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December 27th Log |
Dec 27th Pics |
| Have I mentioned the Le Meridien
Pyramids is a nice hotel? Well, it is. I slept better last night
than I have in weeks. It's a wonderful place and you should stay
here if you come to Cairo. The staff are amazing. They are
extremely helpful, courteous, and polite. Wonderful, wonderful
hotel. And a great view!
I started my morning with breakfast in the lounge. I enjoyed
some fresh orange juice, smoke salmon, cereal and pastries. Very
nice. Finally, some decent food.
My guide and driver showed up at 9 AM and we headed towards
Saqqara and Memphis. Along the way, there is a large amount of
agriculture. We passed by many farmers with donkey-drawn
carriages on their way to the fields. All along the way, there
are many market stands selling all types for fresh produce.
Everything is very green. It's good to be in Egypt.
Drive to Saqqara |
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| Our first stop today is at Saqqara
and the Step Pyramid of Djoser. The Step Pyramids is the oldest
in Egypt, which seems like a good place to start my tour. At
each area we stopped today, there is a charge. For this one, it
was 35 LE, which is about $6. My guide asked me to tip the guard
1 pound, which is no big deal to me now after coming from India.
From Eyewitness Travel Guides Egypt
Saqqara is one of the richest archaeological sites in
Egypt. Its monuments span 3,000 years, for the earliest
ancient Egyptian funerary structures to Coptic monasteries.
Saqqara developed as the royal necropolis for the Old Kingdom
capital of Memphis, just to the west. As Memphis grew, so did
this city of the dead until it covered an area of 7 km
(4 miles), north to south. While Saqqara continued to be used
as a burial site for officials for a time, it was eventually
abandoned and, apart from Djoser's pyramid, lay buried under
sand for centuries. Then, in 1851, Auguste Mariette discovered
the Serapeum, since when regular finds have been made at
Saqqara.
The centerpiece of the Saqqara necropolis is the Step
Pyramid of Djoser, the prototype for the pyramids of Giza and
all other pyramids that followed. This remarkable structure
was built for 3rd-Dynasty King Djoser by his architect, the
high priest Imhotep, in the 27th century BC. It marks an
unprecedented leap forward in the history of world
architecture. Until then, Egyptian royal tombs had been
underground rooms covered with low, flat, mud-brick
mastabas. The great innovator Imhotep chose to use stone
rather than mudbrick, and to built not just one mastabas
but six, one on top of the other, with each additional
layer smaller than the one beneath it.
Step Pyramid |
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| In the same complex, when next
headed over to the Pyramid of Titi. One is able to go inside of
this one, a pretty unique experience. My travel book spells it
Teti, but the sign outside the pyramid says Titi, so I'm sure
that's correct. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to take
pictures inside. From Eyewitness Travel Guides Egypt
From the outside, the pyramid of Teti, first king of the
6th Dynasty, looks like nothing more than a mound of
rubble. However, it is worth visiting for its burial chamber,
which contains the king's well-preserved giant basalt
sarcophagus. The ceiling of the chamber is decorated with
stars, and the walls are inscribed with sections of Pyramid
Texts. Though found in several pyramids on the Saqqara site,
this is currently the only place where these ancient funerary
writings are accessible to the public.
Pyramid of Titi |
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| Well, of course, it's time for a
little shopping. My guide took me to a carpet making school.
Nice work, but I didn't need a carpet before I came to Egypt,
and I don't need one now. Carpet
Making School |
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| The drive over to the Memphis site
was quick. After learning about the site, I went inside a small
museum that had a huge statue of Ramses II. While I was taking
pictures, one of the locals insisted that I take a picture of
him with the statue. Two pounds, please kind sir.
From Eyewitness Travel Guide Egypt
The ancient city of Memphis was the capital of Egypt during
the old Kingdom and most of the Pharonic period. It is
thought it was founded in about 2100 BC by King Menes, the
ruler responsible for uniting Upper and Lower Egypt. Situated
at the head of the Nile Delta, this majestic city controlled
important overland and river routes. While Thebes (the site of
modern day Luxor) became the center of Egypt during the New
Kingdom, Memphis was still an important administrative and
commercial center until well into the Ptolemaic era. What
little has been discovered at Memphis is gathered together in
a small open-air museum in the village of Mit Rahnina. The
showpiece is a colossal limestone statue of Ramses II found in
Memphis and replicated in Midan Ramses. In the garden there
are more statues of Ramses II and an 18th-Dynasty sphinx, at
80 tons the largest calcite statue ever found.
Memphis |
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After visiting Memphis, it must be time for more
shopping. This time, a papyrus paper shop. They showed me how
the cut the papyrus, prepare it, and make paper out of it. Then
they do some very nice painting. They will even put your name on
it in Egyptian - and because it's the holidays, I'll get a
special discount. Finally, onto the Giza Plateau
and the Great Pyramid. It's amazing how huge it is. The pictures
I have seen don't really give you the scale. An amazing site -
definitely one of the worlds of the world. If you have the time,
you can go inside. Maybe when I came back. After spending some
time here, we went to the other two pyramids. I hope you enjoy
the pictures. I should enjoyed taking them. From
Eyewitness Travel Guides Egypt
The facts of Khufu's pyramid, commonly referred
to as the Great Pyramid, are staggering. It is estimated to
contain over two million blocks of stone weighing on average
around 2.5 tons, which some stones at the base weighing as much
as 15 tons. Until the 19th century it was the tallest building
in the world. Yet for such a vast structure the precision is
amazing - the greatest difference in length between the four
230-m (756 ft) sides is only 4 cm (2 inches). The construction
methods and exact purpose of some of the chambers and shafts are
unknown, but the fantastic architectural achievement is clear.
For preservation purposes, each of the pyramids is closed for a
spell on a rotating basis and the number of visitors allowed
inside is limited. Early morning is therefore the best time to
visit, before the heat and the crowds become unbearable.
The Giza Plateau: The Great Pyramid |
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Next, of course, is the Sphinx.
From Eyewitness Travel Guides Egypt
Standing guard at the approach to the Pyramid
of Khafre, the Sphinx is the earliest known monumental
sculpture of ancient Egypt. Archaeologists date it to around
2500 BC, crediting Khafre as the inspiration. It stands 20 m
(66 ft) high with an elongated body, outstretched paws and a
royal headdress framing a fleshy face, possibly that of the
king himself. It is carved from an outcrop of natural rock,
augmented by shaped blocks around the base, added during
repeated renovations from the 18th Dynasty onwards.
Although it is often written that the Sphinx's
nose was shot off by the Mamluks, Ottomans or Napoleon's
French Army, it was in fact lost some time before the 15th
century. Originally the Sphinx also had a stylized false
beard, symbol of royalty, but that too fell off. A piece taken
from where it lay on the sand is now held by the British
Museum in London.
The Sphinx |
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As luck would have it, we have time for one for
stop for shopping. This time, to an Egyptian bazaar. I actually
bought something, can you believe it? I got a small bust of
Ramses II. Back to the hotel, some Tex Mex (which was pretty
good), a couple of beers, update my daily log, and get to sleep.
An another amazing day. |
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