We are still celebrating Egypt as part of the "10 Countries in 10 Months" project in which we celebrate countries of our District 2450. We have already posted posts showing different myths and folkores of Egypt ( Check old posts ).
In this post we'll do a different thing; we will show photos of Egypt during the early years of the last millinium and give you some info about the places, people and land marks. So lets start a journey that will show you a glimpse of our history :)
Cairo The Capital
A photo of the Capital City Cairo in the 40s
A Post Office :)
Tha Basilica Church in Heliopolis
Kasr El-Nil Bridge (Translated Nile Palace Bridge)
It was built during the rein of Chedive Ismail and was widened by King Fouad I and named "Chedive Ismail Bridge" to gain its original name back after the 1952 Revolution. This bridge is well known for its 4 lions' statues two bordering each side of the bridge.
Cornish El-Nile Street and AbulElla Bridge in 1965
Port Said
Port Said
The Port Said Port lies to the nothern entrance of the Suez Canal. It is considered one of the most important Egyptian ports due to its distinctive location on the entrance of the most significant waterway in the waorld (The Suez Canal) and in the middle of the biggest merchant shipping line between Europe and the East.
Tuesday
December the 25th was our weekly meeting and we celebrated the Christmas
together. It all started with playing Secret Santa game , in which we
exchanged small gifts for christmas * me myself i got a huge bar of chocolate
yum yum yummy * then we started taking pictures as our dress code was the usual
christmas colors Green,Red and White.
This meeting was so special for me, not only due to the Christmas Celebration but because i myself got pinned on this day. I got pinned along with the Community Service Director Ghada El-Ashry and Professional Development Director Mona Mostafa.
last
but not least we had home made cupcakes with Cream and Strawberries . The
christmas spirit was all the way. We all went home joyful, a present in the hand, a cupcake in the stomach and we all went pins ;)
but
before anything . who is Santa Claus ?
as
Christmas approaches, children around the world have Santa on the brain.
They're wondering if they've been naughty or nice, and daydreaming about their
gifts But exactly how did the jolly, bearded North Pole resident appear
noawadays?
Folklore
may have turned Santa Claus into a toy distributor who mans a sleigh led by
eight flying reindeer , and to be more punctual they said that Santa Claus lives
at the north pole ,
with a large number of magical elves and nine flying reindeer ,white-bearded wearing a red coat with white collar and cuffs, white-cuffed red trousers, and black leather belt and boots
on a real person ,Born around the year 270, St. Nicholas was the Bishop of Myra, a town in
Turkey. He earned a reputation as an anonymous gift giver, Nicholas was famous
for his generous gifts to the poor, in particular presenting the three
impoverished daughters of a pious Christian with doweries so that they would
not have to become prostitues
He was very religious from an early age and devoted his life entirely to
Christianityboften leaving them in their shoes, set out at night for that very
purpose. Since his death, Nicholas has been canonized as the patron saint of
children.
Santa
Claus has been believed to make a list of children throughout the world,
categorizing them according to their behavior ("naughty" or
"nice") and to deliver presents, including toys and candy to all of the
well-behaved children in the world, and sometimes coal to the naughty
children, on the single night of Christmas Eve. He accomplishes this feat with
the aid of the elves who make the toys in the workshop and the reindeer who pull his sleigh
Rotaract Club of Dokki Garden-City is wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
Happy New Year
May Allah grant you all the happiness and your dreams come true
and as we all remember in school the christmas party and the christmas carols . so close your eyes listen and remember
1- rudolph the red nose reindeer
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny nose,
And if you ever saw it,
You would even say it glows.
All of the other reindeer
Used to laugh and call him names;
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer games.
Then one foggy Christmas Eve,
Santa came to say,
Rudolph with your nose so bright,
Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they shouted out with glee,
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,
You'll go down in history.
2-we wish you a merry christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring
To you and your king
Good tidings for Christmas
And a happy new year.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.
Good tidings we bring.
To you and your king
Good tidings for Christmas
And a happy new year.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
We wish you a Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year.
We wish you a merry Christmas
And a happy new year.
3- frosty the snowman
Frosty the snowman was a jolly happy soul
With a corncob pipe and a button nose
And two eyes made out of coal
Frosty the snowman is a fairy tale they say
He was made of snow but the children
Know how he came to life one day
There must have been some magic in that
Old silk hat they found
For when they placed it on his head
He began to dance around
O
Frosty the snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh
And play just the same as you and me
Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow
Frosty the snowman knew
The sun was hot that day
So he said
"Let's run and
We'll have some fun
Now before I melt away
" Down to the village
With a broomstick in his hand
Running here and there all
Around the square saying
Catch me if you can
He led them down the streets of town
Right to the traffic cop
And he only paused a moment when
He heard him holler "Stop!"
