The mighty pyramids of stone
That wedge-like cleave the desert airs,
When nearer seen, and better known,
Are but gigantic flights of stairs.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from The Ladder of St. Augustine
The past few days have been so full and so wonderful it is hard to pick out the high points to cover here. Our six days of off the ship, then on again every other night to toss some fresh clothes in the suitcase, then off again, are at an end, and we have three days at sea ahead of us. I’m not ordinarily a fan of sea days, but in this instance I can certainly use the “vacation” from my trip.
But I get ahead of myself. Going back to where I left off, we made our way to Cairo and checked into the Four Seasons just before sunset. Not a shabby hotel by any means. The Nile-view room was something really special. And the sight of the sun setting over the Nile was not to be forgotten. We then headed off to the Egyptian Museum. They had a private opening for us, so the 100 or so of us who went on this excursion were the only people there other than the staff. What a great way to see a museum.
Egyptian Museum
The museum is filled with sarcophagi and other treasures found in the tombs, pyramids and other sites around Egypt. One of the major exhibits is in the Tutankhamun Galleries. As is generally known, King Tut was a minor pharaoh who reigned only for 10 years (1336-1327 BC) and died at age 18. The reason he is so famous is that his was the only tomb to survive intact to modern times, until it was discovered in 1922 by the famed egyptologist Howard Carter. Said Carter of King Tut, “The only remarkable thing about his life was that he died and was buried.” Oh, but what was buried with him!
Some 1,700 objects from the tomb are in the museum, including numerous treasures and jewels (and alabaster jars containing his internal organs). Imagine what riches must have been in the tombs of the more significant pharaohs, like Ramses II. Unfortunately for us, tomb robbers over the years emptied those tombs of their treasures long ago. But the treasures of King Tut give us some small inkling of what might have been there. I missed the touring exhibit of the treasures in the U.S. some 20 years ago, so am thrilled that I got to see them here.
The other high point was the Mummies Room. The mummies of pharaohs minor and major were quite the sight. I don’t think they ever intended for the world to see them as they are now, partially unwrapped and desiccated, but it nevertheless is an extraordinary thing to behold. Their golden death masks, some of which were also in the museum, more likely convey the image they were going for.
Cairo
The next morning we were in for a visual treat to start our day: across the Nile, between the skyscrapers, what did we see but the pyramids! I must have spent a good half hour just sitting and staring at them, and watching the feluccas (sailboats) get ready to start their day.
We then headed off to old Cairo. Probably the closest thing I’ve ever seen was in the old section of Shanghai. Shopkeepers sitting in front of their shops, offering their wares, with many shops offering related items in sequence one after another. Lush looking fruits and vegetables were sold on almost every block. On one block, there was a coffee shop under what looked to be an apartment building. We watched as women in the building used ropes to lower baskets. Men would come by and put clothing in them, then the women would raise the baskets again. Interesting way to take in laundry (which was hanging from balconies all over the building to dry).
We then visited the worship sites of three religions: the Hanging Church (Coptic Christian), Ben Ezra Synagogue right next door, and the Mohammed Ali mosque. The contrast between the ornate icons that filled the church, the simple designs of the synagogue, and the ornate designs (but no representations of people or animals) of the mosque was striking. Then we were off to:
The Pyramids
The only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to survive, the pyramids started to appear around 2700 BC. Napoleon calculated that the Great Pyramid has enough stone to build a 3-foot high fence around all of France. Imagine, this pyramid was already ancient at the time of Christ’s birth, and was further in time from that event than we are today.
There were at some point a total of 12 pyramids at this particular site, many of them having little junior satellite pyramids for the children of the kings entombed in the larger pyramids. The ruins of some of the pyramids now gone are visible.
Also at this site is the infamous Sphinx. The sphinx was carved around 2550 BC from a single outcrop of bedrock. Made during Chephren’s reign, it is said to represent him. Tuthmose IV rescued the sphinx from the sand around 1390 BC, and it was again excavated in the 19th century by the Italian archaeologist Caviglia. It is 72 feet high, 164 feet long, and faces east to greet the rising sun. Which means that, in the afternoon when we were there, the sun was behind it. I think that any time you see it, it’s a spectacular sight.
