The Pyramids and Great Sphinx
Egypt’s children still seek refuge, comfort, solace, and nourishment from the divine Nile River, or as they call her, Nil in Umm Al-Duniya-Mother of the World. It moves me immensely to think of the deep-rooted respect, love, and pride that the Egyptians today continue to retain in their hearts, minds, and souls for their motherland, soil, heritage, and culture. Driving through Giza, passing the zoo and the sphinx statue in the middle of the roundabout, a constant reminder of Egypt’s majestic past, without any warning or time for preparation, the great pyramids of Giza appear. It was one of those sights that takes your breath away as you stare up in awe and disbelief that you’re actually finally here.
Over a window of fifty days at this time each year in the Sahara Desert, for any random five days, a sandstorm strikes- the time is called Khamseen. Today is coincidentally one of those days! What an unforgettable, remarkable experience it was. The winds picked up speed as we made our way back from the Great Pyramid (the largest one) to our vehicle. Plastic bags blew up into the air and began dancing against the pyramid, and the sight was mesmerizing and soothing. As we made our way to the second pyramid, the wind had raised the sands to curtain the sun, blocking our view of everything. The shapes of the pyramids could barely be made out through the sand- like fog or a thick mist, but it was a beautiful, captivating sight. And, it was quite an experience as we covered ourselves from head to toe with scarves and shades. Sand was sticking to our skin, planting itself into our scalps.
One cannot enter the pyramids if claustrophobic. Bending at 90 degree angles, we crawled into the dimly lit, narrow passages, making our way into the room of the tomb. It completely felt like a scene out of the Indiana Jones chronicles. It was hot, humid, and sticky. Who would think that in this seemingly impenetrable calm, where the pharaohs has been put to rest so many years ago, that there could be such a violent sandstorm outside of these walls? Suddenly, the dim lights started to flicker, and out they went! We were eventually led out of the pyramid with the assistance of other tourists’ PDA and cell phone lighting.
We made a second attempt to visit the Pyramids and the great Sphinx a few days later, and just with our luck, the second sandstorm of Khamseen decided to strike again. On the final day of our trip, we tried a third time, and we were graced with the mercy of the Gods and were able to get some great photos under the Cairo sun.
The Great Sphinx
The Pyramids and Sphinx in Giza
Giza
Mosque near the Grand Bazaar
Aswan and Nubian Villages
We climb to the top of our felucca at the end of another surreal day in Egypt in Aswan. It’s dark with hardly any other boat afloat the calm waters of the Nile. Muharram and his cousin boat us back to the corniche in front of our hotel near the Aswan train station. After a lovely tour and authentic home-cooked meal in the warmth of Muharram and Omar’s Nubian village further down the Nile.
Just to backtrack, we arrived in Aswan a day earlier and wondered through the souk. We had an interesting interaction with a salesman who had us in his shop for hot, mint tea and proposed to me, asking if I would be willing and interested to consider an Egyptian. I said yes to the latter, but rejected the proposal—not for a mere 500 million camels! We took a felucca out later that day to visit Kitchener’s Island’s botanical gardens. In the evening, we enjoyed a lot of drumming, singing, and dancing to traditional Nubian songs as we made our way to the Nubian village for dinner.
A View from the Nile
Abu Simbel
It’s early- 4:24 am to be exact. We are waiting in a long queue- part of a convoy to Abu Simbel in the darkness of pre-dawn. It’s pristine and calm, and it’s strange to think that just miles from this paradise, where mosques and mausoleums glisten in the moon’s light, that there is a storm of human suffering- West Bank, Gaza, Palestine. The sun has just risen, and we speedily make our way down a road in the desert, similar to that leading the way to Vegas, blasting Arabic music in our vehicle. We question Osama about the requirement to travel in a convoy, and he responds, “Government protocol…for security. I know, it’s useless, but after the terrorist attacks…..” and we continue on.
Abu Simbel is magnificent and breathtaking, and is definitely my favorite site in Egypt. Turning the bend, we approach the colossal, magnificent structures. The kings gaze into the distant sun and Lake Nasser, and the sun, as if a servant to the great kings, dutifully shines on their faces, bringing out a beautiful, golden glow. The story goes that Ramses II, the most famous and important of the pharaohs, whose empire reached the furthest up the Nile to Sudan, was a very proud, narcissistic king. He was the only pharaoh to have statues depicting himself as a god in the temples of Egypt. These temples would additionally have scenes carved into the walls, illustrating him as a conqueror and hero in battles hardly won by him and the Egyptian army. For 16 years, the army fought a battle with the Nubian army. It finally ended in a truce at no one’s gain. The Nubian king then married his daughter off to Ramses II. She was Nefertiti- one of the most beautiful and powerful queens of Egypt. To ensure his reach and command the respect of the Nubians, he erected Abu Simbel and the Temple of Hathor here.
