The Arab Spring. That's what people are calling the spring of 2011, a time that saw uprisings all across the middle east and northern Africa. A lot of people died, governments were overthrown, and buildings were burned to the ground.
We went there on holiday.
Our tickets were booked on January 23rd for a ten day tour of Egypt, one that had stops in Cairo, Luxor and Dahab. We would see the pyramids of Giza, the burial chambers in the Valley of the Kings, and snorkel in pristine waters. To say we were excited would be an understatement.
The uprising in Egypt has since been named The Revolution of 25 January. Yes, January 25th. Two days after we booked our trip the protests began in Tahir Square, in Cairo, and a revolution was started with the goal of ousting the brutal leader of the country. The military stayed out of the conflicts and the people were victorious. Officially, the revolution lasted until February 11th, but protests continued for weeks afterwards. We kept up with the news, waiting for the US government to issue a warning against traveling to Egypt, but they never did. Another larger demonstration filled Tahir Square in Cairo on April 8th, two weeks before our scheduled trip.
After that, things quieted down and a relative state of peace resumed.
We went through with our trip and saw some truly amazing sights, like the sunrise from Mount Sinai, the hieroglyphs in the Valley of the Kings, and I even went inside the Great Pyramid--the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.
Three weeks after our return, the protests began again and Cairo's Tahir Square was yet again visited by violence.
In the midst of all this turmoil, the Egyptians we spoke with all talked about a New Egypt and were hopeful for the future.
I hope things work out for them.
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