February 26, 2022

February 26, 2022

We finally got a good night’s sleep last night. Hopefully we are now over our jet lag. For breakfast we tried the Egyptian 'Ful'. This is a stew of cooked Fava beans topped with oil and spices. It looks and tastes like Mexican refried beans. Aimee loves it.

Being up early we heard the first call to prayer of Muslims about an hour before dawn. These five exhortations daily are carried on loudspeaker from the mosque minarets. Since Cairo is known as the 'City of a Thousand Minarets', it is heard throughout the city.

To learn more about this heritage we visit three mosques. The first is the Mosque of Muhammad Ali. It sits inside the Citadel, a sprawling stone castle sitting high above the Nile valley on the eastern edge of Cairo. This impressive fortification was first built by Sultan Saladin in the 12th century to protect Cairo from potential invasion by Christian Crusaders. Our guide gave us a brief history of Egypt and Cairo after the Pharaohs. It was mostly one of being conquered for its great wealth of resources. First by Alexander the Great, then the Romans, followed by the Muslims, the Ottoman Empire, and then Napoleon. Muhammad Ali was the Ottoman sent to recover Egypt from the French. He ended up ruling Egypt and modernizing the nation.

Pasha Muhammad Ali built Cairo’s most distinctive mosque inside the Citadel. It looks like the Hagia Sophia in the Ottoman capital of Istanbul. We take off our shoes and enter the outer courtyard with its ablution fountain where Muslims purify themselves before prayer. We then enter the mosque where Muslims are led in prayer while facing Mecca. Afterwards we go out to the plaza where we get a view of Cairo. We can see the pyramids on the opposite ridge. Modern Cairo is a forest of apartment buildings.

Our next stop is just below the Citadel with two side-by-side mosques. The first is Al Rifai. Inside our guide gives a rundown on how to be a good Muslim. For me the most interesting part is that the mosque also contains the tomb of King Farouk who was deposed by Nasser in 1952. Surprisingly it also contains the tomb of the Shah of Iran. He died while in exile here.

We then went next door to the Mosque of Sultan Hassan. This one is much older, being built in the 14th century.

Finished with our Muslim tour, we explore Coptic Cairo. While only 15% of Egyptians today are Christian, it was majority Christian for hundreds of years. It was first spread to the Egyptians by St Mark. We start our visit at Saint Virgin Mary’s Coptic Orthodox Church, one of the oldest in Egypt. It is known as the Hanging Church because it was built atop a gatehouse of the Roman-era Babylon Fortress with the nave suspended over a passage. Copt is merely a corruption of the Greek word of Egypt. Surprisingly it is decorated with lots of Islamic features.

We also visited the nearby church of St Sergius and Bacchus. It is supposed to be nearly as old and is built atop the spot where the Holy Family lived when they escaped to Egypt. Joseph is believed to have worked at the Roman Fortress.

We then drive through slow heavy traffic to the Khan el Khalili bazaar where we have a big lunch. We begin with the now standard Middle East starter of bread with Hummus, Tahini, Tzatziki, and Baba Ganoush (eggplant) sauces, and then a variety of spiced meats. It is finished with several small, tasty desserts.

We have some time after lunch to explore the massive outdoor market. I thought it was pretty cool years ago, but it has turned into a purely tourist market with very persistent vendors. Even Aimee has no interest in spending time here.

February 25, 2022

February 25, 2022

This morning we drove south of Cairo toward the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis. Little of it remains because most of it was constructed from mud brick. Once we leave the dense apartment buildings that characterize modern Cairo, we see a fertile valley of palm trees with lots of bird life. This is a glimpse of what ancient Egypt, 'Kemet', the Black Land, must have been like. It was probably the closest thing to paradise on earth.

The dead from Memphis were buried in Saqqara outside the city, to the west, where the sun also died. We climb up the steep sides of the Nile valley to reach 'Deshret', the Red Land. We get our word ‘desert’ from it. And it truly is a desert. Nothing but sand; nothing, no cacti that characterize the Arizona desert.