We did have a bit of a to-do while trying to get into a tomb near the sphinx. Some men started fighting, and several people said they saw a gun. The tourist police cleared the area, and so we never got into that tomb. Not to mind, though. As I’ll discuss later, we saw plenty of tombs in Luxor.
A word about security in Egypt: we were required to have with us an armed guard. Ibraham, our guard, hardly seemed threatening—he’s a very sweet young man who is the proud father of a month-old son. But I’m glad he has decent employment--apparently that is increasingly hard to come by for young men in Egypt. In addition, we were required to move about in a bus convoy with a couple of trucks full of tourist police as escorts. Ostensibly, it’s to reassure tourists of the safety of Egypt, given that tourism is its 4th largest industry and growing. I suspect it’s also to offer gainful employment to young men. If it works, more power to them.
That evening, we returned to the pyramids for a sound and light show. The show itself was pretty hokey, but it was great to sit for an hour and gaze on the dimly lit pyramids and sphinx under a nearly full moon.
We then hauled back on a late bus for what was supposed to be an 11:00 pm rendezvous with the ship in Suez. We were late getting there, but the ship was even later. It had to drop anchor rather than dock, and anchored a good distance out at that. Then one of the tenders broke down. In the end we didn’t get back on the ship until 2:00 am (really 3:00 am, as we were changing time zones overnight and the ship was already ahead). But I have to hand it to the ship’s captain: he was right there to greet the tender, and was the first hand in the bucket brigade that pulled the luggage off the tender and up the gangway.
Because of the delay in Suez, we were late getting into Aqaba, our jumping-off port for Petra and Wadi Rum, so got to sleep late that next morning. Which was much needed for a long, exhausting and exhilerating day in Jordan.
My next entry will cover Petra and Wadi Rum.
That wedge-like cleave the desert airs,
When nearer seen, and better known,
Are but gigantic flights of stairs.
-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, from The Ladder of St. Augustine
The past few days have been so full and so wonderful it is hard to pick out the high points to cover here. Our six days of off the ship, then on again every other night to toss some fresh clothes in the suitcase, then off again, are at an end, and we have three days at sea ahead of us. I’m not ordinarily a fan of sea days, but in this instance I can certainly use the “vacation” from my trip.
But I get ahead of myself. Going back to where I left off, we made our way to Cairo and checked into the Four Seasons just before sunset. Not a shabby hotel by any means. The Nile-view room was something really special. And the sight of the sun setting over the Nile was not to be forgotten. We then headed off to the Egyptian Museum. They had a private opening for us, so the 100 or so of us who went on this excursion were the only people there other than the staff. What a great way to see a museum.
Egyptian Museum
The museum is filled with sarcophagi and other treasures found in the tombs, pyramids and other sites around Egypt. One of the major exhibits is in the Tutankhamun Galleries. As is generally known, King Tut was a minor pharaoh who reigned only for 10 years (1336-1327 BC) and died at age 18. The reason he is so famous is that his was the only tomb to survive intact to modern times, until it was discovered in 1922 by the famed egyptologist Howard Carter. Said Carter of King Tut, “The only remarkable thing about his life was that he died and was buried.” Oh, but what was buried with him!
Some 1,700 objects from the tomb are in the museum, including numerous treasures and jewels (and alabaster jars containing his internal organs). Imagine what riches must have been in the tombs of the more significant pharaohs, like Ramses II. Unfortunately for us, tomb robbers over the years emptied those tombs of their treasures long ago. But the treasures of King Tut give us some small inkling of what might have been there. I missed the touring exhibit of the treasures in the U.S. some 20 years ago, so am thrilled that I got to see them here.
The other high point was the Mummies Room. The mummies of pharaohs minor and major were quite the sight. I don’t think they ever intended for the world to see them as they are now, partially unwrapped and desiccated, but it nevertheless is an extraordinary thing to behold. Their golden death masks, some of which were also in the museum, more likely convey the image they were going for.
Cairo
The next morning we were in for a visual treat to start our day: across the Nile, between the skyscrapers, what did we see but the pyramids! I must have spent a good half hour just sitting and staring at them, and watching the feluccas (sailboats) get ready to start their day.
