Hiking, a journey in life

The tragic event of a group of hikers caught in a snowstorm this week in the mountains of Saint Catherine in Sinai was a shock for the hiker communities. Lot of discussions, some blaming people including the hikers, the authority, the guide.. others trying to analyze what went wrong in order to prevents such tragidy. I couldn't help myself but remember my hikes in the mountains of Sinai.
What many people don't know what hiking is about and some even never knew that hiking existed in Egypt!. They could ask why people go up to walk in the mountains? I remember when i was telling my friends i'm going over the weekend to Sinai just to hike they were surprised why i would sacrifice my rest days to do something very tiring with people i might not even now. Their notion of a vacation is to go on the beach and do nothing but enjoying the sun and the sea.

My first real hiking experience was 4 years ago, March 2010. It was a hike to a place called El-Galt El-Azraq. It was supposed to be an easy hike but we discovered that it was more an advanced level, especially that we travelled after flood period so the guide had to change some of the trecks in our journey. I remember that I had to go beyond my limits, to walk the extra mile but reaching our destination was a big wow. I didn't imagine such beauty, in the middle of the mountains. I thought that it is all about mountains but i discovered another amazing world. This hike and others i did later showed me another face of the superb nature and the diversity we have in Egypt. Imagine to see waterfall or a lake, trees and gardens... rocks with different shapes and forms, untouched by humans. The smile of our bedouin guides, their warm feelings and their deep knowledge about the nature, about their worlds. The help of the hikers, some i met for the first time and others i already met. I remember when i discovered that the tent i had which belonged to my parents (was the first time for me to use) was not ok. So a friend invited me and my friend to share so we don't sleep outside. I remember at some diffiult places that we had to cross, there were many hands to pull you and catch you. I remember when on our way back it was getting dark and we were all tired but still everyone was taking care of the other and we were supporting each other. Hiking is a great experience by all means. It helps you to go beyond your limits and you feel actually you achieved something despite all the troubles. It make you trust the others and know that they will help you if you get in trouble.
And most of important of all, you see the beauty of the country that is not revealed to so many. You learn that outside your own world there is even a bigger and a greater one. you feel disconnected from your own fast life but you feel reconnected to yourself.

Hiking is not just a hobby, it's a journey in life. and you have to try it one day to see it with your own eyes because photos and stories are little compared to the reality. You have to experience yourself with all your senses and believe me it will be beyond your own expectations.

Links:
My post about El-Galt El-Azrak Hike
Photos of Secret Garden Hike
Photos of El-Galt El-Azrak Hike

Insights about the current situation in Egypt

I know many people who are not living in Egypt are wondering, what's going on. I will try to explain what happened last week but before reaching to this point, i'll try to brief the background of the political status since the revolution because we can't judge the current events without looking on the history.
I put links of old posts that give more details about certain events.

Before 25 Jan 2011

Egypt political scene was far from democratic although it was under the name of democracy. Police & media, were under control of the state to serve those who are in charge. Elections were frauded, people were not interested in politics except for a few brave who tried to fight for more democracy risking everything.

Providing for a family was a big challenge, a lot of unemployment, lack of good education, high cost of living, lack of medical service.

The gap between the rich and the poor increased year over year, in summary, no social justice

25 January 2011 (18 days of revolution)

The calls for protests started on facebook and spread widely. It was first to protest against police, in commemoration of Khaled Said who was killed by police brutality then claimed he committed suicide.

The protests called "change, freedom, social justice". It started on the 25th then the biggest day, the 28th (Friday of Rage), were the security forces faced the big crowds with brutality, killing a lot. Police stations were attacked that night, some thugs made roberies to create chaos & terror after the police deserted the streets, then the army took over to control secuity.

The regime made all it could to stay in power till Moubarak stepped down in 11 February.

For more details on this period check the following post: We all woke up :)

Referendum 19 March 2011

The referendum was on several closes, including to work first on constitution or elections (parliamentary & presidential). This was a big mistake by the SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces) who were in charge at that time. It created the first disagreement between people. Some "so called" islamists were preaching and asking people to vote Yes to go to heaven. It was the first time to see politicians mixing religion to steet the public opinion towards a certain direction.

