So In the last three parts we looked at The Pyramids of Giza, The Sphinx Complex and Egyptian Culture. Today We take a look at a the magnificent Ali Mosque , The Defense Museum and Main Egyptian Museum in Cairo. If you want to take a look at the earlier posts to get some context the links are at the end of the this article.
So the Alabaster Mosque or locally known as Ali Mosque since it was built by Mohammed Ali Pasha . Its one of the largest Mosques in Cairo and is a very prominent tourist landmark. In fact this place is difficult to miss. The place was built in the early 19th century. So one can say that unlike other Egyptian wonders some of which are the earliest works of Human civilisation this is a product of the Industrial Age.
Its located in a large Castle like complex which rises ominously into the Egyptian Sky !
The artwork and the lighting inside is stunning. People can remove their footwear and go in and sit and admire the place. The Roof is done up stunningly like most religious places around the world.
As one can see stunning and intricate art on the ceiling
Thats some chandelier :)
She was my guide for the Mosque tour. Lovely lady. Took time out to explain every thing to me in detail.
The roof of the complex is really high and gives a bird's eye view of the whole Cairo City. There are small canteens where you can buy snacks. Great Place to chill and Take a moment over a Glass of Juice :)
The Complex is quite large and also houses a huge War Museum to celebrate or make it look like they are celebrating the Six day war with Israel.
Egypt lost that war badly. But i guess every culture looks for ways to play up their good points and plays down their not so good ones !
As one can imagine. This is one of the prized possessions of the War Museum for obvious reasons .
Egyptian Main Museum - While this should be a whole new post on its own. It forbidden to take pics in the Museum. Its very important to visit the museum in Egypt since all Pyramids and Temples are empty. All artefacts are in the museum ! I managed to sneak a couple of clicks. Here they are :-
This is the Egyptian King Akhenaten. He was different and special in many ways. For a first he was the first king to have his statues made the way he was built. All other Egyptian Kings have strong bodies with V shape etc. He was not interested in projecting an image. He banned all Egyptian Gods and kept Sun as the only god in the kingdom. It was unpopular move and was quickly reversed after his death. Among the Egyptian Kings he finds a place among other greats such as Ramesses II
Ramesses I
Hope you enjoyed the post. Next Post We move to Aswaan the next stop by the Nile River :)
Links to Earlier posts in the Series :
https://steemit.com/travelfeed/@sajannair/travelogue-series-8-egypt-3-culture
https://steemit.com/travelfeed/@sajannair/travelogue-series-7-egypt-2
https://steemit.com/travelfeed/@sajannair/travelogue-series-6-egypt-the-land-of-the-gods
