Hello Egypt

Egypt, an ancient country governed by many but ruled by few. A country indifferent to its history, yet proud of its heritage. A country stricken by poverty, yet notorious for its riches. A country loved by her people yet beguiled by her neighbours. A country cloaked in sand yet nourished by the mighty Nile. Egypt, a country burned within the soul of all who visit her.

Andrew and I first planned to visit Egypt in May 2020. However, by March of that year, the world was in the grip of COVID 19, and our trip was postponed. Little did I know our ‘planned’ trip would be delayed by more than more two and a half years.

Cairo: We arrived in Cairo after more than 24 hours of travel. However, after good night’s sleep and a hearty breakfast, we were eager to start our first day of sightseeing. We were off to see the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the ancient city of Sakkara and Memphis the capital of Ancient Egypt.

The Great Pyramid of Giza (the largest of all the Egyptian pyramids) is the tomb of the fourth dynasty pharaoh Khufu. The pyramid took (an estimated) 27 years to build and is believed to be about 4600 years old. The sight of this magnificent structure along with the smaller pyramids (pyramids are tombs) of Kahfre and Menkaure, was awe inspiring.  Even though I was excited to visit the Pyramids, I couldn’t wait to see the Sphinx. We hopped on the bus again and before long the Pyramid of Chephren came into view…and then there, right in front of me was one of the most iconic structures in all Egypt, the Great Sphinx of Giza. The Sphinx is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx (a mystical creature) with the head of a human and the body of a lion. It is 73 metres long and nineteen metres wide.

The Great Sphinx of Giza was everything I had imagined. A majestic sight. It truly is. 

After a short bus ride, we stopped at Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt. Memphis (also known as the City of the Dead) was built by King Menes - the king who in the third millennium BC unified upper and lower Egypt. In Saqqara, we walked around the pyramid of King Zoser. King Zosers’ pyramid was the first real pyramid to be built in ancient Egypt. It is also the oldest stone building in history.

We arrived back at our hotel well after 6.00pm. We were hungry, thirsty, tired, and (sandy) dirty. We slept like two logs and after an early breakfast climbed aboard our bus again. We were very excited, as we were off to spend the morning at the Egyptian Museum, the richest museum of Egyptian antiquities in the world.

The Egyptian Museum was opened in 1902 and houses the world’s most important collections of Ancient Egyptian Artifacts. Some of the exhibits date back more than four thousand years and include statues of Alabaster, stone and ivory, death masks of gold and wood, sandals, combs, jars that contained internal organs and ampules that were once filled with perfumed oils. However, the most famous exhibit of all is the ‘wonderful things’ that Archaeologist Howard Carter found on the 26th November 1922 – the treasures that adorned, or should I say littered, the tomb of the Boy King, Tutankhamun.

There were more than 5000 artifacts found in King Tutankhamun tomb. Many of them are housed in a high security, temperature, and light controlled room in the museum. Unfortunately, cameras were banned and lingering too long in front of a display actively discouraged. Even as a writer I struggle to find words to describe the magnificence of the treasures that fill the room – his gold mask is mesmerising and breathtakingly beautiful, his gold jewellery adorned with Lapis Lazuli exquisite, and the hundreds of little gold ornaments that were entwined in his mumification bandages skilfully crafted. The strong brush strokes on his painted wooden sarcophagi are still clearly visible and the alabaster carvings of the Gods he worshiped are hauntingly life like…and the list goes on and on and on.

Very few places leave a lasting impression on me, India’s the Taj Mahal is one, Cambodia’s Angkor Wat is another and now Egypt’s treasures of King Tutankhamun join my list.    

At the time of writing, many of King Tutankhamun ‘wonderful things’ are on still display in the Egyptian Museum; however, the whole exhibition will be relocated to (new) The Grand Egyptian Museum in the near future.

The next morning, we took to the air again and enjoyed a 50-minute flight south to Aswan.

We toured the High Aswan Dam, took a short motorboat ride to Philae Island and visited the Philae Temple, the temple dedicated to Isis, the Goddess of Love.

That afternoon we boarded the Blue Moon (our 5-star Nile cruiser) for our three-night Nile River cruise. After a scrumptious buffet lunch, we ventured up to the top deck, sipped a few cocktails and put our feet up. Later that afternoon we scrambled aboard a Felucca, a traditional Egyptian sailing boat. As a gentle breeze rippled the Nile, the crew hoisted the huge triangular sail. The captain eased his boat into the river current and pointed her bow towards Elephantine Island.  Our Felucca experience lasted about three hours. As the Nile current carried us down river, we passed villages, ancient stone ruins and small farming lots. Dhows and heavily laden river boats carrying sacks of goodness know what sailed past. We waved at children playing on the riverbanks and saw goats grazing and camels dozing at their tethers. As we tacked and turned for home, the crew spread a cloth over a table and offered all matter and means of artifacts and handmade jewellery for sale.