This dry desert has preserved thousands of years of Egyptian burial practices. We start our exploration of the huge archeological complex of Saqqara at the pyramid of the 6th dynasty king, Teti 1, who died around 2300 BC. Like many kings of the Old Kingdom, he was buried in a small pyramid. Small is relative. It still is a huge tomb that took a lot of manpower to build. Much of the outer casing stones were stolen to build Cairo, so today it looks more like a pile of rubble. Aimee and I enter the pyramid and crawl down the long, cave-like shaft to reach the burial chamber containing the now-empty sarcophagus. Virtually every tomb was robbed in antiquity. The walls however are still inscribed with carved hieroglyphics. The ceiling is covered with stars. We can easily see the many cartouches with Teti’s name on it. It is a simple name with three letters, TTY. Hieroglyphs had no vowels. The sound of T was represented by a half-circle loaf of bread. Egyptian bread is still the same shape!

We then toured the next-door tomb of his Vizier, Mereruka. This is the guy that actually ran Egypt. His very elaborate tomb illustrates his real power. We spend well more than an hour exploring the 33 rooms of this huge tomb. All the walls are decorated with scenes from everyday life in ancient Egypt. They are fascinating, especially the river scenes of crocodiles eating hippos and tax cheats being dragged into court.

We then drove to the Pyramid of Djoser (3rd dynasty) that dominates the Saqqara necropolis. This is the first attempt at building a pyramid. Previously royal tombs were in flat squares called Mastabas. Imhotep, the architect of King Djoser, got the idea of stacking one mastaba on top of another. As a result we got his Step Pyramid. The burial complex was surrounded by a high wall with several temples. One temple is decorated with a long entrance colonnade. The stone columns are carved to resemble the papyrus bundles that the original palace columns would have been constructed of. This would establish a tradition that the Greeks would copy millennia later.

After building the Step Pyramid, Imhotep got the idea to fill in the gaps making smooth-sided pyramids. It took several missteps before they got one to last. We can see these experiments, the Bent Pyramid, and the Red Pyramid, several miles to the south in Dashur.

Our next stop was next door at a Carpet School. Egypt is trying to develop a market for Egyptian rugs and they are training new craftsmen. Rugs contain millions of knots so these workers have to tie very fast, so fast that it is difficult to see the technique. Afterwards several in our group purchase rugs to be sent home.

We then drove downriver to Giza, where we had lunch at the famous Mena House restaurant overlooking the Great Pyramid. It is named after the founding First Dynasty King. Ever on the lookout for new bird species, Aimee spotted a half dozen Hoopoes foraging for insects on the manicured lawns. These cool-looking crested birds must be the African counterpart to our Robins.

With our bellies full, we explored the pyramid complex at Giza. This was the period of the Old Kingdom (4th dynasty) when pyramid construction reached its apex. The three main pyramids are enormous. Minor pyramids for the royal family surround them. King Khufu’s Great Pyramid is constructed with 2.3 million enormous blocks of sandstone. Placing that many finished stones in a short period (twenty years) of time is mind-boggling.

I climbed inside the Great Pyramid to view the King’s burial chamber. It is a long claustrophobic hunched-back climb up a ramp, to reach the Grand Gallery, which is a long stairway with a corbelled ceiling to reach the pyramid center. Then we crawl under the portcullis, which used to be blocked by three granite slabs. They were destroyed years ago to loot the tomb. The burial chamber is completely empty except for a great sarcophagus. By the time I get back out I am sweating.

On the outside we drove to the north end for a viewpoint of the Giza complex. There Aimee and I mounted camels to ride around the pyramids. Surprisingly camels were not domesticated by the ancient Egyptians. As a result the surrounding desert was considered a dangerous environment. The desert not only protected them from foreigner invaders, it was also their prison. Fortunately a Garden of Eden prison.

In front of each pyramid is a Funerary temple with a long causeway down to a Valley temple near the Nile River. We toured the Valley Temple of King Khafre, son of Khufu. It is constructed almost entirely of fine granite stones. Remarkable that the Egyptians could have cut this hard rock with the simple tools they had. They were consummate stone craftsmen. Khafre's pyramid, the second largest, still has some of the fine casing stones at its peak.

