Sunday, May 2, 2010
Egyptian Armed Forces (Part 1 )
The proximity of the illegal state of Israel and the constant threat to Egyptian national security from Tel Aviv, Egypt and in particular the Egyptian Sinai are ever watchful for signs of any Israeli aggressive escalation in the region.
The Egyptian Sinai has a huge defence military presence and troops can often be seen in training out in the desert.
The Egyptian military is one of the strongest in the region, and gives Egypt regional military supremacy rivaled only by Israel , besides being the strongest in Africa .
Egypt is the only Arab country with a spy satellite EgyptSat1.
EgyptSat-1 is Egypt's first Earth remote-sounding satellite. This satellite has been jointly built by Egypt's National Authority for Remote Sensing and Space Sciences together with the Yuzhnoye Design Bureau in Ukraine and was launched onboard a Dnepr rocket on 17 April 2007.
This effort was spearheaded by Dr. Aly Sadek, the chairman of the Egyptian council for space science and technology research. This in many ways is considered a huge step for the Egyptians since it marked the first time the Egyptians opted for technology transfer during the process of manufacturing the satellite rather than simply purchasing one (as in case of the Nilesat satellites).
The Armed Forces of Egypt consists of the Egyptian Army, Egyptian Navy, Egyptian Air Force and Egyptian Air Defense Command.
The Commander-in-Chief is Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi and the General Chief of Staff is Lt. Gen. Sami Hafez Anan.
Egypt ranks number 11 in the world ranking of Military Power.
Saturday, May 1, 2010
Survival in the Sinai Desert
Whilst the need for food is something that is common to all survival situations, it matters far less in the desert.
There may well be snakes, other small lizards and insects which you might be able to catch and eat but the key principles of surviving in desert terrain surround your understanding of the relationship between air temperature, water consumption and physical activity.
Finding Shade
Intense heat in the desert is going to be your major concern. The more you sweat, the more your body is going to lose water. If you’re faced with a desert survival situation, your first priority must be to find some shade from the intense sun. Unless you’re absolutely certain that you know how to navigate to safety within a reasonable distance and time scale, you need to stay put and hope that you will be rescued. Once you have found shade, place something underneath you and the hot ground and limit your physical activity. This will all help to minimise the amount you sweat which will help your body to conserve water better for far longer, thus making your water supply last longer which buys you added survival time.
Clothing
It might be so hot that you’re tempted to remove clothing but you should avoid doing so. Get into the habit of learning how to conserve your sweat. Wear long sleeves if you have them and cover your head and neck with a scarf or similar. Not only will this protect you from the punishing rays of the sun and hot winds but the clothing will absorb your sweat and keep it against your skin so that you’ll ultimately benefit from its cooling effect.
Conserve Your Food
If you have some food available but only a limited supply of water, try to ration your food intake because digestion requires water and, therefore, eating food will use up valuable water rations which you’ll require for cooling your body’s core temperature.
The Importance Of Regular Hydration
Sipping water at regular intervals is going to be far more beneficial than drinking a lot in one go then having to go without for a while due to a limited supply. One of the biggest mistakes people make is using thirst as an indicator as to when they should take a drink. This is due to the fact that if you only have a limited supply, then psychologically, you’ll tend to end up drinking less than your body needs to be able to survive.
As a rough guide, you should get into the habit of drinking a litre of water every hour if the temperature is hotter than 38C and half a litre every hour if it’s below 38C . Whilst rationing your water supply might be at the forefront of your mind, if you fail to drink the recommended amounts above, you’re highly likely to become a casualty of heat stroke, heat cramps or heat exhaustion which can lead to death.
Remember that if your urine is light in colour, you are drinking enough water but if it’s a deep yellow or even a darker colour, you need to increase your water intake. There is more information about heat related illnesses in this article onsurviving extreme heat
Limit Your Movements Until After Sundown
It’s important that you limit any physical activity until the evenings or after dark when the air will be cooler and you’re less likely to sweat. Surprisingly, the desert can be quite cold after the sun goes down so if you have warm clothing, now’s the time to wear it.
Other Considerations
Your best hope of being rescued in the desert is to stay put unless you know your way out and have enough water to last you until you get out. Signal markers in the sand, mirror signalling and, if you’re lucky enough to find vegetation to burn – a signal fire are going to be your best options.
Be alert to sandstorms. If you have goggles, put them on and cover your nose and mouth with an item of clothing or a piece of cloth. A major sandstorm can cause you to become disorientated so try to escape to shelter but if that’s not possible, the best thing is to lie down, mark your direction of travel and simply sit out the storm.
Food is less of a priority in a desert survival situation but if desert environments are going to be something you find yourself in fairly regularly, it’s useful to learn all about the vegetation that grows in the area and the creatures that live in it in order to be able to identify what is and isn’t edible.
Avoid
To avoid potentially poisonous plants, stay away from any wild or unknown plants that have--
* Milky or discolored sap.
* Beans, bulbs, or seeds inside pods.
* Bitter or soapy taste.
* Spines, fine hairs, or thorns.
* Dill, carrot, parsnip, or parsleylike foliage.
* "Almond" scent in woody parts and leaves.
* Grain heads with pink, purplish, or black spurs.
* Three-leaved growth pattern.
In general, however, water is going to be your biggest concern and if you’re absolutely stranded and need to wait for rescue to reach you, you need to do all you can to stay hydrated as well as taking some of the actions above to make your water supply last as long as possible which gives you the best chance of survival.
Some common desert food sources
# Acacia (Acacia farnesiana) young leaves,flowers and pods are all edible.
# Agave (Agave species) Flowers and flower buds are edible. The flower stalk can be cut open to release it's juice.
# Cactus (various species) Cactus fruits are edible.
# Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) Dates come in various colours from yellow through to black, all are edible.
# Desert amaranth (Amaranths palmeri )Flowers and leaves are edible.
There may well be snakes, other small lizards and insects which you might be able to catch and eat but the key principles of surviving in desert terrain surround your understanding of the relationship between air temperature, water consumption and physical activity.
Finding Shade
Intense heat in the desert is going to be your major concern. The more you sweat, the more your body is going to lose water. If you’re faced with a desert survival situation, your first priority must be to find some shade from the intense sun. Unless you’re absolutely certain that you know how to navigate to safety within a reasonable distance and time scale, you need to stay put and hope that you will be rescued. Once you have found shade, place something underneath you and the hot ground and limit your physical activity. This will all help to minimise the amount you sweat which will help your body to conserve water better for far longer, thus making your water supply last longer which buys you added survival time.
Clothing
It might be so hot that you’re tempted to remove clothing but you should avoid doing so. Get into the habit of learning how to conserve your sweat. Wear long sleeves if you have them and cover your head and neck with a scarf or similar. Not only will this protect you from the punishing rays of the sun and hot winds but the clothing will absorb your sweat and keep it against your skin so that you’ll ultimately benefit from its cooling effect.
Conserve Your Food
If you have some food available but only a limited supply of water, try to ration your food intake because digestion requires water and, therefore, eating food will use up valuable water rations which you’ll require for cooling your body’s core temperature.
The Importance Of Regular Hydration
Sipping water at regular intervals is going to be far more beneficial than drinking a lot in one go then having to go without for a while due to a limited supply. One of the biggest mistakes people make is using thirst as an indicator as to when they should take a drink. This is due to the fact that if you only have a limited supply, then psychologically, you’ll tend to end up drinking less than your body needs to be able to survive.
As a rough guide, you should get into the habit of drinking a litre of water every hour if the temperature is hotter than 38C and half a litre every hour if it’s below 38C . Whilst rationing your water supply might be at the forefront of your mind, if you fail to drink the recommended amounts above, you’re highly likely to become a casualty of heat stroke, heat cramps or heat exhaustion which can lead to death.
Remember that if your urine is light in colour, you are drinking enough water but if it’s a deep yellow or even a darker colour, you need to increase your water intake. There is more information about heat related illnesses in this article onsurviving extreme heat
Limit Your Movements Until After Sundown
It’s important that you limit any physical activity until the evenings or after dark when the air will be cooler and you’re less likely to sweat. Surprisingly, the desert can be quite cold after the sun goes down so if you have warm clothing, now’s the time to wear it.
Other Considerations
Your best hope of being rescued in the desert is to stay put unless you know your way out and have enough water to last you until you get out. Signal markers in the sand, mirror signalling and, if you’re lucky enough to find vegetation to burn – a signal fire are going to be your best options.
Be alert to sandstorms. If you have goggles, put them on and cover your nose and mouth with an item of clothing or a piece of cloth. A major sandstorm can cause you to become disorientated so try to escape to shelter but if that’s not possible, the best thing is to lie down, mark your direction of travel and simply sit out the storm.
Food is less of a priority in a desert survival situation but if desert environments are going to be something you find yourself in fairly regularly, it’s useful to learn all about the vegetation that grows in the area and the creatures that live in it in order to be able to identify what is and isn’t edible.
