Kodak Agfa presents : Cairo’s Nilometer and Manasterly Palace from Egypt’s Nile River

This is not a long Kodak Agfa tour but rather a very short one.

As we are talking about the Nile River nowadays considering the fact that Ethiopian officials are insisting to go on unliteral action and fill the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, I decided to dedicate more posts about the Nile River and its cruises which I enjoyed.

In March 2017, I was in a family Nile cruise when we passed by the famous Cairo’s Nilometer at the far South tip of Rhoda Nile island.

Egypt's Nilometer and Manasterly palace

The Cairo Nilometer is on the right of the photo.

This Nilometer is one of the oldest Islamic era and Umayyad-era buildings or monuments that had remained despite all the Caliphate, Kingdoms and capitals that followed in Egypt.

I think its location on a Nile island and its role as Nilometer made it survive all that time.

This is a little monument that survived a millennium shows the importance of the Nile to the Egyptian people and its economy.

Historically, the first Nilometer in this location was built in the Umayyad caliphate during the rule of Caliph Al-Walid-I in 715 AD.

It was reportedly re-designed and reconstructed to its current shape a hundred-years later by none other than famous Abbasid scientist Abu El-Farghani aka El-Fraganus in 861 AD per the orders of Abbasid Caliph El-Mutawakkil.

It had a renovation in 1927.

Coronavirus on the Nile : The grand re-opening of 27 June in Egypt "Live Updates"

On Saturday, the Egyptian government reopened many businesses and activities the country following three months of not-very strict lockdown and partial curfew due to economic reasons according to the Egyptian officials.

Earlier Saturday, Mosques opened across the country its doors for the first Dawn prayer service for the public.

It was a relief to hear the Azan again. Worshipers are required to pray with masks and bring their praying mats as well as of course to follow the social distancing rules.

I do not know if this is going to be followed in rural areas or poor areas in the country.

Saturday eve, many reported that cafes re-opened for business and people were in the streets as if it were the feast eve.

This is at the same time have not crossed yet the peak of the Coronavirus like other countries according to the calculations of officials and health experts not to mention the testimonies of the public about COVID-19 spread.

Personally, I fear there will be an increase in cases within the upcoming two weeks. For me and my family, I follow “Stay home, stay safe” as much as I can.

I recommend that you do the same if you are in Egypt and avoid any gatherings.

I totally understand the economic burden on Egypt, Egyptians and the official Egyptians who returned back to the IMF to get another loan.

Netlfix Dark "Netflix" 

Many in Egypt especially Netflix’s Dark TV series are sharing this shot I used as a photo feature for that post as a black comedy meme warning image of the result of this grand re-opening.

“27 June 2020; the day of the apocalypse” If you follow the hit series whose third and final season is released on Saturday.

There is a fear that the number of cases will increase considering what happened in Ramadan.

Here is the latest live updates for this week and again please stay safe, stay home. 

Coronavirus on the Nile : Week No.19 “Live Updated”

Here we are with the start of the new week under the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the media calculations, it is the 19th week in Egypt since the outbreak of the virus in Mid-February.

A cute couple wearing masks in Port Said
by Fadel Dawod

Now we start the new week with over 600,000 students are heading on Sunday to the fearful exams of the thanaweya amma high school despite the parents and the Egyptian Medical Syndicate’s concerns about their safety.

. We start a new week and it seems that things politically and diplomatically as well militarily are hot for the current political administration of Egypt with talks about direct Egyptian military intervention in Libya as well as escalating the GERD matter in the UN Security Council.

More businesses and avenues are opening this week. 

The coronavirus continues to spread at the same.

Last week, the numbers of daily infections surged to its highest record but it came down again this week’s Saturday.

Here is the live blogging widget.

Coronavirus on the Nile : A quick look in graph to the statistics released by Egypt's Health Ministry

Egypt's Health Minister Hala Zayed in the presser

From two days ago, Egypt’s Minister of Health Hala Zayed held a press conference where she shared very important statistics and people just ignored despite their importance in the current COVID-19. 

