EGYPT DIARY
Notes taken by Helene Fowler1
Table of Contents
Day 2 - Arrival in Cairo
Day 3 - Cairo
Day 4 – Cairo/Giza Plaza
Day 5 – Old Cairo
Day 6 – Fly to Abu Simbel/Board ship
Day 7 – Lake Nasser –
Kasar Ibrim/Amada/Wadi el-Seboua
Day 8 - Lake Nasser –Wadi el Seboua/Aswan
Day 9 – Disembark/Aswan/Embark on Nile
Day 10- Nile Cruise; Edfu/Luzor
Day 11- Nile Cruise; Luxor
Day 12- Nile Cruise-disembark
Day 13- Luxor
Day 14- Luxor/Cairo/Alexandria
Day 15- Alexandria
Day 16- Alexandia/Cairo
Day 17- Fly to Amman,Jordan
Day 18- Amman/Petra
Day 19- Petra
Day 20- Petra/Amman/Ciaro
Day 21- Fly home
1/10/09
1/11/09
1/12/09
1/13/09
1/14/09
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1/24/09
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Page 27
Saturday, January 10, 2009
We arrived at the Cairo airport a little past our scheduled time of 12:15 p.m., waited for
our bags, and were transported to the Semiramis InterContinental Hotel in a large motor
coach. Our Egyptian Guide, Doaa Fouad, gave us an introduction to her country.
1
Works Cited:
AH: Art and History of Egypt, English Edition, by Alberto Carlo Carpiceci, Florence Italy: Casa Editrice
Bonechi, 1989.
IG: Insight Guide Egypt, Dorothy Stannard, ed; Singapore: Insight Printing Services Ltd, 2002.
LP: Lonely Planet Egypt, by Virginia Maxwell, Mary Fitzpatrick, Sjona Jenkins, and Anthony Sattin, 8th
edition, May 2006.
TH: A Traveller’s History of Egypt, by Harry Ades. Massachusetts: Interlink Books, 2007.
1
Egypt
Egypt comes from the name Misr (or Masr), used by Semitic-speaking neighbors. Don
remarks that Misr was used to mean both the name of the country and the capital:
In the Hebrew Old Testament, for example, it is called Mizraim (which
looks pretty different but it’s derived from the same root as Misr). Some
time before the Arab/Islamic conquest, Egyptians began to use Misr
themselves, again with the dual meaning for either the country or the
capital. Now Misr is the name of the country in both formal and
colloquial Arabic, but in colloquial Arabic it can also mean Cairo. This
depends on the context. If someone is in Luxor and says to a friend, I’m
going to Misr, it means Cairo. It is sort of like someone from Seattle
saying they’re going to New York, which might be either New York City
or New York State. But if someone in Albany, New York says, “I’m
going to New York,” this would mean New York City.
See this website for a more complete derivation of the name Egypt:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/kmt.htm.
The country is isolated, and although on the African continent, Egyptians do not feel
African. Egypt is bordered by Lybia and the Sahara desert to the west, the Mediterranean
to the north, the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza strip to the east and Sudan to the south.
The Nile River has seven waterfalls or cataracts and runs from south to north, thus
“Upper Egypt” is up the Nile or south, and “Lower Egypt” is the northern part of the
country. The population of Egypt is 85 million. Tourism is up to about 11 million a year
now. The religion of the country is divided between Islam (80 %) and Christian (20%).
Egypt is secular, that is, the law of the country is separate from its religion. Seventy
percent of the people live in the country and 30% live in cities. Alexandria is the second
largest city. Memphis, which lies south of the Giza pyramids, was the first capital of
Egypt.
_________
*Personal observations are put in italics. References such as IG, AH, and LP are listed
on the last page of this journal, “Works Cited.”
Cairo
Cairo is the largest city in continental Africa with 22 million people. The Heliopolis area
by the airport is called “New Cairo.” The architecture in Cairo is Indian style and Islam
style. After the 1973 6th of October War, the government built apartments for families of
the soldiers killed.
Dinner was out with the group at a floating boat restaurant, The Blue Nile. We took the
tour bus to get there although it was within walking distance. It was getting dark, and
neon lights sparkled across the river. A lone rower glided his single skull up the river.
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Sunday, January 11, 2009
Today we drove to the Citadel in the morning and toured the Cairo Museum in the
afternoon. Doaa pointed out sites as we drove by them.
The General Hospital is free of charge. We passed the Nile River.
Visit to the Citadel
The Arabs (Fatamid caliphs) made Cairo their capital in 969 AD. Alexandria was not a
suitable location for Arabs because it was by the sea. The mountain in Cairo is called El
Mokattam. This was the source of limestone for the pyramids, and you can clearly see
evidence of stone cutting. The Citadel (a medieval fortress) has a high wall to protect
the Fatimid city of “Al-Qahira” from the Crusaders, who never came to Cairo. See this
website for Islamic Cairo: http://www.cairotourist.com/cairoislamic.htm.
Muhammad Ali’s rule was from 1807 to 1848. He was Turkish Albanian. He was
governor of Egypt, but separated Egypt from Turkey and added Syria. The Turkish
leader approved Muhammad Ali as ruler of Egypt and the Sudan. He was a good
governor, but at the same time ruthless with his enemies. He held a party at the Citidel,
inviting all the Turkish (Mamluk) leaders. None of them got out, as he had them all
killed, 300 of them. (One account says 480. TH p. 265.) In 1838, Muhammad Ali
opened the first school for women. He improved the irrigation system.
The Citadel contains the Mosque of Muhammad Ali, modeled after Hagia Sophia in
Istanbul. It was built in 1830. In the courtyard is a clock, given as a gift by King LouisPhilippe of France, however due to severe sand storms, it is impossible to keep it running.
The clock was given in return for a gift of an obelisk from Luxor, which is now located at
the Place de la Concorde in Paris. We had a walking tour of the Citadel and the Mosque.
The exterior decorations included calligraphy and delicately carved window screens.
Back in the Bus…
We passed the City of the Dead. Tombs are sometimes the size of a garage, and
squatters live in them. They are impossible to evict by the owners of the tombs. The city
recognizes it as a neighborhood and provides electricity, water and gas. (LP p. 123) The
tombs were built for entertaining and having picnics while visiting the dead, and could
accommodate overnight guests.
As we drive we see a lot of debris, pollution, litter and sand. The air is heavy and hard
on the lungs.
