Minarets, mihrabs, minibars &c: a glossary
by TheLongTone
Lots of my tips are about mosques & so on, so for those unacquainted with the termshere are afew terms
Hypostyle: A general architectural term, not specific to islamic or mosque architedture. It means any structure in which a flat roof is held up by rows of supporting pillars.
Mihrab: the niche that indicates the direction to face for prayer. The ritual focus of a mosque, often very beautifully decorated..
Minaret: the tower from which the muezzin used to perform the call to prayer.
Minbar: the pulpit. found to right of the mihrab.
Quibla wall: the wall containing the mihrab indicating the direction in which mecca lies.
Tutankhamun & The Royal Mummies
by incawill
The Egyptian museum is a must see. It does however get really crowded especially the tutankhamun exhibits. We were on a guided tour which clashed with several other so once our tour was over we had a free 30 mins & I went back to the Tutankamun stuff to see it much qiueter.
The Royal mummies are really worth the extra ticket cost. To see the faces of some of the people who built these amazing monuments was awesome. The guards also keep a pet bird in the room which I carried around the exhibition on my finger - weird! The pyramids are astonishing and completely amazing but it would be much nicer if you could stand and look for a second without being constantly harrassed by vendors.
Flowers in Cairo : Red Hibiscus
by freddie18
I took this photo in Cairo. I know and I remember!
We have this type of flower in my country of origin and love cutting from the stem and use as a decorative arrangement for Mayflower festival in the Philippines. As a kid, we used them to make blowing bubbles. We collect them, minced and get the sticky juice and put some water. That was how we made bubbles for free.
I do not know the name of the flower, but I am sure it is a family of Hibiscus. Very pretty, I would say!
not be afraid of driving a car...
by MProcher
not be afraid of driving a car in Cairo. It's just - the rules are completely different from anywhere else. You may be should not rent a car when you arrive at the airport. Parking in Cairo is a bigger problem than anywhere else on earth. Best is to pay some few Piasters and take a guardian. But: take care there are sooooo many became a guardian just a minute ago. Not that they want to steal your car - they will even watch your car - nothing will happen to your car - but if an official guardian recognizes that he will blame it on you!
With a guardian you can leave your car open or close it without gear so they can move cars around. Or do you think the red Peugoet would fligh out?!?!
what to wear if your a woman in cairo...
by magdalenatsapos
please, pleeaaaseee... when coming to egypt. try to dress modest ok?!
i mean i saw tourists wearing mini skirts and tiny little tops showing of their belly piercings. i wanted to rap them up, put them in a bag and send them back home. when in egypt respect the egyptians, respect their colture. some woman here even cover their face with a black face scarf..... not even showing the skin on their hands. well, for us this might be a bit much... but this is a exaple to show you the difference.
one thing i noticed is the difference when walking with a male or walking alone. when walking alone covering as much skin as possible is recommended. its for yor own good. when with a man... u can be much more free. with a man a tight t-shirt and a pair of tight jeans is totally fine but alone...this is not totally fine anymore. unless u want heaps of hassle offcourse...
never wear singlets or anything not covering the knees. please... NO MINI SKIRTS OR SEXY HOTPANTS OK!
when ur in more touristy places like the museum or the pyramids. or when u are walking with a large group of tourist u are free to do as u like...shorts and singlet ok. but please still remember you are in egypt.
there is heaps of great shopping in down town. heaps of cloths u will like as a westerner but that is still acceptable to wear in a strickt islamic country like egypt.
i posed 2 pictures as examples of what i wore for shopping or cafee or just normal stuff whiles in egypt. BUT this is still regarded as sexy and keep in mind i would never ever wear this if i was walking by my self....i was always with male egyptian friends. when walking alone i would rap a scarf around my shoulders.
a great thing to buy is a piece of large material...not sure what its called but it has a whole in the middle were u can put ur head thrue and it hangs down your body. this looks nice and u can feel free to wear whatever u want underneath....as long as the bottom part of your clothing covers your legs.
dont worry...once u are here u will understand...
have fun!!
new metered white taxi
a good brew in an interesting place
Panoramic view from Cairo Citadel
Carved wooden window - Turkish Merchant's house
