Chapter 268: Borg El Arab and Cairo

In the middle of the Fayum Desert, a place between New Borg El Arab and Cairo, a cluster of people is travelling difficultly across the sand along the Delta and Oasis trudging through the sand. 

It is like a land scape caught in the middle of the life and the death, with on one side the flourishing lives in the delta nourished by River Nile spread with agriculture and wild lives, while on the other side it is a flat piece of sand with occasional bumps filled with lifeless cactus, tumble weeds, sand stones, dead trees, dead grass, with the overly thriving sun on the top of their head sucking up all lives from the land, with the wind howling bringing dust in to people's eyes and mouth tearing through their skins, nothing can be heard, expect for the spitting of men and the howling of wind. 

"I told you… That I am far too old for this kind of trip!" Fahim continued to explain through out the three days journey. "Why did you even bring me in the first place? I thought that you are the teacher's best student that are capable to solving every single thing by that smart head of yours?" 

Abdullah trudged difficultly moving his two legs in the sand against the wind, replied no words to his old friend.

"And why did you rent so many camels with out riding them? Why did you bring so many jewels with you? You know how much trouble these fully loaded camels attracted for us… I am now sick of getting raided again and again by desert rogues."

"While I did not expect the law and order in Egyptus to deteriorate to such a state after I have left Alexandria." Abdullah sighed checking the compass in his hand again and again. "But you aren't injured by a scratch so stop complaining, my men fought on the front line to just protect you."

"Most importantly, why the hell did you come by travelling through a desert? There is already a pretty good road constructed by the previous Sultans for you in the Nile River Delta where we can appreciate the greeneries and farm lands, why do you want to suffer here with all the lizards and sand?"

"Relax, Master Fahim." A follower of Abdullah tried to comfort him. "There's a lot of sand over there. So there's a lot of sand they can play with."

"Hmph." The master tilted his head and refused to answer to this man's illogical words.

"Of course, we are coming over by sand." Abdullah took a peek and responded. "We are on a discrete diplomatic mission mind you, and we do not want any one to see and recognise us then spreading the news around 'oh, Rumelian envoys came to Cairo to seek Mamluk help', then spur some unrest and emotions among the locals pressurising the Sultan to abide by their will and refuse all proposals by us."

"Who can recognise you under this white hood and mask? Seriously?'

The two old pals argued all the way seeming to have an endless number of stamina and strength in the desert with occasional passing by merchants and caravans looking at them like they are a bunch of fools, because talking itself is strongly discouraged in a desert as it would dry their mouth making them feel like they need more water in a short time. In the desert, water is more precious than gold, this is a law summarised by tens of thousands of people in the past who lost their lives in the land beneath them.

After a long journey, the group of people finally trudged their way to the end of Western Fayum desert and there they saw a pond of water, sparkling clean, and with it the small border town of El Salam. From this point now Abdullah and his men knew that they are not far away from their destination, Cairo. The men yelled and cheered as they stripped off all of their cloth and leapt in to the pond of sparkling clean water to have a jolly good bathe and a mouthful of drink until their stomach can no longer hold it. Abdullah too, joined in his men laughing and leapt in to the pond howling when he realised that this water is surprisingly cold. Master Fahim on the other hand, hesitated for a while but still dipped his foot inside and refilled his water flask.

Abdullah looked at the direction of Cairo, he can almost vaguely see the imaginary Minaret tower in the Mosque of al Hakim in a distance, the sun is still deadly hanging right above them forming a strong contrast with the crisping water body they are in now and the fields after fields of palm trees in a distance. It seems like the physical hardship of their journey has ended, but their verbal and mental hardship is coming very soon.

…

The group of men entered the city of Cairo, which to them is like a totally different world than Alexandria where it still has a building flavour of Greek remnants. Here in Cairo, it is a totally different thing that depicts more of an Arabic world, with almost all the buildings constructed in sand bricks and marble giving the entre city an exotic colour mixture of brown, red and yellow, with street musicians playing back ground music in every street and corners to the public with their traditional Sistrum, lyre and drum.

The city of Cairo is indeed designed and built in a bizarre way than any other city Abdullah and his followers have ever seen, the entire city is built in to three sections, one is the city of old Cairo built within the protection of a walled fortification that looks like has gone through thousand of years of history. One is the citadel of Cairo where it seats the Jawhara Palace that houses the Sultan, and the renowned Al-Nasir Muhammad Mosque that is mainly open to only the Sultan and other nobles of the Sultanate. The last and most important section is the portion of New Cairo that is considerably the most prosperous part of the city with merchandise, scholars, artists and priests coming in and out every day, and most surprisingly, the most important and wealthy part of the city is not protected by not a meter of walled defence.

Perhaps the Sultan who planned the first lay out of this portion of the city was exceptionally confident that no enemies shall have the ability to reach his capital Cairo and lay siege at it. One standing before Cairo nowadays simply cannot imagine what is it that gave the Sultan that amount of confidence like this in such a dangerous world, is it that invincible army of his? Or perhaps it is the fame and power of the Sultan that caused trepidation and anxiety to his foes making no one dare to touch his capital? Or is he a brilliant diplomat that managed to keep good relations with all his neighbours? Abdullah thinks that for a Sultan to make this decision he got to have all the three factors.

The group of people ventured in to the city unchecked, as they look totally like just another bunch of local Egyptian merchants with their leader (Fahim) carrying a strong Alexandria Arabic accent. Abdullah paid the guard and tax collector a half more than the required amount of taxes, making them go free instantly. They then travelled through the streets and corridors under the guidance of Fahim, and finally, arrived at the door steps of the Cairo Citadel.

"Halt!" Suddenly a few Mamluk guards rushed forward pulling Abdullah and his followers down the camels making them fall on to the dusty ground. "Do you not know the rules? Every one, even the Padishah of the Mongols, must walk by foot pulling the kneel of their horses and lower their head when passing through the residence of our respected Sultan!"

Abdullah got up spitting the sand and dust off from his mouth, and instead of getting furious on these guards, he squeezed a bright smile on his wrinkled face taking some thing out from his pouch putting it on to the hand palm of the two guards and replied in an appeasing tone. "I am sorry, I am deeply sorry sir, you see, we are foreigners who did not understand the local rules set by the respected Sultan… May you please pardon us for this time, here is a little bit of gift of appreciation to you telling me this rule… Please, embrace my gift sirs."

The two guards felt the weight and peeked at the coins the merchant put in to their hands and took a gasp of cold air; it is a handful of silver Dinar coins that are more than a total year of their salaries. Satisfied they dumped the coins in to their pouch under broad day light watched by other guards and civilians, then raised their head and ordered to Abdullah. "Good, remember this law next time, so you will not trouble me to come and punish you again!"

"Yes, good sir, thank you, thank you." Abdullah continued grinning happily bowing continuously to the two guards until they left.