In my opinion, the constitution should have been put first because it is the contract to govern how everything will work. A problem, we had to discover later, in the hardest way.

Mohamed Mahmoud Clashes - November 2011

Clashes in Mohamed Mahmoud Street just beside Tahrir Square. The ministry of interior (MOI) is close but is not in this street, however they were defending it from the protestors. These clashes left deads & injured, many young people lost their sights.

25 January 2012

SCAF was still ruling. After one year from revolution, still no one was tried for killing the protesters. The retribution of martyrs was not yet achieved. Military trials of civilians were still on-going, among which many innocent people.
People went in the streets to protest against SCAF while the Muslim Brotherhood were partying in Tahrir Square. They had already won majority of seats in the parliament although before elections they said they won't compete for all seats (not keeping their words as always).
My account regarding that day 25 Jan reloaded

Presidential Elections June 2012

After more than a year, came the time to elect a president. At that time, still no constitution so the job description of the president was not yet defined. If for example we will have a complete presidential system or parliamentary one or mix of both.
There were 2 rounds, the 2 winners from the 1st round were Mohamed Morsi (Muslim Brotherhood) although before elections again they said the won't compete at all & Ahmed Shafik (the last appointed Prime Minister before Moubarak stepped down, and before that Minister of Aviation and on top a miliary).

Without going into details, people voted mainly for the one just cos they didn't want the other to win.

Official results were close, as Morsi won but 51.73%. Some claims that there were some frauds and actually Shafik won but they had to announce Morsi as winner because the MB had threatened in case Shafik won to retaliate in streets.

My thoughts, just before the 2nd round Egypt's Presidential elections 2012

6 October Celebration 2012

Every year, 6 of October victory is celebrated. That year, Morsi invited people, who mostly turned out to be his supporters to the indoor stadium. Not only that but among the guests was one of the people who was charged of the murder of President Sadat that won the war in 1973. How ironic.

Also Morsi made a speech about his 100 days of ruling. He talked with numbers that didn't reflect the reality like solving the traffic issue or security problems.

Presidential decree of 22 November 2012

Out of nowhere, Morsi made a presidential decree giving him more powers, not to be accounted for any decisions he took or will take. He dismissed the current general prosecutor and appointed a new one. Some people were already asking to dismiss this general prosecutor but the way it was done and the direct appointment of another one raised questions.There was a crisis between the judges and the president.
Also, at by that time the constitutional court had disolved the parliament as the election law was unconstitutional. The same for the Shoura council but as it was making the constitution Morsi in his decree made it not to be disovled.

This presidential decree was the turning point to reunite opposition. It was the point that made a clear separation between the 2 camps, those with the president and those against him.

Million of people went in the streets, in Cairo and elsewhere.
A sit-in started in front of presidential palace for several days. Unfortunately, pro Morsi attacked the sit-in to disperse the people at a time where few were there and clashes erupted with people killed from both side.

Pro Morsi detained some of the protesters and tortured them according to the testimony of the detainees after they were sent to the police. They were afterwards released and as a reward by the general prosecutor, the one who made this decision was transfered to another city and those who committed the tortures and detention were not charged.

More details in this post: Tahrir Square is back

30 June 2013 - 3 July 2013

Biggest demonstrations i've ever seen. Millions of people all over the streets saying just "leave" to Morsi. 22 million people signed the "tamarod" (rebellion) form because they thought that after 1 year, Morsi and them MB didn't keep any promise.

Up till that moment, the performance of the government and prime minister was very poor. The ministers chosen were mainly people they, the Muslim Brotherhood trust, not people with the right experience.
Just before the 30th of June, a member of the Jihadists of Gama'a Islameya was appointed governor of Luxor, the same group of people who killed toursits in Luxor in 1997. The newly appointed minister of culture who was not someone from the field started to dismiss people in position like the head of the Cairo Opera House who was actually doing a great job since she took charge of it. The artists, writers and other people started a sit-in in front of the ministry of culture to protest against him.