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Islam
There are five basic beliefs of Islam, as promoted by the Prophet Muhammad:
1. Believe in God, and the Prophets, Abraham, Elijah, Moses, etc. up to the last Prophet,
Muhammad; believe in the Old and New Testament, and the Qur’an (Koran); and
believe in judgment after death. The Qur’an speaks of Moses, Joseph, the Virgin
Mary and Jesus, among others. It is considered the last testament of God.
2. Pray five times a day: at sunrise, noon, midafternoon, sunset and night.
3. Fast during Ramadan from sunrise to sunset.
4. Give 2.5% of what you save to the poor. This goes to needy relatives or neighbors, in
a personal way of support. It is preferred that the giving is direct, not to charities.
5. Go to Mecca for pilgrimage at least once in your lifetime.
Kahn al-Kahlili Market
While some of our group sat at a café and enjoyed the sunny, warm weather, others
entered the narrow street of the Kahn al-Kahlili Market, in search of galabeyas, and
other treasures to be discovered. Doaa helped negotiate good prices on the clothing, and
a number of us came away with a suitable garment for the Egyptian dress-up party to be
held later in the tour.
Ellen says, “We had a fun visit to the Kahn al-Kahlili market. It was the usual hodgepodge with barkers selling their wares. Lots of ‘Obama yes!’ types of comments and
smiles. The hawkers are aggressive but friendly. One must learn to ignore them if not
interested in buying.”
We passed the Yacoubian Building, the one made famous by a book of the same name,
written by Egyptian author Alaa Al Aswany.
Try this link for an NPR article about the book and movie:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5501791. An article about film in
Egypt (Los Angeles Times), has some comments on The Yacoubian Building film as
well: http://articles.latimes.com/2007/sep/30/entertainment/ca-egyptfilm30.
Introduction to Ancient Egypt
In 5200 BC, people immigrated to the Nile from the desert. At that time, the country
consisted of two separate countries each with 20 provinces. The ruler of the northern part
with the Delta wore a red crown and the symbol was the papyrus flower. The southern
part was the Nile valley. The ruler wore a white crown and the symbol was the lotus
flower. King Narmer unified the north and the south in 3200 BC.
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Cairo Tower
We passed the Cairo Tower, the tallest all concrete structure in the world when it was
built in 1956-1961. The open lattice work is said to represent the lotus plant. The top is
an observation deck and restaurant. It was built during the presidency of Gamal Abdel
Nasser. Sources differ as to the country that donated funds for the structure, either Soviet
or American. A must read on the history of the tower is found at
http://www.egy.com/zamalek/97-10-16.shtml.
Cairo Museum
Note: This website is a good overview of the museum, with photos:
http://homepage.powerup.com.au/~ancient/museum.htm.
Statue of Ramses II, 12th century BC, one piece of granite. Ramses II lived to be 93
years old when the ancient life span was only 37 years. All his statues show him as a
young man. He had 34 wives and 180 or more children. His rule was believed to be in
the time of Moses.
Typical of royal Egyptian statues are the following characteristics:
1.
2.
3.
4.
The double crown
The headdress and kilt
The left foot forward
The statue is hairless with a cloth head cover or wig, and has a false beard (It was
wooden and used for religious ceremonies.)
5. Two names are given in the form of a cartouche (an oval with the letters inside it in
hieroglyphics): the birth name, and the royal name which is given at the crowning.
6. The king is always idealized even if he did not look that good in real life.
The King has two tests of strength which he demonstrated during a festival: a running
test, and fighting an ox. On the statue of Ramses II, the king is shown handsome, strong
and idealized. His hands are holding an object in order to show off his muscles.
Other objects we saw were:
Statue of Djoser (Zosor): 27th century before Christ (4,700 year old statue) from the
step pyramid. Imhotep, the architect, used stone for the first time in Djosor’s pyramid.
Oldest Stele: This is the oldest carving on stone, found in Memphis. It is 5,200 years
old. It describes King Narmer’s victory over South Egypt. It was used as a grinding
stone for eye makeup (kohl). The falcon is the god of protection. On the other side
captives are shown, plus four servants and two animals. The depression in the middle
was for mixing the eye makeup. The makeup was not only decorative, but served as a
kind of eye protection by reflecting the sun away.
5
Replica of the Rosetta Stone
Cleopatra II (the famous one was VII)
Map of Egypt on the staircase, showing 92% desert and 4% fertile. In the time of
Alexander the Great, he controlled all trade that went through the Mediterranean. The
Sinai is one fifth of the area of Egypt, and is considered Asia.
Coffin of Senjem: This came from the Valley of Artesans. It is made of wood and
obsidian with ivory eyes. His brother was an architect. It is 3,100 years old, and was
found inside a stone (coffin) sarcophagus. Wood was second to gold in monetary value
because of the scarcity of trees in the country. Silver was more expensive than gold at
the time.
Funerary statues: Some symbolism in order to tell whether a statue is of a live king or a
funerary statue is to look at the beard and arms. If the beard is straight, the king is
depicted alive. A curled beard, with straight legs and arms folded across the chest is a
funerary statue. The statue is very important. If the mummy is destroyed or stolen, the
statue takes the place of the mummy. It also helps the soul find the body. The Egyptians
believed in the afterlife and resurrection.
Worker statues, wine, bread, other items typical in tombs.
Calendar: The calendar was a solar calendar 4,000 years ago. It had 365 days a year, 36
weeks and 10 months. The extra five days were added at the end of the year. Later the
Greeks and then Romans rearranged the extra five days.
Statue of a hunch back, dwarf, with what looks like a school bag and lunch box, made
of wood. Only the kings were idealized. Small statues of the ordinary class were
realistic.
Panel of pictures depicting artists drilling out the inside of an alabaster jar, tax
collectors. During the dry seasons all farmers were forced to be stone cutters. You might
call this full employment.
Which foot is forward? Foreign rulers were often represented with the right foot
forward to indicate that they were not really true Egyptian kings. It was a sort of joke
played on the conquerors by the carvers, as they probably did not know the significance
of the left foot leading. In some instances a pharaoh would be shown with the right foot
forward, but only when the objective was symmetry.
Statue of King Kafre (Chephren) seated, 4th Dynasty, from the second pyramid at
Giza, made of diorite-gneiss stone which is harder than granite. It shows the lotus and
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the papyrus together. The falcon god Horus is behind the king’s head, a symbol of
protection.
