Ismailia

Ismailia is a two-hour drive from Cairo.  With the prospect of demonstrations, we decided to get out of Cairo last Friday and visit this relatively small (pop.750,000) city on the banks of the Suez Canal. As we approached Ismalia through the Eastern Desert, we started to see small farms, then larger ones. Ismailia is a major producer of strawberries and mangoes.

Greenhouses

Ismailia was also the original location for New York City’s Statue of Liberty. 

We couldn't take a photo of where it was, since photos of the canal are forbidden. Here's another statue, instead.

Yes, that IS grass...

subliminal advertising?

  

Ismailia is situated on Lake Timsah. Since Ismailia Governate's fish catch amounts to 81.84% of the total figure for Egypt we were eager for a fish meal. Nefertiti is a charming little restaurant where we ate this...

Grilled shrimp

Grilled squid

...beautfuly prepared by our cook who is also host and waiter. His story is a typical one. University educated in Commerce, he is unable to find work in his profession so he makes a living, along with three siblings, in the restaurant his father founded.

Ismailia was  founded 1863 at the time the Suez Canal was built;. French and British occupation is evident in the architecture, large public gardens, fountains, and squares.

 

intricate sidewalks

The focus of our visit was the smallest museum in Egypt, which houses artifacts collected during the excavation for the canal.

 

On Mohammed Ali Quay Street, the Ismailia Museum contains over 4000 objects from the Pharaonic to Greco-Roman times, including statues and canal records.We were the only visitors. Admission was 6 Egyptian pounds ($1). Many Egyptian museums do not permit photographs, but this one is the exception.

 

Ptolomeic Alabaster sarcophagus

4th Century AD mosaics (Greek)

Zoom on the "cat" in the middle

Pharonic lamp

Mummy mask

Pottery from various periods

Ptolomeic statue with paint intact!

Tomb decoration

 

Roman foot wash

 And, of course, the museum cat.

 

Driving back, we passed by a canal which joins the Nile to the Suez Canal.

...and on into the Egyptian sunset.

agricultural museum

Our expeditions to find and get into the Museum of Islamic Art are adding up and we have yet to see the inside, although our explorations of downtown Cairo have expanded.  Peter deserves some kind of medal for his combination of patience and courage as we “get off the beaten path” and then worm our way back out of the depths of Cairo.

So, when we discovered (through our trusty Lonely Plant guidebook) a quaint museum on the more accessible island suburb of Zamalek, we had to go. The Agricultural Museum building was originally the Palace of Fatima, but now holds dusty, antiquated displays about the history of Egyptian agriculture and rural life as well as information about the zoology of Egypt. The museum sits on 27 acres of land. It all sounded like a perfect trip for a quiet Friday morning, the morning when most Muslim men go to the mosque to pray, and the streets are calmer.

Parking was a snap! Amazing! The entrance fee was a whopping 3 pounds per person, although we had to pay 10 pounds for our camera. ( 5.8 pounds = 1 Cdn dollar)

The building must have been impressive in its day.

 

Inside was equally grand, albeit run down.

 

The first floor displays were corny but still seemed exotic.

The hanging rug on the left looks like it came from our living room on Stanley Place - holes and all.

Hey, Mom and Dad - check out this potter!

wedding procession

tattowing?.

 The second floor was a surprise. The museum info claimed that there was every kind of Egyptian animal stuffed and on display. It was visually interesting, in a creepy kind of way.

Egyptian moose?

Other displays focussed on practical issues of importance to Egyptian farmers:

…identifying various horse diseases

harnesses

Harriet - this is an old saddle.

…telling your “mules” apart

…giving proper respect to your camels

 

… and identifying “miscellaneous”.

We strolled around the grounds. Some families had come to picnic. Listen to the sounds we heard as we walked:

 There were some surprisingly familiar looking trees.  And there were some that were new to us. Anybody know the mystery one?

cedar 

oak

mystery pod tree

mystery pods

All in all, it was a grand success. We had found someplace and successfully entered, and exited.  We felt confident enough to stop for lunch at a new café. 

Ahh - a perfect day - except for the 2 hours we got lost on the way home!

Oops- a wrong turn and we were here...

...and here.

We found our way home with the help of one big-hearted man who asked us, "Why did you come here?" as he escorted us through the maze of streets to our way back to the highway. 

Good question. Maybe the agricultural museum was more inspiring than we realized.