There were another incident, the killing of Shiite persons few days after a rally with the presence of Morsi to support Syria. In this rally, full of his supporters, one of the speakers made a hatred speach against the Shiite and the president didn't even comment on that as if he approves what was said.

There was political tension with Ethiopia after their decision to build a dam on the Nile which would impact our resource of water in Egypt. The way that Morsi & ministers handled this situation was far below what should have been done and they failed to contain this crisis.

Army gave Morsi an ultimatum of 48 hours to solve the problematic issues with the opposition. Before that there were the Army asked Morsi the same thing but nothing changed.
The 3rd of July, Al- Sissy, minister of defense and head of the army announced the deposition of Morsi putting him under house arrest and the decisionn of the interim president, the head of the supreme court.
Details about these events: Egypt is back!!! & Just few thoughts

14 August 2013

The dispersal of the 2 sit-ins of pro-Morsi in Rabaa El Adawya & El-Nahda took place. The sit-ins started after Morsi was deposed. Some people supported Morsi because he is the democratically elected president and their votes should be respected, other because they didn't want to go back to military rule.
There were reports that there were arms with some people in the sit-ins. Earlier in July, some pro-Morsi who were in the sit-ins of El-Nahda near Cairo University attacked citizens in Ben El- Sarayat and Manial leaving dead and injured. Some of the testimonies were horrific. This doesn't mean that all supporters are armed and want to perform violence but at the same time, it shows there was threats on people lives at some point.

There were on-going talks to solve the sit-in problems but with no results. One of the MB leaders announced on stage of Rabaa that the violence in Sinai (attacks on army & police) would stop if Morsi is returned back as president.
There was exchange of fire between security forces & some of the protesters. There were people who died on that day, many of them innocent and they were standing there for their believes to have a democratic country and also from the police forces. There are testimonies accusing both sides of use of force, accounts of protesters armed firing at the security forces and the security forces using arms in response. The dispersal of the sit-in started by the announcement that people should leave, then by tear gas. The one in Nahda took around 2 hours with no catualties. The one in Rabaa was till the night and with lot of killed people.

But at the same time, after the move of security forces to disperse the sit-in, police stations, churches and other government buildings were attacked in many cities to try to turn it into chaos.
So, the state of emergency is declared, up till now. Actually Egypt was under state of emergency for the last 30 years until it was removed recently. Also a curfew in many cities is on-going till now.

There were some demonstrations by pro-Morsi few days later and some of the people were armed as caught in cameras.
To argue that the sit-ins should be dispersed or not, whether force was used wrongly or it was the right thing to do will take us into long discussions and arguments.
Unfortunately, the media is not showing everything and some of them are focusing on one-side only. The government of the different countries are acting upon their own interests.

The people in Egypt are divided in 2 camps calling each other traitor and lot of people now hate more and more anything related to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The situation now is very complicated and it is bad that we had to reach this point but in order to go beyond this, we need all to unite together and see the bigger picture. People lost trust in each other and it will take time to regain it but at least we need to have faith that at the end most of us, want to have a better country although we argue about the ways to do it.

I know that in this post i didn't state all events that occured. I tried to give a glimpse but there are many details since the revolution has started.

There are no angels and everybody from all sides made mistakes. I believe that anyone who made a mistake, should be punished accordingly because at the end we want a country that is based on justice where everybody has equal rights. After all the revolution started with "Bread, Liberty, Human Dignity & Social Justice". 

Just few thoughts

Let's not spend a lof of time arguing is it a coup or a revolution but think beyond these words. 
These are some of my thoughts and reflections regarding what's going on.

Politics is and will always be a dirty game which is only about power. But we are in a state that we need to look beyond this or else we all will pay a lot.