Nobelman of Sycamore wood, 2300 BC You can clearly see the grain of the wood. It is
Ka-aper: chief or headman of a village.
2 wooden statues, a scribe, the wood is covered with plaster and painted.
Geese painting, from a motif inside one of the tombs
Queen Hetepheres, the mother of Khufu (Cheops). When his pyramid was opened there
was nothing there, but a 2 ½” statue of Khufu was found with his mother’s tomb. Jars are
for organs, coffin made of alabaster.
Couple, painted: Rahotep and Nofret. Woman wears a hair band around her wig. Man
was a general in the army and a high priest (see AH, p. 37 #5)
Panel showing music, food, wine, beer for the spirit to enjoy, dancers clapping hands.
Figure of Queen Hatshepsut (alt. Hatchepsut). She lived to the age of 60. Her son
was Tuthmose III. He is called the “Napoleon Bonaparte of Egypt.” He led 17
campaigns. His mummy (or was it hers) was found in the tomb of a servant. Tuthmose
III tried to destroy the memory of his mother. She had ruled as king while he was a
young boy.
Akenaten (formerly Amenhotep IV), the father of King Tutankamen (alt.
Tutankhamun), and married to Nefertiti. His capitol was in Media. He believed in
monotheism, and replaced all the major gods with the god Aten represented by a “rayed
solar disc.” There was a political motivation for this, as the priests for Osiris had become
too powerful. When he replaced the gods, he effectively displaced the priests. There
were panels showing the king and queen and their daughters. They have the elongated
heads, which may have been a genetic characteristic perhaps enhanced by the artist.
Nefertiti was half Egyptian and half Syrian. Akenaten’s mother was from Syria.
The sarcophagi of Tutankamen were displayed in huge glass cases. He was in many
boxes one inside the other like a Russian matryoshka doll. The largest was too big to
take out of his tomb, so it had to be dismantled and put back together. There was a
special room that displayed some of the contents of Tut’s tomb, including jewelry, his
funerary masks and other beautiful items.
Outside in the other displays were furniture, including a cot, chair, and items he
enjoyed, like his bow and arrows.
Another room displayed tools, toys, and pottery.
7
Dinner was on our own tonight. The group did not have the energy to go out together, so
our guide cancelled that idea. Kurt, Jill and Bill ordered hamburgers sent to the lounge,
and I ate Satay---yum. We sat in a private booth right next to the window with a view of
the River Nile, the Island of Gezira, and the Cairo Tower, which is lit up at night with a
spiral ring of colored lights that change color, and played Canasta.
Go to TOP
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Monday, January 12, 2009 – Cairo/Giza Plateau
This morning Doaa tried to teach us some Arabic. It was difficult to pick up. Some
words were:
Yela yela “Let’s Go”
Ana awis “I want”
Shai “tea”
Qahwa “coffee”
Minfadlak “please”
And mia mia “100%” “excellent”
I picked up Shu-kran “thank you” from the man at the bank in the hotel.
On the bus again, we passed a small island, the Gold Island, on which there is a small
village with only two families living there, with both a mosque and a church.
The Nile River separates Giza and Cairo.
A bit about the educational system in Egypt: At grades six, nine and 12 there are serious
exams. These determine the future of a child’s education. If a child fails the test three
times, he/she is destined for a handcraft school. English is taught from Grade Two, and
French from Grade Five. The private schools include American, French, British and
German, and are called Language Schools. Children ages two through six go to
Kindergarten. Doaa went to a French school. Many girls are sent to the French school
because they are taught by nuns, thought to be more appropriate in a Muslim culture than
being taught by male teachers. Doaa’s son first went to the British school, and is now at
the American School because they are able to do a better job of teaching him. Her son is
dyslexic, and has a very difficult time writing Arabic, which has very subtle differences
between letters.
The Egyptian bread we had at dinner is like Pita bread, but the Egyptians pat one side of
the dough onto brown husks of wheat.
Cheops Boat Museum
Giza Pyramids
Memphis, Mit Rahina Museum
The old name for this early capital, Ineb-hedj, meant white wall (LP p. 179). The present
town was built on top of an ancient site. It was also used as a quarry site, meaning the
old blocks from ancient temples were reused for newer building projects. The rest of the
ancient site was covered with sand. In the 19th and 20th century, a French woman
discovered many monuments including the Alabaster Sphinx. It weighs 700 tons and
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the stone was moved from a quarry 300 miles away. All that is left of the great city is the
open-air museum with statues on display.
The colossal statue of Ramses II lies supine in a building with a second story balcony for
more viewing.
The Ramses II statue shows Nefertari pushing Ramses forward. She was the first woman
to have a name in a cartouche, and also the first queen to have a temple built for her.
There are 2 granite statues of Ramses II, repaired by the Chicago Institute.
There were seated armed guards around the perimeter of the site, just inside the fence.
We were not sure if they were stationed there to keep us safe, or to keep riffraff, thieves
and hawkers out.
Egyptian families
Present day Country Houses: made of mud brick with palm leaves, for tenant farmers.
Now they have 10 acres of land with one or two floors with the upper stories not finished.
They Egyptians trust in land, not money in the bank.
The average family size is six children in Egypt, but in the countryside families have
eight or more children, while the cities only have an average of two children per family.
Jewish Communities dealt in textiles and finance.
Major Cities of Ancient Egypt
The three main cities were Alexandria, Memphis (north capital), and Luxor (south
capital). The Romans settled close to Memphis, because of its fortification.
Lunch at Open Air Restaurant
Ellen reports, “Lunch was in an outdoor restaurant with more fabulous fresh Egyptian
pita bread and spit roasted chicken with the usual baba ghannouj, hummus and other
mezes. The restaurant was tucked into a back street and one would never find it on one’s
own. We walked in past the chicken roasting on the spits, and the women making and
baking the fresh bread. One could live on the wonderful bread in this country!!!”
Saqqara
Imhotep, the pharoah’s architect, took 27 years to build the step pyramid for King Djoser
(alt. Zoser, Greek). Detailed information on the pyramid’s construction is written on a
papyrus, which also includes advice for the building of future pyramids, including
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calculations of angles. Imhotep had great knowledge, and the Greeks honored him as a
god for medicine. They named him Aesculapius. (AH p. 8)
The step pyramid evolved from the older funerary tomb, or Mastaba. The Mastaba-like
pyramid was at first constructed with four steps. Djoser’s pyramid has six steps and is 60
meters high. It was the first stone building in Egypt (and the world, dated 2650 BC LP
p. 182.) It was built from stones cut near the Citadel and faced with two to three-foot
blocks of white limestone on the outside. There is a burial chamber and a few storage
rooms underneath. The entrance faces north. The king’s body was in the pyramid, and to
the south another tomb was constructed for the body’s organs. The base was a rectangle,
with different lengths to the opposing sides.
