Today is a big day. It will define the rest of our Year of Wonder. Over the last few days I have been e-mailing Midhat Mahir, our possible Sudanese fixer. Amazingly he is currently in Cairo and wants to meet tonight to discuss our ‘case’. I have no idea whether he will be able to get visas for us or quite how he will do this. One thing is for damn sure, though, Christi and I are not sending our passports to Khartoum (capital of Sudan). In the meantime with a day to kill, Christi and I decide to explore Coptic Cairo, which is located in the oldest part of the city. Indeed before the rise of Islam, christianity was the predominant religion in Egypt. We even take the local subway system to Mar Girgis station. And when we return to the sunlight we are suddenly surrounded by monasteries and churches. Apparently 9% of the population still identify themselves as Coptic Christians. Perhaps the two most impressive sites here are the Coptic museum and the Hanging Church.

We begin at Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox church (also known as the Hanging Church), which is one of the oldest churches in Egypt dating to at least the 6th century AD. It is also the most famous Coptic christian church in Cairo. The interior of the church in particular is very atmospheric, featuring some beautiful barrel-vaulted ceilings, paintings, wood paneling inlaid with ivory, and stained glass windows. The richly carved wood detail is sublime.

Before we visit the Coptic museum, we stumble across what must be the largest, glitziest souvenir shop in Cairo. This is a temple to the third main religion in Egypt: consumerism – or at the very least encouraging tourists to part with their cash in return for some quite seriously tacky souvenirs. Perhaps even more so than Morocco, Egypt’s economy is dependent on tourism and no souvenir is deemed too crass: from canopic jars to names written in hieroglyphs on papyrus and pyramid paper weights, the choices are endless and rather sad. And quite what I’m going to do with my canopic jars, papyrus hieroglyphs, and miniature Tutankhamun Death Mask is unclear. I didn’t even want them in the first place, but somehow I’m now their proud owner!

Next up is the Coptic museum of Cairo, dating to 1910. It houses the largest collection of Egyptian Christian artifacts in the world. The museum traces the history of Christianity in Egypt from its beginnings to the present day. The artefacts are just magnificent and the docents are quite happy to turn a blind eye and allow you to photograph away to your heart’s content as long as they receive a sizeable ‘backsheesh’. There are icons, stone carving, stained glass windows, frescos, textiles, manuscripts, carved wooden pieces, and instruments of war. The list is endless.

And now the time has come to meet with Midhat Mahir. He suggests the KFC off Tahrir Square. He’s 90 minutes late, but such is our desperation, Christi and I wait (but don’t nibble on any desiccated chicken mummies this time). He apologises profusely, but I get the sense he is completely ambivalent to our needs. He escorts down a few alleyways to a tea shop he knows and orders on our behalf. He explains his plan. Sudan is a very poor country. Nothing happens in government without speed money. The more money you are willing to pay the more quickly the task is completed. And while Americans are not actively encourage to visit Sudan, the lowly official in Khartoum who Midhat intends to bribe doesn’t care who gains access. And with official visas, immigration checks at the border will be a mere formality. The question is how does Midhat propose to get visas stamped in our passports without sending them to Khartoum. The answer is that we are not purchasing visas, but official permission to travel through the Sudan. With this paperwork, the visas will be issued without question at either the consulate in Aswan or at immigration control in Wadi Halfa. Guaranteed. Not quite what I was expecting and the bribe is extortionate in itself: US$320 in cash. Midhat does at least pay for the tea and the scans of our passports. And to be fair he also books our cabin on the Aswan – Wadi Halfa ferry. Midhat promises to e-mail our travel documents within a week. Midhat is also keen to organize a program for us while we are in Sudan. He is less than complimentary about the heat and transport woes in the country, including the fact that the train no longer runs between Wadi Halfa and Khartoum (that is disappointing). He has a Toyota Landcruiser with air-con and a driver (non-English speaking) that we could use. As usual with these private trips, the costs are high and the program, once agreed upon, is set in stone. We agree a tentative program, but refuse to hand over any more cash until we’re actually in Sudan. The future beckons, but not even the Coptic God in heaven knows exactly what that future will be.

Blog post by Roderick Phillips, author of Weary Heart – a gut-wrenching tale of love and test tubes. 

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