I believe that most everyone has long term life goals. Things that they wish they could experience sometime during their journey through this mortal coil. A drive deep down from one’s being that fills us with a desire to experience a certain place or event. For me that desire is to visit Egypt. Since I was a very young boy, the land of the Pharaohs seemed to call to me. I have always known that one day I would step foot on the sands of the Sahara and see with my own eyes the wonders of ancient Egypt.
For decades the goal eluded me. The trappings of everyday life coupled with a hesitation to embrace the unknown have kept me from fulfilling my dream for years. But then fate stepped in and showed me the way. I was fortunate enough to befriend a fellow named Simon Cox during one of my visits to England. As fate would have it, Simon was an Egyptologist who had been to Egypt more then 20 times. He offered to take me and show me the places I had only dreamed of for all those years. After months of planning, we set the trip for April 2009. My dream was to be realized at last!
I decided to include a small circle of friends in our adventure. Like minded souls that felt drawn to the sand. Besides, it is always more fun when your with friends.
Day One In Cairo
We all arrived last night on British Airways flight 15 from London. I had spent the flight having an animated conversation with a young lady from Copenhagen, Denmark. I was struck by the strange image of this fair haired and pale skinned young lady wearing all the traditional trappings of a Muslim woman. In the course of our conversations, she explained that she had converted to the Muslim religion a number of years ago. She had become fascinated with it at a young age and decided that it was for her a number of years ago. Since then she had also met and subsequently been engaged to marry an Egyptian man that was studying to be a doctor. This was her 19th voyage to Egypt. It was fascinating to here her take on life in Cairo.
We got to Cairo at around midnight. The step I took off the aircraft landing platform onto Egyptian soil was a moment I don’t think I will ever forget. I had finally made it. Thirty five years after that fateful day a bright eyed 7 year old opened the tattered library volume on Ancient Egypt and knew he had to see it or himself. I had finally addressed one of my longest and most dearly held dreams. The adventure was about to begin!
We were met at the airport by an agent of our man in Egypt, Ahmed. The agent’s name was Mohammed. A well dressed, handsome man that exuded an air of authority and confidence. He had already made all the arrangements for our visas and after a sort diversion to collect our bags we headed to passport control. With no questions or even cursory looks, our passports were stamped and we were well and truly on our way. We stepped out of the terminal and were met my Ahmed himself. Simon had told me so much about him so it was really a pleasure to finally meet him in the flesh. He had arranged for us to be transported to our hotel. So we all boarded the shuttle and were whisked off into the hot Cairo night.
I had been warned about the traffic in Cairo. But I mean I come from Los Angeles, a place I thought was master of all cities when it came to traffic. That myth was dispelled a few years back when I first visited New York. And then again redefined with my first visit to Rome. The sheer organized chaos I witnessed in Rome was child’s play when compared to the traffic in Cairo. There are no traffic lights. None. There are no lines on the road. Everyone drives just by using their horns to make other drivers aware of their presence. But for some reason it all seemed to work. It was interesting to watch the bus dart in and out of lanes, the driver tapping his horn with a regularity that quickly made one relegate the sound of horns to background noise. Soon we were approaching our destination in Giza. Even in the dead of night, the skyline offered a hint of the mammoth outline of the great pyramid through the misty pre-dawn light. My excitement was growing!
We were taken to our hotel, the Le Meridien Pyramids hotel in Giza. A beautiful hotel by any standards, but I was immediately struck by the demeanor of the personal. Everyone had a smile and a kind word as you walked by. We were already checked in and were escorted to our rooms. But, as we made our way through darkened halls, we were informed that there had been a power outage in the hotel that should be corrected within the hour. It made accessing our rooms problematic as no lighting was available in the rooms at all until the outage was corrected. We accepted an invitation from the hotel manager to enjoy a late night drink and light refreshments in the hotel bar while they worked on the problem. We sat in the semi darkness and enjoyed the good-natured banter and indulged in the making of plans for the following day. Soon the power was back and we all made our ways to bed to grab a few hours rest before embarking on our first day exploring the wonders on the Giza plateau.
I awoke to the early morning light only to be greeted by a sight that I will never forget. I looked out the panoramic window of my room whose view was dominated by the pyramids of the Giza plateau. It was positively breathtaking! I took a few moments to fully drink in the sight of the monuments that I longed for so long to behold with my own eyes.
With our first day, we headed to the Giza plateau to experience the pyramids there in earnest. But first our group met the officer that the bureau of Antiquities and Tourism had assigned to our group. He was a well dressed gentleman also name Ahmed. Tourism is one of the most important industries to Egypt and the government goes to great lengths to make sure that visitors are safe and happy during their time here. It was explained to me that the government assigns agents to larger groups to oversee their visit to Egypt. Within a few minutes of meeting him, I noticed that he was sporting a small machine gun under his jacket. It was strange to see something like this through western eyes, but it gave me a sense of security.
