"Shortcut?" asked the taxi driver while looking for a new cassette of the legendary Oum Kalthoum. I answered yes while the black cassette player threatened to eat the cassette he just had selected from his unorganized collection. Then, to the relief of both of us the song "Elf Leila wa leila" (thousand and one night) started to fill the taxi.
Between two autostradas was our "shortcut road" - and in the middle of this road a beautiful monument. A domed building standing proud in a city of exhaust, dreams and legends. Built in medieval times for a lovely woman from the ruling class - well she just had to have been beautiful to match such a monument?
Passed this monuments often on my way from Heliopolis to downdown, but next day I knew all would change somehow. The monument in the middle of the road would then turn into the entrance to nothing less than the "City of the Dead, Cairo"!
City of the Dead or the Qarafa Cemetery has become famous through many newspaper and television reportages focusing on the people living here among tombs and monuments. But to understand the importance of this area of Cairo, let's give a short background:
When general Amr ibn al-As in 639 AD came to Egypt with his army and the teaching of Islam, it was seven years after the death of Prophet Mohamed. Ancient Egypt became part of the Islamic empire after having been ruled the last three hundred years by the East Roman Empire.
There was no Cairo as we know it, the ancient capital Memphis was located among pyramids on the west bank of the Nile and on the east bank was legendary On (Heliopolis).
Between Memphis and On, directly on the east side of the Nilebank at a strategic junction between the Nile Valley and the Delta the Roman fortress Babylon was located. After the Romans were defeated the Arabs put up their garrison city Al-Fustat (the Entrenched Camp) just north of Babylon.
An area close to Muqattam Hills (north of today's Citadel) was chosen as cemetery for Al-Fustat and it soon covered an area that was over six kilometres long. When the Fatmids came to Egypt in year 969 they established the fortified royal enclosure Al-Qahira (the Subduer or the Victorious) that was the start of what is Cairo today.
Later important Sufi orders choose the area outside Al-Qahira for their spiritual seeking and when important Sufi Sheikhs was buried close to the settlement these tombs became places for pilgrimages.
Qarafa (the city of the dead) became a real important burial ground during the Bahri Mamluks (1250-1382) and Circassian Mamluks (1382-1517).
Mamluks in Arabic mean "possessed" and the Mamluks was slave soldiers coming from Turkey and Black Sea area brought to Egypt as young boys. Then raised in the household of the sultan. When they reached maturity they were freed and remained the sultans loyal advisors and lifeguards, a kind of elite army so to say.
The last Ayyubid sultan died when the Sixth Crusade invaded Egypt, and his wife Shaggarat El Dorr took control and the Mamluks captured the French king in 1250. Shaggarat El Dorr marry later the Mamluk leader As-Salih and becomes the first (and only) Muslim Sultana. Her story could fill books, but important here is that from her death Egypt starts to be ruled by Mamluks. It's a strong area in Egypt's long history with its unique Mamluk architecture and the City of the Dead is maybe the best place to witness the remains of this period.
Monuments in the City of the Dead Cairo is not accessible for tourist busses, and it's not advisable to go her without someone who know the City of the Dead well. The only real option through Qarafa is a walking tour together with a professional guide - so read the second part of this article and see more photo's of monument to understand what one can miss if one only follows the main tourist stream while in Cairo.
If you subscribe to the idea that a beach of the life , then the south right of Broadbeach of the paradise of surfers on the coast of the gold of Queensland is right the place for you. The place has a climate of sublimation and some of the best beaches in the sector. What more, Broadbeach misses exaggeration and rattling noise of the paradise of surfers thus you obtain an experiment much riper. The truth of Here on Broadbeach.
With its place in the heart of the gold coast, Broadbeach is a compact city with very which you have need for your holidays at the distance from walk. And with its beaches evaluated among the best on the gold coast, than the means you can appreciate your arenaceous asylum with the minimum of time and agitation.
And which beaches they are. With far and stretching above one thousand clean sands and gold, the beaches of Broadbeach are you boils personal right of the paradise. A large thing about the beaches of Broadbeach is this safe of they're. You can choose of two patrolled sectors. The beach of Kurrawa is any good known that a sure spot bathing is a popular beach to accomodate the principal contests of economy of the life of the vague beachcomber of Australia .
During the occupied months of summer, as from October at May, the devoted voluntary rescuers of Kurrawa and the clubs of vague beachcomber of Broadbeach are in service each weekend. And each other day of the year, the professional swimming teacher of the local council patrol a network of the turns of beach to ensure safety for all the swimmers and surfers.
If you tire yourselves just lie to around obtain a bronzing, a lucky find of you'll a crowd of activities to try to include the surfant kite, a volley ball, and a carving sand, also well that swimming and surfer.
Another large thing about the beaches of Broadbeach is that they're blessed with the kind of waves which highlight the surfers in the droves. This made in Broadbeach a great place to learn surfer with his regular schools surfantes.
The school surfante of Broadbeach are known for their friendship and pleasant environments of study. You'll finish by knowing all about splashing, of the catching vagueness, inclined matched with the methods of feet and naturally of the important question of safety while surfant.
Along alluviums is a walk, a sector of internal picnic of cap and equipment of gas barbecue, courses of play of the children and duck pond. And if ever you tire sands, you can strike wide the pedestrianised the coffee purchases and zone right near. De There a play-ground also for the kids with the turns of fairground which actuate all the round year.
Broadbeach is a great place to be gone in morning early where the city in the alarm clock and the birds early strike the beach for the fresh air and the exercise.
When the you're made with the beach for another day, you can move again to your hotel of choice to unroll and regenerate. One of the pleasures of the holidays on the gold coast is the fine chain of the hotels of Broadbeach. Among the best are the coast and the phenician Broadbeach of gold of resource of diamond beach of BreakFree d' incantation.
Article Source :
About Author
Both Www.komailnoori.com & Janice Sherwood are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.