Just like yesterday, much of today was spent in activities that connected to Egypt’s past as my group and I toured mosques and then rode a boat along the Nile at night.

Being inside the mosques that we toured was quite a surreal experience.  The two mosques we toured were the Amr Ibn al-Ass Mosque and the Sultan Hassan Mosque.  Both mosques were amazing in both their size and the detailed artistry that covered both the exterior and interior of the buildings.

Overall, mosques have a pretty basic structure: there is an outdoor courtyard with a fountain in the interior for Muslims to cleanse themselves before prayer, and then there is an interior for prayer that includes a pulpit on which the imam orates.  Because there are no pews like in a church, the interior of a mosque seems much more massive because of all the open space.  I do not know why, but compared to any other things that I have done since being in the Middle East, standing inside a mosque makes me feel like I am in a foreign land and culture the most.  I think the main reason for this fact is because when inside a mosque, I am inside a building whose design and reason for standing is completely devoid of any Western influence.  The architecture is not Western.  The interior design is not Western.  The values and ideas preached inside the mosque are not Western. Foreignness is the pervasive feeling of the environment when I am inside a mosque, and I love it as this is the feeling you should have when going abroad.

Later that day I was able to interact with the source of the civilization that these mosques came from. Riding along the Nile was an experience I will never forget.  I mean this was the same body of water on which the great civilization of Ancient Egypt depended on.  This was the same body of water on which the baby Moses is said to have ridden along inside a wicker basket.  In addition to the realization that I was riding along Egypt’s lifeline, I also marveled in the way modern Egypt has made the riverside quite beautiful.  Cafes and docks line the sides as the lights of Cairo’s hotels and skyscrapers color the night sky.

All in all, this was not a bad day.