During ancient times, the site had date palm trees, and citrus and lemon trees. Pyramid
building declined after Giza because the country became less wealthy
The French architect, Jean-Philippe Lauer dedicated his whole life to restoration, from
1926 until his death in 2001. (LP p. 181) You enter Djoser’s funerary complex through
an impressive hall of columns. The wall protecting the temple has 14 doors (13 of which
are dummy doors). Like the wall of Memphis, it is 30 feet high. The colonnade
comprises 40 columns, 20 to the north and 20 to the south which represent the 40
provinces of Upper and Lower Egypt. Only two full columns survived. The rest have
been restored. In the small chambers between the columns were found statues of local
gods of the provinces. The French architect had workmen hand carve stones for the
restoration.
How did Imhotep, the architect, design the columns? He imitated tree trunks, and built
the roof in the style of ceilings made of reeds and ropes, but imitated in stone.
The colonnade opens to a large courtyard where the king proved his strength by fighting
an ox, and running around the courtyard. This was on the occasion of the Heb-sed
ceremony commemorating 30 years of rule and reconfirming the king’s supremacy (LP p.
182). The test of strength shows the king’s readiness for war. It is believed the
ceremony was symbolic only. The wall is decorated with cobras, watching from the top
of the wall, protecting the temple and the pharaoh from evil enemies.
Sneferu, son of Djoser, was the father of Khufu (Cheops) who had the great pyramid built
90 years later. Khufu’s mother was Queen Hetepheres, whose items we saw in the Cairo
Museum. The statue of King Djoser is in the “white room” at the Cairo Museum.
Doaa directed us to walk about the site, and observe the distant Giza pyramids, Aubu Sir
and Dahshur as well as remains of hundreds of mastabas for noblemen. We returned to
the bus at 3:45 p.m.
Bill and I walked up the stairs and across the ancient wall to gaze at the desert
landscape, marveling at the view of the pyramids in the distance. Enterprising Egyptians
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offered trinkets, post cards and camel and donkey rides. Kurt and Jill were lifted up onto
donkeys, with shrieks of laughter and gaiety.
Dinner was on our own tonight. We chose the Italian Restaurant in the Semiramis Hotel.
Go to TOP
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Tuesday, January 13, 2009 – Old Cairo
Christianity comes to Egypt
In 62 AD St. Mark entered Alexandria, and introduced Christianity to his shoemaker.
The story of Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus was similar to the ancient legend of gods
and goddesses of Egypt.
Isis and Osiris are good female and male gods, symbols of love and
nurturing, green land and floods. Seth and Nephtys were bad gods,
(symbols of thunder, sandstorms in the desert and jealousy.) All four are
brothers and sisters. Seth and Nephtys plotted to trap their brother Osiris
by promising to change and be good. They threw a party. They prepared
a coffin and put magic onto it. The guests tried it, but no one fit except
Osiris. When Osiris got into the coffin, Seth and Nephtys closed it down
and threw it in the Nile. Later Sister Nephtys felt bad and brought Osiris
back to life again. But Seth found Osiris and dismembered him into 14
pieces and threw them into the Nile, which “increased the fertility of the
Nile.” Only 13 of the 14 pieces were found. Osiris was not interested in
living without that one piece, so he was bound in mummy wrapping by
Isis. God Ra sent Isis the spirit of her husband, and she had a child,
Horus, the falcon- headed god.
There are pictures of Isis with the child Horus on her lap, which are so much like the
pictures of Mary with Jesus on her lap. This helped to spread Christianity because the
images are so similar. In the 4th C AD Christianity became the official religion. By the
5th C AD nearly all Egyptians were Christians. The Romans, who ruled in the 4th C, were
against Christianity because the offerings to the Roman temples were reduced.
We noticed that Christmas decorations were still up, and Doaa explained that Christmas
is January 7th in Egypt.
In Cairo, there are tunnels under a Roman fort. Joseph, Mary and Jesus hid here. We
will visit the crypt where they hid (Church of St. Sergius) and also the Hanging
Church, built above a Roman gate, representing the Virgin Mary of Babylon.
Muslim Beliefs
Egypt is the land of the Prophets: Abraham and Sarah came here, and they are mentioned
in the Qur’an. Muslims believe in the Old and New Testament, and the last testament is
the Qur’an. The extremists are a minority, and their ideas are imported, not the Egyptian
way of thinking.
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Hanging Church
The Hanging Church (Al Mu’allaquah “The Suspended” IG p. 157) housed a beautiful
collection of icons made by wax melting technique, which are now mainly in the Coptic
Museum. Some of the icons in the church are from the 11th and 16th centuries. Gold and
red are very prominent colors in 16th century icons.
As we approached the church, Doaa pointed out the two towers at the base of the church.
The columns are older than the church. They are 1st century AD from Roman
constructions. We arrived a bit early, but the priest, who was mopping the steps, allowed
us to enter.
Inside, the ceiling is built in three parts to look like the hull of a boat, as the ark of Noah
stopped in Egypt. The pulpit is 16th century and very Roman. The 14 columns
supporting the pulpit represent 12 apostles plus Jesus and Judas.
Notice the different styles of crosses: The Coptic Cross has three petals on the end of
each arm, in a lotus flower motif. The total of 12 petals represent the 12 apostles. The
cross with an elongated oval on top is the ancient Egyptian symbol, the Key of Life
(Ankh). The circle at the top of the Key of Life represents the Mediterranean Sea. The
left arm symbolizes the dead and the right arm, the living. The long part stands for the
Nile. There were four different styles of crosses decorating the church.
Doaa asked if anyone recognized the Egyptian Cross. “Yes,” John Meyer said, as he
pulled a chain from his shirt and produced a gold ankh that Susan had given him many
years ago!
Coptic, which comes from the Arabic word “gybt” really means Egyptian. They were
called “hikaptah” which became the Greek word “Egyptos.” Hikapta was the name for
the capital at Memphis.