Avoid
To avoid potentially poisonous plants, stay away from any wild or unknown plants that have--
* Milky or discolored sap.
* Beans, bulbs, or seeds inside pods.
* Bitter or soapy taste.
* Spines, fine hairs, or thorns.
* Dill, carrot, parsnip, or parsleylike foliage.
* "Almond" scent in woody parts and leaves.
* Grain heads with pink, purplish, or black spurs.
* Three-leaved growth pattern.
In general, however, water is going to be your biggest concern and if you’re absolutely stranded and need to wait for rescue to reach you, you need to do all you can to stay hydrated as well as taking some of the actions above to make your water supply last as long as possible which gives you the best chance of survival.
Some common desert food sources
# Acacia (Acacia farnesiana) young leaves,flowers and pods are all edible.
# Agave (Agave species) Flowers and flower buds are edible. The flower stalk can be cut open to release it's juice.
# Cactus (various species) Cactus fruits are edible.
# Date palm (Phoenix dactylifera) Dates come in various colours from yellow through to black, all are edible.
# Desert amaranth (Amaranths palmeri )Flowers and leaves are edible.
Emergency Services in the Sinai
Emergency Ambulance
Call 123
In the event of an emergency or an accident you have to call 123 for the ambulance.
The call is taken at Xceed call centre in Smart Village Cairo and logged. The logger then dispatches the nearest ambulance to the scene. If you have private insurance you must tell the ambulance control which company and which hospital nearest you is used in the policy. This will very often lead to a dispatch of that particular hospitals private ambulance if it is closer to you.
Give the dispatcher your name, location and city. Then give details of accident or emergency and number of people involved.
An ambulance will then be dispatched with a paramedic ( very basically trained ) and a driver on board. If you are using insurance the private ambulance will usually always also carry a doctor. If the nearest ambulance is too far in secluded areas in Sinai the air ambulance will be dispatched.
The highways throughout Sinai are dotted with Ambulance 'rests', where teams are ready to take calls.
Ambulance 'rests' are highly visible around road junctions and are coloured bright orange. There will be one and possible two ambulances at each.
A typical Ambulance Rest in Sinai
Egypt's ambulances are two colours.
Bright Orange and Fluorescent Green.
Orange ambulances carry one patient and one passenger, the green ambulances are bigger and are used for multiple patients.
Interior of ambulance
Call 123
In the event of an emergency or an accident you have to call 123 for the ambulance.
The call is taken at Xceed call centre in Smart Village Cairo and logged. The logger then dispatches the nearest ambulance to the scene. If you have private insurance you must tell the ambulance control which company and which hospital nearest you is used in the policy. This will very often lead to a dispatch of that particular hospitals private ambulance if it is closer to you.
Give the dispatcher your name, location and city. Then give details of accident or emergency and number of people involved.
An ambulance will then be dispatched with a paramedic ( very basically trained ) and a driver on board. If you are using insurance the private ambulance will usually always also carry a doctor. If the nearest ambulance is too far in secluded areas in Sinai the air ambulance will be dispatched.
The highways throughout Sinai are dotted with Ambulance 'rests', where teams are ready to take calls.
Ambulance 'rests' are highly visible around road junctions and are coloured bright orange. There will be one and possible two ambulances at each.
A typical Ambulance Rest in Sinai
Egypt's ambulances are two colours.
Bright Orange and Fluorescent Green.
Interior of ambulance
Health Tips when visiting Egypt
AMBULANCE
Call 123
Arabic word for hospital is Mustashfa.
Preventative medicine
Unless you're coming from an infected area there are no compulsory inoculations for Egypt, though you should always be up to date with polio and tetanus. It's also worth being vaccinated against typhoid, which occasionally flares up in parts of Egypt – although the cholera shot is generally acknowledged to be worthless. If you're planning to visit southern Egypt, Sudan or sub-Saharan Africa, the meningitis vaccination is essential, as is yellow fever, which may well be a legal requirement. Though all these vaccinations can be obtained in Cairo (see "Health care"), it is vital to ensure that sterile needles are used. If necessary, supply your own disposable syringe, sold at pharmacies.
While not an issue for most tourists, visitors planning to stay a long time in Egypt or the Middle East should consider vaccination against hepatitis. The Hepatitis A (Havrix monodose) shot is expensive at about £50/US$90 (though your doctor may provide it free), but with a booster a year later it lasts for ten years. Hepatitis B is transmitted like HIV, through body fluids, so you will be protected from it by the same precautions that you take against infection; immunization is only really necessary for medical workers.
Other precautions are fairly obvious, with the most common preventable ailments being heatstroke (see opposite) and food poisoning. Rare meat and raw shellfish top the danger list, which descends via creamy sauces down to salads, juices, raw fruit and vegetables – and if slavishly followed would prevent you from eating most of what's on offer. Visitors who insist on washing everything (and only cleaning their teeth) in mineral water are overreacting. Just use common sense, and accustom your stomach gradually to Egyptian cooking. Asking for dishes to be served very hot (sukhna awi) will reduce the risk of catching anything. Take prompt care of cuts and skin irritations, since flies can quickly spread infections. Anthisan cream (available abroad) is good for bites, swellings and rashes.
Pharmacies, doctors and hospitals
Pharmacies, found in every town, form the advance guard of Egypt's health service. Pharmacists usually speak English and can dispense most drugs without a prescription. Private doctors are equally common, but charge for consultations: expect to pay about £E100 (roughly £9/US$17) a session, excluding the price of any drugs you are prescribed. If you get seriously ill, private hospitals are generally preferable to public-sector ones. Those attached to universities are usually well equipped and competent, but small-town hospitals are often abysmal. Many hospitals (mustashfa) require a deposit at the very least, and often payment on the spot; you will then have to claim it back from your insurance provider. Despite several good hospitals in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt is no country to fall seriously ill in. In particular, if you need surgery, it is best to get back home for it if you can.
Health hazards
The tapwater in Egyptian towns and cities is heavily chlorinated and mostly safe to drink but is unpalatable and rough on tender stomachs. In rural areas, Sinai campsites and desert rest-houses there's a fair risk of contaminated water. Consequently, most tourists stick to bottled mineral water, which is widely available, tastes better, and won't upset sensitive stomachs. However, excessive fear of tap water is unjustified and hard to sustain in practice if you're here for long. Once your stomach has adjusted, it's usually okay to drink it without further purification (Halazone tablets, iodine crystals, or by boiling).
What you should avoid is any contact with stagnant water that might harbour bilharzia (schistosomiasis) flukes. Irrigation canals and the slower stretches of the River Nile are notoriously infested with these minute worms, which breed in the blood vessels of the abdomen and liver (the main symptom is blood in the urine). Don't drink or swim there, nor walk barefoot in the mud, or even on grass that's wet with Nile water. But it's okay to bathe in the saline pools of the desert oases.
Heat and dust
Many visitors experience problems with Egypt's intense heat, particularly in the south. Because sweat evaporates immediately in the dry atmosphere, you can easily become dehydrated without realizing it. Dehydration is exacerbated by both alcohol and caffeine. Drink plenty of other fluids (at least three litres per day; twice as much if you're exerting yourself) and take a bit of extra salt with your food. Wear a hat and loose-fitting clothes (not synthetic fabrics), and a high-factor sunscreen to protect yourself from sunburn, especially during summer. Try to avoid going out in the middle of the day and wear a T-shirt when snorkelling, as the sun burns you even quicker in the water.
Heat exhaustion – signified by headaches, dizziness and nausea – is treated by resting in a cool place and drinking plenty of water or juice with a pinch of salt. An intense headache, heightened body temperature, flushed skin and the cessation of sweating are symptoms of heatstroke, which can be fatal if not treated immediately. The whole body must be cooled by immersion in tepid water, or the application of wet towels. Seek medical assistance. If walking for long distances in the sun, it is vital to carry drinking water and wear a sunhat; a cotton sunhat can also be drenched with water, wrung to stop it dripping, and worn wet so that the evaporation of the water cools your head – you'll be amazed at how quickly it dries out.
Less seriously, visitors from cooler climates may suffer from prickly heat, an itchy rash caused by excessive perspiration trapped beneath the skin. Wearing loose clothing, keeping cool and bathing often will help relieve the symptoms until your body acclimatizes.
In non-air-conditioned environments, you might employ the traditional Egyptian method of sprinkling water on the ground to cool the surrounding area by evaporation – it also levels the dust.
Desert dust – or grit and smog in Cairo – may cause your eyes to itch and water. Contact lens-users should wear glasses instead, at least part of the time. If ordinary eye drops don't help, try antihistamine decongestant eye drops such as Vernacel, Vascon-A or Optihist. Persistent irritation may indicate trachoma, a contagious infection which is easily cured by antibiotics at an early stage, but eventually causes blindness if left untreated. Its prevalence in Egypt explains the number of older folk with cloudy eyes and the ophthalmologists in every town.
