Egypt: A Modern World Surrounding Ancient Ruins

After our nearly six-day run through the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, we finally arrived in Safaga, Egypt.  This marked our very first visit to the continent of Africa.

Egypt is about a million square kilometers so if I did my math right, that makes it about 360,000 square miles.  It’s divided into five regions:  Upper Egypt (Aswan/Southern Egypt), Lower Egypt (Northern Egypt), Sinai Peninsula, Western Egypt (Sahara Desert), and Eastern Desert (Safaga area).  Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt seem to be in reverse of what most people would think, but that is based upon the direction the Nile flows.  Upper Egypt designates upriver; Lower Egypt designates downriver.  99% of Egypt’s population of 80 million live in Upper and Lower Egypt. 

The port city of Safaga was our gateway to the ancient historical sites of Luxor, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings.  As soon as the ship was cleared by customs officials, our group of 83 people tendered ashore and boarded the three awaiting buses to set off across the desert to Luxor.  All we saw of Safaga was the few minutes it took to drive out the evening of the 4th and back in the night of the 5^th.

We set out in a caravan late in the afternoon, accompanied by a security officer on each bus, as well as a spare bus – just in case.  Our tour guide Abdul was from Aswan and was extremely knowledgeable and friendly.   The 100-mile trip across the desert was among the most desolate places we’ve ever experienced!   I knew we would be crossing desert, but I pictured the deserts I was familiar with – like those of Arizona.  In this case, we went miles without seeing anything but sand and dusty mountains.   I began to wonder if we’d even see plant life, but finally a few knee-high sized shrubs started to appear here and there, and once in a very great while we’d see a tree.  There were a few wayside places where it appeared that a few people lived, but nothing we could really describe as more than a couple of canopies and a handful of people living near one of the sporadic checkpoints along the one road that ran between Safaga and the point where we turned south toward Luxor.  About 50 miles across the 100-mile stretch we stopped at a checkpoint where we had to wait and switch security officers.  (Each checkpoint we encountered had well-armed military personnel.)  Our officer was to travel back to Safaga and we were to pick up another officer who would head back toward Luxor.  We sat and waited there for well over a half hour, but finally we were on our way again, continuing on mile after desolate mile until all of a sudden we could see lights.  We had arrived on the banks of the River Nile, which is the lifeblood of the vast majority the population. 

Turning south, our progress was slowed by the constant flow of all kinds of traffic, and I do mean all kinds!  By now it was dark so everyone was out and about, driving small trucks, cars, motorcycles, and riding donkeys.  Both of us commented that we’d never seen so many donkeys that were actually used for transportation of people and goods.  Yes, we’ve seen the places at home that advertise donkey rides, but those donkeys we saw in Egypt were used as working animals.  Not exactly what we’d expected.  (On the other hand, we only saw a few camels, and most of the ones I saw appeared to be regal passengers in the back of a truck.  Yep – five of them relaxing and enjoying their surroundings as they rode past.) 

We always knew when we were arriving at a gas station because the traffic became gridlocked!  Everyone in town seemed to show up at the gas station and wait in line for blocks.  Our tour guide told us that sometimes they got in line and left their vehicles there overnight if the station closed before they got their gas! 

What was particularly interesting was the fact that the streets were teeming with men – standing about chatting, heading somewhere,  relaxing on chairs or sitting on the ground.  It appeared that the entire male population of each village was lined along the streets as we drove by.  However, in stark contrast, we didn’t see a single woman!  Apparently the entire female population was at home – or at least inside! 

Finally arriving at our hotel, the Sonesta St. George in Luxor, we settled in quickly and went down for a buffet dinner out on the terrace on the banks of the Nile.  It was very late so we made it a quick dinner and headed back up to get ready for bed.  The next day would be very long!  Stepping out on the small patio before turning in, we realized that we had a view of the Nile and the mountains, and what we guessed was the Valley of the Kings, beyond. 

I was awaked very early in the morning (4:15 or so) by a very loud Muslim call to prayer.  Just exactly what I wanted to hear after a very long day, late night, and an upcoming long day!  Sure glad I don’t have to hear that at home!

Since Ancient Civilization became the Social Studies curriculum for fifth grade my last few years of teaching, I had been looking forward to this port since the beginning of the trip!  So many of the things we would be seeing were things that we had discussed in class, and I never dreamed at that time that I would have the opportunity to visit Egypt and see the tombs and temples of ancient Pharaohs!

After a delicious buffet breakfast, once again overlooking the Nile, we boarded the bus and headed out for our first stop of the day.  It was a 45-minute ride to the west bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings.  As we drove, we watched people carrying out their daily business.  Many were farmers, and one of the most important crops was sugarcane.  Dressed in their traditional long robes (which our guide told us is much cooler for them), they were in the fields working, often with small two-wheeled carts at the edge of the field, accompanied by a donkey tied to a tree.  Sometimes a cart would roll by, powered by a trotting donkey or two, often with the owner perched on the back.  We saw the occasional water buffalo, and sometimes other animals – goats, cattle, some sheep, etc.  In town there were women who appeared to be on their way to market, and men out doing whatever they needed to do.

The Valley of the Kings is the final resting place of at least 63 of Egypt’s Pharaohs.  Probably one of the most famous though least prominent of those Pharaohs was King Tutankhamen, whose grave was unearthed back in 1922.  The site is still being excavated, as they find more and more Pharaohs, sometimes one tomb on top of another. Unfortunately absolutely no photos or videography is allowed within the site, so we left our cameras on the bus and trooped out into the dusty morning warmth.  Abdul had warned us not to even acknowledge the vendors that we encountered unless we wanted to be hounded during our entire visit.  Following his instructions, we didn’t so much as make eye contact, but they still seemed to come out of the woodwork.  “One dollah?  One dollah?” became their battle cry, and we just stepped around them, completely ignoring their pleas for us to view their wares.  We would have been happy to look had we been able to browse without being pestered to death, but that was not to be!

