The Beauty of Islam in Cairo

One of the many reasons why I wanted to visit Egypt is to SEE Islam without western filters and editing.  After 9/11, I had a Muslim student speak to the class about what Islam is really about.  Islam is not terrorism, despite what western media portrays it to be.  Islam is very similar to Judaism and Christianity, but has it's own unique qualities that make it stand out from the rest.  Seeing Islam weaving it's magic throughout Cairo is such an amazing experience because there is so much to see!  In the USA, we have an expression, "There is a Starbucks on every corner."  In Cairo, the expression is "There is a mosque on every corner!"  There is so much beauty in Islam that one needs to break down the stereotypes of the media, in order to fully appreciate all that it has to offer.

A mosque on every corner!

 Islam was founded by Mohammed, a merchant who was born around 570 AD in Mecca.  At the age of 40, he began to receive revelations of the word of Allah (God) and these were transcribed as the Qu'ran (Koran).  Mohammed's preachings were not well received in Mecca and, in 622 AD, he and his followers fled to Medina.  This flight (hejira) constitutes year zero in the Islamic calendar.

The Qu'ran is the holy book of Islam, is regarded as the direct word of Allah.  Muslims believe that it can only be fully understood if read in Arabic.  It is divided into 114 chapters, or suras, which cover many topics, including matters relating to the family, marriage, and legal and ethical concerns.

A Handwritten Qu'ran at the Arab League

A Muslim reading the Qu'ran at Al Azhar Mosque

The major beliefs of Islam are known as the Five Pillars of Faith.  The first of these, the Shabada, is a simple declaration that "there is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his Prophet."  This is the same as Judaism, which recognizes Yahweh and Moses, and Christianity, which recognizes God and Jesus.  All three religions are monotheistic religions, which have different prophets.  All three religions speak about the existence of the other prophets and weave it into their history, no matter how minute it may be.  The second is the set of daily prayers that are supposed to be performed five times a day, facing in the direction of Mecca.

A Father and Son in Prayer

Another Muslim in Prayer

The third is fasting during the daylight hours of the holy month of Ramadan.  I am so upset because we are living the day Ramadan begins.  Ramadan is such a big celebration in the Muslim culture that it would have been amazing to witness it in Egypt.  Unfortunately, no such luck, but we have been seeing the decorations being put up and food being sold specifically for Ramadan.  You can feel the excitement in the air for the coming of Ramadan.  It would be amazing to witness it - maybe next time!

Korina, Sonja and Amany posing with a Ramadan Lantern and Ramadan Table Cloth

The fourth is the giving of alms (charity).  I spoke to Safaa about this and she said one should always help those in need in their community, but it shouldn't be publicized.  You are giving alms to help the needy, not to let everyone know you are being charitable.  It does not count if you do it to bring fame to yourself.  The fifth is the Haj.  At least once in their lifetime all Muslims must, if they are able, make the pilgrimage to Mecca, the birthplace of Mohammed.  I have had students make the Haj and judging from their telling of the experience and photos, it looks absolutely amazing!  There are so many people that participate and it costs a great deal of money to make the Haj.

A mosque is the house of worship for Muslims.  When you visit a mosque, you must take off your shoes before entering.  Women must also be covered from head, aside from the face, to toe before entering a mosque for prayer.

Shoes Left Outside the Mosque

Me covered up in the Mosque of Sultan Hassan

Mosques have been built in a variety of styles, but they all share some common features.  The most important feature is the mihrab, the prayer niche that indicates the direction of Mecca.  Most mosques also have a minbar, from which the imam delivers his Friday sermon.  Other features are more a part of Islamic architecture, rather than a requirement for a mosque.  Most mosques are identified by a minaret, where the call to prayer is made, and a crescent-shaped finial on a dome. 

A landscape of domes, with crescent-shaped finials, and minarets.