Abu Simbel
Front of Abu Simbel
The Pharoahs of Abu Simbel
Temple of Hathor
Luxor
We rushed to the weekly camel market in Daraw, just fifteen minutes north of Aswan. We arrive in the town, but the camel market is empty, and a boy in a galabayya, pushing his bike along the narrow dirt path in between the houses, shouts, “Mafeesh!” Our driver shouts back, “Mafeesh?...Mafeesh.” It seems there is no market today. We ended sitting on some camels for a few minutes just for the experience, and then moved onto the Temple of Kom Ombo—erected not in honor, but in fear, of the crocodile king.
After Kom Ombo, we part ways with Osama and head off to Edfu with the convoy to see the Temple of Horus. Everyone carries a Kalashnikov here. Sadly, it’s not a shocking sight having just come from Sri Lanka.
Daraw Camels
Temple of Kom Ombo
View from the Inside
Stunning architecture of ancient Egypt
Temple of Horus
Valley of the Kings, Luxor
We are sitting in front of King Tut’s tomb in the renowned Valley of the Kings. This, after a long donkey ride starting at 6:00 this morning over some very high mountains overlooking the Valley of the Workers, Valley of the Kings, and Queen Hatshepsut’s funeral temple. We’re a slip away from death, and are legs tingle. We finally reach a point where the donkeys cannot go on, so we begin the hike down to the Valley of the Kings to meet our guide. There, we also visited the tombs of Ramses III, IV, and the IX.
At sunset, we rented a felucca to enjoy the Nile a bit more before heading back to Cairo the next day. The sun begins to set, and the rays of the sun, beaming in our faces, is balanced by the cool breeze that also serves as the fuel for our felucca—the “Moon River.” We pass by a boy on the banks of the river, giving his camel a bath. It feels like a dream.
Shortly, we arrive at Banana Island, which resembles Kerala or Jaffna, full of mango, plantain, and mandarin trees. Wheat and sugar cane also thrive on this paradise island. We pluck a few plantains to satiate our cravings as we make our way back to Luxor. We concluded the evening with an amazing visit to the Karnak Temple.
On the way to the Valley of the Kings
My Ride
Valley of the Kings
Valley of the Queens, Thebes
Beautiful paintings on the walls of the tombs
Statue at Karnak Temple in Luxor
Another status in Karnak Temple of Luxor
Life on the Nile
Relaxing on the Nile
Mt. Sinai and St. Katherine’s
It’s 3:00 am on a Monday, and I begin this entry in one of the many stone huts that sporadically appear around a bend. The huts are dimly lit with kerosene lamps, and one or two Bedouin Arabs have made homes for themselves on the great Mount Sinai. I can’t explain in words the beauty of this sight and experience. As we made our way to St. Katherine’s from the Suez Canal, we must have passed at least a dozen checkpoints. As I peered from my window into the dark desert night sky, I couldn’t help gasping because of the shocking beauty of the colossal, rocky mountains, glistening under the incredibly bright moon. It is very cold, and we’ve hardly prepared amply for the eight kilometers up and another eight kilometers down Mount Sinai.
****************
We just finished the hike up and down Mt Sinai and are now sitting in front of St. Katherine’s, waiting for the church to be opened. The hike was pretty challenging for me, and it was horribly cold and windy at the top, but the sights were absolutely breathtaking and the ambience so surreal. The climb was surprisingly dangerous, always being steps away from possibly plummeting to one’s death. Occasional encouragement could be derived from the Nigerians’ singing of their folk songs and the occasional stops at Mohammad’s friend’s coffee huts, which often did provide “light at the end of the tunnel” of darkness in every sense of the cliché. Sunrise at the top of the mountain was incredible! As the sun began to rise, bright, thick hues of golden orange and fire red broke through from behind a range of mountain peaks, appearing in the sky like ink splattered on a canvas from an exploding brush. It was unforgettable.
Sunrise from Mt. Sinai
Making its Way Up
Stunning Sunrise
View from Mt. Sinai
View of St. Katherine's as we descend
Me and Mohammad, our guide, taking a break
St. Katherine's
No comments:
Post a Comment