, then we are a doomed mediocre country that had no business revolting in the first place.

When I first started this site the main concept was to shed a different light on Egypt, and the tag-line of choice was “there’s more to Egypt than the Pyramids”, however, it is more appropriate now to change that into: There’s more to Egypt than Alcohol, Bikinis, and Gambling.

A view of Siwa Oasis in the Western Desert. By bebobebo, SXC.hu.

We have deserts, ancient architecture and monuments, we have mountains and corals, we have valleys and caves, and we have the mighty river Nile, we have a civilisation that spans millennia and one of the most generous people and cultures in the world. Our progress had been derailed by the incompetency of three consecutive governments, and our ambition crushed by the last of them, but we are back now.

It will take some time to shake of the dust of over 60 years of mismanagement, but we will get there insha’Allah.

As for Alcohol and gambling:

Al-Maa’idah (The Repast)>> 05:90 O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone alters [to other than Allah], and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it that you may be successful.

05:91 Satan only wants to cause between you animosity and hatred through intoxicants and gambling and to avert you from the remembrance of Allah and from prayer. So will you not desist?

By Shereen Shirazy
Country Director at AID TO ARTISANS – Egypt

Aid to Artisans (ATA), an international non-profit organization, based in Connecticut, USA, is a recognized leader in economic development for the craft sector. By linking artisans to new markets and buyers to culturally meaningful and innovative products, ATA provides needed economic opportunities to artisans to build profitable craft businesses.

Since our founding in 1976, we have worked in over 110 countries uniting a global community of artisans, organizations, development experts, retailers, design industry leaders, business trainers, and supporters. Over 30,000 artisans a year participate in our programs. Aid to Artisans has spent 33 years creating economic opportunities for well over 100,000 artisans in more than 110 countries where their livelihoods, communities and craft traditions are at risk. Over the past 10 years, our efforts have leveraged nearly $230 million in retail sales. This income has empowered 125,000 artisans in 41 emerging regions of the world. About 70% of the artisans we work with are women.

Aid to Artisans began working in Egypt since 2009 with the launch of Handmade in Egypt, a three-year USAID-funded program that is contributing to the alleviation of poverty, particularly among women, through the support of entrepreneurship and income generating activities in the handicraft sector. We further empower low-income artisans by building profitable business inspired by handmade traditions. The program is focused on strengthening existing business associations, exporters, wholesalers and other craft sector service providers to increase their effectiveness in providing marketing and training activities. It works in different fields; ceramics, wood, textiles, rugs, accessories, leather, copper, and glass (recycled & Pyrex).

Aid to Artisans – Handmade in Egypt encompasses a group of professionals who work hand in hand and hands-on with the artisans. Handmade in Egypt opens new horizons to these artisans, providing them with out-of-the-box approach. We try to pave out the way for newly emerging and existing artisans in an attempt to encourage them towards more productivity, innovation and creation. We mix the traditional handicrafts with fashionable unique designs and link modest producers with the international business community to create their places  into the fiercely competitive local and international markets. Make access for those products to both local and international markets and exhibitions. Hence, the designed products can find its way to the target clients through reputable stores all over the world.

Design Mentoring Program; a program ATA is implementing which aims to create a competent pool of emerging designers, to be able to offer constant, demand-driven product innovation in order to maintain and create new market links and to foster the local design capacity at the enterprise and design service level. Hence, Aid to Artisans organizes seasonal bazaars on regular basis, to help the designers to better sell their products and widen their network. In such events, we also select the best designs to be shown in our international exhibitions.

“In a world of mass production, the touch of the hand has value.” a core vision for Aid to Artisan.  

Not only does Aid to Artisans support marketing and offering access to new markets for  the products of  these artisans locally and internationally, it further provides product development, design mentoring, business training, and eco-effective processes for better opportunities of these products into the global market.

