Wednesday, May 30, 2007

Egypt Day 3

This morning started with a guided tour of the Egyptian Museum in downtown Cairo which conserves thousands of pieces of Egyptian history. All the artifacts were amazing but our favorites were the hieroglyphics, the treasures from King Tutankhamun's tomb and the mummified body of King Ramses II. Tutankhamun's 3,330 year old tomb was discovered in 1922 and the Tutankhamun Galleries display 1,700 items from the tomb of the boy king. It was amazing to see the painstaking preparation that the ancient Egyptians poured into the Pharoah's after life. Obviously the most impressive is the solid gold death mask, which my Mom has dreamed of seeing in person since she was a little girl. We paid an extra fee to go inside the Royal Mummy Room to see the mummified body of Ramses II. Ramses II is often regarded as Egypt's greatest and most powerful pharaoh. To come face to face with this legendary king was truly an experience of a lifetime. After lunch, we visited the Mosque of Mohamed Ali' and the Citadel. We sat on the floor of the Mosque to give our feet a rest and our tour guide explained the Five Pillars of Islam.
Before heading back to the hotel for dinner, we made a stop at the Bazar Khan El Khalili to shop for cartouches, lotus perfume, jewelry and silly souvenirs.

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