Aromas of the desert: an unexpected encounter in Cairo

A journey that began with finding an Uber to the pyramids and ended with the discovery of an ancient tradition.

It smells of shisha, diesel and spices. Cairo’s millenary history coexists with the frenetic pace of traffic and the aromas of the souks. Contrasts and testimonies of tradition and modernity create a unique balance in a city inhabited by more than 20 million people with infinite stories to discover. Our story began one February morning when fate decided to throw a wrench in our plans for a romantic getaway to this bustling city.

Uber did not connect us with any drivers. We were at the entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum and, after visiting it, our goal was to hire a driver for three hours to enter the Giza Plateau, toast our trip at 9 Pyramids Lounge – an iconic restaurant with privileged views of the pyramids – and enjoy the afternoon strolling freely around the archaeological site.

On the wide paved esplanade that serves as the entrance to the museum, the sun was already peeking over the pharaonic glass and alabaster walls of the building’s main façade. There were only a few parked cars and a few young people calling our attention with cries of “Taxi, cab, cab!”.

This is our third time in Cairo and we already know that insistence is part of the Egyptian character. They are considerate but, when it comes to dealing with the thousands of tourists who tour Giza every day, they become quite persistent. I recognize that they have reason: in a country that lives almost entirely on tourism, which has been absolutely in the hands of a few and is now opening up to new possibilities.

My first time in Cairo was on a cruise ship where every movement was regulated and guided. We are talking about 20 years ago, when almost no one had data phones or apps to travel, book restaurants or buy tickets at historical sites.

Travel to Egypt has changed dramatically in twenty years. My first trip was totally dependent on a travel agency, with no connectivity or electronic payments. The few ATMs available dropped piles of hard-to-save Egyptian pounds.

My second trip was all digital: online booking, online visa and a local SIM card. Transportation apps like Uber allowed me to move freely around Cairo and plan an excursion to Alexandria.

That second trip to Egypt was 2 years ago now and included a guided visit to Saqqara, the Valley of the Kings, Dendera and Abydos. Here the experience, which I thought was good at the time, was less satisfactory than my current trip, organized independently entirely.

Mito, the unexpected guide

At the entrance to the GEM, a young man approaches. We tell him, “La, la, la, shukran,” but he persists. -Where are you from?” he asks in English. When we reply that we are Spanish, he switches to Spanish.

– Where are you going?

– To 9 Pyramids-, we replied.

– I’ll drive you,” he assures.

Even though we show him that we are trying to order an Uber for three hours, he insists:

-My partner speaks better,” he exclaims as he gestures to the other boy, who is already flying towards us.

Before we could respond, the young man with the deep green eyes, light blue t-shirt and nice beach shoes was already with us. In proper English, he tells us that Uber could not enter the premises. I insist that I had done so years ago. It’s no use. We look at each other, wondering if it would be appropriate, risky, if he was going to cheat us… as we ask:

-How much?

– 40 euros,” he says decisively. We were following him, crossing the chaotic traffic on the new highway from Cairo to the GEM.

-Hello, my name is Mito,” he says as we sit in the car, full of desert dust like everything else in Cairo.

The deal was done: Mito would come with us to 9 Pyramids Lounge, the restaurant with panoramic terrace that from 2020 offers the best of all views of the pyramids of Giza, to then walk between them and the sphinx at our leisure and finish the tour at our hotel in Zamalek. 3 hours for 40 euros. We didn’t even intend to haggle.

On the way to the Giza Plateau ticket office, Mito made us stop, of course, at an important neighborhood store.

– The best perfume is sold here, it is unique, the best in Egypt,” he says.

We politely tell him that we don’t want to buy anything and that we have already been to the country on two other occasions. He insists on the recommendation.

– No thanks, we just want to make the most of our time.

– Okay, if you change your mind at the end of the tour, we can come this way.

No wonder every Egyptian has a store to recommend to a tourist. It is a country of merchants and selling is part of their culture. If you don’t keep this in mind, you will spend the whole trip in a bad mood, because for them any time is a good time to buy and sell. Adapt yourself to their rules and learn that you will have to bargain even for a few cents if you want to better understand the Egyptian, Arab culture in general. And if not, don’t even go near their traditional markets.

The reality set

Despite knowing how to purchase tickets at the Pyramids’ ticket office, Mito accompanies me and buys his ticket. As an Egyptian, the price is cheaper than for foreigners. My driver of two years ago had not even bothered with this. I think it is a nice gesture on his part.

Mito is 30 years old and lives in the Giza district. He likes new age music and plays it for us in the car on the way to 9 Pyramids. The silhouette of the millenary monuments is the protagonist. It is February and there are not many people. The high season is ending and the weather is still cool. Arriving at the restaurant control, the guard does not understand that we just want to have a few beers. Thanks to Mito we manage to get in. He helps us with the waiters by requesting a table with a good view, although I think we could have managed on our own. We order two Sakkaras and he sits down with us, even though we hadn’t invited him. Still, it was a nice chat about young people in this chaotic city, the opportunities they have and how social media is also wreaking havoc over there. The wind, the gentle winter sun and its reflection on the yellow limestone of the pyramids are the best scenery, but the moment gives us more than that: it forces us to compare cultures and put aside the postcard in the background.

