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.
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| 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.
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| Yes, that IS grass... |
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| 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...
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| Grilled shrimp |
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| 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.
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| 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.
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| Ptolomeic Alabaster sarcophagus |
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| 4th Century AD mosaics (Greek) |
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| Zoom on the "cat" in the middle |
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| Pharonic lamp |
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| Mummy mask |
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| Pottery from various periods |
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| Ptolomeic statue with paint intact! |
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| Tomb decoration |
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| 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.
Ismailia was also the original location for New York City’s Statue of Liberty. 
hope you are both well and managing the turbulence the world is watching. thinking of you. alex and family
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