January 18

Today we visited the pyramids and the Cairo Museum. The pyramids were amazing. I honestly never thought I would ever have a chance to visit them. We left really early to go see them. Cairo traffic is terrible. No only are traffic rules insignificant, but we hit gridlock for I don’t know how long (I really don’t since I fell asleep). But we got to the pyramids and it wasn’t all that crowded. Oh, and the hotel provided us a body guard. Apparently, there was a terrible shooting in 1997, where someone opened fire and killed around 70 tourists. Understandably, the tourist industry suffered terribly and insurance went through the roof. That is also the reason for all those security check points, but again, the alarms going off don’t matter here.
The history of these monuments is really interesting. They were built in the 4th dynasty of the Old Kingdom, about 2500 BCE! They were burial tombs for the pharaohs. They were pretty ineffective as tombs, however, as they became the equivalent of neon flashing signs, easily found by robbers. That’s why underground tombs became the burial of choice in the Middle Kingdom. Surrounding the pyramids are underground tombs called mastabas. These were the tombs for the pharaoh’s high ranking officials and employees, so that they could continue to serve him in the afterlife. Further away are the valley temple and the funeral temple. The valley temple was for the worship of the common people to the pharaoh as the sun god incarnate. The funeral temple was for the priests. The size difference of the pyramids was due to the wealth of the pharaoh, and his relationship with the priests.
The largest temple was actually the oldest of the three. It held the tomb of Kefron. Adjacent is the slightly smaller pyramid of his son, Keops, and the smallest held the grandson’s tomb. The base of the pyramids are perfectly aligned with the N, S, E, W directions. These temples were polished so that they gleamed and reflected the golden color of the sand. But just as the Coliseum’s materials were stripped and reused for other structures, so too was the limestone removed and used for other projects.
We got to go inside the largest temple. If I were prone to claustrophobia, I would have freaked out going in there. The entrance and first few paths are fine enough, but as soon as we started to go up into the pyramid, the tunnel got really small. I was crouched over to about half my size and the plank we walked on comfortably allowed one person to go up or down at a time, but this was the only way in and out, so people were continually passing each other. We finally got the room that held the tomb. I can’t imagine how robbers got in here, especially using torches and without oxygen being pumped into the room. It was a very high ceiling and the sides were of the same sandstone, but the granite sarcophagus was still there. And when I mean just there, I’m not kidding. There weren’t any security measures or guards or anything. We all just went up to it and touched it and leaned against it. That room was pretty amazing just to think about how old it was. And when the tunnel was larger in certain spots, we could see the inside layers of the pyramid and how the blocks were laid out.
Then we went to see the sphinx. There is a theory that Kefron put his face on the existing sphinx, explaining why the head is a little out of proportion with the rest of the statue. All pharaohs considered themselves the sun god incarnate and the sphinx was thought of as the falcon of the horizon of the sun. I liked the sphinx better than the pyramids. In between the feet of the statue there is a granite rock with and inscription which tells the story of Tutmoses IV (a pharaoh in the 18th dynasty – 1200 years after Kefron). He grew weary while in the desert one day and took refuge in the shadow of the sun god. At this time, the sphinx was buried in the sand up to his head. The sun god came to him in a dream and told him to uncover him from the sand and that he was the chosen one to rule the throne (ahead of his 6 older brothers). When the Arabs came, they were also frightened by the head popping out of the sand and called it the “father of terror.” No one is certain how the nose came off. Some believe these Arabs may have smashed it out of fear. Others believe it was struck when Napoleon’s forces came and battled here. The original sphinx was cut out from the mountain, but the differences in color and the puzzle-like appearance come from restoration projects, some dating back to Roman times.
After the trip to the pyramids we went to lunch at a great Egyptian restaurant. They served us wonderful, fresh baked pita bread (it came out piping hot and still full of air) and five different dips. Then we were served chicken, rice with golden raisins and cinnamon, and French fries. I’m not sure if they thought that all Americans just expect meals to be served with French fries, or if it was actually on the menu. (Davidson paid for this tab, so the meal was already decided for us.)
After lunch we went to the Cairo Museum. I was surprised by the lack of design in the interior space. The neutral colors of the walls almost took away from the similarly colored statues and pieces of art. The museum was stuffed with artifacts, to the point where your brain had reached its capacity to take in anymore. My favorite exhibits were King Tut’s treasure and the mummified animals. King Tut was loaded and crocodiles from thousands of years ago are still just as scary. Actually, the thought of being buried with your treasure made me reflect for a minute. I immediately thought that the whole idea sounded ridiculous. I know this feeling comes from the difference in how our cultures perceive the afterlife. The pharaohs expected to use all the items they were buried with, so they packed in everything they acquired over their lifetime. But still, what about those left behind? What about the family? My mom inherited several pieces from her grandmother when she passed away, and my mom loves the memories that accompany those pieces. And I know my grandmother wanted my mom to enjoy those things just as much as she had. The difference must come from the status of the pharaoh as a god, not a man. He was to be worshipped after he passed on to the next realm, and temples with his statues were established just for this purpose. The focus must have been on the next life. But if the pharaoh wants to be buried with his stuff so his future life will be similar to that of the present, I can’t see why that would be something to look forward to. It would just be an endless eternity of the present.
Another question I had was what type of relationship would this pharaoh have with those around him? Like his wife or his children? Was he able to be all that much of a husband or a father? What about from the child’s point of view? What would it have been like to grow up believing your father to be a god?
Those were just some thoughts I had on the day. Tomorrow is a free day. I need to mail home some of the stuff I’ve bought and try to find a decently priced suitcase – mine is already falling apart. I’m also going to post more pictures on Facebook tomorrow and include some descriptions. Then all I want to do is read at this café down the street and drink coffee.
Please comment on this blog. I’d like to hear what you are thinking or if anyone is actually making it to the end of these posts.