We then headed off to old Cairo. Probably the closest thing I’ve ever seen was in the old section of Shanghai. Shopkeepers sitting in front of their shops, offering their wares, with many shops offering related items in sequence one after another. Lush looking fruits and vegetables were sold on almost every block. On one block, there was a coffee shop under what looked to be an apartment building. We watched as women in the building used ropes to lower baskets. Men would come by and put clothing in them, then the women would raise the baskets again. Interesting way to take in laundry (which was hanging from balconies all over the building to dry).
We then visited the worship sites of three religions: the Hanging Church (Coptic Christian), Ben Ezra Synagogue right next door, and the Mohammed Ali mosque. The contrast between the ornate icons that filled the church, the simple designs of the synagogue, and the ornate designs (but no representations of people or animals) of the mosque was striking. Then we were off to:
The Pyramids
The only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World to survive, the pyramids started to appear around 2700 BC. Napoleon calculated that the Great Pyramid has enough stone to build a 3-foot high fence around all of France. Imagine, this pyramid was already ancient at the time of Christ’s birth, and was further in time from that event than we are today.
There were at some point a total of 12 pyramids at this particular site, many of them having little junior satellite pyramids for the children of the kings entombed in the larger pyramids. The ruins of some of the pyramids now gone are visible.
Also at this site is the infamous Sphinx. The sphinx was carved around 2550 BC from a single outcrop of bedrock. Made during Chephren’s reign, it is said to represent him. Tuthmose IV rescued the sphinx from the sand around 1390 BC, and it was again excavated in the 19th century by the Italian archaeologist Caviglia. It is 72 feet high, 164 feet long, and faces east to greet the rising sun. Which means that, in the afternoon when we were there, the sun was behind it. I think that any time you see it, it’s a spectacular sight.
We did have a bit of a to-do while trying to get into a tomb near the sphinx. Some men started fighting, and several people said they saw a gun. The tourist police cleared the area, and so we never got into that tomb. Not to mind, though. As I’ll discuss later, we saw plenty of tombs in Luxor.
A word about security in Egypt: we were required to have with us an armed guard. Ibraham, our guard, hardly seemed threatening—he’s a very sweet young man who is the proud father of a month-old son. But I’m glad he has decent employment--apparently that is increasingly hard to come by for young men in Egypt. In addition, we were required to move about in a bus convoy with a couple of trucks full of tourist police as escorts. Ostensibly, it’s to reassure tourists of the safety of Egypt, given that tourism is its 4th largest industry and growing. I suspect it’s also to offer gainful employment to young men. If it works, more power to them.
That evening, we returned to the pyramids for a sound and light show. The show itself was pretty hokey, but it was great to sit for an hour and gaze on the dimly lit pyramids and sphinx under a nearly full moon.
We then hauled back on a late bus for what was supposed to be an 11:00 pm rendezvous with the ship in Suez. We were late getting there, but the ship was even later. It had to drop anchor rather than dock, and anchored a good distance out at that. Then one of the tenders broke down. In the end we didn’t get back on the ship until 2:00 am (really 3:00 am, as we were changing time zones overnight and the ship was already ahead). But I have to hand it to the ship’s captain: he was right there to greet the tender, and was the first hand in the bucket brigade that pulled the luggage off the tender and up the gangway.
Because of the delay in Suez, we were late getting into Aqaba, our jumping-off port for Petra and Wadi Rum, so got to sleep late that next morning. Which was much needed for a long, exhausting and exhilerating day in Jordan.
My next entry will cover Petra and Wadi Rum.
3 comments:
You should write a book Aunt Crystal. You have such a wonderful way of describing the sights! I love reading your blog. A little morning sickness until I found out the baby doesn't like coffee, so 'I'm dyin over here'...
Crazy stuff! Did you know all this or are you getting it from your guides, guidebooks, literature at the sites, etc? You will have to write a book, as Katie says...
I like the comparison of the age of the pyramids - they've been around way longer before Christ than it's been since.
Thanks for the kind words. No, R, I did not know all this. But learning it is one of my many favorite parts of this trip. I've garnered it from guides, guidebooks, port talks and the like.
K, I was wondering about how the coffee was going to sit. So sorry--I know how much you love it.
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