Next door is the Great Sphinx. A sphinx is a crouching lion with a king’s head. This one is carved directly out of the cliff side. Much has changed since my visit years ago. Then we could stroll the complex unimpeded. Now Cairo is much larger and tourism greatly expanded. Today the Giza complex is surrounded by fencing, mobbed with tourists and vendors, and costly to enter.

February 24, 2022

February 24, 2022

We got as good a sleep as can be expected with our bodies not fully accepting the jet lag of international travel. After breakfast in the hotel, we meet our tour group mid-morning. More than half the group started with the optional pre-tour to Jordan and Petra. The tour director gives us some particulars on Egyptian tourism. I learned most of the tour sites will charge extra for the use of a camera, but oddly not for photos with your phone. Egypt has greatly expanded their playbook in taxing tourists.

Meidum Geese

Afterwards our group heads down the street to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities. On the way we pass Tahrir Square where the Arab Spring protests took place.

This old classic museum has the largest and finest collection of Egyptian antiquities. The government is in the process of moving the entire collection to the new Grand Egyptian Museum. Its opening has been delayed for months and months and unfortunately many items have already been moved. Despite that, there is still lots to see. We get a guided tour of the highlights remaining on a chronological basis.

Egyptian history begins with the Narmer Palette. It is a shield-shaped carved stone containing some of the first hieroglyphics documenting Narmer as the first king to unite Upper and Lower Egypt. His cartouche has a catfish (Nar) and a chisel (Mer). It is 5100 years old and in near pristine condition!

The most interesting items for me in the museum are the ones that combine history with great artisanship. I recognize one painted sculpture of a sitting scribe from the 200 Egyptian Pound note that I took out of the ATM this morning.

Rahotep & Neferet

The Egyptian Museum is overwhelming. That is partly because of the huge quantity of items on display. The other is because of the mind-boggling span of time that the Egyptian era covers. Ancient Egypt thrived not for decades nor even centuries, but three millennia. This is far far longer than any other civilization. Literally thousands and thousands of tombs are scattered throughout the country and they continue to be unearthed. Because of the dry desert weather, the majority of artifacts are in an excellent state of preservation despite their astonishing age.

Coffin of Thuya

Unfortunately the museum suffers from a distinct lack of signage. Much of the artifacts are unlabeled. That is probably why on my first trip many years ago, I was both overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time. Having a guide and studying Egyptology helps me appreciate the museum much better this time around. There are a few objects like the Treasure of Tanis (from Raiders of the Ark) that rival Tut’s tomb that have been already transferred to the GEM.

Our last major stop is Tut’s tomb treasures. His artifacts are astonishing, not because he was an important king, but because he was so insignificant, his tomb was overlooked and lost for millennia. His funeral mask is 22 lbs of solid gold. Unfortunately no photography is allowed. The mask is the one thing I remember of my first visit. What I don't remember is all the associated funerary goods, like his sandals and throne. They are also impressive but difficult to photograph because of their security behind glass and garish lighting. I like that after studying a little Hieroglyphics I can recognize his cartouche and translate his name. Interestingly on the throne is carved his early name of Tut-Ankh-Aten before he changed it to Tut-Ankh-Amun after his father (a "heretical" worshiper of the god Aten) died.

Tomb of Meketre

We finish our tour wandering rapidly through miscellaneous halls of archeology. The number of artifacts is staggering. It is comparable to trying to see the Louvre Art Museum in Paris in a couple hours. 

After resting up at the hotel, we met the tour group in the evening for a welcome drink. Then we walked to a nearby Lebanese restaurant called Taboula for dinner. We had a wide variety of spiced meats and finger foods washed down with some Sakara beer. We are hoping for a deep sleep tonight.

 

February 22-23, 2022

February 22-23, 2022

Traveling internationally today is not for the faint of heart. Covid has introduced lots of complications. Months of planning can be undone in a heartbeat with a positive Covid test, or a sudden change of government policies. Signing up for a tour and making our flight arrangements was the easy part. Egypt requires a negative Covid test for entry. Fortunately our PCR test came back negative so we are good to go. Egypt would have accepted our Vaccination status alternatively but our bureaucratic and bungling CDC can’t figure out how to convert that into a scannable QR code, despite a multi-billion dollar budget.