Notice the small windows that direct light of the sun to certain places. Mirrors were also
used to direct the sun in a zigzag path. Ancient Egyptians used natural light, not oil
lamps. The 16th century chandelier was originally for candles. Restorations were made
to the altar and roof.
Marriage and Divorce in Egypt: Up to present, there is no right to divorce in the Coptic
Church. Couples have to go through a secular divorce, and then the church does not
allow remarriage. Christian/Muslim intermarriage is not well accepted. Children carry
the religion of the father. Christian/Nubian people have the most pure Egyptian blood.
The priest took Suzann and me aside to a room to the right of the sanctuary and showed
us a large rectangular hole cut out of the floor through which we were able to view the
stonework of the ancient Roman gate.
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Church of Holy Crypt (Church of St. Sergius)
This is the oldest church in the area and built at the location of the 1st church in Egypt
from 1st century AD, a church to the Virgin Mary. St. Sergius dates from 4th century AD.
It is constructed in basilica style and has an ark shaped roof. Men worshiped on the main
floor and women upstairs. The pillars are taken from a 1st century or 2nd century building
and are Corinthian style. The church is decorated with animal bones, ivory, cedar and
ebony. There are all different shapes of crosses.
Under the church is a cave (or crypt) where Mary, Joseph and Jesus stayed for three
months after fleeing from Jerusalem and King Herod. The cave was all under water until
the French drained and restored it. We could see down a flight of stairs where access to
the cave is, but were not allowed in.
St. Sergius’ body is buried here. The bones of Saint Bashnouna, martyred May 19, 1164
are kept at St. Sergius Church. Another name for the church is “Abu Serga,” translation
of St. Sergius. See http://www.ains.net.au/~johnh/Album/Saints/St_Bashnouna.htm.
Synagogue, Ben Ezra.
As we approached the synagogue, Doaa pointed out the mezuzah by the door jam. The
practice started in Egypt to make it clear that a Jewish family lives within the house.
They felt they were higher than Egyptians because the Ancient Egyptians were
worshipping gods and goddesses. Noble Jewish families did not work in labor. Pharoah
Ramses II changed this, making it compulsory to serve during the flood season.
Ben Ezra “dates from 9th century, but occupies shell of a 4th century Christian Church.”
(LP p. 109) Abraham Ben Ezra made it into a synagogue in 9th century AD. The
Christians sold the church in 882 AD to pay taxes imposed by Muslim rulers. The nearby
spring is possibly the location of where Moses was found and where Mary got water to
bathe Jesus. The course of the Nile since changed. There are elements from three
religions represented in the synagogue.
There was a Jewish gatekeeper named Shahadah. He sold post cards “with inflation,” by
this Doaa mean he sold them for more than he paid for them, and took care of the
synagogue with his earnings. There needs to be 10 Jewish men to hold prayer. Shahadah
would grab Jews from the bus stop in order to meet the requirement. But for 11 years,
there have been no prayer services. About five years ago, there were a maximum of
3,000 Jews in Cairo, and 9,000 in Alexandria.
Shahadah met a Canadian woman about 40 or 50 years ago, an Egyptologist who helped
with the restoration of a room in the synagogue. They found 40,000 geniza (pieces of
paper). It is Jewish law that you cannot destroy any paper that has the word of God on it.
They were hidden in the walls of the room. The papers included wedding contracts, legal
judgments, business transactions, all dating from the Middle Ages, 5th through 8th century
AD. (LP says 11th – 13th century, and 250,000 geniza)
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See:
http://www.ask-aladdin.com/benezra.html
http://jewishrefugees.blogspot.com/2009/01/cairo-geniza-manuscripts-to-be-put-on.html
This website mentions two Scottish ladies who found the geniza, and about the researcher
who brought them out.
In the restoration, the old Roman pillars were covered with paint. The upper story is
new, the flooring is new, the altar is a replica, and the woodwork is all new. The old
pieces from the synagogue are in a museum. The cupboards are for holding the
testament.
The caretaker put the names of contributors on the walls of the synagogue, many of
whom were textile owners. The synagogue has a nursery house, a school and a library
attached to it.
There are 11 synagogues in Cairo and seven in Alexandra, but not enough practicing
Jews.
In the Streets of Old Cairo
In Old Cairo, pottery and furniture workshops are below the apartments. The women
wear the galabaya and the milaya, or sheet over their head and shoulders. Black is the
marriage color, indicating the woman is unavailable. Only those completely in black and
old are widows.
On our walking tour from one site to the other, we went through very narrow passages
with massive old doors and arched openings heading down a maze of walkways. There
were little shops and polite sidewalk salespeople with costume jewelry, post cards and
other souvenirs. Several of the ladies purchased the beaded head-covering to enhance
the dress-up attire.
Mamluk Jewelry Store
Doaa stopped the bus for a visit to shop at the Mamluk Jewelry Store. They have 18 K
gold jewelry, cartouches made to order and delivered to the hotel. Other motifs available
are the scarab that brings good luck or the eye of Horus for healing power.
In the store, every wall was lined with glass cabinets containing beautiful jewelry. Many
sales people were on hand to help our group with selecting something special. The gold
cartouches were very popular and we tried our hand at getting a quantity discount. The
Kosty/Fowler team was the last to leave the store, but our saleswoman, Karina, kept
assuring us that our guide would not mind, and that we had plenty of time (as much time
as we needed to make a purchase before we left.) Karina was very talkative, and Bill
shushed her several times, prompting a salesman to say, “Listen to the man!”
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The penalty for being the last on the bus is to tell a joke or a story, so I told my story of
my love of beetles, passed to me by my mother, who studied Entomology and illustrated
the five volume work by Melville Hatch, Beetles of the Pacific Northwest. The scarab
was the honored symbol and name of a club of insect-loving intellectuals who met
monthly in Professor Hatch’s living room. Of course I loved and honored the scarab, not
really knowing that its common name is the “dung beetle” for its habit of rolling little
balls of dung. That fact burst my bubble a little bit, but it is an important symbol in
Ancient Egypt, so I had it engraved on the back of my cartouche.
Back on the bus…
We passed an aqueduct built by Muhammad Ali in the 1800’s. Then again we passed the
City of Dead, 700 year old minarets, medieval mausoleums, Ibn Tulun, and the south gate
of medieval Cairo. The walled city was at one time the new urban capital, with the
mosque at its center.