Traditional artisanry survives only when traditional artisans thrive. In order for that to happen, a jolt of attention-getting design is often required. Our product development and design are rooted in solid market knowledge by hiring successful, trend-forward designers from the U.S. and European home décor, gift, and fashion accessories industries. Our product development aims to blend global market needs with traditional techniques and indigenous motifs. When design consultants work side-by-side in an artisan’s workshop accompanied by a local designer, their exchange of ideas is invaluable. The exposure of local designers to international market trends is critical to local business sustainability. It allows artisans to be inspired to innovate, design, and produce new products that keep their businesses viable, with consistent quality, affordable costs, care to the planet, and to the health and well being of artisans is the full recipe for lasting success, a core value in the Mission of Aid to Artisans – Handmade in Egypt.

Our next event will take place at the Intercontinental City Stars – El Montaza Ballroom, Saturday, December 17^th from 10 a.m – 10 p.m. More information available here.

For more on Aid to Artisans – Handmade in Egypt visit our Website: www.aidtoartisans-egypt.org

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/163627306996716/ 

By Islam El Shazly
Exercise by Darryl Edwards -  Fitness Explorer Training

Travelling and keeping fit sometimes don’t go hand and in hand, especially if you are visiting a food-centric culture, like Egypt for example.

A lot of the activities when visiting Egypt involve eating, and chances are if you are part of a package group or on a Nile cruise that you will be getting three open buffet meals everyday for the duration of your trip. If you don’t keep up with exercising then you will be going back home with something more than gifts and souvenirs.

If you are staying at a five stars hotel or resort, you will have access to a gym to burn off the extra bit of Kunafa with double cream that you just had to eat. But what if you’re not staying at a fancy hotel?

I will post several different exercises that work for different people and different skill levels, below is the first of such series. It is designed by Darryl Edwards, and it is aptly named 300.

The routine is progressive, so depending on your skill and physical condition you can choose to skip one or two of the levels and go directly to the Advanced.

Workout: 300 by Darryl Edwards

The key here is to perform the circuit with as little rest as possible and to master each exercise with good and safe technique, in other words, do not cheat while doing each move.

Sometimes we dismiss exercises such as the ones below because of their simplicity.  However, sometimes a back-to-basics approach works.  This will work multiple muscle groups at once (compound work), ensure a full body workout and improve coordination with its integrated movement.  You will also find a cardiovascular element with your heart and lungs working hard to supply blood and oxygen to the working muscles.

Also don’t take too long to complete.  These should take up to a maximum of 15 minutes.  But your goal is to complete this in less than 7 minutes.  If any of the circuits take longer than 15 minutes.  Be patient, drop down to the previous level until you are comfortable in the 7 minute range.

Warmup:

5 minute shadow boxing/skipping (or virtual skipping if you have no rope).

Beginner: (100 reps)

20 Push-Ups/Press-Ups (4 sets of 5)

20 Air Squats (2 sets of 10)

20 Chair Dips (4 sets of 5)

20 Sit-Ups (2 sets of 10)

20 Back Extensions (2 sets of 10)

Intermediate: (200 reps)

40 Push-Ups/Press-Ups (2 sets of 15, 1 set of 10)

40 Air Squats (2 sets of 20)

 40 Chair Dips (4 sets of 10)

40 Sit-Ups (2 sets of 20)

40 Back Extensions (2 sets of 15, 1 set of 10)

Advanced: (300 reps)

50 Push-Ups/Press-Ups 

50 Air Squats

50 Sit-Ups

50 Lunges

50 Chair Dips (dip using a chair/sofa)

50 Back Extensions

Click here to view the embedded video.

300 – Stay At Home (Video added) with Kirk performing the workout.

Read more: Workout: 300 (Stay At Home) – Explore Fitness - http://www.thefitnessexplorer.com/home/2010/9/22/workout-300-stay-at-home.html#ixzz1aOOWdkPD
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution

Since the Napoleon’s ill-fated campaign against Egypt in the late 18^th century and the world became enthralled with everything Pharaonic. Especially Europeans and Americans, they came by the boat load to see the tombs, temples, and palaces that were long forgotten or half-covered in sand, they came, saw, and recorded what they saw in vivid illustrations; the only record of what a lot of these ancient monuments looked like. Since then many of these monuments became lost again under the waters of Lake Nasser, or just simply collapsed for neglect.

