In support of the Egyptian people who achieved their calls for change, I will post photos of Egypt for each of their 18 days of protest, for viewers to see what their lovely country is really like. Photos are from a 5-6 week stay in Egypt in the summer of 2008.
In Cairo, the City of 1000 Minarets, every old street seems to have not one but two or three mosques, many times just opposite each other. The story goes that everyone rich wanted to build a mosque, and prove themselves by outdoing their neighbors mosque! Needless to say, there are HUNDREDS of mosques in Cairo that are meant for seeing, but they are unfortunately not very well utilized or maintained. It is tempting to follow the UN 1000 Minaret Heritage trail but there is really not enough time to cover it all unless you are in inhabitant of the city!
Ibn Tulun Mosque is a 9th century mosque in Cairo, known for it’s spiral minaret that features an external staircase (rather than inside the column). The view from the top of the minaret is wonderful, and you notice what Cairo is really like, not just the shiny, glossy version that is visible in travel brochures!