– I would very much like to be friends with your daughter,” Mito tells me.

We finish the beer and follow the road by car to the panoramic point that everyone recommends inside the enclosure, even though we just wanted to walk among pyramids. Mito is determined to make us get to the point where the best pictures are taken. We cross the camp among camels and Bedouins (or so I imagine): the first ones, relaxed, chewing green alfalfa lying on the blackish sand; the second ones, chatting and drinking tea, sitting on the ground or helping some tourist to ride the suffering animals. It really is a good photo in the best place, but we look at each other feeling less and less able to decide where we want to go.

Now we return to the car waiting to get off again between the two great pyramids to go around them and walk to the smaller one, a unique experience that I had already lived two years ago, wrapped between a light sandstorm and almost in complete solitude.

None of this happened. Mito and his new age music followed the path, this time crowded, to the Sphinx. Once there, we walk the perimeter quickly: there are too many people and the experience does not seem good to us. Another vendor who gives away his “Hello, hello, Pepsicola!” as soon as he detects that we are Spanish. Again we answer “la, la, shukran” and move on, tired and eager to go back to the hotel. Egypt is for the brave and in love with the ancient.

Back in the car with Mito, we drove silently out of Giza and, within a few meters, we began to suspect that we were not on our way to the hotel. Only a few minutes earlier we had literally insisted again that he take us there. It turns out that it doesn’t matter what says or does: your fate is in his hands and inside the car there is no escape, unless you make enemies forever with your driver and jump out of the moving car.

The oasis of aromas

A few minutes later, with frustration boiling inside us, Mito gently stopped the car in front of a familiar facade…. It was the Oasis perfume store. We looked at each other incredulously, feeling a mixture of helplessness and resignation. The idea of confronting our driver in the middle of nowhere didn’t seem sensible, especially when we had to rely on him to get us to the shelter of our hotel. Containing our irritation, we let ourselves be guided inside, where at least the scent of hibiscus and the promise of fresh tea offered solace as we hoped this unwanted stop would be as brief as possible.

Sitting in a small room with walls lined with dark, old wooden shelves, hundreds of jars glow in different shades ranging from lemon yellow to woody brown. It smells of incense and on a small table, a young woman serves us tea. I take a deep breath and the calm makes me travel to ancient times. I ask the young woman if the jars are arranged in any order. – They are lined up by olfactory families, from the most floral to the most spicy and woody, each with its history and significance in Egyptian culture, she assures me.

With perfect Spanish, the owner now explains the process to obtain the essential oils by macerating them in pots under the ground. He tells us that essences like jasmine or lily are the most valued by perfumers from all over the world who travel to Egypt to get them thousands of years after the Egyptians started using them to create the first pharaonic perfumes. Listening to it, I realize that I really know absolutely nothing about the history of perfume, despite being a consumer of some well-known brands around the world. I was still angry about the situation, even though the hibiscus tea was delicious and the aroma and taste were softening my impatience.

History of perfume in ancient Egypt

The ancient Egyptians were pioneers in the art of perfumery, developing sophisticated techniques for extracting and blending essences more than 4,000 years ago. The priests were the main creators of perfumes, considering them a sacred link with the gods. They used methods such as maceration and distillation to extract essential oils from flowers such as lily, jasmine and rose, as well as aromatic resins such as myrrh and frankincense. This knowledge was passed down through generations and laid the foundations of modern perfumery.

Discovering perfume

It was time to test and choose the best perfume and then…, the scent floated in the air and the magic happened. A drop on my wrist surrendered me forever. My ignorance was so great that I did not know that these precious liquids, obtained with so much wisdom from millenary plants, were mixed with the best oils. Just one drop is enough to envelop you in the most inspiring aroma you have ever felt . There I learned that what makes them different is also the quality of the oil that contains them and makes them last for years.

Finally, fate and Mito had wanted this discovery to be a unique moment in our unplanned trip to Cairo.

What followed was to pick up and pay for a beautiful red velvet-lined box, in which 4 jars would accompany us for the rest of our journey, along with two delicate hand-cut crystal dispensers, back home.

And so, every day, a drop of “Desert Spirit” reminds me of my last trip to Egypt. Each drop is the key that has served to continue learning about the tradition of the world’s oldest perfume. A gift that has added another layer of indelible memory, which has led me to search for more stories about essential oils and perfumes that, for millennia, have evoked feelings, emotions and well-being. I thank Mito for his insistence, despite our anger. Truly, the trip to the Oasis perfume store was to enter an oasis of scents in bustling and captivating Cairo.