Thomas Cook – the founder of modern tourism – reinvented the Nile Cruise experience and reintroduced it to the world; effectively pioneering mass package tourism as we know it today.

Old Nile cruises 90 years old advert. Wikimedia Commons.

But what about the rest of Egypt; what about the deserts, the mountains, and the oases? Surely someone paid attention to them. Not really.

How about the two seas bordering Egypt, the Mediterranean and the Red Sea? The North Coast has been mostly reduced to holiday resorts aimed at the local market that only open during the summer months, while the Red Sea has been almost exclusive to foreign tourism for over a quarter of a century. There’s diving and sport fishing, but not everyone is into diving or have the patience or can afford fishing trips.

Eco or nature tourism has been largely ignored by consecutive governments for one reason: not enough money in them; at least in their limited vision. So they poured money into certain locations in Egypt and disregarded the rest because it wasn’t lucrative enough for them, it’s not a secret how corrupted most of the governments of Egypt were in the last 60 years.

One can find many ancient wall paintings and inscriptions, such as this one we found recently, scattered around Sinai. School of the Desert.

That’s all changing now, Alhamdulillah, Eco-tourism and nature tourism are starting to pick up, mainly due to the efforts of some small groups of independent travel operators and NGOs, some have been operating for a long time, and some just venturing in, but they are picking up speed. Their secret is the diversity and creativity of what they are offering.

One such group is aptly called “School of the Desert”. I stumbled on them while having a cup of tea at Cilantro in Tahrir while waiting for some papers to be finished processing in the ever-crowded Mojama’ Al-Tahrir. The article was in a little magazine published by the coffee shop, and it detailed what this little outfit of mainly two people did. They teach you how to survive in the desert and mountains of South Sinai, and the teacher is a Bedouin of the Tarabin tribe in Nuweiba.

First day of school: moving out. School of the Desert.

School of the Desert operates their own Ecolodge in Nuweiba, Kum Kum 3, and they are also expanding into Siwa in the Western Desert in collaboration with Taziry Ecolodge.

The following is a brief description of what they do from their own Facebook page:

“This is not only a safari, nor is it only survival training. We will teach you to think and act like a Bedouin, by immersing you in Bedouin life and activities over several 3-4 day trips in the Sinai mountains (longer or shorter trips can be arranged). Bedouins do not just survive; they have learned to become a part the natural desert environment, just as you have learned to become a part of the city or town you live in. For a Bedouin, the valleys are highways, the mountains are skyscrapers and the wild plants, animals & fresh water wells are their supermarkets.

El Mi’allim Asheesh, our team leader and a respected member of the Tarabin tribe in Sinai, came up with an idea many years ago. He dreamed of being able to transfer his and his fellow Bedouins’ passion and knowledge of the desert to others who did not have the chance to take part in this side of Bedouin life. With the help of Amr Bassiouny and several others who have the same passion and experience with the Sinai desert and its people, we are now making this dream a reality through the School of the Desert.

Though three or four days are not nearly enough time to learn everything about survival in the desert of Sinai, a little bit a time over several trips should do the trick. Each trip will be tailored around your interests and expertise.

Here are some of the essentials you should expect to learn on any given excursion:

• Basics and Essentials (what to bring for a trip, where to sleep, how to make a fire, where to get food and water from, etc)
• Plants and animals (medicinal and edible plants, sightseeing, how to deal with dangerous animals, etc)
• Culture and desert etiquette (what not to do, rules while driving or camping near Bedouin camps, what to do if approached by Bedouins, etc)
• Navigation (how to find your way using the stars, sun and moon)
• Off-road driving (driving for different terrain and recovery techniques)
• Cooking and food (fire-cooking, coal-cooking, Bedouin food)
• Bedouin tribes and history
• Bedouin arts (instruments, poetry, etc)
• Historical sites (caves, old settlements, etc)”

Sometimes, you need to be a little creative when trekking the desert. Getting from A to B isn't always straightforward. School of the Desert.