We reached the Giza Plateau fairly quickly, our bus driver Methat being well versed in the ins and outs of navigating the Cairo traffic. As we walked closer to the great pyramid, its stunning size became more and more evident. Simon explained that there were over 4.5 million stones used in the construction of the pyramid. And that since the pyramid is thought to have been constructed during the 30 years of King Kofu’s life, that meant that one of these stones was positioned every 2 minutes over the 30 years. Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. Considering the sheer weight of these blocks (most in the 30-40 ton range) coupled with the knowledge that the Egyptians didn’t have the wheel and the sheer magnitude of this accomplishment is awe inspiring.
We made our way to the entrance to the pyramid so we could journey inward. Only 150 people per day are allowed to enter the great pyramid, 75 in the morning and 75 at night. The interior ramp upward was quite an experience! Many sections were so small that the average person needed to go through in a crouched position. Then the ramp upward itself went up for more then 150 feet at a 34 degree angle! All of this made me marvel even more at this accomplishment when thinking that the constructors of this pyramid had to work in these conditions. We finally made it up to the king’s chamber. A beautiful but eerie room make of HUGE rock slabs. The rooms acoustics seemed to invite several of the more new age inclined visitors to hum and chant as they indulged in some sort of mystical experience. The western section of the room housed a stone sarcophagus. Simon pointed out that the sarcophagus itself was one inch to big to fit through the door to the chamber. This meant that the constructors built the room around the sarcophagus! I found myself gob smacked in state of wonder at the sheer magnitude and force of will that would have been required to bring this structure into being. And couple that with the knowledge that this place has stood for more then 7000 years and I couldn’t help but understand why this is one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
After experiencing the chamber for a spell, we made our way back out of the pyramid and back into the Egyptian sun. We explored the pits near the pyramid as Simon and Ahmed explained the theories about their purpose to us all. The total sense of history was almost overwhelming. I found myself often thinking “this is the exact place that Pharaohs walked”. We wandered around the other two pyramids on the Giza Plateau and then went to a museum that houses a wooden boat that was recently found buried in a stone underground chamber near the great pyramid. This huge boat was perfectly preserved even though it was thousands of years old.
Next up was the Sphinx! Probably the biggest statue in the world, this guardian of the plateau is an amazing sight all of its own. Ahmed and Simon had lively debates throughout our exploration of the grounds about what the Sphinx was originally supposed to be. Simon subscribed to Robert Temples theory that it was originally a huge statue of the funerary god, Inubus. Ahmed felt it was always the human faced lion, the only question in his mind was which Pharaoh was represented. It was fascinating to hear the discussion and the opposing points of view. The biggest realization or me was the idea that so much of ancient Egyptian culture is still a mystery to us. It really breathed new life into a science that I thought was more static then it really is.
Visiting the plateau also gave me a little more insight into the lives of the people of Egypt. One of the first things that stuck me was the number of young children that were running around the area hocking their trinkets and wears to the tourists visiting the site. I asked out guard Ahmed about the children and why they were not in school. He explained that in Egypt, a teacher makes the equivalent of about $50 US dollars a month in salary. These children work the tourists and on a good day can make $10 US dollars! Many times what most professions make doing their jobs. They support their families by hustling their wears here.
The other thing that was becoming more and more apparent was the almost universal friendliness we had experienced from the people of Egypt. Everyone had a smile on their face and a kind word and a happy wave of the hand. This extended to everyone – people driving by you on the street, the personnel working at the various establishments we entered. Everyone.
One is also struck by the incredible poverty that so many of Cairo’s residences must endure. It is estimated that more then 20 million people live in this city and most of them are living in a level of poverty that is difficult to understand using a western paradigm. Even looking down from the site of the great Sphinx, you can see houses that barely rate above rubble. Ahmed explained that the government only recently provided these places with running water. But somehow these people survive and prosper.
We then headed back to the hotel to freshen up. We had all been invited to Ahmed’s home for a special evening meal prepared by his family. They live in a lovely home in a suburb of Cairo that Ahmed’s family had only recently moved into. The house was stunning and new and Ahmed explained that he has done much of the work himself. Ahmed, his wife, Shahaynaz, and their three children were all the most congenial hosts imaginable. Also joining us for the meal was a friend of both Simon and Ahmed’s named Maissara Hussien. He recently achieved his PhD in Egyptology and he is one of the foremost world authorities on hieroglyphics. His insight into many areas of Egyptian study were absolutely fascinating. I found myself transfixed on every word he said. He is truly a gifted man!
The meal Shahaynaz had prepared was one of the best I have had in recent times! She had cooked many of the staples of the Egyptian diet. I have always enjoyed experiencing the culinary offerings of other cultures so this evening was a real treat for me.
After a wonderful evening at Ahmed’s we headed back to the hotel to relax after a long first day. Tomorrow we will be exploring the Bent and Red pyramids as well as the tombs at Sakkara.
- Ace Trump