We hopped onto a little tram that took us closer to the entrance to the valley.  Whew!  The hawkers were gone, and we could have some peace – or so we thought!  As soon as we entered the gates, they were back. 

We had tickets that allowed us into three different tombs.  Only ten tombs are open on a given day and they vary the tombs that are open.  Abdul explained what we should look for and had us go into a nearly finished tomb, a partially finished tomb, and a tomb that had a detour around another tomb.  So we visited the tombs of Ramses IV, IX, and III.  The tombs are numbered from 1 through 63 in order of their discovery.  King Tut’s tomb is 62, and there is a $20 charge to go in.  Abdul said we could opt to pay for entry, but we needed Egyptian pounds and there was very little to see because most everything was removed to the museum in Cairo. A few people did opt for this, but we decided we’d take a pass, having seen the Tutankhamen display in Chicago many years ago.  

It was absolutely fascinating to enter those ancient tombs and view the works of art in the interiors, imagining what these Pharaohs would think if they knew that people thousands of years later were tramping past their life stories!  The colors were very vivid, and they were not retouched!  We were surprised, though, to discover that most of the hieroglyphics and paintings appeared to be done on a plaster-like material rather than actual stone.  I’m not sure what I expected, but I guess it makes sense that these things were not carved into the stone! 

Not far from the Valley of the Kings was the Temple of Hatshepsut.  With some finagling, Hatshepsut managed to lay claim to the throne in an Egyptian world where only men were allowed to be Pharaoh.  She even wore a beard to establish her masculinity, and she was finally accepted, despite being a woman.  We made a photo stop at the temple but didn’t go in as there wasn’t much to see in the interior.  Instead we traveled a few miles further down the road to see the very well-preserved temple of Ramses III, whose grave we had just seen at the Valley of the Kings. 

This enormous temple had amazing carvings on the walls and pillars that told stories of the bravery of the Pharaoh and his troops.  We were fascinated to see all the towering columns and walls covered with those ancient figures and colorful paintings. 

After another brief photo stop at the Colossus of Memnon (Amenhotep III), we made the 45-minute return trip to Luxor.  Driving along the irrigation canal, we again enjoyed watching the daily life of the people.  One thing that was rather upsetting was to see the occasional bloated animal floating in the irrigation ditches.  When I asked Abdul about this, he explained that the people were not only poorly educated, but that it was against their religion to burn the bodies of animals.  So they would just dump them into the irrigation ditch, assuming that scavengers would come along and eat them.  Yuck! 

By now the heat of the day as well as the dust and sand were getting to us, so by the time we made our last stop before lunch we were ready for a break.  Karnak Temple, located back in Luxor, is absolutely massive! At one time there were 1334 immense columns, all ornately decorated!  We entered the temple passing along the avenue of Ram-Headed Sphinxes.  It was incredible to see the massive columns and view all the statues and obelisks honoring various ancient Pharaohs.  The Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut was one of about four obelisks and the only one that was still standing.  Not only was this an immense place to visit, but our timing was such that we were able to enjoy the sites and take pictures without throngs of humanity wandering in front of us – something that doesn’t often happen!

Returning to our hotel, we freshened up, checked out, and had a buffet lunch before heading to the smaller but just as interesting Luxor Temple.  Luxor Temple had at one time been linked to Karnak Temple by the Avenue of Human-Headed Sphinxes, many of which remain.  At the entrance to the temple our guide pointed out a tall obelisk and on the other side of the archway a pedestal where an obelisk was missing.  Interestingly we’d already seen that obelisk many years ago – in the center of the Place de la Concorde in Paris! 

Temples normally are built so you can see from one end to the other, but this was built a little “crooked” – around a temple for Hatshepsut that was already there.  High above our heads was a doorway beneath a minaret.  At one time that small mosque had been at ground level.  Through excavation they discovered the ancient temple below ground.  As we proceeded between the tall colonnades, we came to another area that had been used as a Catholic church, complete with paintings in one corner of some of the disciples.  So this temple had, during the course of its history, had been a temple for the ancient Egyptians, a Christian church, and a Muslim mosque!

We made one final stop at a factory that gave us a demonstration on making papyrus.  Although a very short explanation, I found it quite interesting.  Human curiosity has produced some wondrous things, and we take paper for granted.   What a revolutionary idea these ancient Egyptians had to work with the papyrus plant to produce the world’s first paper!

Back on the bus, we made the long journey back to the ship.  This time the trip was faster – we went cross-country (cross-desert?) rather than through all the small towns lining the Nile irrigation ditches.  Once again, the land became desolate with little to view other than sand dunes, small rocky mountains, and the occasional checkpoint.  It wasn’t long before dark descended and the only thing we could see was the moonlit landscape – quite a barren wasteland! 

Upon our arrival in Safaga, we found the port area packed with men, all with small suitcases, lounging around and chatting with each other.  Abdul explained that they were awaiting the ferry that would take them to Jedda, and from there they would continue on to Mecca. 

We certainly saw some very unique things on this excursion.  Some were as we’d expected, like the ancient ruins.  Some were total surprises to us – mostly the ways of life that we hadn’t at all anticipated!  What an enlightening experience!

BT