Islam comes to Egypt
Cairo gets its name
In 642 AD Arab Muslims conquered Egypt. The Caliph (successor to Muhammad) chose
an inland capital, being leery of his ability to defend Alexandria, the seaport. The area
was called Babylon at the time. Copts were tolerated but had to pay extra taxes, which
were rescinded if they converted to Islam.
The Fatamid Dynasty came to power in 969 and established a capital city further north,
near Heliopolis, and called it al-Qahira. Al-Qahira is the Arabic name for the planet
Mars, and also means the “victorious one.” Earlier capitals of Egypt were: Ancient
Memphis, Babylon, and Fustat.
The Fatamid Shiites from Syria, traced their origins back to the daughter of the Prophet,
Fatama. They had expanded their sect from Tunesia. They ruled through the 12th century
(1171), setting up schools, mosques and religious centers, but were not successful in
converting the Sunnis.
Quick stop at Mosque of Ar-Rifai and Sultan Hassan
King Faruq’s great grandmother built a mosque as a burial place for the royal family
called the Mosque of Ar-Rifai (1867-1912 LP p. 121.) Khedive Ismail (grandson of
Muhammad Ali), King Faruq and the last shah of Iran are buried there. Doaa says that
everyone is born with two angels, one checks for good deeds, and one checks for bad
deeds. Although Muhammad Ali did some ruthless things, he also gets credit for
building things that people are still using and raising up good children, who pray for their
parents.
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Directly across a pedestrian street is the 14th century Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan.
There at the Madrassa, the four main Sunni interpretations of the Koran were taught.
Stones for the buildings came from the ancient city of Memphis.
Don Reid explains three expressions
1. Madrassa: A school for religion emphasizing Islamic law as interpreted by the four
interpretive schools of Sunni Islam. It has a more advanced education than that
provided in a kuttab.
2. Sabil: A two-story building established as a charitable act to provide free water and
religious education. Among Muslim countries, the combination of these two
functions in one building is found only in Egypt. The first floor offers the public free
water from a cistern or well, and often a sitting room for resting. The second floor
was a free school for teaching poor children religion, reading, writing, and math, with
the Qur’an as the main textbook. Instruction began with memorizing the Qur’an
verse by verse while learning to read and write it. It typically has beautiful décor and
handwriting (calligraphy) in Arabic.
3. Kuttab: A school for poor children, with free reading, writing, math and religion.
Many kuttabs functioned only as schools without the combination with a sabil.
Ibn Tulun Mosque
The Ibn Tulun Mosque is the oldest surviving Mosque in Cairo. It was built from 865 to
879 AD (see Wikipedia, “Mosque of Ibn Tulun”). Its construction is of mud bricks made
with water from the Nile. The mosque architecture has been strengthened and cracks
filled in within the last four years.
Attached to the site is a 16th century house, lived in by a man named Gayer Anderson. In
1930 the residence was converted to an Islamic Art Gallery. For more information see:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/gayeranderson.htm. The 1977 James Bond
movie, “The Spy Who Loved Me” included shots inside and outside of this house as well
as at the pyramids and Luxor.
Another house, from the 17th century has the typical window screening, called
Meshrabiya. Outside balconies or passages were a good place to store drinking water.
The interlocking wooden pieces of the screen, providing a way to look out without being
seen, also shaded the area, helping to keep the water cool. See:
http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/197404/the.magic.of.the.mashrabiyas.htm
describing the Mashrabiya.
The courtyard of the mosque contains the fountain for washing prior to praying.
Supplicants face the east side. Students would meet professors in the courtyard. A
professor of a particular discipline, such as literature, medicine, or mathematics, would be
at each pillar. The student would try out different subjects to discover what they liked.
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Then they could specialize. Exams were given four times in the subject. To obtain a
degree, five subjects including religion were required.
In days gone by, students would memorize the 500 pages of the Koran. As a young child,
one would start with two verses a day. By age six or seven, they could recite two
chapters, by age nine, four chapters and so on. But present day students are not taught
this way. Kids today can only recite one or two chapters.
The Kuttab is not operating now. It was more in Doaa’s grandfather’s time.
We walked inside the mosque. Back outside we had the opportunity to climb to the top of
the minaret. It is unique because the staircase is around the outside of the tower. The
views from the top are wonderful.
Wearing the Hijab
There are four interpretations by early scholars regarding the wearing of the hijab (alt.
hejab) or the scarf. (Hijab can also refer to modest dress.)
1.
2.
3.
4.
Totally cover from top to toe.
Cover the face.
Cover all but the eyes.
Show no detail of the body.
Many of the young women in Egypt wear the hijab, but wear modern western clothing
that shows the contours of the body. It has become a fashion for some women, and they
pay attention to the color of the hijab, coordinating it with their clothing. They are not
observing this practice with the degree of modesty for which it was intended.
Interpretations of the Qur’an (Koran)
Martyrs, such as suicide bombers, who believe they receive a reward in heaven, are being
taught based on an interpretation not something in the Koran itself. The teachings come
from a fatwa, a religious opinion by a religious leader.
Egyptians believe suicide sends you to hell. There is only one statement in the Qur’an
that speaks to this issue: If someone dies while fighting to defend himself or religion, he
goes to paradise.
Doaa told a story about a fervent young woman who loaned her a textbook in college.
The book had been decorated all around the edges and inside the front and back cover
with religious sayings and warnings. When Doaa’s father saw it, he told her this was a
form of brainwashing. Every time you look at the book, and read the sayings, it builds
the messages into the mind. Doaa feels they don’t teach enough religion in Egypt. There
is only one class on religion per week.
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Visit to Medieval Gate
Bab Zuwayla (alt. Bab Zuweila) is the southern gate of the medieval city of Al-Qahira.
According to Wikipedia, “Bab” means gate, and “Zuweila” is the “name of a troop of
fearsome Berber warriors from the western desert who were charged with guarding the
gate.”
A Mamluk sultan, named Tumanbay II, was hung there in 1517 by the Ottomans.
According to history, the rope snapped twice before he was successfully executed (PH p.
246.) This marked the beginning of Ottoman rule in Egypt.
The mosque is from the 15th century honoring Al Mu’ayyad, a Mamluk sultan. The
minarets were added later. The muezzin (a man chosen for his good voice and character)
would climb the minaret five times a day and give the call to prayer. Now it is done by a
recording and microphones.
