New Egypt.. Noha Shoukry

The legendary library of Alexandria, also known as the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, reopened this week. It was closed for the last few weeks during the demonstrations, both to protect it from vandalism, and to protest the army’s curfew. And the library’s director, Ismail Serageldin says that in all the protests, not a stone was thrown at the library, and not a pane of glass was broken. “What happened was pure magic,” he says. “People from within the demonstrations broke out of the demonstrations and simply linked hands, and they said ‘This is our library. Don’t touch it.’” The ancient library has been destroyed several times by vandals and conquerors — most notably by a fire, several centuries ago. But, Serageldin says, this time was different. “This revolution in Egypt was a liberal revolution. People who believe in democracy and freedom of expression, in pluralism, and openness,” he said. “And I’m proud and happy that the Library of Alexandria may have contributed in so...

AL TAHRIR SQUARE, Egypt (eTN) - Thousand of Egyptians filled Cairo’s symbolic Al Tahrir Square after the last Friday prayers and the day after to celebrate the first month of their successful revolution and the second week since Mubarak’s forced step down from office. The peaceful gathering also launched slogans aimed at urging the military to overhaul the newly-appointed cabinet and install a fresh team of technocrats. Among the prevailing crowd of youngsters, many students conversant in English expressed their pride for the contribution to the epochal political change. Their expectation is now for the system to recognize the significance of the change, which for them means jobs, economic opportunities, and social justice - the only conditions that will make them feel “free” in a peaceful new Egypt. Cairo, a megalopolis of almost twenty million people, was seen as surprisingly calm. Life as usual was witnessed by the maddening traffic that, together with the pyramids, is ...

When you’re done with the sightseeing and morning exhaustion, embrace Cairo’s incredible selection of shopping, leisure and nightlife activities. Shopping ranges from the famous Khan el-Khalili souk, (or bazaar) largely unchanged since the 14th century, to modern air-conditioned centers displaying the latest fashions. All the bounty of the East can be here. Particularly good buys are spices, perfumes, gold, silver, carpets, brass and copper-ware, leatherwork, glass, ceramics and mashrabiya. Try some of the famous street markets, like Wekalat al-Balaq; for fabrics, including Egyptian cotton, the Tentmakers Bazaar; for appliqué-work, Mohammed Ali Street; for musical instruments and, although you probably won't want to buy, the Camel Market makes a fascinating trip. This is, and has been for over a thousand years, truly a shopper's paradise. Go for shisha (water pipe) in one of the old cafes on the street, you can try cool flavors like apple, coc...

Cairo, Egypt has always been attracting travelers, dating back over 10 centuries ago to the time of the Mamluks. However, the beautiful, hectic, crowded, surprising, enchanting (and every other cool sounding adjective) city of Cairo is still in the eyes of the Egyptians the City Victorious, known officially as al-Qahirah or simply “Masr”, the name for Egypt as a whole. Cairo is one of the world's largest urban areas and offers many sites to visit. It is the administrative capital of Egypt and, close by, is almost every Egypt Pyramid , such as the Great Pyramids of Giza on the very edge of the city. There are also ancient temples, tombs, gorgeous Christian churches , magnificent Muslim monuments , and of course, the Egyptian Antiquities Museum all either within or nearby to the city. As long as you’re willing to loosen your senses and lose yourself to this majestic city, you can discover the sweetness of Cairo; the coziness of small cafes and the pleasure ...

The head of Egypt’s Supreme Council of Armed Forces issued a decree  announcing that a national referendum on “temporary” constitutional amendments will be held on 19 March The constitutional amendments aim to change issues related with wider criteria for president, term limitation, rights to declare state of emergency, VP appointment Egyptians will asked during the referendum if they agree to amendments in articles 75, 76, 77, 88, 93, 139 and 149 and the cancellation of Article 179. Also, the citizens will also be asked their opinion about the addition of a new paragraph to Article 189. The decree will be executed by the Supreme Judicial Committee and all executive bodies. But the main point is that the Debate which faces those amendments. The committee, headed by Tarek El-Bishry, former first deputy of the Council of State, was appointed by Field Marshall Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, head of the armed forces, to amend the constitution before presidential elections. ...

Thousands of people join protests in several Egyptian cities after an internet campaign. Clashes break out in Cairo's Tahrir Square between riot police and protesters, who say they are fed up with high levels of poverty, corruption and unemployment. Some protesters say they will not give up until President Mubarak steps down. 28 January: Unrest spreads The protests in Egypt continue and gather momentum. President Mubarak declares a curfew in Cairo, Alexandria and Suez and the army is deployed. The curfew is immediately and widely flouted, and there are further clashes between protesters and police amid growing reports of looting and lawlessness. After Friday prayers, tens of thousands of people join protests in Cairo and other cities to press the demand that Mr Mubarak step down. The headquarters of the governing NDP party is set ablaze, while protesters also besiege the state broadcaster and the foreign ministry. Late on Friday, President Mubarak sacks h...

The Pyramid of Khafre and the Great Sphinx of Giza on the Giza Plateau , Cairo, Egypt The Pyramid of Khafre, also known as the Pyramid of Chefren, [ 1 ] is the second-largest of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramids of Giza and the tomb of the fourth-dynasty pharaoh Khafre   Size The pyramid has a base length of 215.5 m (706 ft) and rises to a height of 136.4 metres (448 ft) (originally 143.5 m/471 ft). [ 1 ] The Pyramid is made of Limestone blocks (weighing more than 2 tons each). The slope of the pyramid rises at an 53° 10' angle, steeper than its neighbor, the Pyramid of Khufu which has an angle of 51°50'40". The pyramid sits on bedrock 10 m (33 ft) higher than Khufu’s pyramid which makes it appear to be taller. History The pyramid was likely opened and robbed during the First Intermediate Period . During the 18th dynasty the overseer of temple construction robbed casing stone from it to build a temple in Heliopolis on Rameses II ’...