Dahshur by horse

Today was the big day, for which the horses (and the ladies) prepared the whole week. Horse riding from the stable to Dahshur, and back again. Everybody got up early and the ladies left the house at 7 am. At Sayed's stable they filled the car with lunch (for the horses!) and left the keys with one of the local ladies. They saddled four horses (Adham, Mirinda, Noor and Mr. Small) and off they went with head groom Reda, into the desert, past the pyramids of Abu Sir, then those of Saqqara, to arrive after some 3 hours at the Black Pyramid in Dahshur. It was a clear and sunny day, and the only issue was the usual "horse hopping" instigated by Dorien. In the mean time Piet drove his own car to the stable, collected the keys and took Sayed's wife Freha, their sons Diah and Murad, and three unidentified family members, and drove to Dahshur to meet the riders. Lunch was set for the horses (bersim, carrots and water) and the riders at a beautiful spot at the base of the Black Pyramid, with a clear view of the other Dahshur sites: the Bend and Red Pyramids. Only the core of the Black pyramid, consisting of (black!) mud bricks is still standing, the outer limestone casing has fallen down, and is scattered in the desert around it, so from a distance it certainly doesn't look like a pyramid. After lunch the horses were brushed, saddled again, and they set off for the return through the fields, following the track we scouted yesterday by bike. Horses and riders arrived back at the stables, with some 7 hours of saddle time. This was a very enjoyable day and tomorrow is a day off for everybody!

Our lunch spot at the base of the Black Pyramid, with the Bend Pyramid in the distance

Adham is enjoying his lunch!

A scouting trip

Mary and the girls have been training the horses all week for a big trip: a ride from the stables to the Dahshur pyramids through the desert, and back through the fields, the agricultural strip along the Nile, with a total length of 50 km. The return is through a maze of paths and tracks along fields with vegetables, small villages and many canals. Sayed, the stable owner, has claimed that he knows the way, but experiences in the past have put lot's of doubt on his sense of direction. Therefore we decided to scout this ourselves. The route was planned on Google Earth by Mary, edited by Piet and transferred to his GPS-based bike computer. We loaded our 4 bikes in the car, and set out to Dahshur, where we re-assembled them, and started off. The only glitch on the way was a flat tyre by Dorien, but luckily

it happened in front of a village bike repair shop (did he throw the nails on the path?), and we were off again in 5 minutes. After two hours of cycling we reached Sayed's stable, finding the trails exactly as planned. We had some lunch and Piet was released from his leash, and he sped back to Dahshur to pick up the car. Tomorrow is the big day, at least the route is set!

Paula cycling between the fields

Crossing the railway between Dahshur and Saqqara

New shoes!

It's Christmas holidays, which means that the girls go horse riding every day at Sayed's stable in Saqqara, which is some 20 km south of Cairo. As you probably know Mary and the girls own two horses: Adham, a 16-year old stallion, and Mirinda, an 8-year old mare. They are also riding on horses owned by Mary's friends Diana and Nadine, and names like Nefertiti, Noor, Humphrey and Mr. Small (no mister no more!) are often heard at the dinner table. At present they, and head groom Reda, are training them for a long desert trip, planned for later this month. Today the blacksmith came as well, to fit new shoes for Adham and Mirinda. They are undergoing this with the same resignation as Piet, when he has to buy new office clothes. End result: the job gets done quickly and everybody is happy!

Reda and Dorien are supporting Mirinda while the local Al Bundy is fitting her new shoes

Ibn Tulun mosque and Gayer-Anderson museum

Today we went for a walk through the historic part of Cairo. We left the car at the base of the Citadel and walked to the Gayer-Anderson museum. This consists of two connected 16th century houses, which were renovated by a British major, John Gayer-Anderson, between 1935 and 1942. The houses are a real labyrinth, with all rooms filled with antiquities, oriental furniture and other artifacts, which were collected by the major during his travels through the orient.

Piet and Paula looking through a mashrabiya screen, Gayer-Anderson museum

These houses are next door to one of Cairo's largest and oldest mosques: Ibn Tulun. This mosque was build between 876 and 879 AD, and has a beautiful, massive courtyard. We walked around barefoot; there were hardly any people there as the mosque is only used on special occasions. We then climbed to the top of the minaret for some great views over Cairo.

The Ibn Tulun courtyard

We walked back through some narrow streets, where, except for the motorised traffic and mobile phones, live is pretty much the same as 100 years ago. Men smoking shisha (waterpipe) and drinking tea on the pavement, and fruit, bread and meat for sale everywhere. Today was Cairo at its best again, a beautiful, vibrant and chaotic city.

Something new....

Dear friends,

After playing around with a (mainly) photographic homepage it is time to try something new. Following the example of a number of my colleagues I will try to maintain a blog, with more regular updates on our life here in Cairo. I hope you enjoy it, and don't worry when it's quiet for a period, just send me a prompt.

Happy reading!

Piet