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There are not even enough people left around Cairo to graffiti/tag all the abandoned buildings.
Cairo, IL
Watching this gentleman carrying that big cage walked all the way down from the top of the hill with his cane, I wanted to help. But he smiled a "no need".
As I was walking on a busy market street in historic Cairo near Khan El Khalili on a particularly busy shopping day, I was crowded on all sides. When the crowds parted a little, I came face to face with this young man who looked like he had been waiting for me. Click!
Khan el-Khalili (خان الخليلي) is a famous bazaar in the historic center of Cairo, Egypt. Established as a center of trade in the Mamluk era and named for one of its several historic caravanserais, the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike. It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and souvenirs. The name Khan el-Khalili historically referred to a single building in the area; today it refers to the entire shopping district.
Cairo was originally founded in 969 CE as a capital for the Fatimid Caliphate, an empire which by then covered much of North Africa and parts of the Levant and the Hijaz. Jawhar al-Siqilli, the general who conquered Egypt for the Fatimids, was ordered to construct a great palace complex to house the caliphs, their household, and the state's institutions. Two palaces were eventually completed: an eastern one (the larger of the two) and a western one, between which was a plaza known as Bayn al-Qasrayn (lit. 'Between the Two Palaces'). The site of Khan el-Khalili today was originally the southern end of the eastern Fatimid palace as well as the location of the burial site of the Fatimid caliphs: a mausoleum known as Turbat az-Za'faraan ('the Saffron Tomb').  Also located here was a lesser palace known as al-Qasr al-Nafi'i (today the site of the 19th-century Wikala of Sulayman Agha al-Silahdar).
Under the Fatimids, Cairo was a palace-city which was closed to the common people and inhabited only by the Caliph's family, state officials, army regiments, and other people necessary to the operation of the regime and its city. The first attempts to open the city to merchants and other outsiders took place in the later Fatimid period, on the initiative of powerful viziers. Between 1087 and 1092, Badr al-Jamali, the vizier under Caliph al-Mustansir, undertook the task of enlarging the city and building the stone walls and gates that still partly exist today. At the same time, he also opened the city to the common people, but the decision was quickly reversed. Between 1121 and 1125, al-Ma'mun al-Bata'ihi, vizier under Caliph al-Amir, undertook many reforms and construction projects, including the creation of a mint, known as the Dar al-Darb, and of a customs house for foreign merchants, known as the Dar al-Wikala. These were placed in a central location not far from the current site of the 15th-century Madrasa of al-Ashraf Barsbay. This introduced foreign trade into the heart of the city for the first time
Aquesta foto la vaig fer en el Caire, en mig d'un embús en l'autovia provocat per un accident múltiple, vaig vorer que en el balcó hi havia molts xiquets mirant el que estava passant, vaig poder contar uns 13 xiquets en total. La zona és en el barri obrer del Cairo, un mar de rajols rojos, on viuen milions d'habitants amb pocs recursos.
The proximity of Cairo, a colossal city considering its extension and population, is shocking once you situate yourself in the surroundings of the Giza pyramids.
As respectful as future developments, such as the new practically built museum, are with that environment, they will continue to make the location a unique place.
Localizadas en la meseta de Giza, a 18 kilómetros de El Cairo, las Pirámides no solo son los monumentos más importantes de Egipto, sino también los más antiguos del mundo. Se trata de construcciones funerarias que se edificaron bajo las órdenes de faraones de diferentes dinastÃas. Aunque no se conoce con exactitud la fecha de construcción de las grandes pirámides, se estima que las obras comenzaron sobre el año 2500 a.C. Entre los enigmas que envuelven tan preciados monumentos se encuentra el misterio de su construcción ¿Cómo lograron desplazar los enormes bloques y cómo se logró la construcción de tan perfectas estructuras en aquella época? Son numerosas las teorÃas sobre el tema.
Las tres pirámides principales de Giza son Keops, Kefrén y Micerinos. Además de estas hay otras pirámides menores.
Keops: Conocida también como la Gran Pirámide de Giza, Keops (Jufú) es la pirámide más grande, además de la más importante de todas. Cuenta con una altura de 140 metros y se erige sobre una enorme base de 230 metros (casi 1 kilómetro de perÃmetro).
Kefrén: La Pirámide de Kefrén es la segunda más grande de Egipto por detrás de la de Keops. Actualmente es la única de las pirámides que aún conserva una pequeña parte de su antiguo revestimiento de caliza blanca en la parte superior.
Micerinos: La Pirámide de Micerinos es la menor del conjunto, pero no por ello menos interesante. Cuenta con una altura de 66 metros y su base tiene algo más de 100 metros de lado.