A DATE WITH CAIRO

Cairo would have a lot to do with dates I knew only I hadn’t imagined running into them everywhere.

My destination was the City of 6th October. Yes, it is the name of a place (They have others too to commemorate important days in the national calender - 23rd July Rd, 26th July Rd).

6th Oct is the most important of them all. It is the National Day. Egypt defeated Israel and recaptured Sanai on this day. Hence an entire governate has been dedicated to it and now being gradually developed as the new capital of Egypt. It lies to the west of Cairo, in the outskirts, about an hour from the Airport – a sprawling swanky township with posh housing societies, two huge entertainment parks, some of the best hotels chains of the world and the Egyptian Median Production City.

Turning out of the Airport what struck me as the first distinguishing character of Cairo was its preoccupation with signages. I was happy with the Cairo Airport making an inimitable statement. The frequency with which they appeared thereafter was a little amusing. Not only big institutions had their names flashing in bold along their outer walls but even gated communities and villas had them etched out in oversized capital lettering all over the place. More than ostentatious there was something childish about the display. It is how Egyptians were as people I reckoned – large-hearted, generous and childlike.

I was told by the driver that I was on the Ring road that encircled Cairo and Giza. With the Airport at one end in the east we were to travel half way across the arc at the opposite end to reach our destination. The river Nile I learnt would come in the way meandering from south to north (officially dividing the districts of Cairo and Giza). Fastening the seat belt I sat upright ready with my camera to capture the spirit if this magnificent city.

I had been reasonably impressed with the new airport terminal and now the 8 lane dual carriageway before me took my breath away. Cairo was more modern than I thought it would be.

Camels taking a ride on a truck made a good picture for the tourists. I had my eyes set for the first signs of visible civilization though. And lo behold they appeared in the distance in a grey mass.

As I came closer I was taken aback by a rather untidy clusters of buildings with no balconies. Stacked one against the other like cardboard boxes they looked like a day-after–ghost-town. Bombed out and shaken. I simply wasn’t expecting to catch Cairo so starkly disheveled all of a sudden.

It wasn’t the houses, I figured out later, it was the colour that made them so dismal. I rarely find myself completely awestruck by the living conditions of any country. Be it opulence or poverty I have seen it all in India. I have been to Afg, one of the most impoverished countries in the world and still maintain I have seen more poverty in India. Egypt was no different. I quickly reckoned those houses belonged to lower middle class homes, a little away from the buzzing city - A kind of a Dharavi along the Mumbai Airport – a bit of an eyesore but a stark reminder of the anomalies of a developing nation.

The ghost town vanished as the road winded along the Mokattam Mountain. To the people of Cairo, it is the only mountain they know. They are actually low hills of abt 500mts - a limestone quarry, running all the way to Sanai, 5 hrs away from Cairo.

Here right ahead of the ranges, I tumbled upon yet another set of surprise - A sprawling gated community, magnificently opulent and shamelessly modern.

The bombed city beside a paradise could make interesting headlines. I suddenly felt the molting pangs of modern Cairo. It may be a long time before it sheds its ugly skin. Things were in progress. But like everywhere else the poor were probably waiting to be just wiped out.

I left the rich and famous and through a small quiet stretch approached what looked like the head of the bridge. “You will soon see the Nile flowing across,” I was told by the driver. I was approaching prime property, the least densely populated neighborhood in Greater Cairo. I was told expatriates and diplomats lived there in MAADI. The real estate cost of their property ran in millions and this was the wealthiest suburb of south Cairo.

The Ring road, slightly elevated now, did not allow a clear perspective of the township. What I could see was a muddle of sprouting high rises - drab and chaotic.


The Nile looked refreshingly quiet and peaceful in contrast. Its clear waters ran into streams along small islands with palm, mango and date orchards.This beautiful river sustains and nurtures Cairo even today and I knew I would come back to it for its story. My eyes were still on the living accomodation all around it.




“Are these really houses of rich people,” I found it hard to believe from their shabby exterior. “Why are they not painted brightly ?” I asked. Rami, our friend explained that an Egyptian would eagerly spend a hearty evening with his friends painting the town red but not his walls. “It is a waste of money for him.”

I recalled how our very own Jaisalmer, Jodhpur and Jaipur the desert cities were also not into painting their houses. There was a lot of colour in their clothes and food and life, their houses comparatively staid. Was there a connection somewhere? Anyway Jodhpur looked beautiful in blue and Jaipur in pink and Jaisalmer in yellow... Cairo could have done better than that sad grey shade. Someone really ought improve their taste in colours.

Did I say that too early? For what lay across the bridge was the town of Giza - with still more surprises in store for me - More multi-storeyed buildings, piled against each other with no breathing space - tons of bricks without mortar or cement to hold them together – or so it seemed. These set of people seemed to have simply forgotten to plaster their houses. There were narrow unpaved alleys running between them. What if there was an earthquake? These structures would literally come down like tons of bricks I thought.

I couldn’t relate to the fact how this cradle of civilization with the greatest engineering feat could allow such monstrous constructions. Ah... that was enough for the day I decided. I intended to get up early and head for the Pyramids the next morning. But that was not the high point of my journey. I wanted to explore the life in Cairo more than anything. I would need many dates...