British Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall pose in front of the Sphinx on the outskirts of Cairo, Egypt, November 18, 2021. Joe Giddens / Pool via REUTERS
CAIRO – Britain’s Prince Charles on Thursday called for a joint effort to preserve the environment after visiting historic Cairo and the Pyramids of Giza on the first of a two-day trip to Egypt.
After arriving in the Egyptian capital from Jordan, Charles and his wife Camilla were received by President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi before traveling to Al Azhar, the millennial seat of learning Sunni Islam.
In comments at an evening reception at a restaurant overlooking the Pyramids, Charles, 73, said the ancient Egyptians understood the sacred geometry of nature and that knowledge was essential to both life and death.
“Like our older, smaller stone circles in England, the pyramids remind us of a connection to our planet that we have forgotten over time,†he said.
The heir to the British throne said that during the meetings with the Grand Imam of Al Azhar and some of his students and teachers, he was reminded of the many Quranic verses which speak of the importance of taking care of the planet.
“We should take such wisdom into account and rediscover the meaning of the sacred by learning to live within the limits of nature, rather than thinking that we can continue to ignore it,†he said.
Britain would be with Egypt, which is due to host the COP27 climate summit next year, in the “epic struggle to protect and restore our environment,” he said.
Charles said he also had the “special pleasure†of meeting one of Cairo’s last craftsmen with the knowledge to make traditional minbars or mosque pulpits.
The trip to the Middle East is the British Royal Family’s first overseas tour since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
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