Back in the summer of 2008 I had the good fortune of visiting Egypt for around four days. Of the four days, two were spent in Cairo, one in Luxor and one in Alexandria.
Learning about Ancient Egypt through what was called the offline internet back in the day, yes, an encyclopaedia, was fascinating. I must have been 11 at the time and I was completely mesmerised by the images of the Great Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, the tomb of Tut Ankh Amun and the hieroglyphic scripture.
And then, a few years later, planning a visit to the world’s largest open air museum definitely elevated my level of excitement!
Cairo
The first order of business was to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza and to see the magnificent Sphinx! Our cab ride from Cairo to Giza lasted for about 45 minutes. And as we descended a hill routing us towards the ticket office for these sites, I was delighted to see the pages of the encyclopaedia come to life!
I had the opportunity to go inside the magnificent Pyramid of King Khufu. The Pyramids of Giza and the Nile Delta were tombs of choice for the pharaohs of Egypt’s Old Kingdom. Basically in and around North Egypt.
Ancient Egyptians were strong believers in the afterlife, wherein they were promised continuing life and the pharaohs (kings) were expected to become one with the gods. The tombs of the kings (pharaohs) were given special attention. These tombs were stocked with the material goods that a king would need in the next world, which also included food, drink, sacred objects and sometimes even pets.And the process of mummification would ensure that the body of the ruler was well preserved to help the reanimation of the ruler’s soul in the afterlife.
And the sphinx, a mythological creature with the head of a person and the body of a lion, was built to guard the tombs of the pharaohs and religious sites like temples.
It was surreal to have been able to touch these ancient structures.
The next day was spent visiting the Museum of Cairo, which is huge! It’s every historian’s dream! The number of ancient items retrieved from the tombs of the pharaohs and queens is supernumerary. It was also a ‘goosebumpy’ moment to have seen the coffin of King Tut Ankh Amun!
King Tut Ankh Amun’s tomb is not to be found in North Egypt. In fact you need to travel down South to Luxor to be able to get to the Valley of the Kings, where most of the pharaoh and nobles of the New Kingdom of Egypt were buried.
Luxor
And low and behold, our trip the next day was to visit this infamous valley within the Southern Egyptian mountains.
Deep beneath the rock of these mountains lie tombs carved out to house dead pharaohs and their treasures. The Kings were buried underground in rooms decorated with carvings and paintings and filled with valuable objects.
We went from Luxor Airport directly to tour the Valley of the Kings, in the early hours of the morning as it does get very hot much later in the day.
The Valley of the Kings is an active archaeological site. More than 60 tombs have been discovered so far, and the nearby Valley of the Queens contains more than 70 tombs of queens and princesses.
Most of the tombs within the Valley of the Kings were broken into and robbed of their treasures.
And this is why the tomb of Tutankhamun is one of the most important Ancient Egyptian sites, as it was not found by grave robbers. When it was opened by archaeologists in 1922, thousands of precious objects were discovered inside, left exactly as they were when the pharaoh was buried almost 3000 years ago!
As we descended a flight of stairs below into the rocky abyss, we came into the first room of the tomb called the antechamber. The antechamber then led to the burial room, wherein resided the mummified body of the late king. The body was contained in three nested coffins when it was discovered. Two coffins were made out of a combination of wood and gold and the final coffin was made with 22 pounds of solid gold. And close to the burial room was the treasury wherein all of the king’s precious possessions were placed.
All of these possessions are now on display in the Museum of Cairo.
Alexandria
The last leg of the trip involved flying up North to the city of Alexandria, which is bordered by the aquamarine waters of the Mediterranean Sea. So, as you’ve probably guessed it right, Alexandria got its name from it’s conquerer, Alexander the Great, a Greek Ruler, back in 331 BC!
The city reminded me a lot of Mumbai. It’s got a coastal city vibe with delicious sea food and picturesque sea fronts. I loved the architecture of the Bibliotheca library in Alexandria. We didn’t venture inside the library as it was closed when we got there, but it is believed to house a ton of ancient Egyptian literature and the Manuscript Museum.
I was in love with Fort Qaitbay, which was built by Sultan Qaitbay in the 1470s to protect the city of Alexandria from the advances of the Ottoman Empire. The fort itself was used to store weaspons and ship them as well. There’s a mosque on the first floor of the citadel and subsequent floors have several corridors and beautiful halls. It was eventually siezed by Napoleon Bonaparte in the 18th Century. Several years later when I visited the Tower of London, I was reminded of Fort Qaitbay! Turns out the Tower of London was built way back in 1070. Is it a case of inspiration or pure coincidence that these structures, which are miles apart and were built in different timelines, are so similar!
It was hard to say goodbye to the land of the Pyramids, but at the same time it was nice to have stroll through the pages of history! Hoping for a part two! Fingers crossed!