These types of activities are readily available in Europe, North America, and places like Japan, where people are encouraged to love the outdoors and spend more time outside and not glued to a TV screen or a computer, they are not only promoted for the tourists who bring in foreign currency, but also to the locals who should learn more about where they live in order to be able to understand their environment, protect it, care for it and pass it on to the next generations.

So are you ready to pack up and get out of your comfort zone?

For more information:

School of the Desert official Facebook page.

@AmrBassiouny – Founder – Twitter account.

Egypt Today’s Travel Special: Visiting Sinai like a Bedouin

In 1260 CE the Mongol horde under Hulagu ravaged Syria, The Great Mosque and the Citadel of Aleppo were razed and most of the inhabitants were killed or sold into slavery.

In 1400 CE Timur, also known as Tamerlane or Timūr-e Lang, the Turco-Mongol conqueror, invaded Syria, sacked Aleppo then besieged and captured Damascus. The Umayyad Mosque was razed and most of the inhabitants were massacred, the rest were sold into slavery. The lucky ones were the artisans; they were spared and sent to Samarqand, the capital of the Timurid Empire. The unlucky ones had their heads piled up in a field outside the north-east corner of the walls, where a city square still bears the name burj al-ru’us, literally “the tower of heads”.

The Great mosque of Aleppo, it was badly damaged by Hulagu's Mongol horde in 1260, and later rebuilt after the city was freed by the Mamelukes. By yeowatzup, Flickr.

It will take a little over 500 years before Syria suffers its next wave of atrocities. Only this time it will come from Syria’s own leaders Hafez Al-Assad’s and later his son, Bashar Al-Assad.

Historically and up until Syria became a French mandate, Syria was synonymous with the Levant, or Bilad-Al-Sham. It included Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Alexandretta (now part of Turkey). Needless to say modern Syria does not include these territories any more, thanks to France and the UK and their Sykes-Picot Agreement. Syria has been in turmoil ever since.

March 15, 2011, the day one of the most brutal regimes in history was shaken to the core; Al-Assad’s Alawi/Baathist Empire was told enough is enough, soon insha’Allah Bashar’s name will be nothing but history, and the only legacy he will leave behind is hatred and spite towards him, his family, his party and all who supported him; a very vile legacy indeed.

A section of Hama before the government attack in 1982 (Left), and the same section after the attack (Right).

Hafez Al-Assad has earned a place in history as the “leader” who ordered the attack described as among “the single deadliest acts by any Arab government against its own people in the modern Middle East”. The vast majority of the victims were civilians. The death toll is estimated to be between 10,000 and 40,000. The year was 1982, the massacre of Hama.

Bashar would closely follow his father’s footsteps; he had a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of dissent, you so much as breath the wrong way, you would be taken were the sun doesn’t shine.

The Syrians have had enough though, and the fire that ignited in the hearts of their brethren in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya paved the way for their own uprising.

A burned car is seen in the Syrian port city of Banias April 17, 2011. Thousands of Syrians chanted slogans calling for greater freedom at independence day rallies on Sunday, witnesses said, a day after President Bashar al-Assad promised to lift emergency law. The writing reads, Attention... you are in Banias not in Israel. REUTERS/Stringer

Hafez Al-Assad, an Alawite, came into power in 1970. The Ba’ath party that he belonged to was active since the forties; it was – and still is – dominated by Alawites who saw in it a means to hold power in a country that would never allow them to rule otherwise. Ba’athists fully seized power in a coup in 1963, and hopefully their reign of terror will be ending soon with the eminent fall of Bashar Al-Assad.

The Ba’ath’s list of crimes amount to genocide, they have been killing their own countrymen since the 60s, they have deployed the military and their thugs, AKA Shabbiha, to attack and crush all forms of dissent.

For all Al-Assad senior and junior’s bravado, they never once made an attempt to reclaim the occupied Golan Heights. Not once since their half-hearted attempt in 1973 have they so much thrown a rock over the Golan Heights. They would, however, employ the full might of the military to kill their own people.

“أسـدٌ عليَّ وفي الحروبِ نعامـةٌ”

A Lion while fighting civilians, an Ostrich when in war against an enemy.