Spending time in the desert, you might find that your sinuses get painfully irritated by wind-borne dust. Covering your nose and mouth with a scarf helps prevent this, while olbas oil or a nasal decongestant spray (available at pharmacies) can relieve the symptoms.
Diarrhoea and worse…
Almost every visitor to Egypt gets diarrhoea at some stage. Unless you're stricken by cramps, the best initial treatment is to simply adapt your diet, using drugs only as a last resort. Plain boiled rice and vegetables are the best things to eat, and you should try to avoid greasy or spicy food, caffeine, alcohol, and most fruit and dairy products (although some say that bananas and prickly pears can help, while yoghurt provides a form of protein that your body can easily absorb). Most importantly, keep your bodily fluids topped up by drinking plenty of bottled water (perhaps mixed with a rehydration sachet or, failing that, salt and sugar). Drugs like Imodium or Lomotil will plug you up, undermining your body's efforts to rid itself of infection, but can be handy as a stop-gap measure if you have to travel. Avoid Enterovioform, which is still available in Egypt despite being suspected of damaging the optic nerve. Antinal (nifuroxazide) is widely prescribed against diarrhoea in Egypt, and available over the counter in pharmacies, but should not be used for more than a couple of days. Don't give any of these quite powerful drugs to children. Also note that having diarrhoea can make drugs less effective if taken orally (contraceptive pills for example), as they pass straight through your system without being absorbed.
If symptoms persist longer than a few days, or if you develop a fever or pass blood in your faeces, get medical help immediately, since diarrhoea can also be a symptom of serious infection. Accompanied by vomiting and fever, it may indicate typhoid, which responds well to antibiotics. Rarer is cholera, which requires urgent treatment with antibiotics and rehydration fluids; it is marked by a sudden onset of acute diarrhoea and cramps, and tends to occur in epidemics rather than isolated cases. Except for the "rice-water shits" typical of cholera, similar symptoms occur with bacilliary dysentery, which is treated with antibiotics. Amoebic dysentery is harder to shift and can cause permanent damage if untreated. The normal remedy is the heavy-duty antibiotic metronidazole (Flagyl), which should only be taken under medical supervision.
Rabies and malaria
Rabies is endemic in Egypt, where many wild animals (including bats, sometimes found in temples, tombs and caves) carry the disease. Avoid touching any strange animal, wild or domestic. Treatment must be given between exposure to the disease and the onset of symptoms; once these appear, rabies is invariably fatal. If you think you've been exposed, return home and seek help immediately.
Currently resurgent throughout Africa, malaria, spread by the anopheles mosquito, could become a problem in Egypt in the future, but isn't currently a threat – it does exist during the summer months in the Fayoum, but not to the extent that warrants the use of malaria pills, although you should take extra steps to avoid mosquito bites while you are there (use repellent and cover bare skin, especially feet and ankles, after dusk –). Consult your doctor, or enquire at a Medical Advisory Service in the UK (see "In the UK and Ireland") for the latest information on malaria risk and prevention. The first signs of infection are muscular soreness and a low fever; four to eight days later, the characteristic bouts of chills and fever appear. If you suspect that you have it, seek treatment immediately.
Mosquitoes and bugs
Even without the risk of malaria, mosquitoes can make your life a misery. Horribly ubiquitous over the summer, these blood-sucking pests are never entirely absent. The only solution is total war, using fans, mosquito coils, rub-on repellent, and perhaps a plug-in Ezalo device, sold at pharmacies. A lot of people in Egypt use citronella oil, obtainable from many pharmacies, as a mosquito repellent, but tests have shown it to be much less effective than repellents containing DEET (diethyltoluamide), which are the ones recommended by medical authorities. X-gnat skin gel is an effective natural alternative. You can also reputedly make yourself less attractive to mosquitoes by taking Vitamin B-12 tablets, starting before you leave home. The theory is that after two weeks of 50mg per day, your blood begins to smell bad to them, but again, medical authorities in general are sceptical. The best guarantee of a bite-less night's sleep is to bring a mosquito net to hang from above your bed (if you bring the sort that can be suspended from a single point, you can usually find ways of tying a string across the room to hang it from, but don't forget to pack a long enough piece of string). Mosquitoes favour shady, damp areas, and anywhere around dusk. Feet are the part of the body that most attracts them, and you should always be sure to put repellent on your ankles if they are uncovered when you go out in the evening.
Equally loathsome – and widespread – are flies, which transmit various diseases. Only insecticide spray or air conditioning offers any protection. Some cheap hotels harbour fleas, scabies, mites, giant roaches and other bugs. Consult a pharmacist if you find yourself with a persistent skin irritation.
Scorpions and snakes
The danger from scorpions and snakes is minimal, as most species are nocturnal, hide during the heat of the day, and generally avoid people. However, you shouldn't go barefoot, turn over rocks or stick your hands into dark crevices anywhere off the beaten track. Whereas the sting of larger, darker scorpions is no worse than a bad wasp sting, the venom of the pale, slender-clawed Buthridae is highly toxic. If stung, cold-pack the affected area and seek medical help immediately.
Egypt has two main types of poisonous snake. Vipers vary in colour from sandy to reddish (or sometimes grey) and leave two fang punctures. The horned viper, Egypt's deadliest snake, is recognizable by its horns. Cobras are recognizable by their distinctive hood and bite mark (a single row of teeth plus fang holes). The smaller Egyptian cobra (coloured sandy olive) is found throughout the country; the longer black-necked cobra (which can spit its venom up to three metres) only in the south. Be somewhat reassured that snakes come out to drink usually at night, and hibernate in the winter. All snakebites should be washed immediately. Stay calm, as panicking sends the venom through your bloodstream more quickly, and get immediate medical help.
HIV and AIDS
Despite a TV campaign, the level of AIDS awareness is low, and most Egyptians still perceive it as a Western problem. Tourists likewise may not think of Egypt as the sort of country that would have an AIDS problem, but the few hundred cases reported here are almost certainly the tip of an iceberg. Prostitution, homosexuality and extra-marital sex in general are so clandestine and taboo that levels of education about them are low, and few Egyptian men take any precautions. As throughout the world, the need for extreme caution, and safe sex, cannot be overstressed. This particularly applies to Western women having a fling in places like Luxor, who may not be aware of just how much of an industry that is. Anyone of either sex or orientation, contemplating any kind of casual affair, whether with Egyptians or with fellow tourists, should always carry condoms and insist on using them. Likewise, be absolutely sure that any injections, tattooing or acupuncture is done with sterile instruments, and that barbers use a new blade if you go to them for a shave. It's also best to avoid having a blood transfusion in Egypt if at all possible. Pharmacies in cities plus a few shops in Hurghada and Sinai are the only places in Egypt to sell condoms (kabout) – either Egyptian-made Tops (liable to rip) or US imports (thick and short). It's best to bring your own supply.
Women's health
Travelling in the heat and taking antibiotics for an upset stomach make women much more susceptible to vaginal infections. The best precautions are to wash regularly with mild soap, and wear cotton underwear and loose clothing. Yeast infections can be treated with Nystatin pessaries (available at pharmacies), "one-shot" Canesten pessaries (bring some from home if you're prone to thrush), or douches of a weak solution of vinegar or lemon juice. Sea bathing can also help. Trichomonas is usually treated with Flagyl, which should only be taken under medical supervision.
Sanitary protection is available from pharmacies in cities and tourist resorts, but seldom anywhere else, so it's wise to bring a supply for your trip.
Bring your own contraceptives, since the only forms widely available in Egypt are old-fashioned, high-dosage pills, the coil, and not too trusty condoms. Cap-users should pack a spare, and enough spermicide and pessaries. If you're on the pill, beware that persistent diarrhoea can render it ineffective.
Call 123
Arabic word for hospital is Mustashfa.
Preventative medicine
Unless you're coming from an infected area there are no compulsory inoculations for Egypt, though you should always be up to date with polio and tetanus. It's also worth being vaccinated against typhoid, which occasionally flares up in parts of Egypt – although the cholera shot is generally acknowledged to be worthless. If you're planning to visit southern Egypt, Sudan or sub-Saharan Africa, the meningitis vaccination is essential, as is yellow fever, which may well be a legal requirement. Though all these vaccinations can be obtained in Cairo (see "Health care"), it is vital to ensure that sterile needles are used. If necessary, supply your own disposable syringe, sold at pharmacies.
While not an issue for most tourists, visitors planning to stay a long time in Egypt or the Middle East should consider vaccination against hepatitis. The Hepatitis A (Havrix monodose) shot is expensive at about £50/US$90 (though your doctor may provide it free), but with a booster a year later it lasts for ten years. Hepatitis B is transmitted like HIV, through body fluids, so you will be protected from it by the same precautions that you take against infection; immunization is only really necessary for medical workers.
