Friday, Jan. 16 – Depart New York City for Cairo, Egypt

Our group met at gate 22 at John F. Kennedy International Airport. It was great see friends from previous tours and meet new friends that we will share this adventure with. It always amazes me learn of the many connections and mutual acquaintances shared between Christians. Our plane departed New York about 5:00 pm. The flight was uneventful, and even shorter than we expected thanks to a 300 mph tailwind - what a pleasant surprise. We arrived in Cairo about 9:30 this morning, about an hour early! Some were able to catch a few hours of sleep, others weren’t so lucky. It is going to be a long day! The weather is beautiful and a pleasant 65 degrees-a nice change from the frigid weather we left in New York.

The Coast of Egpyt We were met at the airport by our guide for the tour, whom we will call Osman, which is his last name. He says his son can’t pronounce his first name properly, so I’m sure I would completely butcher it with my southern accent. We will be staying in Heliopolis the first two nights at the Le Passage Heliopolis Hotel. Heliopolis is the where the ancient city of On was located (Ezek. 30:17). Joseph married Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On (Gen. 41:42, 50; 46:20). We were thrilled to have a chance to freshen up before the day’s tours started. Because of our early arrive, Osman was able to plan a fun filled day for us - he and Ferrell have ulterior motives. They want to keep us awake until at least after dinner to adjust our internal clocks to the local time.

Our driver is Abraham and he has the best deal on water in town - a welcomed addition so close to the desert! Osman gives us a history lesson as we drive to our first stop. The most important thing we learned was that what we call Egypt today is much larger than in biblical times. On our tour, when he refers to Egypt, he is referring to the “black soil around the river Nile.” This region covers only about 4% of current day Egypt. Our first stop today is the Alabaster Mosque. This is the Mohammed Ali Mosque located within the walls of the Citadel. From the courtyard is a magnificent view across the city to the Pyramids. The Mohammed Ali Mosque has become a symbol of Cairo. Constructed in the mid 19th century, Mohammed Ali's body is in a marble tomb there. The interior of the mosque is covered with beautiful panels of alabaster. We learned that the only source of Alabaster in the world is Luxor, which will visit later on our trip.

Our group gets a history lesson from Osman. Over looking Cairo from the Citadel (Pyramids can be seen in the distance)

Our driver, Abraham, comes through for us again. While we were at the Mosque, he picked up falafel sandwiches…to go. We were all famished and this croquette-type patty made from chickpeas and served in a warm pita, hit the spot! Abraham dropped us off in Coptic Cairo, the oldest part of the city, which covers about 2.2 acres. This ancient part of the city includes Coptic Cairo, many historic churches and takes in the southern tip of the island of Rhoda. Coptic Cairo sits within the walls of the 3rd century AD Roman fortress of Babylon. We paused for pictures of the Roman Tower that still stands. Our next stop is the Coptic Church of Abu Sarga. It is often called the “Hanging” or “Suspended” Church, because it is built on top of the Water Gate of the old Roman fortress of Babylon. It is one of the oldest churches in Egypt and hangs from beams that suspend it far above street level.

Our final stop today in Coptic Cairo is the Ben Ezra Synagogue, which is the site of the discovery of the Genizah fragments of the Hebrew Bible. This is the oldest synagogue in Cairo. Tradition has this as the place where Moses was pulled out of the bulrushes. The synagogue, was built in the 11-12th century among the ruins of an 8th century church. Repairs in the 19th century unearthed hundreds of Hebrew manuscripts from the synagogue’s intact geniza, where any paper bearing the name of God was preserved.

As we drive toward the hotel, we stop briefly at the location where Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. There is an elaborate monument across the street from the locations. Osman has done a fabulous job of keeping us awake with his fascinating stories, but we are fading fast. We head back to the hotel, for dinner and finally…a good night’s sleep.