Egypt unveiled

(Getty Images) You don't need stars or Zagat ratings to spot many of Cairo's more atmospheric restaurants. Just look for an autographed photo of lesbian icon Gabrielle in "Xena: Warrior Princess." The actress Renee O'Connor, who played Gaby, is an Egyptology buff.

We followed her to Aki Zaman, a floating café-nightspot with flaming red décor aboard the Le Pacha 1901 River Boat at Saraya el-Gezirah Street on the Nile in Zamalek. (phone 735-6730). A bit hokey, but you can eat well and smoke a shisha until 2 a.m. Renee also bestowed her favors on Andrea Maryoutia (59-60 Maryoutia Canal, off Pyramids Road in Giza; open noon-midnight; phone 385-1133), an open-air haven with a walk-in bread oven and great rotisserie chicken.

People ask, Why should I go someplace where homosexuality is illegal? Well, the pyramids, the Nile, the unique culture . . . and perhaps because Egyptians have lived for millennia under centralized authority, they are very good at living the lives they choose under the radar.

Lots of gay and lesbian tours are headed to Egypt this year. Here's what's not to miss.

The Library of Alexandria (on the city's waterfront; phone: 203/483-9999; free admission) is an international project to rebuild the fabled library destroyed in antiquity. Worth seeing for LGBT visitors is a large permanent exhibit on the life and homoerotic work of the late director Shadi Abdel Salam, including sumptuous sketches for his unproduced work on the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten. Abdel Salam, who was found slain in 1986 amid intrigue befitting one of his movies, is a cultural hero in Egypt, even if, as often happens in this Muslim society, a veil is drawn over certain aspects of his life. Check out his "The Night of Counting the Years" (1969) and his art direction for Elizabeth Taylor's "Cleopatra."

(Greg Reeder) Nor does anyone seem fussed over The Tomb of the Two Brothers, Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep, Sakkara (20LE; about $4). Though it's the Antiquities Service's official line, the gatekeepers to this Old Kingdom site outside Cairo use the word "brothers" with a wink and a nudge: In life and through eternity, these Fifth Dynasty royal manicurists were as entwined as Jake's and Heath's shirts. Beautiful reliefs show the pair kissing, embracing and enjoying the afterlife together; over the lintel, their very names are joined in a loving rebus. The tomb entrance is well marked, a few yards south of the entry to the Step Pyramid complex in Sakkara.

The gay pharaoh?

Akhenaten disavowed the gods of Egypt in favor of a sole creator, the Aten, whom he worshiped in a new city he built at Tell el-Amarna, 150 miles south of Cairo. Akhenaten's beautiful wife, Nefertiti, is known to everyone, but he also had a young favorite, Smenkhkare, whom he called his "beloved" and elevated to the status of co-ruler. 

In 2004, Akhenaten's Royal Tomb (LE16) was opened to the public for the first time. Damaged but nonetheless stunning carvings show the iconoclastic king mourning a daughter and accepting the Aten's blessings for his people. If you've got the time, this detour -- best done in two days from Cairo or Luxor -- affords a scenic, romantic look at Egypt without the tourist hype and crowds.

Antinoopolis, the city Roman emperor Hadrian built near where his lover, Antinous, drowned, is just a few miles downriver from Amarna. There's not much to see -- later generations plundered the site for building materials -- but it's a sublimely romantic spot.

The gay and lesbian tours storming Egypt this year -- in fact, most Egypt tours -- focus on the big-ticket sights of Luxor, Aswan and Cairo. Quieter Middle Egypt, with its charming and intimate sights, is neglected. Partly this is for security -- the area was a hotbed of extremism in the 1990s and the Egyptian government is still making it pay. You'll need a police escort to visit the region, but it's easy to arrange: Extra officers are posted at checkpoints at each end of Middle Egypt, and one hops into your car, rifle and all, for the trip. He'll expect a tip.

If this seems overwhelming, consider hiring a private tour guide and driver through a reputable company. I used Museum Tours, as does the Archaeological Institute of America; also try gay-friendly Abercrombie and Kent. It costs less than you'd expect -- $100-$150 a day, including gas, the driver and the welter of baksheesh everyone expects, and saves you a world of hassle. 

In Cairo, I stayed in the Four Seasons at One Nile Plaza (1089 Corniche al-Nil, Garden City; phone 791-7000; there's a second Four Seasons near the Pyramids in Giza) which opened in 2004. Most rooms have Nile views, but you need to be above the 26th floor if you want a view of the Pyramids as well. Like most downtown hotels, it's a 10-15-minute walk from the Egyptian Museum. Of its several restaurants, (Lebanese) Zitouni is open 24/7. It offers Middle Eastern and Western-style buffets for breakfast, lunch and dinner and a la carte service. The lamb tagine (78LE) and couscous (18LE) is superior. Also a vast buffet of supersweet Middle Eastern desserts (45LE), best offset by a shot of Turkish coffee. Bella and Steaks serve terrific beef from Australia.

Wine/alcohol
Many package tours only include Egyptian tipple in the price, which for wine lovers is a problem. The best local wine by far is Chateau des Rêves cabernet sauvignon, made from grapes grown in Lebanon (LE45-90/bottle). Sakara and Stella Export are good Egyptian beers. Imported alcohol -- like all imported products -- is subject to high taxes and very expensive in Egypt.

Shopping/gifts
Tourists are besieged by vendors selling junk that often is made in China, with which Egypt does increasing trade. Caveat emptor and bargain hard.

That Egyptian divinity you see all over the reliefs with the raging hard-on is Min, god of fertility, whom the pharaohs worshipped to secure their thrones and, by extension, the prosperity of the country. A small statue of him, or any of his divine colleagues, should set you back no more than 20LE. 

Across a ferocious traffic circle from the Egyptian Museum, the American University in Cairo (113 Kasr el-Aini St.; phone 7975377) has a good English-language bookshop with travel guides, maps and all manner of books on ancient and modern Egypt. The walled campus is a green oasis with lots of friendly cats, but you'll run a security gauntlet and photography is banned. 

I found two haggle-free shops next door to each other in Cairo's upper-middle-class Dokki neighborhood. They're a 60LE round-trip cab ride from downtown hotels. Bashayer (58 Mosadek St., Dokki; telephone 336-1006; also in Sharm el-Sheikh's El Sharm Mall) stocks leather goods, jewelry, textiles, pillow covers, ceramics, works on paper and other items from throughout Egypt at very reasonable prices. You can buy Egyptian cotton by the yard for decorating or for ordering a galabiya, the traditional male costume still widely worn in Egypt. (Tourist shops carry versions of this time-honored wear, but locals have theirs made to measure by tailors.) Next door, Om el-Saad carries every permutation of the blue evil-eye charm, in sizes from Tik-Tak to salad plate.

Money
The somewhat unstable Egyptian pound officially trades at 5.7LE to the U.S. dollar, but Egyptians would much rather have what they call "green money" -- U.S. currency. It is widely accepted throughout Egypt at a small premium -- $1 valued at 5LE. Bring a sheaf of $1 bills for small purchases and tips.

Bring your own
Flashlight for sightseeing in tombs, temples and the dimly lit Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

Comments

[Perry Brown]

The Cairo American College (CAC) in Maadi, Egypt is homophobic and I think we should do something about it. They are putting on "A Chorus Line" but they have sanitized it - taking out any possible references to homosexuality. They were, I thought, an advanced school. Turns out they are in the middle ages when it comes to social issues. Is this what we want to teach our children, to be intolerant?