A Train Amphitheater Moving through the Egyptian Countryside
By: Habeeb Salloum/Arab America Contributing Writer
The Cairo winter wind penetrated my body as I pushed myself into one of the city’s run-down buses, crowded with over twice the number of people it was designed to accommodate. Since the Rameses Railway Station, from where I was to take the train to Alexandria, Egypt’s second largest city, was nearby, I thought that a bus rather than a taxi would do. I felt a sense of relief. There would be no bargaining and shouting over the fare with a taxi driver this morning.
Along with a stream of workers, I tumbled out of the bus at the city’s impressive railway station. I could barely make my way through the door, so great were the masses of people. It seemed to me that a good number of Cairo’s some 15 million inhabitants were at the station door. Inside, hundreds upon hundreds of men and women were milling around. I could barely make my way through the crowds to the ticket booth.
Almost exhausted after pushing through this mass of humanity, I asked the ticket vendor, “This huge number of people! Is it like this every day?” She grinned, “You haven’t seen anything yet! You should come during our feast days!” I looked at her half stunned. “More people? How could they move?” I thought to myself.
For less than $5., I bought a first-class one way ticket to Alexandria, the city that the Egyptians fondly call ‘Bride of the Mediterranean’. On the platform, again the crowds were overwhelming as I made my way through workers and peasants pouring out of run-down coaches. Surveying the rundown train, I had a momentary feeling of fear, “Would the one taking me to Alexandria have such coaches?”
However, a few moments later my fears evaporated as a slick shining-red train pulled in. The difference was unbelievable. “It’s the Superfast Turbotrain, the queen of Egyptian railways,” a young man to whom I was talking remarked when I asked him, “Why the great difference between the two trains?” He continued, “The wealthy always get the best! Is that not the way of the world?”
Inside, the seats were roomy, clean and comfortable. It was indisputably a place of calm when compared to the bedlam outside.
At 8 a.m. sharp, we moved smoothly out of the Cairo railway station and in a few minutes were passing by the shabby homes of the suburbs. Seemingly fitting in with these dilapidated structures was a clanging peoples’ train passing the other way, crammed full of peasants – some hanging on the outside by gripping the coach door rails.
Soon, small green fields between the buildings began to appear. A few moments later, the landscape became a checkerboard of lush green and newly tilled fields. Every inch of land appeared to be under the plough. We were traversing the rich soil of Egypt’s Delta – a green carpet of land, intensely cultivated since the time of the pharaohs. From time immemorial giving life to millions, it still offers its bounties to modern man.
The towns and villages through which we passed had a good number of homes being renovated or newly built, but in a haphazard fashion. There did not seem to be a pattern as to location and uniform type of construction. A few of these small urban centres were neat and tidy, but the majority were old and somewhat littered. In this densely populated region in Egypt, the towns were so numerous that, at times, they appeared virtually connected together.
Inside our coach, life was moving at a leisurely pace. The stewardess passed back and forth selling cold and hot drinks, pastries and full breakfasts. Most of the passengers were quiet, conversing in low voices. The majority, well-dressed, appeared to be from the middle class. Without doubt, they would have been out of place riding in the peoples’ trains.
Ahmad, my seat companion, aloof when he first sat down, became quite friendly as time passed. We discussed Egypt’s Muslim fundamentalist movements and the impact of the West on the Arabs and the effect these were having on the lives of the people. Ahmad reflected, “The country has become much more religious. To overcome the fundamentalists, we adopted much of their programs and to compete with the west, we’ve taken on, usually the worst of what it has to offer.”
Outside, the pastoral scene continued. Water buffalos and other farm animals were grazing on emerald-green vegetation. In between, men and women in colourful traditional Egyptian dress were riding donkeys or walking behind their overloaded beasts.
Near the tracks, children smiled and waved to the passengers while their mothers walked like erect models, balancing baskets of farm products on their heads. Not far away, peasants were cultivating their fields, in the main, with the same type ploughs as used in ancient Egypt. Only a few were employing modern machinery.
However, for irrigation, in many places water pumps had replaced the shadufs – the land watering implement utilized since the time of the Pharaohs. It appeared that the country was struggling to renew itself while still being gripped by the hand of tradition.
The only real blemishes I saw, as our moving amphitheatre continued, were garbage strewn along the railway tracts and a good number of polluted canals. In many places the banks of these waterways were covered with debris, especially discarded plastic products – the eyesore of developing nations. Adding to this marring of nature, all along some of these canals, women were washing clothes and scouring pots in their waters.
In a little over two hours, the serene green landscape, even though disfigured in places, gave way to the run-down suburbs of Alexandria – 209 km (130 mi) north of Cairo. A few minutes later, our train ended its journey in the heart of the city – founded by Alexander the Great in the 4th century B.C. as a future capital of his empire.
On the whole, I was delighted. Our moving train amphitheatre had truly given me an overall view of rural Egypt and its people. The train was truly a safe, relaxing, comfortable, and an economical way to feel the sights, sounds, and smells of Egypt. Relaxed and content, I began my exploration of historic Alexandria – the city Cleopatra once called home.