Up the street is the sabil-kuttab of Sayida Nafisa al-Bayda, the woman patron. The
screen allowed travelers to reach in and get water. Upstairs was a school to teach the
Qur’an. The restorations on the gate and sabil-kuttab were done by the American
Research Center in Egypt (ARCE) in cooperation with Egypt’s Supreme Council of
Antiquities.
Don notes that the ARCE is the main American organization in Egypt involved in
conservation of antiquities and the study of all periods and aspects of Egyptian history.
He says, “It’s the one that I have usually been associated with and had fellowships from
over the years I’ve lived in Egypt; it also has a Northwest chapter based at the University
of Washington which sponsors five or six public lectures a year on Egyptian history and
antiquities.”
See: http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/zuwayla.htm a website that describes the
south and north gate, the mosque, and the historic events that occurred there.
We took a walk up Muizz al-Din lilah Street, the main north-south street of the medieval
city of Cairo. Don says, “The street is named for the Fatamid ruler who conquered
Egypt in 969 and founded his new city to the north of earlier ones and gave it the name
Cairo (al-Qahira). The street runs from the southern gate (Bab Zuwayla) to the northern
gate named Bab al-Futah, a distance of about ¾ of a mile.”
Our1/4 mile walk ended at al-Azhar street, a main road that leads to the mosqueuniversity of al-Azhar, and is very near Khan al-Khalili market.
El Moez Street (as it is named on the Cairo map from the Hotel) is a narrow, walking
street lined with a variety of shops. We saw a store with huge bags of cotton, which
Doaa said are fourth or fifth quality used for filling pillows. There were many local
people shopping for a variety of goods. We were better able to observe the lifestyle of
Cairenes here as we were the only tourists, and shopkeepers were not hounding us. We
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saw many women in full hijab, and men with the characteristic dark mark on their
forehead caused by years of faithful bowing in prayer.
Lunch at Al-Azhar Park
Al Azhar Park was completely restored from a neglected and shabby garden near the
Citidel. The project was conducted by the Aga Khan Trust for Culture. The current Aga
Kahn IV, is the grandson of the Aga Khan who came to Egypt to help his rheumatism,
and chose to be buried in Aswan.
See excellent article at this website:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/azharpark.htm
We had a wonderful lunch outdoor on the patio of the Citadel View Restaurant. The sun
was bright and warm, and the food delicious. Our view of the gardens and ponds was a
restful setting, away from the competing sights and sounds of Cairo life. We walked to
the waiting bus observing people enjoying the park, including a group of men praying on
the lawn.
Explanation of Aga Khan by Don Reid
Don wrote the following explanation of the term and person called Aga Khan:
Aga Khan is a title, held since the 19th century by four successive princes
from what is now Pakistan. They came from a line of Shiites (Ismaili
branch) and the British colonial empire in India recognized the title of this
head of a religious sect (not a country) which is now scattered worldwide.
Aga Khan III’s personal name before coming to the throne was (Prince)
Sultan Mohammed, b. 1877, who came to the throne in 1885 while still a
child and reigned until his death in 1957. He is the one who first came to
Egypt for his health and is buried in the domed tomb we saw from the
river at Aswan.
His son Prince Aly Khan was Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations
for a time and president of the UN General Assembly. He is noted also for
his interest in racehorses and as the third husband of movie star Rita
Hayworth.
Aga Khan III decided in his will to pass over his son Aly Khan for
succession, so in 1957 the throne went directly to his grandson (and Aly
Khan’s son), who became Aga Khan IV in 1957 at age 21 and is still on
the throne today. His personal name is Sultan Mohammed but mostly
people would use the Aga Khan IV title instead. He is noted for his
philanthropy, including the Aga Khan Trust for Culture, which funded the
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Al-Azhar Park and also supports the leading academic program and a
prize in Islamic architecture in the United States (jointly at Harvard and
MIT).
On the way back…
We passed the Abdeen (alt.Abdin) Palace, which is still in use for government functions.
President Mobarak lives in Heliopolis (near the airport) in the Uruba Palace. We also
saw the Statue of Mohamed Farid.
Don explains that he “was leader of what was the main nationalist party in the struggle
for independence from Britain before World War I. Exiled in Germany during World
War I and in the 1919 revolution, or national uprising against the British, leadership of
the national movement passed to Saad Zaghlul, whose more prominent statue was the one
at the far end of the main bridge (with the lion statues) outside the Semiramis
Intercontinental going over the island of Gezira or Zamalek.”
We drove through the banking area and also passed the Ministry of Waqfs (in Arabic
plural form Awqaf). According to Don, “it administers charitable, tax-exempt
foundations. Money comes from people’s charitable gifts to support all sorts of
charitable activities, such as endowments for sabil-kuttabs, theoretically forever. The
current building of the ministry was built shortly after 1900 in neo-Islamic style.”
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Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Flights to Abu Simbel
Today began very early with checking out of the Semiramis Intercontinental Hotel,
driving to the Cairo Airport, and taking two flights with a three-hour layover in Aswan to
arrive at Abu Simbel. There was a huge body of water visible from the airplane, which
we learned was Lake Nasser, the world’s largest man-made lake.
Lake Nasser
Doaa informed us that Lake Nasser is 510 km in length, and that the building of a new
canal is in progress. The lake was created by the completion of the High Dam on the
Nile River. When the Lake reaches maximum level, it can supply water to Egypt for five
years. There are local fishermen who make a living catching the fish in Lake Nasser, but
they are competing with the crocodile population. Crocodiles now number over 70,000
and are a danger to fishermen as well as a threat to the fish population which has been
reduced by a half in recent years. It is not allowed to kill the crocodiles. The Lake has
become a nature reserve, with one half million migrating birds coming in winter.
Examples of birds seen in the area are seagulls, vultures, eagles, pelicans, storks and
flamingos.
The reservoir created by the High Dam would cover Nubian villages, and many ancient
Egyptian sites. In 1964 Egypt requested assistance from UNESCO in moving 23
temples. The United States paid one third of the expense of the rescue project. As a
return gift, Egypt gave the U.S. the Nubian temple of Dendur, a small temple from the
period of Augustus which some of the group would have seen reconstructed in a special
section of the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Villages were evacuated and rebuilt. Each family got six acres of land and a house, but it
was the worst thing that happened from a Nubian aspect. Later, attitudes changed. In
1960-71 60% of Egyptians disagreed with building the dam. The by the 1990’s, 90% of
Egyptians said it was the best thing. The change in attitude was partly due to a severe
drought from 1980-1988, during which the water from Lake Nasser was essential.