Other precautions are fairly obvious, with the most common preventable ailments being heatstroke (see opposite) and food poisoning. Rare meat and raw shellfish top the danger list, which descends via creamy sauces down to salads, juices, raw fruit and vegetables – and if slavishly followed would prevent you from eating most of what's on offer. Visitors who insist on washing everything (and only cleaning their teeth) in mineral water are overreacting. Just use common sense, and accustom your stomach gradually to Egyptian cooking. Asking for dishes to be served very hot (sukhna awi) will reduce the risk of catching anything. Take prompt care of cuts and skin irritations, since flies can quickly spread infections. Anthisan cream (available abroad) is good for bites, swellings and rashes.
Pharmacies, doctors and hospitals
Pharmacies, found in every town, form the advance guard of Egypt's health service. Pharmacists usually speak English and can dispense most drugs without a prescription. Private doctors are equally common, but charge for consultations: expect to pay about £E100 (roughly £9/US$17) a session, excluding the price of any drugs you are prescribed. If you get seriously ill, private hospitals are generally preferable to public-sector ones. Those attached to universities are usually well equipped and competent, but small-town hospitals are often abysmal. Many hospitals (mustashfa) require a deposit at the very least, and often payment on the spot; you will then have to claim it back from your insurance provider. Despite several good hospitals in Cairo and Alexandria, Egypt is no country to fall seriously ill in. In particular, if you need surgery, it is best to get back home for it if you can.
Health hazards
The tapwater in Egyptian towns and cities is heavily chlorinated and mostly safe to drink but is unpalatable and rough on tender stomachs. In rural areas, Sinai campsites and desert rest-houses there's a fair risk of contaminated water. Consequently, most tourists stick to bottled mineral water, which is widely available, tastes better, and won't upset sensitive stomachs. However, excessive fear of tap water is unjustified and hard to sustain in practice if you're here for long. Once your stomach has adjusted, it's usually okay to drink it without further purification (Halazone tablets, iodine crystals, or by boiling).
What you should avoid is any contact with stagnant water that might harbour bilharzia (schistosomiasis) flukes. Irrigation canals and the slower stretches of the River Nile are notoriously infested with these minute worms, which breed in the blood vessels of the abdomen and liver (the main symptom is blood in the urine). Don't drink or swim there, nor walk barefoot in the mud, or even on grass that's wet with Nile water. But it's okay to bathe in the saline pools of the desert oases.
Heat and dust
Many visitors experience problems with Egypt's intense heat, particularly in the south. Because sweat evaporates immediately in the dry atmosphere, you can easily become dehydrated without realizing it. Dehydration is exacerbated by both alcohol and caffeine. Drink plenty of other fluids (at least three litres per day; twice as much if you're exerting yourself) and take a bit of extra salt with your food. Wear a hat and loose-fitting clothes (not synthetic fabrics), and a high-factor sunscreen to protect yourself from sunburn, especially during summer. Try to avoid going out in the middle of the day and wear a T-shirt when snorkelling, as the sun burns you even quicker in the water.
Heat exhaustion – signified by headaches, dizziness and nausea – is treated by resting in a cool place and drinking plenty of water or juice with a pinch of salt. An intense headache, heightened body temperature, flushed skin and the cessation of sweating are symptoms of heatstroke, which can be fatal if not treated immediately. The whole body must be cooled by immersion in tepid water, or the application of wet towels. Seek medical assistance. If walking for long distances in the sun, it is vital to carry drinking water and wear a sunhat; a cotton sunhat can also be drenched with water, wrung to stop it dripping, and worn wet so that the evaporation of the water cools your head – you'll be amazed at how quickly it dries out.
Less seriously, visitors from cooler climates may suffer from prickly heat, an itchy rash caused by excessive perspiration trapped beneath the skin. Wearing loose clothing, keeping cool and bathing often will help relieve the symptoms until your body acclimatizes.
In non-air-conditioned environments, you might employ the traditional Egyptian method of sprinkling water on the ground to cool the surrounding area by evaporation – it also levels the dust.
Desert dust – or grit and smog in Cairo – may cause your eyes to itch and water. Contact lens-users should wear glasses instead, at least part of the time. If ordinary eye drops don't help, try antihistamine decongestant eye drops such as Vernacel, Vascon-A or Optihist. Persistent irritation may indicate trachoma, a contagious infection which is easily cured by antibiotics at an early stage, but eventually causes blindness if left untreated. Its prevalence in Egypt explains the number of older folk with cloudy eyes and the ophthalmologists in every town.
Spending time in the desert, you might find that your sinuses get painfully irritated by wind-borne dust. Covering your nose and mouth with a scarf helps prevent this, while olbas oil or a nasal decongestant spray (available at pharmacies) can relieve the symptoms.
Diarrhoea and worse…
Almost every visitor to Egypt gets diarrhoea at some stage. Unless you're stricken by cramps, the best initial treatment is to simply adapt your diet, using drugs only as a last resort. Plain boiled rice and vegetables are the best things to eat, and you should try to avoid greasy or spicy food, caffeine, alcohol, and most fruit and dairy products (although some say that bananas and prickly pears can help, while yoghurt provides a form of protein that your body can easily absorb). Most importantly, keep your bodily fluids topped up by drinking plenty of bottled water (perhaps mixed with a rehydration sachet or, failing that, salt and sugar). Drugs like Imodium or Lomotil will plug you up, undermining your body's efforts to rid itself of infection, but can be handy as a stop-gap measure if you have to travel. Avoid Enterovioform, which is still available in Egypt despite being suspected of damaging the optic nerve. Antinal (nifuroxazide) is widely prescribed against diarrhoea in Egypt, and available over the counter in pharmacies, but should not be used for more than a couple of days. Don't give any of these quite powerful drugs to children. Also note that having diarrhoea can make drugs less effective if taken orally (contraceptive pills for example), as they pass straight through your system without being absorbed.
If symptoms persist longer than a few days, or if you develop a fever or pass blood in your faeces, get medical help immediately, since diarrhoea can also be a symptom of serious infection. Accompanied by vomiting and fever, it may indicate typhoid, which responds well to antibiotics. Rarer is cholera, which requires urgent treatment with antibiotics and rehydration fluids; it is marked by a sudden onset of acute diarrhoea and cramps, and tends to occur in epidemics rather than isolated cases. Except for the "rice-water shits" typical of cholera, similar symptoms occur with bacilliary dysentery, which is treated with antibiotics. Amoebic dysentery is harder to shift and can cause permanent damage if untreated. The normal remedy is the heavy-duty antibiotic metronidazole (Flagyl), which should only be taken under medical supervision.
Rabies and malaria
Rabies is endemic in Egypt, where many wild animals (including bats, sometimes found in temples, tombs and caves) carry the disease. Avoid touching any strange animal, wild or domestic. Treatment must be given between exposure to the disease and the onset of symptoms; once these appear, rabies is invariably fatal. If you think you've been exposed, return home and seek help immediately.
Currently resurgent throughout Africa, malaria, spread by the anopheles mosquito, could become a problem in Egypt in the future, but isn't currently a threat – it does exist during the summer months in the Fayoum, but not to the extent that warrants the use of malaria pills, although you should take extra steps to avoid mosquito bites while you are there (use repellent and cover bare skin, especially feet and ankles, after dusk –). Consult your doctor, or enquire at a Medical Advisory Service in the UK (see "In the UK and Ireland") for the latest information on malaria risk and prevention. The first signs of infection are muscular soreness and a low fever; four to eight days later, the characteristic bouts of chills and fever appear. If you suspect that you have it, seek treatment immediately.
Mosquitoes and bugs
Even without the risk of malaria, mosquitoes can make your life a misery. Horribly ubiquitous over the summer, these blood-sucking pests are never entirely absent. The only solution is total war, using fans, mosquito coils, rub-on repellent, and perhaps a plug-in Ezalo device, sold at pharmacies. A lot of people in Egypt use citronella oil, obtainable from many pharmacies, as a mosquito repellent, but tests have shown it to be much less effective than repellents containing DEET (diethyltoluamide), which are the ones recommended by medical authorities. X-gnat skin gel is an effective natural alternative. You can also reputedly make yourself less attractive to mosquitoes by taking Vitamin B-12 tablets, starting before you leave home. The theory is that after two weeks of 50mg per day, your blood begins to smell bad to them, but again, medical authorities in general are sceptical. The best guarantee of a bite-less night's sleep is to bring a mosquito net to hang from above your bed (if you bring the sort that can be suspended from a single point, you can usually find ways of tying a string across the room to hang it from, but don't forget to pack a long enough piece of string). Mosquitoes favour shady, damp areas, and anywhere around dusk. Feet are the part of the body that most attracts them, and you should always be sure to put repellent on your ankles if they are uncovered when you go out in the evening.
Equally loathsome – and widespread – are flies, which transmit various diseases. Only insecticide spray or air conditioning offers any protection. Some cheap hotels harbour fleas, scabies, mites, giant roaches and other bugs. Consult a pharmacist if you find yourself with a persistent skin irritation.
Scorpions and snakes
The danger from scorpions and snakes is minimal, as most species are nocturnal, hide during the heat of the day, and generally avoid people. However, you shouldn't go barefoot, turn over rocks or stick your hands into dark crevices anywhere off the beaten track. Whereas the sting of larger, darker scorpions is no worse than a bad wasp sting, the venom of the pale, slender-clawed Buthridae is highly toxic. If stung, cold-pack the affected area and seek medical help immediately.