Later that night the Blue Moon quietly slipped her mooring. She picked up speed and headed towards our next stop Abu Simbel.

Abu Simbel is one of the most recognized sites in Egypt. The site, built in 1244BC, contains two temples. At the entrance of the larger temple sit four (21 meter tall) carved seated statues of Ramesses 11. The temple was constructed in such a way that on two days of the year, February 22nd and October 22nd, sunlight streams into the inner sanctuary and lights up three statues (one of which is Ramesses 11) seated on a bench. Egyptologists conclude these dates coincide with Ramesses’ birth and coronation. Historians believe the smaller temple was built for Ramesses’ bride Queen Nefertari. A façade of six (ten-meter high) statues guards the entrance, four of Ramesses and two of Nefertari. The façade also contains smaller statues of children and it’s interesting to note that the princesses’ statues are taller than the princes’ – a sign that this temple paid homage to the women of Ramesses’ household.

In 1960 construction began on the High Aswan Dam and Abu Simbel came under threat – the whole site would soon be flooded. An international campaign launched by UNESCO asked for submissions on how to save the 3300-year-old temples. After countless proposals a decision was made to dismantle the temples and relocate them on a platform 64 metres above and 180 metres west of the original site. The relocation took 5 years to complete, employed 3000 workers and cost an estimated 42 million pounds.

Andrew and I were awe struck at the magnificence of Abu Simbel - the gigantic statues of Ramesses, and his noble wife Nefertari, the towering columns that once supported the temple roofs, the hieroglyphics that fill the outer and inner temple walls. However, what impressed us most of all was the ingenuity of the Ancient Egyptians who strategically positioned the seated figures inside Ramesses temple to capture the sun’s rays. It is interesting to note that, the engineers on the new (relocated) site, positioned Ramesses temple in such a way that sun’s rays still fall on the seated figures in his temple. Just as it did in the 13 Century BCE.

Back on board our Nile cruiser, we enjoyed a leisurely lunch and watched as the banks of the Nile floated by. Our next stop Kom Ombo.

That afternoon we toured the Temples of the Gods Sobek and Haroeris. These Temples were dedicated to the crocodile God Sobek and the falcon-headed God Horus. We also visited the museum of the Mummified Crocodiles.

Later that night, the Blue Moon slipped anchor again and headed down stream to Edfu.

After an early breakfast we travelled by horse carriage to the extraordinary Temple of Horus – the home and cultural centre of the falcon-headed God Horus of Behdet. Horus, the God of the Sky and the Sun was the first Egyptian God worshipped by all of Egypt. He was known as the protector of all Egyptians, including the Pharaohs, and was worshiped for more than 5000 years. He was considered a very formidable and important deity. Along with Isis, Horus is one of my favourite Egyptian Gods. Later that afternoon we sailed through the famous loch at Edfu. We docked at Luxor and visited the Abu Hagag Mosque, the Luxor Temple and the biggest temple in the world, the Karnak Temple - the Temple many Pharaohs, (including King Tutankhamun’s) were coronated.

There is so much to see in Egypt that (at times) it was difficult absorb the wonder of it all. At times I felt like a fairground clown (remember the ones with the pivoting heads and gaping mouths you threw a ball into) as I tried to capture it all…

Our next day of sightseeing proved to be the biggest ‘mouth agape’ day of all. I awoke the next morning with a feeling of anticipation. Today we were to tour the Valley of the Kings. The final resting place of perhaps the most famous Pharoah of all, the Boy King, King Tutankhamun.

The Valley of the Kings contains the ancient burial grounds for many of Egypt’s Pharaohs. There are sixty-three tombs scattered throughout the valley, unfortunately most of the tombs were smashed open and plundered of their riches not long after Pharaohs, Queens or Nobles were laid to rest. Sadly, the treasured possessions that were to accompany these Ancient Egyptians to the afterlife are lost forever.  

However, (luckily) not so for King Tutankhamun. To evade potential tomb robbers, the Kings loyal subjects went to great lengths to protect the Boy Kings’ treasures. They dug passageways and filled each passageway with stone rubble and debris from the surrounding tombs. At the end of each corridor, they constructed a sturdy door and sealed the door with limestone and plaster. Their efforts ensured their Kings’ possessions stayed with him; his tomb remained undetected for more than 3000 years.  