For Frosty the snow man
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved goodbye saying
"Don't you cry
I'll be back again some day
" Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Look at Frosty go
Thumpetty thump thump
Thumpety thump thump
Over the hills of snow
" this one is a real old memory ...for me "
4- jingle bells
Dashing through the snow
In a one horse open sleigh
O'er the hills we go
Laughing all the way.
Bells on bobtail ring
Making spirits bright.
What fun it is to ride and sing
A sleighing song tonight.
Jingle bells jingle bells
Jingle all the way!
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh
Here we go again with one of our folktales and one of the most remarkable egyptian musical instruments " el simsimya ". Before talking about it you shall listen to this piece of art by the great egyptian singer "Mohamed Mounir " don't focus on the words , focus on the music, on the magical tune coming out of this stringed equipment .
Anyways here is the translation for the song
sing, o simsimiyya to the bullet of the rifle and the strong hand on the trigger sing to the cannons and to people behind them and tell to the leader: shoot not just once shoot a thousand shots
The
origins of the Simsimiyyia are lost in the mist of time and legend. It's modern
history comes to life in the 1930s, when Cafe owners in Port Said often employed a player to
entertain their customers in the old-time smoking dens. Adopting influences from
other styles of local folk music and local Sufi beliefs, the instrument quickly
gained in popularity, eventually drawing large audiences and a new repertoire
known simply as Simsimiyya was created. This popular success was followed by a
downturn after the war: economic difficulties and widespread commercialization
led to a decline of the tradition in the late 1970s, and many of the old
masters simply withdrew from performing, disillusioned and tired.
Simisimya is an instrument that belongs closely to the folk music of
the Suez canal towns
Port Said, Ismailiyya and Suez
The instrument itself is a kind of lyre, a stringed instrument that
was carried to the Canal district towns from Sudan along the coast.
The tanboura,the old version of simsimya is said to have its roots in Ancient Egypt and
is played until our days in Upper Egypt. It
has five strings , smaller than the simsimiyya, and its strings are made of
organic material.
The tanboura was a zar instrument. In course of time and with the
developing of the tradition the instrument changed. The actual simsimiyya,
which is used to accompany singing, usually has from 12 to 14 metallic strings,
sometimes even 25.
The Suez Canal district has been
of crucial importance between Africa and Asia, and from the beginnings of Islam,
pilgrims have travelled through Suez on their
way from and to Mecca.
The completion of the Suez Canal in 1869 was an important event for Egypt,
strategically, politically and affecting the developing of the folk music of the
district.
.
In gatherings, the musicians and singers sat in a circle, The
instruments used were just the drum, spoons, and sometimes a tambourine. The
simsimiyya didn’t come along probably until late thirties. The words of the
songs were usually about love or religious feelings.
Accprding to doctor Mohamed shabana ,who studied the music of the Canal district their songs
are influenced by at least five musical genres: The Religious Hadra , The
Workers’ Songs, The Songs of Awalims , The Old Muwashahat Songs and the
traditions of the surrounding areas.
Soon the simsimya became the
most essential instrument of this urban tradition of Port
Said, Ismailiyya and Suez.
The Political Meaning
Simsimiyya received a new importance in the 1950'ies when it got
connected to the ideology of the resistance movement against the British
occupation, and it became the instrument of the nationalistic music.
The renewed music tradition is filled with stories about the fierce
nationalism and fighting spirit of Suez.
1967 Egypt fought the
Six-Day War against Israel,
during which most of the homes in Suez
were destroyed.
One of the most known personalities who had an effect on the reforming
of the simsimiyya tradition is Mohamed Mahmoud Ghazali, known as Captain
Ghazali, born in 1928, who was a leader figure of the resistance movement and
formed a simsimiyya band called Awlad al-Ard in 1967. The troupe was known by
the name firqat al-battaniyya ('the blanket orchestra') due to their way to
perform sitting in a circle on a blanket.
Beside the simsimiyya, the
instruments were a washbasin, tin cans, spoons and empty bottles, to produce
different rhythms.