President role, whomever is, is a big responsibility because he is leading the country. He should listen to everybody and keep his promises.
Morsi did several fatal mistakes in my opinion: the constitutional decree of November, the way of issuing the constitution, his speeches which didn't target all the nation, what happened at Itihadeya, keeping a government that is a big failure, allowing hatred & racial speeches in his presence, way of handling crisis like the Ethiopian dam and finally, the core project of his electoral campaign turned out to be just on papers.
People signed "Tamarod" and went in the streets because he failed in that.

Posts about protests against consititutional decree: Back to streets and Tahrir Square is back

SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces) did a lot of mistakes while ruling after Moubarak has stepped down. Many injustice happened starting from military trials for civilians, referendum on constitution or president first, and not putting a clear roadmap.
Post about protests against SCAF on the 1st memory of 25th Jan Revolution: 25th Jan reloaded


Army now, which has not the same function sa the SCAF, put a roadmap although without a clear timeline. At least, the power now is with an interim civilian president and the roadmap they announced was after consulting the different parties. 

Opposition failed the people because they were not united. They tried many times to do something but they failed. Tamarod campain was able to reach those we call the couch party (7ezb el canaba) because they were not affiliated to a certain party, they offered the people a way to express their discontent for the failure of the whole system and their feeling of being discarded.

The MB were wrong acting for their own benefits and not for Egypt. Some of them posting hatred & violent messages along the past year, defending everything with force & the arm.
They did good job to win in different elections but the way they were acting did them more harm than good. 
They made deals with old regime (with Omar Soliman) and with SCAF (celebrating 25th Jan in Tahrir Square while people in the street chanting against SCAF).

People who supported Morsi and feel that they were betrayed because this is against their will and their votes. I agree, you have all the rights because we should use the system and stick with it. I wanted Morsi to ask for a referendum or call for earlier elections but he didn't.

People who went in the streets on 30th of June, asking Morsi to leave were even more than those who voted for him. Whatever their motives or reasons are, they feel that we can't continue with Morsi.

Why some of the accused people in crimes were released by the president? Why in Sinai there are now attacks army and police with weapon? This raises a lot of questions.
Why in the celebration of 6th October 1973 victory the killer of El-Sadat was among the audience?

The general prosecutor was deposed wrongly by Morsi but i believe he should be go away.
The general prosecutor that was assigned by Morsi did a lot of things mostly against activists which raises a lot of questions.
There should be a new general prosecutor chosen in the legal ways.

Closing some channels without legal ways is wrong even though some of these channels were broadcasting hatred messages. 

Arresting any person, inlcuding MBs should be only based on legal ways. So, whoever is in power should come clean to the people and state why people are arrested.

The main issue is that the will of the people is the source of power. Democracy is not just winning elections but listening to everybody which Morsi failed to do, on purpose or not and acting as president for all Egyptians.
Democracy is a big word that we are still trying to assimilate but we need to listen to each other, understand the motives and discuss together to reach the best solution for all.

Everybody did mistakes (Opposition, Morsi, MB, SCAF, Army, Police...). It's normal because this is life. But what's important is to learn from these mistakes and work together for the good of Egypt.

The current roadmap proposed by army. If they really stick with it then I believe this is the way out for Egypt from the situation we are stuck in for more than 2 years now.
- Interim president for this transition period
- New government. I believe the majority agrees that the government of Hisham Kandil was incompetent and there were many people calling for its change but it was not
- Suspension of constitution till adjusting the articles with big concerns (already Morsi promised to change these articles but didn't take any actions but words)
- Prepare a law for parilamentary elections
- Parliamentary elections
- Early presidential elections

Finally I believe that justice shall prevail no matter what.
i believe in only peaceful ways. 
Let's not forget the revolution first demands in 2011: Bread, Freedom & Human Dignity.
I have faith in Egypt & Egyptians.
God Bless Egypt!

Egypt is back!!!