Mihrab at the Mosque of Sultan Hassan

Minbar at the Mosque of Mohammed Ali

I asked Safaa who paid for the building of mosques?  She said the community raises the funds to build a mosque.  But what about the poorer communities?  There are mosques everywhere, but how do the poorer communities pay for the building of their mosques?  The mosques in the poorer areas are paid for by the wealthy as part of their alms to help the poor.  The prayers of the wealthy will be multiplied because of their generous donation.  One prayer will equal one thousand prayers for judgment.  It might go a long way in helping to beat the lightness of a feather!

We have visited so many mosques while we have been here that it all blurs together, but the one that is my favorite is the Mosque of Mohammed Ali in the Citadel.  It is so stunningly beautiful that it represents pure perfection, in my opinion anyway! 

The Citadel is a fortress that was founded, in 1176, by the famed Muslim commander Salah ad-Din (Saladin).  The Citadel houses two mosques, the Mosque of an-Nasr Mohammed and the Mosque of Mohammed Ali.  The 19th-century Mosque of Mohammed Ali towers over the Mosque of an-Nasr Mohammed, and offers a beautiful sight for all Cairians traveling through the city.

View of the Citadel from the Streets of Cairo

The Mosque of Mohammed Ali

Mosque of an-Nasr Mohammed

View from the Top of the Citadel

The Mosque of Mohammed Ali was built between 1830 and 1848 by Mohammed Ali, who was a reformist ruler and founder of modern Egypt.  When Mohammed Ali came to power in 1805, Egypt was a province of the Ottoman Empire.  By the time of his death in 1849, however, the country was once again a regional superpower.  His mosque was a grand gesture that was meant to echo the great imperial mosques of the Ottoman capital.  It's modelled along classic Turkish lines with a great central dome and two towering minarets, and carved out of white alabaster, which has since become dirty and turned an off-white or beige color.  Basically, to "clean" alabaster you basically have to chisel the dirt off, but then you would be whittling the stone away, so you can't "clean" the alabaster.  The ornate clock in the courtyard near the entrance to the mosque was a gift from King Louis-Philippe of France, in exchange for the obelish in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.  Mohammed Ali's body lies in a marble tomb to the right on entering the vast space of the prayer hall.

Me at the base of the Mosque of Mohammed Ali

The Minaret and Crescent-Shaped Finial

Islamic Design of Windows

Purification Station and the Clock Tower in the Courtyard

Look at all the twinkling lights, so beautiful!

It's kind of hard to see, but there is a Star of David where the chandelier is connected to the ceiling.

The Prayer Hall - Love the Twinkling Lights!

The most famous mosque in Egypt, right now, is the Mosque of Sultan Hassan.  Why?  President Obama chose this mosque to visit when he visited Egypt last year.  Obama is "Number 1" in Egypt because he chose this mosque!  The Mosque of Sultan Hassan is across from the Citadel and right next to the Mosque of ar-Rifai, three mosques just steps away from each other!  The Mosque of Sultan Hassan is an example of early Mamluk architecture.  An eerie side note - this mosque was funded with money from the estates of people who had died in the Black Death.  Regardless of it's dark history, this mosque is also a sight to behold.  We were even fortunate to hear some of the Muslim chants that are performed during services, but I will have to upload that video when I get home.  The connection here is too weak for such a big upload.

Left - Mosque of Sultan Hassan and Right - Mosque of ar-Rifai

The Tiled Ceiling of the Mosque of Sultan Hassa

The Purification Station in the Courtyard

A Beautiful Dome with Wood Carvings Anchoring It

Prayer Hall Open to the Courtyard with all the Twinkling Lanterns

Minbar

Verses from the Qu'ran Carved into the Wall of the Prayer Hall

The last mosque up for discussion is the Mosque of al-Azhar.  While I was excited to visit this mosque because it completed my Top 10 Must See List of Cairo, I was underwhelmed by the mosque itself.  It is massive in size, but lacks the charm and serenity of the other two mosques, in my opinion.  The architecture didn't have the "wow" factor that the others had, and my opinion may be clouded by the fact that it is located in a really crowded area, which takes away from it's charm and serenity.