Egypt has two main types of poisonous snake. Vipers vary in colour from sandy to reddish (or sometimes grey) and leave two fang punctures. The horned viper, Egypt's deadliest snake, is recognizable by its horns. Cobras are recognizable by their distinctive hood and bite mark (a single row of teeth plus fang holes). The smaller Egyptian cobra (coloured sandy olive) is found throughout the country; the longer black-necked cobra (which can spit its venom up to three metres) only in the south. Be somewhat reassured that snakes come out to drink usually at night, and hibernate in the winter. All snakebites should be washed immediately. Stay calm, as panicking sends the venom through your bloodstream more quickly, and get immediate medical help.
HIV and AIDS
Despite a TV campaign, the level of AIDS awareness is low, and most Egyptians still perceive it as a Western problem. Tourists likewise may not think of Egypt as the sort of country that would have an AIDS problem, but the few hundred cases reported here are almost certainly the tip of an iceberg. Prostitution, homosexuality and extra-marital sex in general are so clandestine and taboo that levels of education about them are low, and few Egyptian men take any precautions. As throughout the world, the need for extreme caution, and safe sex, cannot be overstressed. This particularly applies to Western women having a fling in places like Luxor, who may not be aware of just how much of an industry that is. Anyone of either sex or orientation, contemplating any kind of casual affair, whether with Egyptians or with fellow tourists, should always carry condoms and insist on using them. Likewise, be absolutely sure that any injections, tattooing or acupuncture is done with sterile instruments, and that barbers use a new blade if you go to them for a shave. It's also best to avoid having a blood transfusion in Egypt if at all possible. Pharmacies in cities plus a few shops in Hurghada and Sinai are the only places in Egypt to sell condoms (kabout) – either Egyptian-made Tops (liable to rip) or US imports (thick and short). It's best to bring your own supply.
Women's health
Travelling in the heat and taking antibiotics for an upset stomach make women much more susceptible to vaginal infections. The best precautions are to wash regularly with mild soap, and wear cotton underwear and loose clothing. Yeast infections can be treated with Nystatin pessaries (available at pharmacies), "one-shot" Canesten pessaries (bring some from home if you're prone to thrush), or douches of a weak solution of vinegar or lemon juice. Sea bathing can also help. Trichomonas is usually treated with Flagyl, which should only be taken under medical supervision.
Sanitary protection is available from pharmacies in cities and tourist resorts, but seldom anywhere else, so it's wise to bring a supply for your trip.
Bring your own contraceptives, since the only forms widely available in Egypt are old-fashioned, high-dosage pills, the coil, and not too trusty condoms. Cap-users should pack a spare, and enough spermicide and pessaries. If you're on the pill, beware that persistent diarrhoea can render it ineffective.
Rx symbol
The 'Rx' symbol, which is used by pharmacies and in medicine has its origins in the Eye of Horus (see above left image comparison). This is fitting when you consider that the Pyramid Texts refer to the Eye of Horus (Heru) as obtaining the highest wisdom and divine knowledge. The texts also associate the Eye of Heru with gnosis, related to Genesis and genius. All three terms were derived from “gene of Isis.”
The Eye of Heru is also regarded as “magical food, or talisman. Outside of Egypt, the Eye of Heru sacrament was more widely known as "soma." The "Soma Mysteries" were the most profound sacred rites of the Pagan religions of Asia and Europe. Soma was a powerful sacrament that expanded Pagan minds and magnified their powers of vision. It gave them 'hawk-eye' powers of vision. The God, Horus is portrayed as wearing a Hawk Head.
The Biblical tale of the 'forbidden fruit' is one version of the many versions of Soma Mystery stories that were extant in the ancient world. Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden ate forbidden fruit. The forbidden fruit was poison.
"But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." But "the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise." It was poison, but they ate it anyway. " And the eyes of them both were opened." (Genesis 3:2-7)
It was poison, but they didn't die when they ate it. It opened their eyes and made them wise. Perhaps we should take a closer look the Pyramid Texts regarding what the Initiates that made a passing grade through the Mystery Schools actually accomplished!
Other symbols from the ancients are shown above, which include the DNA Helix (Sumerians) and the caduceus symbol found at Sakkara. The caduceus is used even today representing the medical profession. And as recent as May 2007, researchers examining documents dating back 3,500 years say they have found proof that the origins of modern medicine lie in ancient Egypt and not with Hippocrates and the Greeks. The research team from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at The University of Manchester discovered the evidence in medical papyri written in 1,500BC 1,000 years before Hippocrates was born.
Egyptians, not Greeks were true fathers of medicine
The research team from the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology at The University of Manchester discovered the evidence in medical papyri written in 1,500BC 1,000 years before Hippocrates was born.
"Classical scholars have always considered the ancient Greeks, especially Hippocrates, as being the fathers of medicine but our findings suggest that the ancient Egyptians were practising a credible form of pharmacy and medicine much earlier," said Dr Jackie Campbell.
"When we compared the ancient remedies against modern pharmaceutical protocols and standards, we found the prescriptions in the ancient documents not only compared with pharmaceutical preparations of today but that a number of of the remedies had therapeutic merit".
The medical documents, which were first discovered in the mid-19th century, showed that ancient Egyptian physicians treated wounds with honey, resins and metals known to be antimicrobial.
The team also discovered prescriptions for laxatives of castor oil and colocynth and bulk laxatives of figs and bran. Other references show that colic was treated with hyoscyamus, which is still used today, and that cumin and coriander were used as intestinal carminatives.
Further evidence showed that musculo-skeletal disorders were treated with rubefacients to stimulate blood flow and poultices to warm and soothe. They used celery and saffron for rheumatism, which are currently topics of pharmaceutical research, and pomegranate was used to eradicate tapeworms, a remedy that remained in clinical use until 50 years ago.
"A number of of the ancient remedies we discovered survived into the 20th century and, indeed, some remain in use today, albeit that the active component is now produced synthetically," said Dr Campbell.
"Other ingredients endure and acacia is still used in cough remedies while aloes forms a basis to soothe and heal skin conditions".
Fellow researcher Dr Ryan Metcalfe is now developing genetic techniques to investigate the medicinal plants of ancient Egypt. He has designed his research to determine which modern species the ancient botanical samples are most correlation to.
"This may allow us to determine a likely point of origin for the plant while providing additional evidence for the trade routes, purposeful cultivation, trade centres or places of therapy," said Dr Metcalfe.
"The work is inextricably associated with state-of-the-art chemical analyses used by my colleague Judith Seath, who specialises in the essential oils and resins used by the ancient Egyptians".
Professor Rosalie David, Director of the KNH Centre, said: "These results are very significant and show that the ancient Egyptians were practising a credible form of pharmacy long before the Greeks.
"Our research is continuing on a genetic, chemical and comparative basis to compare the medicinal plants of ancient Egypt with modern species and to investigate similarities between the traditional remedies of North Africa with the remedies used by their ancestors of 1,500 BC".
source
The Desert Scorpion
Two types of scorpions are found in Egypt: the paler, more poisonous members of the family Buthridae and the darker, usually less harmful members of the family Scorpionidae.
Scorpions are nocturnal, hunting insects and they hunt during the dark hours, while during the day they hide underground.
According to Diodorus Siculus the hawk was the natural enemy of the scorpions:
"Among birds the ibis serves against snakes, locust and caterpillars, and the hawk against scorpions and horned adders and other small poisonous animals whose venom is especially dangerous to humans."
TREATMENT
If stung by a black scorpion treatment would be the same as a wasp or bee sting.
If stung by a pale scorpion the stung area should be immediately immobilized, covered with ice, and hospital emergency treatment sought without delay.
Bedouin Coffee
( Arabic: Qahwah Saadah ) pronounced Ahwah Sadah
In the presence of his guests, the host will roast, cool and grind the beans. Using a mortar and pestle ( Mehbaj ), he will add cardamom pods in equal or more measure to the coffee beans during the grinding process.
When the coffee is brewed, the host pours for his guests - traditionally only men. Unsweetened, fresh dates, a staple in the Bedouin diet, are served with the coffee.
The Bedouins have a saying that translates to ... "he makes coffee from morn till night." It is a way of describing a generous man, and no greater praise can be given.
1. Water – 3 oz per serving cup into the Kanaka(Egyptian) Ibrik (Arabic) or coffee pot.
2. coffee blend – 1 tbsp per serving cup
3. 1 tsp sugar per serving cup
4. 2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
5. saffron threads – 3 per serving cup (optional)
Put water in an ibrik or Turkish coffee pot. Add sugar and coffee blend.
3. Just prior to serving, bring back to rousing boil then remove from heat just before boiling over.
Serving coffee to visitors is an age old custom derived from Bedouin hospitality traditions and an important part of Arab generosity. The ritual of coffee serving is called gawha and is bound by rules of etiquette.