I don't know from where to start. I wanted to write earlier about what's happening but things went to quickly that it is over now!
Couple of months ago, a campaign called "tamarod" (rebellion) initiated but young people who believed their voice should be heard started. The call was simple, sign a piece of paper if you no longer wants the president to rule Egypt. This small campaign managed to gather 22 millions signature, which is more than those who elected the president.
There were calls to go on marches on the 30th of June, which marked one year for the rule of Morsi. People started to demonstrate in several places in Cairo and Egypt from the weekend before the 30th. The army already secured the sensitive areas around Cairo and other cities to prevent any problems that might occur.
On the 30th, millions went in the streets in all over Egypt. The number of people demonstrating was much more that those who went in the streets during the revolution in January 2011.

This video taken by army helicopters show the demonstrations in only 2 locations in Cairo, Tahrir Square and the area of the presidential palace (Itihadeya).

The demonstrations were so peaceful, people carrying flags, banners and red cards to expel the president (like in football).

The following day, 1st of July, the army made a statement that the president has 48 hours to solve the issues with the opposition and propose solutions. This step was cheered by protestors. They continued to go in big numbers in the different places.

On my way to Itihadeya, 1 hour after the statement, cars are honking, people with flags, everyone is cheering and so happy. You can see it on their faces, so proud and confident that the end is near.

People are singing the Egyptian national anthem at Itihadeya

There was no word from the presidency to that ultimatum till the following day, 2nd of July. And Morsi came up with a speech, talking about legitimacy and that he is the democratic elected president of Egypt. He forgot that it is the people who give this legitimacy. He forgot that democracy is not just an election but it is a behavior, to include everybody in the decision making and shaping of the country, to listen to the opposition, which he failed to do. He only listened to his clan, to his group of Muslim Brotherhood. He ignored the people and with time, more people were opposing him. He succeeded only to unit everybody else against him and his clan. The speech even was threatening anyone opposing him.
Nevertheless, the protest continued. People didn't give up despite the heat. Many people who never went in any demonstrations actually went during the past few days.

Everybody was anticipating the end of the deadline given by the army on the 3rd of July. Around the afternoon, just after i went to Tahrir square with my family, we heard on the TV that Morsi is under arrest. You can't imagine the joy and jubilation of the crowd at this specific moment, as if we won the world cup. But it was something more and deeper. Everybody passing by telling us "Mabrouk" (congratulations). We were still waiting for the statement of the army but we already knew that it's the people's will that prevailed.

Finally few hours later came the statement of the army after meeting with different political leaders & youth from rebellion campain: suspension of constitutionn, new presidential elections, new government, head of supreme court to assume the role of president temporarly, preparation of new law for parlimantery elections.
This is a day to remember and history is being rewritten.

YESSSS!!! WE DID IT!!!!

This proves that the will of people is above all. Egyptians proved that we can change everything peacefully. I actually had faith in the people after the revolution of 25 January 2011. Before that, i thought that people don't care about anything but after the revolution i changed my mind and i knew that the fear of silence is no longer there and no matter who will come to rule us, if he doesn't respect the will of the people, they will not stand in silence. Even if the ruler made everything to stay in power, no one can defy the people any longer. People elected Morsi to satisfy their needs which he failed to do.
This is a clear message to anyone, if you don't respect the will of the people, you should not lead them.
For the foreign media who still think that this is a military coup, i tell them it's a people's revolution.
Finally, i know we still have a long road ahead, we have lot of problems but I believe that no matter what, we will make it at the end. I have faith in Egyptians and i believe now, even those who lost hope along the way, are the first to regain it.

GOD BLESS EGYPT

Demonstrations and protests

Last week I was in Istanbul, where there was sit-in and demonstrations against the government. I couldn't pass by and see what's going on but the rest of the city was not affected. People go to work, tourists everywhere. The only inconvenience was the heavy rain in the mornings. But still, this doesn't mean that everything is perfect.
At the same time there are demonstrations in Brazil. People are angry because of the cost of the world cup and the lack of money spending on health, education and other important issues.they are asking for their rights not for having something nice like the Worldcup lord the Olympics.
Next week we have in Egypt big demonstrations to protest against the president and the muslim brotherhood due to all what is going on in the past year
3 countries, different reasons but one goal, to change the current situation because people believe things should improve. Some protests are peaceful, others might turn to violence but tais doesn't really matter. What matters is to not only dream of a better place but to actually stand up and make an action. It is time to fight for the world we want, it is time to reunite for one goal which is a better world for us and for the next generations. If we don't fight then nothing will change and could even get worse.
I wish that all the leaders start to realize that they are there to serve the people and if the can't do their job right they should leave it to someone else. It is time for the world to realize that injustice should no longer be tolerated.
I don't know how things will turn out, in Egypt, Brazil or Turkey. But I know that the wind of change is coming whether you like or not.