Syria, Bilad Al-Sham, has been blessed by Allah as mentioned in the Quran; it holds a special place in the hearts of all Muslims. Most of Allah’s Prophets and Messengers passed through it or lived in it at one point in their lives; that made Al-Sham a target of aggression throughout the ages, but it also made the people of Syria resilient and perseverant. They are still here, and all there would be conquerors are gone, most not even remembered, others, especially the hellish ones, are only remembered in contempt.

The difference between Bashar Al-Assad and Qaddafi and Tamerlane is purely cosmetic, he’s soft spoken, highly educated, and spent most of his life in the west. He’s smartly dressed, and along with a dream wife, he sold himself to the Arab world as the next brand of leader that will lead them into future glories and a renewed vitalized Arab world. The Syrians, his people, discovered the horrors behind his gentle façade, by then it was a little late to remove him.

A protester holds a placard during a demonstration in the Syrian port city of Banias April 26, 2011. Syrian protesters in Banias chanted the people want the overthrow of the regime on Tuesday as forces deployed around the small coastal city for a possible attack, a rights campaigner in contact with Banias said. The placard reads, Sacrifice our lives, the martyrs of freedom. REUTERS/Handout

Not too late though, they are fighting back, and with the fall of Qaddafi, Bashar is soon to follow straight into the trash bin of history.

Syria should not expect any help or assistance from the west or from NATO, they don’t have oil! And they shouldn’t expect help from the still in power Arab leaders, the fall of Al-Assad’s regime is going to spell doom for them, just like Mubarak’s did.

Next in line: Yemen.

The Syrian regime has a complete media blackout of the uprising and foreign reporters and photographers are not allowed in the country, even UN delegation was kicked out of the country. Below is a link with some images that managed to get on the internet.

Totally Cool Pix:

April 27, 2011 – The Syrian Protests

For more information and to follow the events of the Syrian Uprising as it unfolds:

Al-Jazeera Syria Live Blog

S.N.N. Shaam News Network

2011 Syrian Uprising (wikipedia)

By Islam El Shazly

Myth, legend and fact mix together for the tale of Piri Reis. His world maps have caused controversy since their discovery back in 1929. They have been the topic of debate for amateurs, historians and researchers, and the debate is still in full swing till now; space aliens and ancient extinct civilisations are a normal occurrence in these debates!

“The sons of Gallipoli spent their lives in the sea like crocodiles, the boats their beds, the sea and the ships lulling them to sleep day and night.” Ibn Kamal, Ottoman historian.

Hadji Ahmed Muhiddin Piri was a Muslim Turk; an Ottoman Kapudan-i Derya (Captain of the Sea), geographer and cartographer; born sometime between 1465 and 1470 CE (869 and 875 AH) in Gallipoli on the Aegean coast of the Ottoman Empire. Like most children in his hometown, he was schooled at home until the age of 12 where he was handed over to his uncle, none other than the famous Kemal Reis Admiral of the Ottoman Navy (known in Europe as Camali and Camalicchio), who would become his mentor until the time of his (Kemal’s) death.

Map of Europe, the Near East and North Africa. Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation) 1521-1522, by Piri reis.

Under his uncle’s mentorship, this observant eager boy grew into a master navigator and keen warrior; he took part in many naval wars of the Ottoman Empire against Spain, the Republic of Genoa and the Republic of Venice, including the First Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Zonchio) in 1499 and Second Battle of Lepanto (Battle of Modon) in 1500. In the late 1400s, the Muslims of Grenada, the last Muslim stronghold in Spain, had asked for help from the Ottomans, Egyptians, and Tunisians. Some of his earlier missions with Kemal Reis and his crew were to ferry oppressed Jews and Muslims from the Spanish cities and relocate them to the Ottoman Empire that welcomed them and gave them a new home. They were the final remnants of the surviving Muslims and Jews who had to suffer inhuman treatments since the Spanish Inquisition of 1492 and brought them to Constantinople (Istanbul).