When the coffee is brewed, the host pours for his guests - traditionally only men. Unsweetened, fresh dates, a staple in the Bedouin diet, are served with the coffee.
The Bedouins have a saying that translates to ... "he makes coffee from morn till night." It is a way of describing a generous man, and no greater praise can be given.
Variously known as Qahwah Saadah (Bedouin coffee), this brew comes to us through the mists of time. It's flavored with cardamom - sometimes called Grains of Paradise - and optionally with sugar.
It is usually served in decorative glasses, or in small Qahwah Fingan, coffee cups.
Qahwah Fingan
There are as many varied recipes as there are Bedu tribes to serve them.
The Coffee Blend
1. 1 lb. of non-flavored coffee (Mocha Java, Kenyan, Tanzanian)
medium or dark roast Turkish grind (very fine)
2. 4-5 tbsp of ground cardamom . The cardamom should be mixed 60% to 40% coffee in the mix.
Mix well (shaking the blend in a sealed plastic container mixes the cardamom into the coffee thoroughly)
Making the coffee
medium or dark roast Turkish grind (very fine)
2. 4-5 tbsp of ground cardamom . The cardamom should be mixed 60% to 40% coffee in the mix.
Mix well (shaking the blend in a sealed plastic container mixes the cardamom into the coffee thoroughly)
Making the coffee
1. Water – 3 oz per serving cup into the Kanaka(Egyptian) Ibrik (Arabic) or coffee pot.
Bedouin Kanaka/Ibrik
2. coffee blend – 1 tbsp per serving cup
3. 1 tsp sugar per serving cup
4. 2 tsp. ground cinnamon (optional)
5. saffron threads – 3 per serving cup (optional)
Put water in an ibrik or Turkish coffee pot. Add sugar and coffee blend.
Do not stir!!!!.
There are three boils:
There are three boils:
1. First, bring to a rousing boil. Remove from heat before brew boils over. Let stand for 3-4 minutes.
2. Replace on reduced heat and slow boil for 10 min.
2. Replace on reduced heat and slow boil for 10 min.
Mihbaj
Is used in Arabic and Bedouin culture as a coffee grinder, and also a musical instrument.
The wooden base acts like a mortar and the foot long pestle is used to grind roasted coffee beans.
Nawal al Zoghbi, the Lebanese singer recorded a song about the Mihbaj.
'Hit the Mehbaj' ( Arabic Deg El Mehbaj )
نوال الزغبي - دقوا المهابيج
دق المهباج (يا حمايد)
نار الدلة (شعّالة)
من درب الضيف (لا تحيد)
مرت على الحي خيالة
دق المهباج واسقيني وزيد الجمرة
يا قهوة من طعمها سنيني زايد مرة
وعطر هاليل من عطر الهيل
ولاقي هالخيل يا حمايد واسقي رجالها
من درب الضيف لا تحيد
مرت على الحي خيالة
دق المهباج وخبرني ولفي معاهم
يا حمايد حاج تقهرني روح القاهم
ومحبوبي الزين مارق من هين
رح تبكي العين يا حمايد من هالحالة
من درب الضيف لا تحيد
مرت على الحي خيالة
Nawal al-Zoghbi - Hit the Coffee Grinder
Hit the mihbaj, Hamayed
Light the fire of the coffee pot
Don't shy away from the path of the guests
A horse has come to the village
Hit the mihbaj, give me some drink, and add coal
Oh coffee that's taste has made my years more bitter
Perfume the night with the scent of cardamom (Arabic coffee usually has cardamom added)
And meet this horse, Hamayed, and give her men some to drink
Don't shy away from the path of the guests
A horse has come to the village
Hit the mihbaj and tell me if my love is with them
Hamayed, don't oppress me go meet them!
My beautiful love is passing through here
I'm going to cry, Hamayed, from the state I'm in
Don't shy away from the path of the guests
A horse has come to the village
Bedouin Cheese
Bedouin Cheese
Arabic: Gibneh
Bedouin women make cheese from the goats' milk.
They boil then strain it through thin muslin cloth then the curd is shaped into a round and left to dry. The watrey whey used as a stock.
It can be kept for years like this if necessary. When it is to be used, it is soaked in hot water and softened into a paste again. It is usually used then to cook meat or chicken.
It can also be stored in oil with various spices to be eaten with bread.
Arabic: Gibneh
Bedouin women make cheese from the goats' milk.
They boil then strain it through thin muslin cloth then the curd is shaped into a round and left to dry. The watrey whey used as a stock.
It can be kept for years like this if necessary. When it is to be used, it is soaked in hot water and softened into a paste again. It is usually used then to cook meat or chicken.
It can also be stored in oil with various spices to be eaten with bread.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Desert Chess
Bedouin Poetry
In the Arabian Peninsula in the Sixth Century CE, the emergence of a poet in a tribe was considered an important event.
Amid a rich tradition of oral poetry, it meant that the history of the tribe would become preserved in memorable verse and that the tribe would be entertained by accounts of the adventures and thoughts of its prominent individuals.
In the Eighth Century, much of this oral poetry of earlier times was collected by one of the great humanists of Islam. Ḥammād al-Rāwiyah ‘The Transmitter’, a man of prodigious memory.
This he used to good effect in memorizing the poetry he encountered in his travels among the Bedouins.
From his memorized collection, seven qasida (odes) by individual authors came to be written down in an anthology.
The name of this work, The Mu’allaqat, has been translated as Suspended Odes, or Golden Odes, or Collected Odes.
Imr became a chieftain of his tribe at the age of fifteen and is also said to have lived 150 years. One account has him giving lucid advice to his sons on his deathbed; another says that he drank himself to death with wine.
4 In Praise of His Love
5 Storm in the Desert
6 Age and Wisdom
7 Wine and Generosity
8 Raging War
9 A Swift Camel
Photo
http://www.ziani-art.com/gb/oeuvre/oeuvr_accueil.html
Amid a rich tradition of oral poetry, it meant that the history of the tribe would become preserved in memorable verse and that the tribe would be entertained by accounts of the adventures and thoughts of its prominent individuals.
In the Eighth Century, much of this oral poetry of earlier times was collected by one of the great humanists of Islam. Ḥammād al-Rāwiyah ‘The Transmitter’, a man of prodigious memory.
This he used to good effect in memorizing the poetry he encountered in his travels among the Bedouins.
From his memorized collection, seven qasida (odes) by individual authors came to be written down in an anthology.
The name of this work, The Mu’allaqat, has been translated as Suspended Odes, or Golden Odes, or Collected Odes.
Each poet would decide on a meter of his own choosing, but he was constrained to use a single rhyme at the ends of lines. The poem would typically deal with subjects in the following sequence: deserted dwelling places, talks with desert people, amorous encounters, journeying on a horse or camel, and a panegyric to a host. In the course of the poem there would be various digressions into the subjects such as storms, wine, wisdom, battles, youth, and age.
The Mu’allaqat poets were famous throughout the Arab world, with their poems being frequently memorized and quoted.
Their fame brought with it exaggerated legends about their lives, so that it is difficult to know the true facts concerning these remarkable individuals.
The fame of Imr Al-Qais, ‘The Wandering King’, was said to have caused him to be summoned to the court of the Emperor Justinian at Byzantium in 530.
Tarafa, ‘The Murdered Boy’, is said to have started to write poetry at the age of seven and to have been treacherously put to death in his early twenties (perhaps in 564) for writing satires on tribal leaders.
Zuhair, ‘A Slave to Poetry’, belonged to a family of poets and was said to be sufficiently affluent to have time to polish his verses to perfection.
Labid, ‘The Man with the Crooked Staff’, was said to have lived 150 years; he expressed a certain weariness of life in a poem written on his 120th birthday.
Antara, ‘The Black Knight’, was the son of a tribal leader and an Abyssinian slave girl. He became renowned for his poetry and for his skill in warfare; ultimately he became the hero of an extensive legend, the Romance of Antar.
Their fame brought with it exaggerated legends about their lives, so that it is difficult to know the true facts concerning these remarkable individuals.
The fame of Imr Al-Qais, ‘The Wandering King’, was said to have caused him to be summoned to the court of the Emperor Justinian at Byzantium in 530.
Tarafa, ‘The Murdered Boy’, is said to have started to write poetry at the age of seven and to have been treacherously put to death in his early twenties (perhaps in 564) for writing satires on tribal leaders.
Zuhair, ‘A Slave to Poetry’, belonged to a family of poets and was said to be sufficiently affluent to have time to polish his verses to perfection.
Antara, ‘The Black Knight’, was the son of a tribal leader and an Abyssinian slave girl. He became renowned for his poetry and for his skill in warfare; ultimately he became the hero of an extensive legend, the Romance of Antar.
Imr became a chieftain of his tribe at the age of fifteen and is also said to have lived 150 years. One account has him giving lucid advice to his sons on his deathbed; another says that he drank himself to death with wine.