Our afternoon flight to Atlanta was uneventful. Once past the Rockies we crossed the Permian basin of New Mexico and Texas, scarred with hundreds of miles of fracking wells. It was followed by thousands of wind turbines, Texas’ new gold.

In Atlanta we boarded our overnight flight to Paris. In Paris, we pass a Concorde airplane on display in front of the Air France office. It last flew in 2003. I would have loved to have flown on it, at least once. Without its speed, and even with upgraded seat and lounge access, international travel is grueling.

In traveling to Egypt from Paris, we are retracing the footsteps of the birth of Egyptology. In 1798 Napoleon was sent to conquer Egypt to thwart the British trade route to India. His soldiers accidentally unearthed the Rosetta Stone while building a fort. In 1822, two hundred years ago, a brilliant French linguist using this discovery, finally solved the hieroglyphic riddle allowing archeologists to decipher the texts decorating all the tombs and temples of Egypt.

We get into Cairo just after midnight. We pass through customs, and meet our driver who delivers us to our downtown hotel location. We think he must be practicing for the Indy 500. Our hotel room overlooks the Nile.

February 21, 2022

February 21, 2022

Based on a recommendation from our neighbors, Aimee and I went to the theater today to see the recently released movie Death on the Nile. It is an adaptation of the classic Agatha Christie novel of the same name. It is a delightful romp of her typical murder mystery with super-sleuth Hercule Poirot. The scenery is also dreamy. The action takes place aboard a Nile River Cruise ship with the romantic scenery of the Pyramids and Abu Simbel in the background. It brings back memories of my trip to Cairo 38 years ago. I can't believe it was that long ago. I am also reminded that this year is the 100th anniversary of the discovery of King Tut’s tomb. I have to go back. Surprisingly Aimee agrees. A cruise on the Nile sounds like fun. We spend the rest of the day packing.

February 16, 2022

February 16, 2022

The best part of home is our view East towards the mountains. We never tire of it. Our back yard is normally private and ultra-quiet. But three times in the last two years that tranquility has been shattered. In the summer of 2020, we witnessed wildfires on the mountain that lasted nearly a month.

Then in November we were awaken in the middle of the night by what I thought were explosions. Aimee thought somebody banged on our wall several times. We learned the next morning that it was gunfire. A police officer fatally shot the owner of the house we can see on a hill to our East. Apparently, the cop was called out on a wellness check and the elderly owner answered the door carrying a gun. Tragic in every sense.

And then tonight we look out the window and see a house on fire. Something very flammable must have been involved because the structure was totally engulfed in flames. It wasn’t just burning wood. Aimee and I are thinking our little piece of paradise might be fragile.

February 14, 2022

February 14, 2022

One of the unexpected benefits of living in Tucson has been our proximity to wildlife. Aimee's favorite experience, hands down, was the Great Horned Owl family that had triplets in a backyard tree. Aimee watched every night.

These encounters have diminished with the explosion of people moving here and taking up much of our open spaces. We rarely see Javelinas now and we found a Great Horned Owl killed in our street last winter. The pack rats however don’t seem to be impacted at all. So sometimes you have to help Mother Nature out a little. Based on a neighbor’s recommendation we installed an Owl Box last summer in a tree outside our master bath. When we returned from our East Coast trip in October, Aimee excitedly told me we had a tenant. Our vocal reaction must have scared him off. We never saw him again. Our friends told us to be patient; it was not the nesting season.

Hoping to make the home more appealing, I raised the box higher in the tree. We checked it every day to no avail. Now many months later, a Screech Owl finally popped its head out! Aimee is elated. Screech Owls are tiny, one half to a third the size of the Great Horned Owls that most frequent our yard. They must have great hearing and eyesight. Even if we stealthily approach the window, our new tenant notices, and stares straight at us. We are being careful not to scare this one away.

Every night we hear our Owl call out to any interested female in the area. Aimee would be overjoyed to discover Screech Owlets playing outside our window. Our bachelor finding true love today would make this a great Valentines Day!