Egypt's Presidential Elections 2012

The 2012 Presidential Elections are the first ever in Egypt with no predicted results. Actually, it might be strange to say but the outcome of the 1st round was unexpected somehow and disappointing for many.

We are one week from the rerun between the 2 candidates, Ahmed Shafik, ex minister and lately prime minister in Moubarak's regime and Mohmed Morsy who is running for Muslim Brotherhood.

Unlike what's on-going on all social medias, from facebook to twitter, i'm not going to take a side of one candidate on the expense of other.
I voted for another candidate, Hamdeen Sabahy, who suprisingly for the majority got too many votes to be in 3rd position although i knew in my heart that he would do that if people really believed in him. I believe that many did, especially after the famous debate between 2 other candidates, Amr Moussa (ex-foreign minister and president of Arab league) and Abdel Moneim Abou El-Fotouh (ex-muslim brotherhood and more into revolution). It seems that the debate instead of favouring one of them, actually defavourised both of them.

I hoped that people participation would be higher than this, but only 46% people elligible to vote did. The elections went smoothly, actually i felt it was more organized than the elections for parliament. But anyway, this is not the last elections to be held and hopefully in 2016 more people will particiapte.

Getting back to next week's rerun, it has become a war between people. Like the days of referendum, the yes and no camps.. but this time, it's about who will lead our country in the next 4 years.
Both options for me are not good but I believe in one thing. We regained our voice, we conquered our fears so no matter who will be elected, we will push him to act for the sake of Egypt and Egyptians... I may sound too optimistic for people opposing one candidate claiming he will not let this happen...
For me i see we selected the hard way anyway, things could have been gone differently but this is where we are now and we have to deal with it.
Enough fighting together, who is choosing who, cos the choice is mainly based on who you don't want as president and not on who you want as president.. it's not an active vote but a reactive one.
Whoever will win will anyway make a deal with the SCAF (supreme council of army forces) so at the end it's a big play organized in a legitimate way. The purpose of the revolution is long forgotten. The slogan of "bread, freedom, social justice" is left behind and this is the ugly truth of politics.
Politicians don't care about people, they only care about interests.. and this is where, we the people must play our role, force politicians to listen to us and care for us.
Even though all what's happening, i'm still optimistic about our future. So, whether you will vote for Shafik, Morsy or even not vote, it's just an election for a 4 year president. The important is not to let go the fight for a better Egypt and act as a good citizen in helping establishing the main goals of the revolution.

Good Luck for us and God Bless Egypt!


Finally, as in this cartoon, just do the right thing :)

Nubia, the forgotten land

18th of April marks the departure of the last Nubian from the ancestors land. Today is the day to remember Nubia and shed a light on a heritage we should cherish and promote. I have heard a lot about how Nubians are generous and kind, but I never imagined that they are actually that generous and kind. I went of last year to Aswan, to attend a cultural festival "Characters of Egypt". I returned with more exciting and everlasting memories of couple of days spent in a small Nubian village in Aswan. I discovered a lot during this short trip, friendship, kindness, hope, patriotism, loyalty...
Nubians had to leave their lands for the sake of Egypt. They were fighting since that time for the right to return back near their homelands. The places where they were relocated are not comparable to the place where they used to live. They owned lands overlooking the Nile, their houses built on their own style. The new place were they are supposed to live is in the desert and houses so crowded. I was lucky to stay in a village which was more or less Nubian but not many Nubians were as much lucky as those who live in Gharb Seheil.
Did you know that the Nile is their entire life? They live in islands, they go from one island to another, they are like fishes in water. The Nile flows in their heart. It's the Nile that expelled them from their land, yet it's the Nile that they adore.

