Early in the morning of our last full day in Egypt, we flew from Sharm back to Cairo. We visited the ancient city of Memphis (Mit Rahina) where we saw an impressive colossus of Ramesses II. Nearby, we visited the first known stone monument in the world, the step pyramid designed for King Djoser in the 3rd dynasty. It's located in Saqqara, the main necropolis of Memphis. We also visited the Citadel Mosque. In the picture below, you see the clock tower at the Mosque. The tower was a gift of the French in return for some Obelisks they confiscated. Our guide joked that the clock didn't work when it was delivered, and still doesn't.
We finished our stay at Le Royal Meridien on Rhoda Island overlooking the Nile. As usual, we were tired and didn't get much of a chance to enjoy the hotel. For our final dinner, we dinned on some authentic Arabic cuisine at the "Corniche El Nile." The restaurant had the flavor of an ahwa, or coffee shop. Traditional hookah smoking while watching feluccas navigate the Nile supplemented the dinner entertainment. It was a memorable end to a wonderful trip.
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