Following the death of his uncle, he returned to Gallipoli in 1511 to work on his first world map and an earlier version of his Book of Navigation.

By 1516, he was again at sea as a ship’s captain in the Ottoman fleet. He took part in the 1516–17 Ottoman conquest of Egypt, he served under the command of Cafer Ağa Pasha (Arabic: Ja’afar Bey). Piri took a part of the fleet up the Nile from Alexandria to Cairo, charted the area, and penned detailed observations of the region. The conquest of Egypt was personally led by the Ottoman Sultan Selim I and his Grand Vizier Hadim Sinan Pasha.

Surviving fragment of the first World Map of Ottoman Admiral Piri Reis drawn in 1513. Only half of the original map survives and is held at the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul.

From one conflict to the next, Piri Reis took part in almost every naval campaign that would take place in the Mediterranean, Indian Ocean, and the Arabian Gulf. In 1522 he participated in the Siege of Rhodes against the Knights of St. John, which ended with the island’s surrender to the Ottomans on 25 December 1522 and the permanent departure of the Knights from Rhodes on 1 January 1523 who relocated first, briefly, to Sicily and later,  permanently, to Malta. In 1524 he captained the ship that took the Ottoman Grand Vizier Pargalı İbrahim Pasha to Egypt.

By 1547 Piri had risen to the rank of Reis ‘Admiral’ as the Commander of the Ottoman Fleet in the Indian Ocean and Admiral of the Fleet in Egypt, headquartered in Suez. From his base in Suez, he launched several campaigns against the Portuguese, who had dominated the Muslim coasts and the Indian Ocean by then. He recaptured the port city of Aden from the Portuguese in 1548 and restored it to Muslim rule, then Muscat followed in 1552, which Portugal had occupied since 1507, and the strategically important island of Kish.

Once he secured the Southern Arabian coasts, he turned his sights further to the east, capturing the island of Hormuz in the Strait of Hormuz, at the entrance of the Arabian Gulf, and then occupied the Qatar peninsula and the island of Bahrain effectively depriving the Portuguese of suitable bases on the Arabian coast.

An old man approaching the age of 90, he fought one last battle against the Portuguese in Basra, sadly it was a battle he did not win, and he retreated with several of his ships to Egypt. However, his life would not end while fighting or on his bed as an old man, it would end due to jealousy and the machinations of the Ottoman Wali of Basra, Kubad Pasha, and was executed in Egypt around 1554.

His legacy, however, remains.

Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation): 1521 and 1525

After the fall of Rhodes, Piri Reis was appointed as an Advisor to the Ottoman Grand Vizier Pargalı İbrahim Pashais by royal decree. After learning of Kitab-ı Bahriye and reviewing it, Ibrahim Pasha encouraged Piri Reis to turn it into a proper book and update the world map included in it. The book was then revised with additional information and better-crafted charts and then presented to the Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent as a gift. The revised edition had a total of 434 pages containing 290 maps.

The beach at the Heliopolis Sporting Club Summer Resort.

By Islam El Shazly

It’s 14:30 on a Friday, time to hit the road for our family’s summer vacation: A week in Marsa Matrouh, 550km away from all the chaos that is Cairo. Crystal clear, all-shades-of-blue water, white sandy beaches, the perfect detox to the stress of day-to-day life.

My first visit to Marsa Matrouh was back around 1984, I was 10 years old, and the very first thing I did within a day of our 1 week vacation was attempt to get on a moving swing; it had two benches and a wood platform underneath. It was not a successful attempt. I got 13 stitches to the back of my head as a reward for my effort. My vacation ended before it even started.

I wouldn’t make it back to Matrouh until 2009, this time with family of my own, and trying very hard and praying that none of them would get hurt while playing and have a repeat of my misfortune.

2 years later, we’re back in Matrouh and we can’t get enough of it.

We happen to be members of the Heliopolis Sporting Club and they have a great 30-chalet resort at the Cleopatra beach area in Matrouh, it’s private and it’s on a little bay that is shielded from the open waters by a lot of natural rock barriers so there are no waves to speak of; perfect for children who are still developing their courage around open water.