Those statistics show the most vulnerable age segments to this virus as well as the most vulnerable patients.

These are the official numbers based on the people are currently in the quarantine hospitals and facilities.

Till date, Egypt recorded 50,437 coronavirus patients including 13,528 fully recovered patients and 1,938 fatalities.

The Egyptian officials realize and admit that the number of coronavirus patients can be more than what it is declared officially

Now according to the official numbers released by the Health Ministry,  know now that 60% of the coronavirus deaths happened in the above 60 years old age group since the outbreak in mid-February till the mid-June according to the official numbers.

Coronavirus on the Nile : Live update of COVID-19’s 18th week in Egypt and Mideast

It is the start of the 18th week since the outbreak of coronavirus in Egypt in mid-February and honestly I would not have known because I lost counting if it were not for Al-Mal daily economic newspaper.

There is an increase in the daily number of coronavirus patients with more and more people’s circles including mine reporting that they have been infected.

We do not know if we are in the peak or that we have not reached the peak yet as we got different contradicting statements from officials.

In the past week, we know that the peak is we have 2000 patients per day. We have not reached this so far officially.

A mother and a son wearing face masks
in Alexandria by Mina Moufeed

Needless to say, it is not a secret some people do not report their condition and get recorded officially.

On the other hand, face masks are the norm now in Egypt thanks to the fines 

The doctors and nurses are losing their colleagues in a scary rate. Everyday the Egyptian medical syndicate ; the biggest and official union for doctors in the country mourn not less than 4 doctors including old renowned professors.

There is ongoing debate currently about plasma treatment for critical cases in the country too especially and sadly enough people began to report black market and illegal trade.

Anyhow here is the live update for all things coronavirus in the 18th week for the pandemic in Egypt and the Arab region. Please stay safe and stay home as much as you can.

Coronavirus on the Nile : Live update for all things COVID-19 in Egypt and Arab Region

Another week under the Coronavirus pandemic. I lost counting already. By I know very well that we are in June and according to the recent statements of the Egyptian officials, we have not got to the Coronavirus curve’s peak as the peak will be something of 2500 patients recorded per day !!

Now, this is scary.

From Minya, Egyptian family wearing face masks 
By Mohamed Hakim 

What is scarier is that the government is continuing to open up the country which did not have a proper lockdown in the first place.

The government is speaking about the economy and personally, I believe the economy will be in a more critical condition if we hit by 2,500 cases of Coronavirus.

It is worth to mention that the Egyptian government is going to get a new $ 5.3 billion loan from the IMF.

Anyhow here is the Live Update of Egyptian Chronicles for this week. Please stay home and stay safe.

Coronavirus on the Nile : COVID-19 in three months in Egypt “Graphs”

I am not an expert in statistics but I know the power of numbers.

I gathered the numbers of Coronavirus in Egypt since its outbreak in February 2020 when a Chinese citizen tested positive for COVID-19.

Sensitizing the Great Pyramid of Giza
by Roger Anis

Needless to say, the real outbreak of the virus started in March with the infamous case of ASara Nile Cruise in Luxor, Upper Egypt.

In the same month, Some Egyptians who live and work in Italy returned back carrying the virus and many of those Egyptians lived in Nile Delta governorates.

They entered the country as it seems without proper medical testing.

The initial mass outbreak began in March and it grew in April but unfortunately, the real massive outbreak happened in May or rather the Holy Month of Ramadan when the government shortened the partial curfew imposed and people began to socialize as usual in the holy month.

From covering closely the cases and the official numbers day by day as they are released by the Egyptian Ministry of Health and WHO Egypt, I made this graph showing the COVID-19 daily cases and how it grows day by day since March.

I did not include the case of February but it is still counted. 

#Blackouttuesday : From Cairo

Least I can do from Cairo, Egypt to the African  American community during the time of the pandemic.