The Mosque of al-Azhar was founded in 970 AD.  It served as the main mosque and university for the city of Cairo during the rule of the Fatimids, and continues to be the center of religious and political life in Egypt today.  Today, the Sheikh of al-Azhar is the highest religious authority in the land and the university the most revered center of learning in the Sunni Islamic World.  Although, now housed in several modern campuses around the country, the university continues to provide free education and board for Muslim students all over the world.  People come to study the Qu'ran and Islamic law along with other traditional subjects such as grammar, logic and rhetoric.

Entrance to the Mosque of al-Azhar

Courtyard of the Mosque

Minaret and Dome

Mihrab

The Enormous Prayer Hall

The Mosque of al-Azhar is impressive, but is lackluster compared to the first two I spoke about.  I heart the Mosque of Mohammed Ali, and that is all there is to say!

History on the Sinai Peninsula

The Sinai Peninsula is wedged between Africa and Asia, and is bordered on the north by the Mediterranean Sea and on the south by the Gulf of Aqaba and Suez, and, of course, the Suez Canal.  The Sinai Peninsula is also a religious center for the worlds monotheistic religions, and an area that has been a source of conflict for years.  From 1967 through 1982, the Sinai Peninsula was under Israeli control.  It was returned to Egypt under the provisions of the Camp David Accords.

One of the Meeting Points for the Camp David Accords along the Suez Canal

As a result of recent conflicts and tensions within the Middle East, it is quite difficult to gain access to the Sinai Peninsula without the proper permits and such.  On our way to the Monastery of St. Catherine, we had to go through five checkpoints and present the required permit and paperwork at each checkpoint.  We were even told to carry our passports, in the event they were required at each checkpoint.  No one ever asked for our passports, but I think it is because we are in our American bubble.  I will save my explanation of the American bubble for later on because I find myself reflecting on it on a daily basis.

Our first stop on the Sinai Peninsula was the Suez Canal.  The Suez Canal, a phenomenal feat of engineering when it opened in 1869, separates Sinai from mainland Egypt.  In the past, it was a cause of conflict.  Today, it is one of Egypt's most important sources of revenue.

A cargo ship passing through one part of the canal.

As early as the 7th century BC, the ancient Egyptians had connected the Nile and the Red Sea with an east-west canal.  A north-south canal, slicing through the Isthmus of the Suez, to connect the Mediterranean with the Red Sea was first considered in the Middle Ages by Venetian merchants.  At the end of the 18th century, Napoleon's engineers took up the idea, but dropped it when they mistakenly calculated that one sea was 33 ft. higher than the other.  The canal project was taken up by Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French consul to Egypt, who received the go-ahead during the reign of Khedive Said.  Construction began on April 25, 1859.  If you are a Housewives of New York fan, Ferdinand de Lesseps is the Countess' ex-husband's ancestor.  I believe Ferdinand de Lesseps was her ex-husband's uncle, but, nonetheless, they are from the same family!

Ferdinand de Lesseps' House in Ismailia

The Suez Canal is not the same as the Panama Canal.  The Panama Canal works on a lock system that requires the ship to pulled by tugboats into elevators that will either release water to float the ship lower or increase the water level to float the ship higher.  The Suez Canal is just a passage for ships.  The Suez Canal can only have one ship passing at one time because it is narrow, so how efficient can it be.  Throughout the canal, there are lakes that serve as layover points for the multiple ships that pass through.  They usually allow the ships at the Southern end to pass through first because they contain cargo or oil, which is highly flammable, so they want to move those first.  The ships on the northern end are usually empty cargo ships, being they made their shipments and are heading back to home ports.  The canal is on a very synchronized schedule, so as to avoid any accidents.  A ship at the southern end starts moving into the canal first.  A ship at the northern end will enter a short period of time later.  When the northern ship enters one of the lakes that serve as a layover point, it will drop anchor and wait for the southern ship to pass before it begins moving again.  On the whole, it can take up to 18 hours for a ship to pass through the canal. 