Day 1, Friday: Arrival

Travelling with three children means lots of packing, including bicycles, that meant fiddling with installing a bike rack and securing it to the trunk (boot). In the end it took the combined effort of myself, my wife, and our building security guard to install the thing while being treated to Na’a na’a Al-Jeneina (The Mint of the Garden) from the car parked next to us.

We took the Ring Road and exited to the first section of the Cairo-Alexandria desert road, and once we got through the toll station our vacation has officially begun.

Unlike a lot of the stories being passed around as facts, the road is fairly safe to travel; this is the second time we travelled since the ouster of Mubarak back in February. We passed right next to the walls of a massive prison complex and through several construction zones on the highway with no incident whatsoever. It was a very pleasant drive.

Our first stop was at Master, the children got to run around and stretch their legs, grabbed some snacks and sandwiches, then we were off again. Every time we pass through here the place seems to be getting bigger with more snack shops and lots of greenery.

Sunset on the Alexandria-Matrouh road.

One of the problems this highway had was the U-turns. Someone thought it was a good idea to have U-turns in the fast lane, and that caused lots of accidents, now the road is getting an upgrade in the form of over-passes that will eliminate the havoc caused by U-turns, and this road will officially be a free-way insha’Allah.

We arrived at the resort right in time for dinner then it was off to bed.

Day 2, Saturday: The Beach

Next morning early in the day we were off to breakfast , and convincing the kids they need to eat before they play was a feat of endurance, all they wanted to do was play in the sand and splash in the water.

Sammy the crab, our very first beach buddy.

Bathing suits on, beach toys in hand, and for the next three hours, we bake in the sun, splash in the water, a failed kayaking attempt, and a short ride on a paddle boat; the children are having a blast, and things couldn’t be better.

I realize in the evening that I burned myself, and the air-conditioned chalet is my friend for the next couple of days. The sun was blazing but there was a cool breeze, and I didn’t feel the sunburn until it was too late.

Lunch and a nap later, and we’re off to the beach again. Later we took one bicycle to get fixed, did some shopping at our favourite little Bedouin market, then back to the resort again.

The kids played with their bikes, then went for a round in the playground before dinner. After dinner we went downtown for some supplies, then back to the resort again, we all need the rest so we can repeat it all again the next day.

Day 3, Sunday: Souq Libya

Since I was unable to go to the beach due to my sunburn, I went and finished some work that needed my attention; the main hall is the only place that has WiFi in the resort. The children went to the beach with their mum and I joined them fully dressed later – white linen shirt is best -  and kept myself in the shade.

Spices and herbs for everything you might think of.

After lunch we took the bus to Souq Libya (Libya Market). A labyrinth of shops and stalls that mostly sell spices and herbs (including herbs for every personal need!), a lot of knock-offs, and cosmetics. The market used sell a lot of nice products from Italy and Turkey that came through Libya, but recently and because of the uprising in Libya, we are left with the cheap made-in-china knock-offs.

Dinner at eight, and by 10pm the little ones were passed out. Bliss.

Day 4, Monday: Cleopatra’s Baths

After breakfast we headed out to the other side of our bay, we went to the actual Cleopatra Beach, it’s a 3 minute drive from where we were staying and out in the open.

Swimming not allowed; dangerous area.

There’s no swimming allowed there, the entire area is riddled with jagged rocks, and the sandy stretch is separated from the water by a rocky area that has been smoothed out over millennia and is very slippery.

The scenery, however, is stunning. Clear blue waters, all shades of blue and awe inspiring rock formations. The highlight of the visit is the Cleopatra Baths, more about it here.

One of the magnificent rock formation at Cleopatra Beach.

The kids went crazy; we had them in their swimsuits and water shoes. They ran all over the place, climbed rocks, got knocked over by waves and fell flat on their behinds, they jumped and splashed and had a blast.

The place can be a bit hazardous if you’re not careful so you have to watch the children and make sure they don’t get over excited while having fun.

Later in the day the children played with their bicycles, hunted for sea shells, we played some beach volley with our newly found friends, and in the evening we had dinner in the open air, a feast of Gulf-style food.

