Camel, of PTP brought this article to my attention.
Its from the BBC.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7915393.stm
Your thoughts?
Showing posts with label PTP. Show all posts
Showing posts with label PTP. Show all posts
Thursday, March 05, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Fatimid Walk
It was such a pleasure to be able to attend a PTP walk again (Its been over a year since I could last attend a walk) yesterday.
As added bonus, my husband was able to come along too and he too got to see the beauty and history of Islamic Cairo through Camel's eyes.
We started at Bab Zuwayla (entry 15LE for foreigners, 1LE for Egyptians) where the gate itself was built by the Fatimids, but the minarets were added about 300 years later. We climbed up the gate and some PTPians even climbed up the minarets. The view from here is lovely. Unfortunately today was not a very clear day, so it was hard to take long range pictures of the skyline.
Our next stop was at the Fakhahini mosque where we heard the stories behind Al Hakim the "eccentric" 3rd Caliph in Egypt.
We then crossed the road to reach the Mausoleum of Al Saleh Nagm ad Din Ayyub which is built on the site of a Fatimid palace - Beit Al Qasreen (which lent its name to one of the books from the Naguib Mahfouz trilogy).
Most PTPians then headed back for some refreshments, but since my husband had come to the area after so long, the 2 of us decided to carry on walking down Sharia al Muizz ud Din towards the Northern Gates.
We looked for some of the other Fatimid monuments that were mentioned during the presentation. We identified the Al Aqmar mosque and Al Hakim mosque before arriving at the Northern wall.
We also wandered into the Beit al Sihaymi which is a beautiful Ottoman house (actually 2 houses), not as well furnished as the Gayer Anderson museum, but some rooms are semi furnished.
We had a wonderful time. The weather was comfortable for walking, the pace relaxed, we met old friends, made new ones, learned a lot, ate roasted batatas, some wonderful local bread stuffed with dates(boreik - sometimes also stuffed with cheese) and some interesting pink and white sweets (moz halawa) and fell in love all over again with Islamic Cairo.
On another note, I would also recommend that you visit the Bein Al Qasreen area in the evening when it is all lit up. It transforms into something mystical in its beauty.
As added bonus, my husband was able to come along too and he too got to see the beauty and history of Islamic Cairo through Camel's eyes.
We started at Bab Zuwayla (entry 15LE for foreigners, 1LE for Egyptians) where the gate itself was built by the Fatimids, but the minarets were added about 300 years later. We climbed up the gate and some PTPians even climbed up the minarets. The view from here is lovely. Unfortunately today was not a very clear day, so it was hard to take long range pictures of the skyline.
Our next stop was at the Fakhahini mosque where we heard the stories behind Al Hakim the "eccentric" 3rd Caliph in Egypt.
We then crossed the road to reach the Mausoleum of Al Saleh Nagm ad Din Ayyub which is built on the site of a Fatimid palace - Beit Al Qasreen (which lent its name to one of the books from the Naguib Mahfouz trilogy).
Most PTPians then headed back for some refreshments, but since my husband had come to the area after so long, the 2 of us decided to carry on walking down Sharia al Muizz ud Din towards the Northern Gates.
We looked for some of the other Fatimid monuments that were mentioned during the presentation. We identified the Al Aqmar mosque and Al Hakim mosque before arriving at the Northern wall.
We also wandered into the Beit al Sihaymi which is a beautiful Ottoman house (actually 2 houses), not as well furnished as the Gayer Anderson museum, but some rooms are semi furnished.
We had a wonderful time. The weather was comfortable for walking, the pace relaxed, we met old friends, made new ones, learned a lot, ate roasted batatas, some wonderful local bread stuffed with dates(boreik - sometimes also stuffed with cheese) and some interesting pink and white sweets (moz halawa) and fell in love all over again with Islamic Cairo.On another note, I would also recommend that you visit the Bein Al Qasreen area in the evening when it is all lit up. It transforms into something mystical in its beauty.
Saturday, January 27, 2007
PTP Ibn Tulun & Kritliya Cause-Related Walk
Couldn't make it to the PTP Ibn Tulun & Kritliya Cause-Related Walk today .
Woke with terrible back pain. Result of all the bending & stretching & carrying, heaving & cleaning & polishing of all the stuff that came in our consignment from India. No way would have been able to manage to climb a single flight of stairs.
I feel so terrible that I missed the walk. Although most of the explanation happens in Arabic, the passion of all the members & the people who explain the history & architecture of each place is amazing. Camel & his team do such a wonderful job of bringing history to life. While Camel explains the History, Timur explains the Architecture & Haitham provides good solid Egyptian breakfast, hence the nickname PTP Khazindar.
