Coptic Museum

I ventured to Old Cairo the other day to see the Coptic Museum. Old Cairo is an interesting section of the city. Getting off the metro station, you are right at the museum, which is situated between the Hanging Church and the Roman towers of Babylon. A narrow, stone street twists down away from the station, where you can find tourist shops, vendors, and many other churches and monasteries. Cairo has a very small population of Coptic Christians, today it's about 6% according to Egyptian Government. However, this section of town is the most beautiful area I have been to. This partially results from the general lack of dirt, crowds, and honking cars that are everywhere else in Cairo, however, the gorgeous architecture is also important. The Museum has an amazing collection of Coptic artifacts, some as early as 3rd c. The building has a beautifully carved ceiling and encloses a very nice garden. It was particularly interesting to see Christian artifacts in a middle eastern setting. I guess that sounds obvious, but its bizarre to see the four gospels in Arabic, from the 1500s or before. I mean, I realize Jesus was hanging out not to far from here, but it's funny to see him, and other saints, actually look middle eastern. It amazes me how the excavation of many of these sites occurred in the early 1800s, before most American cities were built. Although many of these sites were discovered ages ago, it's also fun to think about what else is out there. For example, in the Monastery of Saint Shenouda secret treasure was discovered in 1987 that dates back to the 7th century. Ok, but the most bizarre thing I saw was a representation of Adam and Eve before and after their fall. I swear - in the upper left corner of this picture there is a ..... DINOSAUR?!?! It can be nothing else but a brontosaurus. It's from the 11th century, and was found in Tebtunis. I have tried to find a picture of this on the Internet, so I can show people so they don't think I'm crazy. But now really, tell me how in the 11th century the artist was familiar with dinosaurs? I'm pretty confident I'm on the brink of discovering a cover-up that spans several centuries. I'll let you know when I've got more information. Or I'll mail you my diary, just in case someone is on to me.

Museum of Egyptian Antiquities

So yesterday I went to the ultimate Museum in Egypt.... of Antiquities! Brief history: It was opened in the mid 1850s and has over 136,000 items on display. There are 40,000 more items in crates in the basement, but since the flooring is so soft many of them have sunk into the ground making further excavation necessary! How crazy is that?! So essentially, it is a massive museum. It is located off Tahir square, which is right down the street from the University, so I will probably be a frequent visitor. It was quite a challenge making it to the Museum because it involves crossing several busy streets. However, I latched on to a group of Egyptian women who slowly made their way across. They have confidence that the cars will stop, and are never in a rush to cross the street. I can't have the same confidence, mainly because cars do not actually stop for foreigners. Walking up, you are greeted by a stream of guides offering tours and several armed guards, who usher you through two security points. Inside the museum is like no other I've been too. There is no air conditioning, which makes it stifling hot and the sheer number of items makes an easy display impossible. In most of the side rooms, there are essentially stacks of artifacts, because there isn't enough room on the shelves. It is completely bizarre to see statues from 2000 BC just collected together in the middle of the floor. However, the main areas are pretty well labeled, in English, Arabic, and French, with descriptions often as detailed as "granite stone, IX dynasty." So not so helpful. The more prominent items were better explained. The Tutankhamen section was, in fact, very nice. One of the only air conditioned rooms in the building, it has a special entry way, and was easily the most crowded room. It was totally worth the crowds though to see the mask of Tutankhamen's mummy! I'm pretty sure that there was a picture of the mask on my 7th grade world history book. Now I've seen it! The actual corpse is still at the Valley of the Kings, but I hope to get there sometime to see it too!! You know, I love a good corpse? So my first Egyptian museum experience was pretty good. I plan on returning once I've started classes and learned a little more about the history. You aren't allowed to take cameras inside, so I only have pictures from outside the museum. And I couldn't figure out how to get them to the bottom of the post. So they're up top!

EGYPT! TOMORROW!