Cargo Ship in Lake Suez

The man who forever changed the course history with the Suez Canal was President Gamal Nasser.  The cost of building the canal and financing the accompanying lavish celebrations bankrupted Egypt, Khedive Ismail, the ruler under which was completed, was forced to sell his shares and full ownership passed to the French and British who kept control over the canal for the next 80 years.  When, in the wake of Egyptian independence, President Nasser nationalized the canal in 1956, Britain and France, in collusion with Israel, invaded the canal zone in an attempt to take it back by force.  In the face of widespread international condemnation, they were forced to retreat, leaving the canal in Egyptian hands.

Caught between two continents - Asia and Africa

The second part of this lesson will focus on the Monasteries of St. Anthony and St. Catherine, and will also wrap up my lesson on Coptic Christianity.  It's too early for me to sound like a teacher right now, but that is what I am told this blog is like, so I guess I will stick with it!

I am so amazed by the Monasteries of St. Anthony and St. Catherine because they are literally in the middle of the desert!  I guess when people want to live as hermits, they go to the desert.  Let's start with the Monastery of St. Anthony!  St. Anthony's is isolated in the Red Sea Mountains, and marks the beginning of the monastic tradition.  It is the oldest Coptic monastery in Egypt.  Legend has it that Anthony, orphaned at 18, sold all his worldly possessions, gave all the money away, and retreated to the mountains to serve God.  His disciples built the monastery on the site of his grave.  The monastery is the largest in the country, with several churches and chapels and extensive living quarters, but only 25 resident monks.  About a mile northeast of the monastery is the cave where St. Anthony is said to have spent his last years.

The Monastery of St. Anthony

Courtyard of St. Anthony's

The backdrop of the Red Sea Mountains

 A door decorated with religious icons.

Father Maximus showing us the original entrance to the monastery.

For some reason it won't allow me to add captions, so I will tell you what each picture is after the one of Father Maximus, from left to right.  The first picture on the left is of a store room that was set-up for sieges.  There is no entrance into the building on the left except for the connecting bridge.  The picture to the right is a picture of the alter in the church at St. Anthony's.  The two pictures that follow right below it are pictures of some of the wall paintings within the church.  Look at how vibrant the colors are and the attention to details in the paintings.  The next picture is of the crypt below the church.  It is actually considered the site of the first church.  The last picture is a landscape of St. Anthony's with a backdrop of the Red Sea Mountains.

At the foot of Mount Sinai lies the Greek Orthodox monastery of St. Catherine.  It is thought to be the oldest continuously inhabited Christian monastery in the world.  Founded in 527 AD by Emperor Justinian, it replaced a chapel built by the Empress Helena in 337 AD on the site where it is believed that Moses saw the Burning Bush. 

This is a descendant of the original Burning Bush from which God instructed Moses to lead his people out of Egypt to the Promised Land.

The monastery was renamed St. Catherine in the 9th or 10th century after monks claimed to have found the intact body of the saint on a nearby mountain.

                                                         The Entrance to St. Catherine's Monastery

The Walls of Justinian

Who is St. Catherine?  St. Catherine was one of the most popular early Christian saints.  Supposedly born into a wealthy Alexandrian family in the early 4th century, she was tortured for her Christian beliefs.  First, she was spun on a spiked wheel, now known as the Catherine wheel, and then beheaded by the pagan emperor.  According to legend, angels carried her body away after her execution.  Monks climbing on Mount Sinai found her remains, after hearing of the story of St. Catherine, and built a monastery where her remains were found.  A marble sarcophagus in the monastery's Church of St. Catherine contains two silver caskets said to hold part of her remains, found by monks 600 years after he death.  I apologize for not having a picture of St. Catherine.  No photos were allowed inside the Basilica of Transfiguration or the museum.

                                                      View of the Bell Tower

View of the Mosque within St. Catherine's

The mosque was built in 1106 by converting a chapel originally dedicated to St. Basil.  It's creation was an attempt to placate local Muslim rulers.

                                                                        Painted Alter or Niche

The robed skeleton of Stephanos, a 6th century guardian of the path to Mount Sinai.  

 

Charnel House contains the bones of monks who have died here over the centuries.

The Well of Moses, where Moses is said to have met his future wife, Zipporah, Jethro's daughter.

Christianity - Check!  Islam is next!