Nubian Numbers

It's a pity that the Nubian language is about to extinct. No one talks it except the elderly as the new generations don't really learn it. We never learnt at school about Nubian tradition or culture although it's very rich, as if they never existed. I met a teacher in a small school, in his 40's, he could only write me few numbers in Nubian and couldn't remember all, and those numbers were only what he knows to write. I was discussing with him why there are no classes to teach Nubian to people.  


If you just get to know one Nubian, he will treat you as if you are old time friends, I befriended a couple met at the lodge where I was staying, the following day they introduced me and other friends to a Nubian guy, on the 3rd guy this guy invited all of us to lunch, may i say to a feast, in his in-laws. And what i mean by a feast not just  one or 2 things to eat, it was a table full of delicious courses. I was so impressed as it was hard to believe that there are people who treat like that. This is a generosity I never encountered before in my life.


Hammu, another Nubian, who was working in the lodge, was of great help. He was treating us as friends not guests, opening his heart to us, make us discover the beauty and serenity of the place. He took us on an early boat trip to watch the sunrise on the Nile, he invited us to his grandparents house where he was raised. One of the traditions I discovered there is that the the newly wed couple live with the bride's parents for a couple of years till their first born kid. During that time they prepare their own house. When they go to their new house, the elderly kid lives with his grandparents. That's why the family ties are very important to them, it goes across the generations.
Although those working in Abou Simbel, suffered from the lack of tourists post-revolution, they were so happy that the revolution happened and really believed in it. I am not sure if they do still have the same opinion up till now, but really, Nubians suffered a lot in the last decades, and they deserve more than what they have.

The beauty of nature

Nubia, is certainly a piece of heart, where you have a peace of mind. I wished I knew about it earlier. I wish I can know more. 
Certainly I would return back, to discover more and more about the beauty of Nubia which lies in the hearts of Nubians.

25 Jan Reloaded

I decided few days ago that I will participate in the marches, mainly cos I wanted to be part of it and that the marches are the best way to reach people. It is not limited to people who go to Tahrir, it's for everbody even people who are at home or in their shops.

The announced itinerary for the march i joined was to walk from Manial to Sayeda Zeinab where other marches would join then go to Tahrir. We changed the itinerary and instead, after circulating in Manial, went to Cairo University then Dokki to Kasr El-Nil bridge, as shown in the below map.

I was a little bit disappointed as I arrived and saw not more than 50-60 waiting to start the march holding banners and flags. I was expecting to see more gathered. We started marching in Manial street itself, doing it twice and soon that feeling of disappointment left me. We were chanting loud, encouraging people to join us, chanting against SCAF. Cars and buses were cheering us, people in shops or looking from their windows as well. The more we marched, the more we were. I was touched when we saw an old lady in a car following us. When we spoke with her, she told us she couldn't march with us so decided to do it with her car. She was upset cos we were still few and she wanted everybody to go in the streets. She told us that her children are abroad cos they couldn't have a decent life in Egypt and she wishes to see the day Egypt is a better place for everyone, "Bread, Liberty, Social Justice" as we were chanting like the old days.

Just before starting the march in Manial and then the beginning of the march

Part of the chants in Manial "Dicator, dictator, tomorrow your turn will come... Inside the church, inside El-Azhar, down down military rule"

We arrived to University Bridge where at the end lies the embassy of Israel. I was kind of thinking, what if things turn bad there, what if people focused more on Israel then our march against SCAF. I was wrong, there were even people in the building where the embassy lies, holding Egyptian flags and cheering. We did say some chants against them and SCAF but nothing more.

And there, we saw more people coming from other marches and joining together, in front of Cairo University. At the point, I felt, yes, people are really there in the streets. I knew from twitter that other marches already started and with huge numbers, but seeing it with my eyes, was totally different. It's like your faith is materialized in front of you.


