The Pyramids

Pyramids of Giza
Originally uploaded by wapstar.

We caught a taxi early this morning to our first stop, the pyramids of Saqqara. We actually had a brief detour to pick up our International Student passes. For a small fee we became students this morning which gives us about 50% off most sites in Egypt. All we needed was our passport and a photo and within 5 minutes we had our cards. Ohh to be living the student life again, quick take me to the tavern.

Saqqara was a cemetery for more than 3500 years, where both pharaohs and their subjects were buried. We first went inside the Tomb of Mereruka and the Tomb of Akethotep. We were amazed to see how perfectly carved the hieroglyphs are, and how the most minute details can still be seen, thousands of years later. We were excited to see carvings of hippos in one of them. Next was the Pyramid of Teti, who ruled from 2345-2323 BC. Inside, the royal burial chamber was one of the first to have decorations and his huge basalt sarcophagus is still there.

Back in the taxi, we headed down the road to Dahshur to see the Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid. Halfway through constructing this one, the steep angle caused the walls to show signs of stress, so the builders reduced the angle from 53 degrees to 43 degrees and kept building. As a result, the sides of the pyramid bend slightly inwards. Building the pyramids was all trial and error I suppose. Having another go, they finally constructed the world's first and oldest true pyramid, the Red Pyramid. Supposedly the limestone gives off a red hue, but we didn't really see it. Using the Step Pyramid and Bent Pyramid as examples, the builders started this one at a 43 degree angle, and the results were a huge, beautiful pyramid. We ventured inside this pyramid, testing our claustrophobia. Down, down, down into the depths of the earth. Not much was inside, but it was the sheer experience of entering such an ancient place that was exciting. Later that day we felt a bit sore in the back and legs from climbing in and out, hunched over like Quasimodo. (or maybe Nige was just showing his 31 years of age)

Next stop was Zoser's Step Pyramid, built in 2650 BC. It is the world's earliest stone monument, and was the first tomb to be built with hewn stone (rather than with perishable materials like mud bricks). Six separate stages marked the construction of the pyramid, allowing the builders to slowly master the art of building a pyramid. As a result, it rises in a series of six steps, reacing 60 metres high. Outside the pyramid is a statue of Zoser himself, housed in a little stone structure. There are two drilled holes through which you can peek, getting you face to face with the ancient king. It was a bit creepy.

Next it was on to Memphis, the first capital of ancient Egypt. Egypt's first pharaoh, Narmer (aka Memes) ruled beginning in 3100 BC and was responsible for uniting Upper and Lower Egypt. Not much is left of this important city, but we went to a museum where there is a huge statue of Ramses II. While we were walking around the outdoor museum, a group of young Egyptian girls approached us and indicated (no English spoken) that they'd like to have a photo with us. As we all gathered in a group pose, a man nearby started yelling. He was working at the museum, and noticed the girls standing with us. One of the girls spoke back to them, and eventually they said "Sorry" in broken English and walked away, without the photo being taken. I think that the man was yelling at them because they weren't supposed to be in a photo with us. Maybe because I am a woman, and I was wearing shorts and did not have my head covered? Who knows. But it was kind of sad. The girls were all dressed in trendy clothes, the only difference being that they had jeans on (despite the 40C+ heat) and they had their heads covered.

Our final stop for the day was at the infamous Pyramids of Giza, the last survivors of the ancient Seven Wonders of the World and the oldest 'tourist attraction' in the world. Our taxi driver dropped us off near the gate, and we immediately headed to find something to eat. There are no ATMs around Giza, and we didn't have much money, so we looked for something quick and cheap. Oddly enough, we ended up at KFC. We had a gorgeous view of the Sphinx and Pyramids while eating our chicken sandwiches and fries. We spent the remainder of the afternoon walking around the 3 pyramids and the Sphinx. The 3 pyramids were built by a father (Khufu 2589-2566 BC), son (Khafre 2558-2532 BC), and grandson (Menkaure 2532-2503 BC). They were already more than 2500 years old at the time of the birth of Jesus. It is so amazing to walk around something so ancient, yet so perfect still. The only thing that detracts from the site is the fact that the huge, polluted city of Cairo extends right up to the pyramids and is not a very romantic backdrop. It's a bit disappointing.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the largest in Egypt at 146 metres high, followed by the Pyramid of Khafre at 136 metres (although this one looks larger as it is built on higher ground) and the Pyramid of Menkaure at 62 metres. They are absolutely massive. The individual blocks are about 5 times my size at the bottom, leading us to wonder how they were ever built. And the Sphinx looked just as we expected. There is a theory that there were two shinxes, which I think we believe having been here. We walked around and among the pyramids for a few hours, getting sore necks as we stared up at them and getting hassled for camel and horse rides. Despite the heat of the day (probably about 42C), we trekked a bit of a way out into the desert to get a view of all 3 pyramids simultaneously. While we were enjoying the view, it was prayer time for Muslims, and all of the mosques in Cairo called out to the people to pray. The songs of the prayer-callers (or muezzin) carried all the way out to where we stood, a very cool experience.

We were nearly the last to leave the pyramid complex as it closed for the day (except for re-opening at night for a 'sound and light' show for ticket holders). We headed straight for a cold shower after being dropped off at our hotel, then straight out to the pub. The only place we could find open was a dodgy hole in the wall dark place, but the beer was cold and rewarding. We headed back to our favourite Cairo diner, Felfela, for some more kushari and shwarma and then headed to bed, exhausted.