Ghazali wrote the lyrics to convey to all Egyptians the comforting
message of hope and security and to raise the fighting spirit of the troops ;
several groups were founded in different parts of the country, and many poets
began to write song lyrics.
After the victorious war of 1973 the simsimiyya tradition got its
part of influence; old songs were brought back to life, the proportion of the
nationalistic songs decreased, and the simsimiyya instrument started to be used
for performing different kinds of music.
The Al-Tanboura band from Port Said is probably the most famous
simsimiyya band lyrics of the band's songs often consist of old formulas,
elements of religious rituals, popular wisdom and different metaphors.
The dance
Dancing simsimiyya expresses most of all feelings of joy. The dance
movements are brisk and cheerful, and include different charleston-styled
steps.
Men's dancing include impressive jumps, women do hip movements as
well. The dancers also play with spoons, and in Suez,
the performance includes also syncopated clapping, kaff, used only in Suez simsimiyya .
The dresses consist of stylised clothing of different groups of
workers: fishermen, coastguard, bambutiyya .
Suez
folklore troupe, the repertoire consisted mostly of love songs and different
tableaux, among others the "Henna Night of Suez", which is one of the
most famous and most often performed simsimiyya tableaux.
Hello my fellow Rotaractors
as mentioned before , we are introducing you to our neighborhoods , firstly we showed you the beauty of Dokki and now let's introduce you to the lovely Garden-City
Garden City is a well-planned and leafy district of central Cairo, immediately south
of the very centre of the modern city at Midan
Tahrir. It is between the Nile and Downtown
Cairo, just south of Tahrir Square off Qasr Al-Eini Street , situated directly south of
the very middle of the contemporary city,it is referred to as the "garden
suburb." Garden City has efficiently planned out and
creates a spectacular spread of greenery that illuminates central Cairo.
In 1905 Frantz Sofio, Charles Bacos and George Maksud,
all three owners of the Nile Land & Agricultural Company, asked
agricultural engineer Jose Lamba to create Cairo's newest district the agricultural architect His vision was of a leafy, suburb with a layout
drawn up more using a compass than a ruler, unlike the strong right angles and
straight lines popular in other suburbs like Ma'adi, and Zamalek.
Lambas preferred an Art Nouveau style with smaller roads and uneven
lines, interspersed with triangles often leading the walker back to where they
started. Cairo's newest khedivial neighborhood
occupied a well-defined hexagon.
To the south it was bordered by Lady Cromer Hospital Street
(now Dr. Handussa). To the east by Kasr al-Eini Avenue and the genteel district
of Mounira; to the north by the aristocratic neighborhood of Kasr al-Dubara;
and to the west by Kasr al-Aaly Street and that most magnificent of natural
barriers, the Nile.
This is one Cairo
neighbourhood that once housed the elite of the 30's and 40's Egypt. It is
considered, to this day, a posh place to live,
All told the Adly Yegen Palace was Garden City's largest
superstructure by far. When the pasha died in Paris in October of 1933, the
palace took on the name of Kasr Cherif Sabry in honor of the man who in
1925 wed the pasha's only daughter.
The palace was lost in the real
estate boom of the late 1970s when Zeinab Cherif's grandchildren sold it to a
Swiss developer who intended to erect a Nova Park
hotel in its place. Financial difficulties sank that project and the property
lay desolate for twenty years until its recent revival as The Four Seasons
Nile Plaza.
The Vatican in Rome owns the biggest
portion of land in garden City with 12 of the original 273 plots, and houses
the Mere de Dieu School for girls
By Metro
Stops in Garden City on the metro are Sayida Zeinab Station
and Saad Zaghloul Station, both part of El Marg-Helwan line, Line
1 .
Garden City is also within
walking distance of Sadat Station at Tahrir Square Downtown which is an
intersection of both major Metro Lines: Shubra-Giza, and El Marg-Helwan
things to see in the area :
Beit
El-Sennari, Harat Monge. Built in 1794 by Ibrahim Katkhuda El-Sennari, a
Sudanese occultist, Beit al-Sennari housed French artists and scholars
after Napoleon arrived. The house was restored in 1995, and opened to the
public in 2000. The house is home to the Institute for Applied Arts, which
has glassware, pottery, and other works on display.
Egyptian
Parliament and Museum, For those who take a political interest take the time to tour the Egyptian
Parliament home to both the People and the Shura Council
Ethnological Museum (Museum of modern life), . Part of the Geographical Society created
by Khedive Ismail in 1895, this rather neglected museum displays more
modern Egyptian cultural artifacts, and examples of daily life. Free.