We continued walking and chanting, we passed by Dokki and the numbers were huge. All along the way, we were trying to not block the roads for cars leaving a lane for them. And almost all of the drivers were not at all angry with what we were doing. That day, i really felt that the Egyptian people are not that dumb.
One of the chants I liked was "This is a revolution, not a party".

This is one of the 2 big flags we crossed along the way in our march.








In Dokki, chanting "People want to down the system (referring to the old ruling system that is still there)

An organized march tribute for martyrs was organized. Wooden coffins with photos or Martyrs, drums playing. It started from Galaa square, passing by Kasr El-Nil bridge. I was ahead of the march tribute and crossed the bridge to the Square. It was already packed, with no place for a foot. People on both sides waiting for the march to come.

Finally, we managed to arrive to Tahrir. I met a friend at the entrance then we went inside, trying to meet another one. It was the most packed time I saw the Square. Last year, i only went couple of times in some of the "Millions" but it was not as full as that day. At one time we were walking against the flow of people, like being caught in a trap. My brother and friends were also trying as much as they could to protect me from being crushed or harassed. I was pushed all the way, till we could reach a less crowded place.
We decided to have something to eat which was a big challenge as we were not the only one who had the same idea. Finally, we managed to get Koshary and while eating in the street, there were more marches around us, in Talaat Harb street. After that, i went to meet other friends who were resting in a coffee. They were also in other marches that morning.

As I didn't stay much in the square itself I can't tell much about what was going on there. What i noticed is that there were different stages, the one of Ikhwan at the entrance from Kasr El-Nil bridge with lot of microphones, so that they could block people from flooding the square. There was another one with a big screen showing the martyrs and couple of other stages. I couldn't feel the "one voice" resonating in all the place. The Ikhwan more into celebrations, on the contrary of all people who went in marches to the Square, to continue the revolution and ask for all the demands that are still yet to be achieved.

I realized that day that no matter what happens, we, the people, will not stay silent  We, the people, will fight again and again for our rights. We, the people, have the power and that anyone who will be in charge of the country, should do what the people are demanding, otherwise, we will not leave the streets till they are fulfilled. No matter how long it will take, no matter what the price will be, we found our voice back and shall never lose it again.
I don't know how things will go the next period, but one thing i'm sure of, I regained my faith in my people and the revolution continues...

On the verge of a 2nd Revolution?

Tomorrow is the 25th of January. One year after our revolution. One year has passed with martyrs, military trials, injured people, lies, dirty politics.. Are we going to witness another revolting day? Are people willing to shout one more time, in loud voice, we want BREAD, FREEDOM and JUSTICE?
I wish I can have the answers or predict what would happen but I can't. I wish I can see where we are going but we are still in the dark. I hope I can go tomorrow and say it's enough. I want to see the change in my country. I want to feel the wind of change and get power and hope from others.
Tomorrow is an important day. If you decide to go on the streets or stay at your home, it's your call. But just don't forget all the sacrifices that have been done, not only in the revolution but before that.
Long live Egypt!

Trip to Wadi Degla

Last week i went to a hiking trip to Wadi Degla with SS group.
Wadi Degla is a place worth to visit. It is not very far from Cairo but it's completely as if going to a different planet. The whole trip was amazing, there are no words to describe such a place. At first, as i've been before to this place, i thought it would be the same thing but i was totally wrong. Nothing was the same. I discovered that i was capable to endure such trips, to go up and down the hill, to walk and contemplate the nature.
At a certain moment, we stopped and had few moments to contemplate the nature without speaking. I should say it was a strange feeling to listen to the voice of Silence.. to be one with the nature, to communicate with the soul. Our every day life erase this from our mind. The sound of the living city is the normal thing. The sound of TV at home, family talking, telephone ringing.. those are the normal things. But Silence? what is that strange word. In our world it means saying nothing but still it's not complete silence, it's only silence of the mouth. the other Silence i experienced is like a void pulling u from anything else, like a black hole.
I wish i can do this more often. I need to talk with my inner soul. I hope u can experience this feeling at least once in ur life time.