Cairo. Cairo

Author: (French) Modeste Tycart
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: Triangular sails float on the Nile, and before the lights turn on, the pink-toned sunset resembles the fragrant smoke of Arabic water pipes, shrouding the river surface. In this mist of light, the minaret of mosques in Cairo and the silhouette of the pyramids on the Giza Plateau across the river are clearly visible. This is a small patch of fertile land in the center of the Nile Delta, which has nurtured most of Egypt's population, a condition that has persisted from the Pharaonic era to the Arab era. Cairo is located at the entrance of the Nile Delta, facing the Fayoum Oasis on the western bank of the Nile. It is a testament to the glory of the Fatimid dynasty, the most magnificent Islamic city on the African continent. The Nile divides here and flows into the Mediterranean Sea. This seasonal fertile land has been nourishing the Egyptians for thousands of years. Today, although their ethnic composition has changed, their way of life dependent on the Nile has not fundamentally altered. Not far away is the desert, and only the Nile's flood can bring life to this land. In the Pharaonic era, when the Nile flooded, people would repair their farming tools at home, preparing for the upcoming planting. They would also navigate papyrus boats through the floodwaters, fishing or observing water conditions, and take advantage of this time to pick ripe grapes. They hunted hippos but never disturbed crocodiles, which threatened marsh life—they were sacred animals, representing the water god Sobek. However, records show that by 3000 BC, consecutive floods failed to achieve the desired results, prompting people to explore and learn how to use artificial irrigation facilities to overcome the crisis. Thus, reservoirs, dams, and canals, especially canals, began to play a significant role. Farmers would draw water from canals using earthen pots to irrigate distant farmland and orchards. The famous Fayoum Oasis flourished as an agricultural province during the period when the Bahr Yusuf Canal was dug by the pharaohs of the 12th Dynasty. Artificial irrigation facilities, of course, could not change the seasonal nature of labor, and harvests still had to be carried out during the Nile's dry season. It is well known that the ancient Egyptian calendar was calculated and named based on the flooding cycle of the Nile. The season of Akhet begins when Sirius—the ancient Egyptian North Star—appears alongside the sun in the eastern sky, lasting for about three months. Subsequently, the season of Peret begins, the growing season, when farmers start their only annual planting and wait for the harvest, lasting for five months. The final season is the dry season of Shemu, starting from the time of flax harvest. Flax was used for the clothes of the living and the shrouds of the dead. It was also used to weave fishing nets, and its seeds were pressed for oil. After flax came wheat, barley for brewing, and wheat for bread. Men reaped, women winnowed, and the grain was then stored in conical granaries. Each sack was recorded by scribes. It is generally believed that hieroglyphs were invented by the people living by the Nile during this process. These hieroglyphs used sailing ships to represent the south and sailless ships to represent the north. Because the Nile flows from south to north, and the monsoon from the Mediterranean blows from north to south. When rowing upstream, the monsoon aids the effort, while downstream, the natural flow of the river can be relied upon. The Egyptians, living around the Nile, have their thinking shaped by the Nile, and the only rival to this influence is the desert. Cairo, known as the city of dry towers, like most famous cities in the Arab world, exists within the space formed by strong sunlight and vast deserts. If one chooses to leave or go to Cairo by land, they must traverse the desert. The roads are flat, flanked by endless, rolling sand seas. Sometimes, one can see the white villas of the wealthy on small oases, like bubbles that rise on green waves. The surrounding silence is profound, and the road stretches into the boundless sand sea. No matter how fast one accelerates, the only thing ahead remains the desert. In the distance, the camels moving forward still proceed at a leisurely pace, maintaining a consistent distance, as if the journey has no end. Camels carry the nomads of the desert, and before their backs disappear, their footprints have already been reshaped by the flowing sand sea, becoming indistinguishable, with the sun never reducing its scorching heat by even a fraction. Since the Pharaonic era, there have been communities living on the edge of the Nile Valley, relying on the desert for their livelihood—the Nu, who were well-versed in desert conditions. These people hunted in the desert, helped the Pharaoh's government search for escaped convicts, or explored stone mines. The graves of these professional hunters still dot the border between the Nile Valley and the desert, accompanied by their loyal dogs. Later, these people also assisted pharaohs and princes in hunting in the desert, but such activities were merely for entertainment, release, and showcasing power—the flooding of the Nile and the use of irrigation facilities had brought abundant food, so even these semi-nomadic tribes no longer had to struggle daily for sustenance. Today, if one wishes to venture deep into the desert, they still need to seek help from the Bedouins, who lead a semi-nomadic life and roam the world's largest desert in search of water. Deep in the sand sea, water sources emerge and soon disappear, just like the Bedouins. Only through sunglasses or a lens can this sand sea reveal its colors and shadows. The sunlight is so intense that it makes it impossible to keep one's eyes open, and the scenery in view consists of outlines that are almost dazzlingly faint. Among these scenes, the most spectacular are both the pyramids and Cairo, built in the struggle between water and sand. P19