Day 5, Tuesday: Ajeeba

Wondrous as its name means in English, Ajeeba has caverns and caves throughout the cliff faces that surround the little beach. You don’t go there to swim; you go there to stand in awe of the gorgeous caverns and rock formations and what thousands of years of waves, rain, and wind have done to the cliffs. Brilliant sculptures!

The view from one of the caverns at Ajeeba.

It’s a long descend down to the beach, and after an hour of exploration and picture taking, a daunting trek up to where the car was parked.

After dinner, the staff built a Bedouin tent on the beach and put seats outside. It was for a birthday party for one of the children in the resort. We had roasted corn and Bedouin tea that has been steeping on charcoal for a while. All the kids in the resort got gifts and cake and played in the playground till they dropped.

Day 6, Wednesday: Ships Ahoy

Another lazy day at the beach with lots of sea shell hunting and swimming, later in the afternoon we boarded a little yacht that took us for a nice 2 hour ride outside of our little enclave. We sailed along the shore all the way to Rommel’s beach and Hideout-turned-museum.

Light of the Sea.

We stopped for a short swim in the crystal clear water, sadly we couldn’t stay longer. In the evening it was open air dinner again, this time it was a mixed grill feast. Yummy!

Day 7, Thursday: The Beach and Other Matters

We were going to go check out Rommel’s Hideout, instead we ended up at the mechanic! The car broke down. The rest of the day was spent just being as lazy as possible, it was our last day by the sea, and we weren’t going to let the car spoil it for us.

Sea shells; the children spent hours hunting for them.

I picked up the car in the evening with a friend then we returned just in time for dinner.

Day 8, Friday: The Long Way Home

It was time to go home and say good bye to the Mediterranean; we drove off and 115km out of Matrouh the engine died on us. A lot of people stopped and tried to help, they were all Bedouins, they called their friends and tried to find a tow truck, until a truck driver who was going to Cairo stopped and offered to tow us. It would take 11 hours for us to get home, but Alhamdulillah none of us were hurt, and we now have a story to tell for a very long time insha’Allah.

Cleopatra Beach.

By M. Butcher

Cleopatra Beach in off the Mediterranean along  the North Coast of Egypt.  It is a beautiful place to take a walk and even have a picnic.  The water is clear but the beach is rocky. It is a nice place to visit but swimming is not permitted as the waves smash against the rocks and can carry you away. The sand is almost white.

Our kids love to run and play in the waves and rocks close to the shore, as you get farther out, the rocks get slippery and it gets harder to walk. There are lots of rocks to climb on and the kids like to pretend they are the king of the castle.

Cleopatra statue at the entrance to the beach.

The myth is that Cleopatra used to make her way up the coast to come to this particular beach because there is a special cave.

Skylight inside Cleopatra's Bath.

Inside the cave, there is a skylight and pool but what makes it special is the way the water flows into and out of the cave from the waves of the Mediterranean.

Water entryway from the Mediterranean.

There is a cavern that the water flows into and then it pools in the main area. The waves hit the rocks bringing new water in, if the tide is high enough, the water in the pool is warm and fresh.

Exit for the water in the Cleopatra's wading pool.

Inside the cave there is parts that are natural and other parts that have been carved from the stone. There is also remains of what used to be an alter on the far wall of the cave.

When you go, take time to walk around and splash in the waves. Wear sunscreen, take a hat, and make sure you have proper water shoes, CROCS won’t do, as the rocks are very slippery.

Cleopatra Beach - Lots of rocks for climbing.

Cleopatra beach is a great place to spend a morning or an afternoon.  The kids love to run and splash in the water. It’s a great place for a picnic. It’s nice to leave it better than you found it, and take your garbage with you. Unfortunately, most people leave their garbage and make a mess. It would be so picturesque if people could keep it clean.  And please no graffiti inside the Bath, we want to keep it as pristine as possible for future generations to enjoy.

Leaving Cleopatra Beach.

Take your kids, walk around, and have fun! It’s worth way more than the  2LE parking fee.