The PTP walks are also a great way to meet new friends & chance upon hidden gems of the city that no guide book will tell you about.
The walks themselves are free, at the end you can donate as much as you want to a cause that PTP adopts. Each walk has a different cause which is announced beforehand. All for worthy projects in Egypt/Cairo. The cause for todays walk (& until June) is Walk-for-Life - for the Al Galaa Hospital.
"Donations will go to the N.I.C.U (neonatal intensive care unit) at El Galaa Teaching Hospital for Gyn. & Pediatrics.
Our fellow Templar, Dr. Mohamed Bahaa El-Din, was kind enough to send me more details for those who want to know more:
NICU power at El Galaa Hospital is 40 incubators with 2 spare incubators, split into 4 divisions according to the case:
1) Critical cases which are on mechanical ventilation and need continuous observation for any emergency measures (10 incubators of the 40).
2) The normal average weight of a newborn is between 2.4kg-3.6kg, so any baby below 2.4 kg is admitted to a unit for feeding because most probably below that weight neonates can’t feed themselves and hence, die starving.
3) Normally, babies stay for 9 months in their mom's womb, which is 40 weeks. Any baby delivered for any reason before 37 week is called preterm, and can't tolerate our environment and has no immunity against any infection, so he needs antibiotic therapy.
4) Neonatal hyperbillrubinia (in Arabic, el safra). Sometimes, the neonate turns yellow and needs phototherapy or complete blood exchange; otherwise it affects the brain and makes him mentally retarded all his life.
Save babies…Walk-for-Life with PTP"
Here are the pictures of what I missed out on
Ibn Tulun Mosque & Bayt Al Kritlya
Question of the week was : "How many Tulunid monuments in Egypt?"
Three is the answer: Ibn Tulun Mosque, the Aqueduct at Basatin and remains of a fountain at Suyufiya (at Sunqur Al Sa’di Madrasa, beneath the Sama’khana).
If you would like to join PTP (no membership fee) the link is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pen_Temple_Pilots/
Ed Note : On Whazzupcairo : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whazzupcairo/ I do not post PTP events as these are open to PTP members only.
Woke with terrible back pain. Result of all the bending & stretching & carrying, heaving & cleaning & polishing of all the stuff that came in our consignment from India. No way would have been able to manage to climb a single flight of stairs.
I feel so terrible that I missed the walk. Although most of the explanation happens in Arabic, the passion of all the members & the people who explain the history & architecture of each place is amazing. Camel & his team do such a wonderful job of bringing history to life. While Camel explains the History, Timur explains the Architecture & Haitham provides good solid Egyptian breakfast, hence the nickname PTP Khazindar.
The PTP walks are also a great way to meet new friends & chance upon hidden gems of the city that no guide book will tell you about.
The walks themselves are free, at the end you can donate as much as you want to a cause that PTP adopts. Each walk has a different cause which is announced beforehand. All for worthy projects in Egypt/Cairo. The cause for todays walk (& until June) is Walk-for-Life - for the Al Galaa Hospital.
"Donations will go to the N.I.C.U (neonatal intensive care unit) at El Galaa Teaching Hospital for Gyn. & Pediatrics.
Our fellow Templar, Dr. Mohamed Bahaa El-Din, was kind enough to send me more details for those who want to know more:
NICU power at El Galaa Hospital is 40 incubators with 2 spare incubators, split into 4 divisions according to the case:
1) Critical cases which are on mechanical ventilation and need continuous observation for any emergency measures (10 incubators of the 40).
2) The normal average weight of a newborn is between 2.4kg-3.6kg, so any baby below 2.4 kg is admitted to a unit for feeding because most probably below that weight neonates can’t feed themselves and hence, die starving.
3) Normally, babies stay for 9 months in their mom's womb, which is 40 weeks. Any baby delivered for any reason before 37 week is called preterm, and can't tolerate our environment and has no immunity against any infection, so he needs antibiotic therapy.
4) Neonatal hyperbillrubinia (in Arabic, el safra). Sometimes, the neonate turns yellow and needs phototherapy or complete blood exchange; otherwise it affects the brain and makes him mentally retarded all his life.
Save babies…Walk-for-Life with PTP"
Here are the pictures of what I missed out on
Ibn Tulun Mosque & Bayt Al Kritlya
Question of the week was : "How many Tulunid monuments in Egypt?"
Three is the answer: Ibn Tulun Mosque, the Aqueduct at Basatin and remains of a fountain at Suyufiya (at Sunqur Al Sa’di Madrasa, beneath the Sama’khana).
If you would like to join PTP (no membership fee) the link is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Pen_Temple_Pilots/
Ed Note : On Whazzupcairo : http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whazzupcairo/ I do not post PTP events as these are open to PTP members only.
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