Garden City is a great place to wander around admiring
architecture. It's streets are filled with what once were beautiful
palaces and villas, homes to the elite of Cairo. A few buildings worth mentioning
are the British Embassy ( Bayt al Lourd )on Ahmed Ragab Street. A beautifully
designed building with extensive grounds which can be viewed from the main
street. Built in 1894 it became the focal point of many interesting
historical meetings.
the garden of the
embassy was that in 1942 the British
Envoy Sir Miles Lampson drove in a miltary cortege to the Palace of Abdeen
to give the then King Farouk a choice of appointing a pro British cabinet
or abdicate.
churchil in the british embassy
Moving along, you arrive at Karnak Bazaar , one of landmarks.
The enormous gift shop, 580 meters long, opened in 1959 ,The dusty gallery, now a warehouse, recalls glory days long gone. The
walls are adorned with black and white photos of Frank Sinatra, Mickey Rooney,
John and Jacqueline Kennedy and congressmen from the sixties and seventies.
and this is a brief description of our area - Garden city
Most of us are familiar with some cat mythology, and many cat tales are found all around the world from ancient times to the present day.
Cats always fascinated us, they are a symbol of grace and poise.Many of themyths and legends surrounding catshave a kernel of truth at their foundation. From the Egyptians came the legend that a cat has nine lives.
The Egyptians worshiped the cat and gifted it with nine lives, most likely for it's nimbleness and ability to land on its feet without being harmed..
There are many cat stories and tales, here we will bring you the best and most interesting ones.
Egyptian Cat
In Ancient Egypt cats were known as Mau. About 4000 to 5000 years ago cats were domesticated and accepted members of the households of Egypt. Many of the breeds we now know have evolved from these ancient cats.
The Egyptians were the first to keep and use cats to hunt fish and birds as well as to destroy the rodents that infested the grain stocks along the Nile.
Cats were considered so valuable that the Ancient Egyptians protected it by law (which they imposed the death penalty for killing cats - deliberately or not), they were revered as hunters and worshiped as gods.
Cat Mythology Fact #1: While there were many other feline goddesses worshiped by the Ancient Egyptians, Bast, also known as Basted, was the only one represented as a domestic cat. Cats were believed to be a manifestation of the goddess Bast.
Bast had many roles, including the goddess of protection, fertility, the moon, and also the protector of all cats.
Cat Mythology Fact #2:This sacred animal was so important to the Egyptian society and religion, that after the cat's death, its body was mummified and buried in a special cemetery.
Also, the Egyptians had strict laws prohibiting the export of cats. However, because cats were valued in other parts of the world for their rat-catching prowess, Phoenician traders often smuggled them out and sold them to the Mediterranean countries. Domestic cats were also found in India, China, and Japan where they were prized as pets as well as rodent catchers.
Other cultures had different views of cats. Some embraced them, others detested them. Over the subsequent centuries, the domesticated cat proliferated throughout Europe, the Middle East, and China. Though no longer worshiped as deities, cats were still honored and appreciated for their mousing abilities no matter where they turned up.
Cat Mythology Fact #3:By the 11th Century, about the time the Crusades began, cats were in huge demand since the rats were beginning to overrun the cities. Domesticated cats could now be found as far as Scotland.
Black Cats - Cat Mythology
During the Middle Ages, the Christians, however, hated cats and attempted to kill them off. They associated cats with witchcraft and Satan, much like the feared black cat of Halloween, often seen riding with a witch on her broomstick.
They were trying to establish Christianity as the only religion, and felt compelled to destroy all remnants of other cultures. The Church began what turned out to be a 1000 year killing spree of cats.
When the cat population was depleted, diseased rats took over, and spread the plague. Since many people were sick and dying, the killing of cats stopped, and they were able to hunt the mice causing the plague.
Cat Mythology Fact #4:Shortly after the cats helped obliterate the plague, the Catholic Church placed blame on the cats, and once again persecuted them.
The Holy Man and Cat Mythology
In the Islamic community, cats were respected and protected at least in part because cats were loved by the Prophet Mohammed.
According to folklore, Mohammed's cat once fell asleep on the sleeve of his robe, and rather than awake the cat, the Prophet cut off the sleeve of his robe.
It is also believed that the "M" marking on the forehead of the tabby cat was created by the Prophet Mohammed when he rested his hand on the brown of his favorite cat.
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