So Much More to Egypt than Disney Princes

Erin Bannen
Marketing Intern

When I think of Egypt, my first thought is Prince of Egypt. It's a Disney film with great illustrations and incredible music, but it has an embarrassingly inaccurate depiction of what ancient Egypt was actually like. When protests surged across Egypt in 2011, I realized that I knew very little about a country with such a rich history, riotous present, and fascinating future. So I am going to see Clint and Sue Denn's Travel Adventure Film, Egypt's Treasures and Cruising the Nile.

The ceiling of the Mosque

The Denns travel to the Muhammad Ali Mosque, which is on such a high hill in Cairo that it is the first sign of the city that you see no matter what direction you are coming from. The builders used so much alabaster that its nickname is the Alabaster Mosque. From it, you get a clear view of the Pyramids of Giza. It is worth noting that the mosque was designed by Greek architect Yussuf Bushnaq; as a symbol for a city of more than 16 million, the mosque is also a symbol of the country's diversity.

Street vendors at Khan el Khalili

The film then moves into the Khan el Khalili Bazaar, where there are street vendors and shops selling everything from Arabic coffee to chandeliers. The market was the site of two terrorist attacks, one in 2005 and one in 2009, but it remains a testament to Egyptian culture and, with Al-Azhar University only a few blocks away, Egyptian scholarship.

and these are just the first two sites. See? There is so much to learn! I cannot wait to see the rest.