1 A Desert Encampment
The abodes are desolate, halting-place and encampment too,
at Miná: deserted lies Ghaul, deserted alike Rijám,
and the torrent-beds of Er-Raiyán—naked shows their trace,
rubbed smooth, like letterings long since scored on a stony slab;
blackened orts that, since the time their inhabitants tarried there,
many years have passed over, months unhallowed and sacrosanct.
The star-borne showers of Spring have fed them, the outpouring
of thundercloud, great deluge and gentle following rain,
the cloud that travels by night, the sombre pall of morn,
the outspread mantle of eve with muttering antiphon.
Then the branches of aihakan shot up, and the ostriches
and antelopes brought forth their young on both valley-slopes,
and the great-eyed cows that had lately calved stand over their brood
while in the spreading plain the little lambs form their flocks.
Then the torrents washed the dusty ruins, until they seem
like scrolls of writing whose text their pens have revivified,
or the back and forth of a woman tattooing, her indigo
in rings scattered, the tattooing newly revealed above them.
So I stood and questioned that site; yet how should we question rocks
set immovable, whose speech is nothing significant?
All is naked now, where once the people were all foregathered;
Labid
2 Refuge from Danger
Does the blackened ruin, situated in the stony ground
between Durraj and Mutathallam, which did not speak to me
when addressed, belong to the abode of Ummi Awfa?
between Durraj and Mutathallam, which did not speak to me
when addressed, belong to the abode of Ummi Awfa?
And is it her dwelling at the two stony meadows, seeming
as though they were the renewed tattoo marks in the sinews of the wrist?
as though they were the renewed tattoo marks in the sinews of the wrist?
The wild cows and the white deer are wandering about
there, one herd behind the other, while their young are springing up
there, one herd behind the other, while their young are springing up
from every lying-down place.
I stood again near it (the encampment of the tribe of
Awfa) after an absence of twenty years, and with some efforts
I know her abode again after thinking awhile.
Awfa) after an absence of twenty years, and with some efforts
I know her abode again after thinking awhile.
I recognized the three stones blackened by fire at the
place where the kettle used to be placed at night, and the
trench round the encampment, which had not burst, like the source of a pool.
place where the kettle used to be placed at night, and the
trench round the encampment, which had not burst, like the source of a pool.
And when I recognized the encampment I said to its site,
'Now good morning, O spot!
May you be safe from dangers.'
'Now good morning, O spot!
May you be safe from dangers.'
Zuhair
3 Her Mouth
When she captivates you with a mouth possessing sharp and white teeth,
sweet as to its place of kissing, delicious of taste.
sweet as to its place of kissing, delicious of taste.
As if she sees with the two eyes of a young, grown up gazelle from the deer.
It was as though the musk bag of a merchant in his case of perfumes
preceded her teeth toward you from her mouth.
It was as though the musk bag of a merchant in his case of perfumes
preceded her teeth toward you from her mouth.
Or as if it is an old wine-skin, from Azri'at, preserved long,
such as the kings of Rome preserve.
such as the kings of Rome preserve.
Or her mouth is as an ungrazed meadow,
whose herbage the rain has guaranteed,
in which there is but little dung;
and which is not marked with the feet of animals.
whose herbage the rain has guaranteed,
in which there is but little dung;
and which is not marked with the feet of animals.
Antar
4 In Praise of His Love
I went out with her; she walking, and drawing behind us, over our footmarks,
The skirts of an embroidered woolen garment, to erase the footprints.
The skirts of an embroidered woolen garment, to erase the footprints.
Then when we had crossed the enclosure of the tribe,
The middle of the open plain, with its sandy undulations and sandhills, we sought.
The middle of the open plain, with its sandy undulations and sandhills, we sought.
I drew the two side-locks of her head toward me; and she leant toward me;
She was slender of waist, and full in the ankle.
She was slender of waist, and full in the ankle.
Thin-waisted, white-skinned, slender of body,
Her breast shining polished like a mirror.
Her breast shining polished like a mirror.
In complexion she is like the first egg of the ostrich—white, mixed with yellow.
Pure water, unsullied by the descent of many people in it, has nourished her.
Pure water, unsullied by the descent of many people in it, has nourished her.
She turns away, and shows her smooth cheek, forbidding with a glancing eye,
Like that of a wild animal, with young, in the desert of Wajrah.
Like that of a wild animal, with young, in the desert of Wajrah.
And she shows a neck like the neck of a white deer;
It is neither disproportionate when she raises it, nor unornamented.
It is neither disproportionate when she raises it, nor unornamented.
And a perfect head of hair which, when loosened, adorns her back,
Black, very dark-colored, thick like a date-cluster on a heavily laden date-tree.
Black, very dark-colored, thick like a date-cluster on a heavily laden date-tree.
Her curls creep upward to the top of her head;
And the plaits are lost in the twisted hair, and the hair falling loose.
And the plaits are lost in the twisted hair, and the hair falling loose.
And she meets me with a slender waist, thin as the twisted leathern nose-rein of a camel.
Her form is like the stem of a palm-tree bending over from the weight of its fruit.
Her form is like the stem of a palm-tree bending over from the weight of its fruit.
In the morning, when she wakes, the particles of musk are lying over her bed.
She sleeps much in the morning; she does not need to gird her waist with a working dress.
She sleeps much in the morning; she does not need to gird her waist with a working dress.
She gives with thin fingers, not thick, as if they were the worms of the desert of Zabi,
In the evening she brightens the darkness, as if she were the light-tower of a monk.
In the evening she brightens the darkness, as if she were the light-tower of a monk.
Toward one like her, the wise man gazes incessantly, lovingly.
She is well proportioned in height between the wearer of a long dress and of a short frock.
She is well proportioned in height between the wearer of a long dress and of a short frock.
The follies of men cease with youth, but my heart does not cease to love you.
Many bitter counselors have warned me of the disaster of your love, but I turned away from them.
Many bitter counselors have warned me of the disaster of your love, but I turned away from them.
Many a night has let down its curtains around me amid deep grief,
It has whelmed me as a wave of the sea to try me with sorrow.
It has whelmed me as a wave of the sea to try me with sorrow.
Then I said to the night, as slowly his huge bulk passed over me,
As his breast, his loins, his buttocks weighed on me and then passed afar,
As his breast, his loins, his buttocks weighed on me and then passed afar,
"Oh long night, dawn will come, but will be no brighter without my love.
You are a wonder, with stars held up as by ropes of hemp to a solid rock."
You are a wonder, with stars held up as by ropes of hemp to a solid rock."
Imr-Al-Quais
5 Storm in the Desert
But come, my friends, as we stand here mourning, do you see the lightning?
See its glittering, like the flash of two moving hands, amid the thick gathering clouds.
See its glittering, like the flash of two moving hands, amid the thick gathering clouds.
Its glory shines like the lamps of a monk when he has dipped their wicks thick in oil.
I sat down with my companions and watched the lightning and the coming storm.
I sat down with my companions and watched the lightning and the coming storm.
So wide-spread was the rain that its right end seemed over Quatan,
Yet we could see its left end pouring down on Satar, and beyond that over Yazbul.
Yet we could see its left end pouring down on Satar, and beyond that over Yazbul.
So mighty was the storm that it hurled upon their faces the huge kanahbul trees,
The spray of it drove the wild goats down from the hills of Quanan.
The spray of it drove the wild goats down from the hills of Quanan.
In the gardens of Taimaa not a date-tree was left standing,
Nor a building, except those strengthened with heavy stones.
Nor a building, except those strengthened with heavy stones.
The mountain, at the first downpour of the rain, looked like a
giant of our people draped in a striped cloak.
giant of our people draped in a striped cloak.
The peak of Mujaimir in the flood and rush of debris looked
like a whirling spindle.
like a whirling spindle.
The clouds poured forth their gift on the desert of Ghabeet, till it blossomed
As though a Yemani merchant were spreading out all the rich clothes from his trunks,
As though a Yemani merchant were spreading out all the rich clothes from his trunks,
As though the little birds of the valley of Jiwaa awakened in the morning
And burst forth in song after a morning draught of old, pure, spiced wine.
And burst forth in song after a morning draught of old, pure, spiced wine.
As though all the wild beasts had been covered with sand and mud,
like the onion's root-bulbs.
They were drowned and lost in the depths of the desert at evening.
They were drowned and lost in the depths of the desert at evening.
Imr-Al-Quais
6 Age and Wisdom
I have grown weary of the troubles of life; and he
who lives eighty years will, may you have no father
if you doubt, grow weary.
who lives eighty years will, may you have no father
if you doubt, grow weary.
And I know what has happened to-day and yesterday,
before it, but verily, of the knowledge of what will happen
tomorrow I am ignorant.
before it, but verily, of the knowledge of what will happen
tomorrow I am ignorant.
I see death is like the blundering of a blind camel—him
whom he meets he kills, and he whom he misses lives and will
become old.
whom he meets he kills, and he whom he misses lives and will
become old.