By mid-1922 Howard Carter had spent more than ten years searching the Valley of the Kings for King Tutankhamun’s tomb. His financier Lord Carnarvon, dissatisfied by the lack of results, wanted to withdraw his financial support. However, upon discussion with Carter, Carnarvon agreed to fund one more season of work in the valley. On the 4th November 1922, a young Egyptian water boy found a stone cut into the bedrock. The stone was the top step of a buried stairwell. Carter instructed the stairwell to be cleared of dirt and rubble, at the bottom of the stairwell, he encountered a mud plastered doorway - the top of the door was stamped with royal cartouches (oval seals with hieroglyphic writing). Carter ordered the stairwell to be refilled, sent a telegram to Lord Carnarvon, and advised him to travel to Egypt immediately.

On the 23rd November Lord Carnarvon accompanied by his daughter Lady Evelyn Herbert arrived in Cairo. On the 24th November the buried stairway was cleared again of rubble, a cartouche identified as Tutankhamun’s adorned the top of the door. The door was removed, and the rubble filled corridor behind cleared. On the 26th November 1922, Howard Carter stood at the sealed door that led into the tomb of the King Tutankhamun, he knew then was on the brink of the most significant discovery of the century. In his book ‘‘The Tomb of King Tut- Ankh- Amen’ Howard Carter recalled that magical moment he breached the last and final sealed doorway.

With trembling hands I made a tiny breach in the upper left-hand corner. Darkness and blank space, as far as an iron testing-rod could reach, showed that whatever lay beyond was empty, and not filled like the passage we had just cleared. Candle tests were applied as a precaution against possible foul gases, and then, widening the hole a little, I inserted the candle and peered in, Lord Carnarvon, Lady Evelyn and Callender standing anxiously beside me to hear the verdict. At first I could see nothing, the hot air escaping from the chamber causing the candle flame to flicker, but presently, as my eyes grew accustomed to the light, details of the room within emerged slowly from the mist, strange animals, statues, and gold – everywhere the glint of gold.

Lord Carnarvon asked Carter if he could see anything of which Carter replied

‘Yes wonderful things’.

King Tutankhamun was born in 1341BC and died 1323BC. He was only 18 years old when he passed away and even today the cause of his death is a subject of great debate.

King Tutankhamun’s tomb is now empty of the treasures that once filled it from floor to ceiling; most are on display in the Grand Museum of Egypt, however, the most important treasure is still there. The mummified body of the Boy King lies exactly where his loyal subjects placed him more than 3000 years ago, in his burial chamber, awaiting his journey into the afterlife.

We spent the whole morning in the Valley of the Kings. We also visited the tombs of Ramesses V and V1, Seti1 and Queen Nefertari.

We were awe-struck, wonder-struck, fascinated, astonished…what else can I say, by the ancient burial grounds of Egypt’s Pharaohs.

On our last day of our Nile cruise, we visited the Dendera complex, walked through the Temple of Hathor and marvelled at the Great Temple of Abydos.  Later that afternoon we said goodbye to Blue Moon and checked into our hotel at Luxor. After breakfast the next day we boarded our flight back to Cairo.

The day before of flight home was listed as a ‘free day’, however our guide very kindly offered to accompany us on a visit to the local bazar. We enjoyed a lunch of Egyptian pancakes, walked around the bazar, and purchased a few souvenir items. That night we packed and in anticipation of our long flight home, went to bed early. Our visit to Egypt was drawing to a close.

We left this wonderful country captivated by her beauty, awe inspired by her treasures and enriched by her diverse culture.

One last thing…when you travel to Egypt take Egyptian Pounds as your preferred currency, especially small denominations. It costs seven Egyptian Pounds to wee in a public toilet – note no fee, no pee!!  Take toot paper too or be prepared to ‘drip-dry’. Be very aware of the hawkers, you will find them everywhere, at every single site historical or otherwise. It your choice whether you engage them or not. It’s important to dress modestly, don’t carry/wear anything flash ie jewellery, watch or designer hand bag.  And most of all be respectful (at all times) of the local people, their customs, their heritage, and their religious beliefs. Do not litter, deface or touch the walls of any temples, tombs or ancient monuments - hand cream, sanitiser and perspiration leave a lasting and destructive mark. It's important to remember that you are a guest in their country...     

 Til next time.