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It
is now fairly well believed by most literary scholars that the tales from
the "Thousand and One Arabian Nights" probably took place in
Cairo during the period of the Burgi Mamluks, rather than Baghdad.
Edward Williams Lane (1801-76) made the original English translations and
believed that the stories were written by a Cairene in the late medieval
period.
Within "The Tale of the Jewish Physician", there is a
description of Cairo:
"He who hath not seen Cairo hath not seen the world: her soil is
gold, her Nile is a marvel; her women are like the black-eyed hours of
Paradise; her houses are palaces; and her air is soft, more odorous than
aloes-wood, rejoicing the heart. And how can Cairo be otherwise
when she is the Mother of the World?".
Of course, as most mega cities of the world,
Cairo's air is not so soft these days, but is improving, but
there are still palaces, the soil still produces lush
vegetation, and the Nile never ceases to inspire us. Of
course, the women are wondrous, with beauty as mysterious and
charming as the old thousand and one stories.
 Cairo
is older now. She was a grand city when many of the world's
huge metropolises were but babes. Yet she remains a city
cloaked in excitement and mystery, dark secrets and bright
celebrations. She is a city that often mixes the
many cultures of the world with the many ages of the world.
She offers up cuisine from her French, sometimes new age
culture from her Germans, enterprise from her Americans, all
the while embracing her Egyptian heritage from the dawn of
civilization. She mixes modern religion with ancient
traditions as easily as her streets accommodate Mercedes and
donkey drawn carts. America has no claim as a melting pot in
relation to Cairo, for Cairo melts both time and culture into
one city that can embrace us as no other. It's
history beguiles us with intrigue, weaving gossamer webs of
time and events that effect us even today. Here, we see the
stone monuments that signaled the readiness of mankind to
 embark
upon the climb into human awareness and culture. It was
Cairenes leaders who ended the crusades of old, but also
prevented the Mongrels and darkness from rolling over Europe.
It was a market that still exists today in Cairo, that gained
such a stranglehold over world trade, that Columbus was forced
to seek alternative routes, thus discovering the new
world. Today, its moderate religious leaders affect the tolerance
of a world religion, while the political leaders preach peace,
and understanding. As an American,
I have walked her back allies, her living cemeteries, her
markets. I have explored her poor underbelly, as well as her
grand and sparkling avenues. All the while I feared no
evil, because there was none. Mostly only gracious Egyptians
who seem, more often than not, excited by the sight of a
stranger, curious, as their beloved cats might be. I am
welcomed, I am enchanted and it is beyond my understanding how
anyone cannot fall desperately in love with this city and its
people. Yet, I know I shall never
completely know Cairo. It is too deep, too full of
adventures. I suspect even the Cairenes themselves may never
know this sprawling city of operas and pyramids, glass towers
and medieval tunnels, ancient churches and modern cell
phones. But what I understand completely, is that those
who never visit Cairo, will never know the world. For
much more information on Cairo, visit
our Cairo section.
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