And he who does not act with kindness in many affairs
will be torn by teeth
and trampled under foot.
will be torn by teeth
and trampled under foot.
And he who makes benevolent acts intervene before
honor, increases his honor;
and he who does not avoid abuse, will be abused.
honor, increases his honor;
and he who does not avoid abuse, will be abused.
He who is possessed of plenty, and is miserly with his
great wealth toward his people, will be dispensed with,
and abused.
great wealth toward his people, will be dispensed with,
and abused.
He who keeps his word, will not be reviled;
and he whose heart is guided to self-satisfying benevolence
will not stammer.
and he whose heart is guided to self-satisfying benevolence
will not stammer.
And he who dreads the causes of death, they will reach
him, even if he ascends the tracts of the heavens
with a ladder.
him, even if he ascends the tracts of the heavens
with a ladder.
And he who shows kindness to one not deserving it, his
praise will be a reproach against him, and he will repent of
having shown kindness.
praise will be a reproach against him, and he will repent of
having shown kindness.
And he who rebels against the butt ends of the spears,
then verily he will have to obey the spear points joined to
every long spear shaft.
then verily he will have to obey the spear points joined to
every long spear shaft.
And he who does not repulse with his weapons from his
tank, will have it broken; and he who does not oppress the
people will be oppressed.
tank, will have it broken; and he who does not oppress the
people will be oppressed.
And he who travels should consider his friend an enemy;
and he who does not respect himself
will not be respected.
and he who does not respect himself
will not be respected.
And he who is always seeking to bear the burdens of
other people, and does not excuse himself from it,
will one day by reason of his abasement, repent.
other people, and does not excuse himself from it,
will one day by reason of his abasement, repent.
And whatever of character there is in a man, even though
he thinks it concealed from people,
it is known.
he thinks it concealed from people,
it is known.
He who does not cease asking people to carry him, and
does not make himself independent of them even for one day
of the time, will be regarded with disgust.
does not make himself independent of them even for one day
of the time, will be regarded with disgust.
Many silent ones you see, pleasing to you,
but their excess in wisdom or deficiency
will appear at the time of talking.
but their excess in wisdom or deficiency
will appear at the time of talking.
The tongue of a man is one half, and the other half is his
mind, and here is nothing besides these two, except the shape
of the blood and the flesh.
mind, and here is nothing besides these two, except the shape
of the blood and the flesh.
And verily, as to the folly of an old man,
there is no wisdom after it,
but the young man after his folly may become wise.
there is no wisdom after it,
but the young man after his folly may become wise.
We asked of you, and you gave, and we returned to the
asking and you returned to the giving, and he who increases
the asking, will one day be disappointed.
asking and you returned to the giving, and he who increases
the asking, will one day be disappointed.
Zuhair
7 Wine and Generosity
Praise me for the qualities which you know I possess, for,
verily, when I am not ill-treated, I am gentle to associate with.
verily, when I am not ill-treated, I am gentle to associate with.
And if I am ill-treated, then, verily, my tyranny is severe,
very bitter is the taste of it, as the taste of the colocynth.
very bitter is the taste of it, as the taste of the colocynth.
And, verily, I have drunk wine after the midday heats have subsided,
buying it with the bright-stamped coin.
buying it with the bright-stamped coin.
From a glass, yellow with the lines of the glass-cutter on it,
which was accompanied by a white-stoppered bottle on the lefthand side.
which was accompanied by a white-stoppered bottle on the lefthand side.
And when I have drunk, verily, I am the squanderer of my property,
and my honor is great, and is not sullied.
and my honor is great, and is not sullied.
And when I have become sober, I do not diminish in my generosity,
and, as you know, so are my qualities and my liberality.
and, as you know, so are my qualities and my liberality.
Antar
8 Raging War
And war is not but what you have learnt it to be, and
what you have experienced, and what is said concerning it,
is not a story based on suppositions.
what you have experienced, and what is said concerning it,
is not a story based on suppositions.
When you stir it up, you will stir it up as an accursed
thing, and it will become greedy when you excite its greed
and it will rage fiercely.
thing, and it will become greedy when you excite its greed
and it will rage fiercely.
Then it will grind you as the grinding of the upper millstone
against the lower, and it will conceive immediately after
one birth and it will produce twins.
against the lower, and it will conceive immediately after
one birth and it will produce twins.
Zuhair
9 A Swift Camel
Ah, but when grief assails me, straightway I ride it off
mounted on my swift, lean-flanked camel, night and day racing,
sure-footed, like the planks of a litter; I urge her on
down the bright highway, that back of a striped mantle;
she vies with the noble, hot-paced she-camels, shank on shank
nimbly plying, over a path many feet have beaten.
Along the rough slopes with the milkless shes she has pastured
in Spring, cropping the rich meadows green in the gentle rains;
to the voice of the caller she returns, and stands on guard
with her bunchy tail, scared of some ruddy, tuft-haired stallion,
as though the wings of a white vulture enfolded the sides
of her tail, pierced even to the bone by a pricking awl;
anon she strikes with it behind the rear-rider, anon
lashes her dry udders, withered like an old water-skin.
Perfectly firm is the flesh of her two thighs—
they are the gates of a lofty, smooth-walled castle—
and tightly knit are her spine-bones, the ribs like bows,
her underneck stuck with the well-strung vertebrae,
fenced about by the twin dens of a wild lote-tree;
you might say bows were bent under a buttressed spine.
Widely spaced are her elbows, as if she strode
carrying the two buckets of a sturdy water-carrier;
like the bridge of the Byzantine, whose builder swore
it should be all encased in bricks to be raised up true.
Reddish the bristles under her chin, very firm her back,
broad the span of her swift legs, smooth her swinging gait;
her legs are twined like rope uptwisted; her forearms
thrust slantwise up to the propped roof of her breast.
Swiftly she rolls, her cranium huge, her shoulder-blades
high-hoisted to frame her lofty, raised superstructure.
The scores of her girths chafing her breast-ribs are watercourses
furrowing a smooth rock in a rugged eminence,
now meeting, anon parting, as though they were
white gores marking distinctly a slit shirt.
Her long neck is very erect when she lifts it up
calling to mind the rudder of a Tigris-bound vessel.
Her skull is most like an anvil, the junction of its two halves
meeting together as it might be on the edge of a file.
Her cheek is smooth as Syrian parchment, her split lip
a tanned hide of Yemen, its slit not bent crooked;
her eyes are a pair of mirrors, sheltering
in the caves of her brow-bones, the rock of a pool's hollow,
ever expelling the white pus mote-provoked, so they seem
like the dark-rimmed eyes of a scared wild-cow with calf.
Her ears are true, clearly detecting on the night journey
the fearful rustle of a whisper, the high-pitched cry,
sharp‑tipped, her noble pedigree plain in them,
pricked like the ears of a wild-cow of Haumal lone-pasturing.
Her trepid heart pulses strongly, quick, yet firm
as a pounding-rock set in the midst of a solid boulder.
If you so wish, her head strains to the saddle's pommel
and she swims with her forearms, fleet as a male ostrich,
or if you wish her pace is slack, or swift to your fancy
fearing the curled whip fashioned of twisted hide.
Slit is her upper lip, her nose bored and sensitive,
delicate; when she sweeps the ground with it, faster she runs.
Tarafa
10 Enjoyment of Life
Did Nawár not know then, and was she not aware that I
am skilled to knot the bonds of friendship, and break them too?
I am quick to be gone from places when they're unpleasing
to me
except, as happens, its destiny fetters my spirit there.
Ha, but you have no idea, my dear, how many nights
of agreeable warmth, delicious in sport and companionship,
I have passed chatting, how many a taverner's hoisted flag
I have visited, when the wine it proclaimed was precious dear,
and I've forked out a pretty penny for an old, brown wineskin
or a pitch-smeared jar, newly decanted and seal broken,
for the pleasure of a song on a wet morning, and a charming
girl plucking
with nimble fingers the strings of her melodious lute;
yes, I've raced the cock bright and early, to get me my spirit's
need
and to have my second wetting by the time the sleepers stirred.
And many's the morning of wind and cold I've kept at bay
when its reins lay in the fingers of the bitter north
and defended the knights, my bristling panoply burdening
a swift-stepper, its bridle at dawn flung about my shoulders.
I have climbed to a look-out post on the brow of a fearful ridge
the dust of whose summits hung closely about their standards
till, when the sun flung its hand into dusk's coverlet
and darkness shrouded the perilous marches of the frontiers,
I came down to the plain; my horse stood firm as the trunk
of a tall, stripped palm tree the gatherers shrink to ascend.
Then I pricked her on, to run like an ostrich and fleeter still
until, when she was warm and her bones were light and pliant,
her saddle slipped about, and her neck streamed with sweat
and the foam of her perspiration drenched her leather girth;
she tosses her head, and strains at the rein, and rushes on
as a desert dove flutters with the flight swiftly to water.
Labid
Photo
http://www.ziani-art.com/gb/oeuvre/oeuvr_accueil.html
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)