No sooner had Ambassador Abderahman Salaheldin and his wife, Dr. Thoraya Mohamed Elkhadrawy, stepped out of their limousine into the Sonoma sunshine than he proposed to Mayor Joanne Sanders and City Historian George McKale that he would like Sonoma to become a sister city to the ancient city of Aswan. [photo below] Sanders had expected a discussion of a sister city relationship, but the selection of Aswan, located in the lush Nile Valley, in the southernmost part of Egypt, was a lovely surprise. But what would two cities in such different parts of the world have in common?
Not wine. Rather, said Salaheldin, they have a famous drink made of hibiscus, which is of ancient origins. He happily offered a tasting, should the Mayor come to Egypt. One thing the two cities do have in common is tourism. Tourists, when they come to Egypt, he said, always go to two places, the Pyramids, and then for a cruise on the Nile. When they do, they always go from Aswan to Luxor, or the other way around. He said that the boats stop at the ancient tombs and temples in both cities, and he described some of the wealth of antiquities that make up an important part of Egyptian culture. “Hopefully one day, we can bring an Egyptian exhibit to Sonoma!” he said, with an expansive smile.
Another similarity is that both cities are located in areas where water is precious. Salaheldin talked about Egypt’s need for decreasing the waste of river water, improving methods of irrigation and making good use of the river valley, which makes up only five percent of the country. “So we would be looking forward to benefiting from your experience here,” he said. Educational exchange is of interest, too. “We would also love to establish relations with Sonoma State University,” he said. “I am encouraging students to go and learn overseas, especially in my country. We have study abroad programs in Egypt in many universities in English, and also to teach them Arabic, about our culture, about our history, about Islam, about Christians in Egypt. We would love to see more students, more Sonoma students, coming to Egypt to learn about our country. I think this is the best way, actually, to make the next generation much better than ours, more peaceful, more able to co-exist. It’s by learning about the common things that bind us together. That’s really the key to it.”
Sanders presented Salaheldin and his wife a gift of lavender products and some local olive oil and also, “because we’re very proud of our local food and wine,” some cheese made right around the corner–the mention of which made Salaheldin lift his eyebrows and smile. He then presented her with a book about Egypt, which she pronounced the perfect gift as she had been reading up on the culture. The party toured the Plaza and then met with members of the City Council and other distinguished guests, for a brief reception at the Swiss Hotel, and then on for lunch at the girl and the fig, as guests of Sherri Ferris, of Protocol Professionals, Inc., who arranged the visit.
Sonoma already has four sister cities: Chambolle-Musigny, France; Kaniv, Ukraine; Greve, Italy and Patzucaro, Mexico. As to what makes up a sister city relationship, it can be exchange students, pen pals, any number of things, Sanders said. “It’s what you make of it.”