M/S Kasr Ibrim
We were taken by bus to our ship, the M/S Kasr Ibrim, for our cruise on Lake Nasser. It
is a beautiful ship, designed and decorated in art deco style, with a wide sweeping
circular staircase connecting the three levels. The top deck has a covered dining area
and up another flight of stairs, an open deck with a swimming pool and lounge chairs for
relaxing and sunbathing. The dining room is below the staterooms, and very unique, as
the water level comes up to midway on the portals. All our meals were excellent, from
the pastries and made to order omelets in the morning, to the three course lunches and
plentiful buffet dinners.
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Abu Simbel
The land of Nubia is the present area between Egypt and Sudan. In ancient times it was
the land of gold and the “gate” to Africa. The Nubians were tall and strong and good
soldiers. Ramses II had 6 temples built in Nubia.
Abu Simbel is the name of a young man who showed travelers the faces above the sand.
One of those travelers, was the Swiss explorer Jean-Louis Burkhardt, who “rediscovered”
the temple of King Ramses II in 1813. Doaa showed us pictures drawn by David Roberts
in about 1838, illustrating several of the large statues of Ramses II rising up out of the
sand. Access to the inside of the temple came in 1817. It was carved out of a mountain
on the west bank of the Nile River.
The two temples at Abu Simbel were the most difficult to transfer. We saw a movie on
the ship, showing how the rescue work was done. The stone was cut into pieces with an
average weight of 30 tons, and some as much as 60 tons. Cranes moved them 180 feet
higher and 600 feet away from the reservoir. An artificial mountain was built over the
temple. The dome that supports the mountain is the second largest dome in the world,
after the dome of St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican.
We entered the complex through an information pavilion. We walked for about a block to
the temple, which remained out of sight until the last minute when we rounded a corner
and were confronted with the four colossal statues of Ramses II. Words are difficult to
find that can capture the experience of seeing this site for the first time in “real life.”
Doaa gave us an orientation at the open courtyard of the temple. She showed us
photographs of the scenes we would encounter as we went through the temple.
King Ramses II was the longest living pharaoh. He was 90 years old when he died. He
had 34 wives and many children. His favorite wife is Nefertari. He honored her by
building a temple to her, representing her as the goddess Hathor.
The four seated statues are all Ramses II. The smaller figures between them are of his
wife, his mother, and some of his children. The temple is dedicated to the sun god Ra
Horakhty. The sun god Ra took many different forms over time, and under different
dynasties. In this temple, four stages of the sun god are represented: dawn, noon, sunset
and evening. Special ceremonies were conducted here, including celebrating Ramses II’s
birthday.
As you enter the first chamber of the temple you are greeted with the falcon headed sun
god Ra Horakhty above you. You can see the disc on the head. This god symbolized
truth, justice, strength and power. The doorway is flanked by two images of Ramses II.
There are 24 monkeys that symbolize 24 hours in a day.
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In the first chamber there are eight statues forming pillars, depicting Ramses II in his
mummy (funerary) form. There are two famous scenes. On one side of the chamber,
Ramses is seen on a war chariot, with two of his children, aged four and six. You can tell
they are children by their sidelocks. The children are named in hieroglyphics. Ramses
II’s arms are shown two times and his bow and arrow two times also. This is the way the
artist represented movement. The horse’s reigns are strapped to Ramses waist, and his
pet lion is also shown. There is a scene showing Ramses II wrestling with his enemies.
Ramses II hoped his son would become a great leader and warrior, but his son preferred
architecture and became a physician and a builder.
The right side of the chamber has carved murals of scenes from the battlefield of Kadesh.
In the fifth year of Ramses II reign, he defeated the Hitites. The story of the battle is
written on the walls of the temple. Two spies made up a story about the success of the
campaign, but Nefertari did not believe them. She sent the rest of the army to support the
troops. Her decision saved the Egyptian forces from being defeated. The peace treaty
between Egypt and the Hitites is recorded on the temple walls. It is the first peace treaty
of recorded history in the world.
Another written record documents the wedding contract between Nefertari and Ramses
II, and also between Ramses II and Bintanath, the daughter of the Hitite King. Ramses II
had 34 wives. After the death of Nefertari, Ramses II married some of his daughters, but
symbolically only.
The ceiling of the chamber is covered with vultures. They were important because they
would attack all enemies of the king and protect the body. It was important to preserve
the body as you could not be resurrected if no body was left. Embalming was very
important, and was even conducted on the battlefield.
The second chamber of the temple illustrates Ramses II as kind and good and shows him
as a religious person making offerings to the gods, and shaking hands with the gods.
The innermost chamber is the sacred sanctuary. Four seated statues are the four stages of
the sun god Ra. The rising sun (dawn) is Ra Harakhty, noontime is Amun Ra, the setting
sun is depicted by Ramses II with two feathers on his head. The evening sun is Ptah, the
god of darkness and the underworld. Two times a year the sun illuminates the stages of
the sun, all except for the fourth stage, god Ptah. When the temple was relocated, they
positioned it so that the illumination of the equinox would occur at the same time, but
they were not completely successful. Instead of occurring on February 21 and October
21, it happens on February 22 and October 22.
Temple dedicated to Queen Nefertari
The smaller temple is dedicated to Queen Nefertari, the first temple ever dedicated to a
queen. She is the first Queen to have a cartouche. Her name means “the most beautiful
of them all, the mother of them all.” Queen Nefertari became a goddess after her death.
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The outside of the temple has four colossal statues. Two of Queen Nefertari flank the
door, and beside her on each side is Ramses II. Smaller figures are some of their
children. It is remarkable that Queen Nefertari is shown the same size as Ramses II.
Inside the temple on the left is a mural of Nefertari being crowned by Hathor and Isis.
You can recognize Hathor by her ears, which are ears of a cow. Her image is on a pillar,
shown in full face.
Another mural inside the temple shows Ramses II at his coronation, being crowned by
gods Seth and Horus. The gods represent evil and good, and the scene implies that
Ramses II has the protection of both of the gods.
Bill went for a hike up the mountain on a trail between the two temples. He turned back
when he encountered dogs. We stayed at the temple site until the light show began. We
sat on stone bleachers and used headphones that broadcast in English to tell the story of
Ramses II, Nefertari and the ancient Egyptians.
We made our way back up to the path to the boat, full of awe and wonder at the
accomplishments of a civilization that lived so long ago.
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