The Citadel and a return to The Egyptian Museum, and The Souk

2/5 citadel and Museum and the Souk!!

After breakfast we boarded the bus for a trip to the Citadel. 

The Saladin Citadel of Cairo is a medieval Islamic fortification in Cairo. The location, on Mokattam  hill near the center of Cairo, was once famous for its fresh breeze and grand views of the city. It is now a preserved historic site, with mosques and museums.

The mosque is the other feature of the Citadel that reflects the reign of Muhammad Ali. This feature, with its large dome and overtly Ottoman influenced architecture, looms over the Citadel to this day. Recently destroyed Mamluk palaces within the Citadel provided space for the formidable mosque, which was the largest structure to be established in the early 19th century. Placing the mosque where the Mamluks had once reigned was an obvious effort to erase the memory of the older rulers and establish the importance of the new leader.

From the Citadel the bus took us back to the Egyptian Museum. Here our guide gave a brief tour of the museum hitting the highlights. We were then turned loose to explore or return to the hotel. We stayed a bit and then returned to the hotel to drop our bags and head out to find lunch at Felfela

which was great and we stopped at the mini mart kiosk and got a soda and cakes. Total Lunch cost for both of us was $4.00. 

This evening took us to the Souk, or market. This bustling market is also known as Khan el Khalili. Here we put our trading Skills to the test. We did pretty darn good. We were told little has changed since the days when Berbers, Turks, and others came here on Camel back.   

From the Souk we went to Al-Azhar Park to have a traditional dinner. We started with a bread service with several dipping sauces and tomato soup. Next came rice and potatoes, followed by a charcoal grill ladened with various meats and vegetables. The meat was kebab  a grilled ground meat, lamb, and chicken. Desert was mint tea and creme caramel (flan). 

Back to the hotel to settle our bill and pack as we have a 0400 wake up. I did go into the bar to see a bit of the Africa Cup final as Egypt is playing Cameron. 

Off to Luxor!!!!!!