Giza - الجيزة‎

The pyramids at Giza are striking. It's interesting because they are much closer to the city and civilization than one would expect. They are also paradoxically larger and smaller than expected.

Personally, I enjoyed Saqqara more, but perhaps that was because it was the first pyramid I saw that made me think to myself 'I'm really in Egypt'. There were more tour buses at The Great Pyramid Complex - and of course more people.

I didn't expect the exterior to be so craggy. In it's prime it was covered with casing stones made of white limestone, most of which are no longer there (you can see what's remaining towards the bottom of the pyramid). Archeologists suggest the pyramids would have a sheen to them from the sunlight glowing off the façade. I'm sure that was quite a sight!

The Khufu (Cheops in Greek) Pyramid is the last remaining of the original Seven Wonders of the World. It was constructed over a 20 year period around 2560 BC. It remains the largest, despite the fact the Pyramid of Khafre appears larger, due to its placement on the plateau.

Rani took a few photos of us from different perspectives while we stood on the pyramid. They help to give some perspective to how big each boulder truly is. A common misnomer is that the pyramid were built using slave labor. While I am sure the days of hauling, measuring, and cutting these enormous stones was a grueling task, Rani told us that it was more of an honor to be involved in building something so grand, and for the King no less. It does make a lot of sense that the people would have to work together in order for the pieces to fit so perfectly and really stand as a test of time.

We paid an extra 30 LE to go inside the Pyramid of Khafre, which was not overly exciting. First, we had to hunch down and walk into serious dank humidity. There really wasn't much to see besides a painted inscription on the wall and a sarcophagus.

We weren't allowed to take our camera in, however Rani took a few photos of us as we were exiting. For once the midday sun felt rather cool. I couldn't stop thinking about the grave robbers and how much they must have really been after treasure. Many of the graves were robbed eons ago. Some of the mummies were desecrated by being stolen and boiled and later used for medicinal purposes.

The bodies were meant to be preserved and used in the afterlife, along with everything else they might possible need, including various beds, chairs, amulets, and even their organs.

Going inside was not for the faint of heart. We also understood more clearly why people would believe in a curse, considering several men died after entering the pyramids, not long after they were discovered. Even thousands of years later the air down there is not the best.

Surprisingly the photo on the right depicts what used to be a bank of the Nile River. Now the Nile is not even in sight because it has substantially receded. You can see a bit of Giza in the background - it's so very close.

We went from the pyramids down to the Sphinx and the temple valley. There were many tourists, as well as what appeared to be locals - presumably celebrating Mother's Day.

The Sphinx itself is undergoing some restoration thanks to UNESCO. The proportions looks a bit off, so it most likely has undergone restorations in the past as well. We saw several young children selling postcards and taking photos of tourists or positioning them for photos so their faces would line up with the Sphinx. Even the youngest are well versed in selling things. It made me stop and think about how drastically different our childhoods are.

We admired the structures and before we knew it the area was closing. The day passed so quickly and we were very worn out, but we walked away feeling like we'd certainly spent a day of our lives living and learning. These are the moments that I live for.

The flood of people came from the Giza complex. The young girls look so expressive with their bright colors, while maintaining their Islamic traditions. I truly cannot imagine what it would be like to grow up as a young Islamic girl. Rani would tell us more about that in the coming days, but as always, I have so much to learn.

After we left the complex we walked down the street. It is so different to see taxis and cars sharing the streets with horses, donkeys, and camels. The juxtaposition of old and new gave me a lot to think about. Looking at the sophistication of building such monumental structures - and then the stark contrast in how dilapidated and run down most of the city is.

That is something that I really struggled with. The Egyptians that we encountered were highly and impressively educated. There has to be more to it, as to why this once powerful city could fall into such poverty and disarray. It does make me understand how religion is of the utmost importance to many of the people in this amazing area.

Saqqara - سقارة

Our next stop, after Memphis, was Saqqara. I recall studying this in Art History and being very impressed then, so seeing it was such an incredible experience. The area is a necropoleis, which seems slightly morbid, however it is very grandiose and beautiful.

We passed through many palm trees and then suddenly it was desert sprinkled with pyramids. Imhotep's Step Pyramid is the oldest and most impressive. It was built for King Djoser (c.2667-2648 BC). Simply standing there and looking at such an incredible architectural feat made me appreciate the Egyptian's sophistication and skills in engineering.

After visiting the new Imhotep Museum we ventured up to the pyramid. We were promptly greeted by several stray dogs, one proudly resembled a Sphinx. There were several dogs in the area, hanging around the tourists, but not bothering them. This small puppy looked as though he had a sunburned nose. Living in Egypt seems harsh on everyone.

Rani explained some of the history and then we went into the Funerary complex of Djoser. The pillars appeared very organic and I felt as though I was on a movie set as we walked through.

The light and beautiful warm tones made me so happy. Once we entered the Great Court area directly in front of the pyramid, I was simply awestruck.

The entire complex is so interesting, and then considering it was built so long ago makes it really difficult to comprehend. I was very surprised by the dichotomy throughout this entire trip - from religious and economic aspects to how this culture seemingly went from so progressive to conservative and struggling.

The Saqqara area includes not only the pyramid, but also a larger area used for burials and the Heb-Sed festival, where the King would run to certain points and prove his endurance.

Not only were we visiting the world's oldest pyramid, we were also going to see the world's oldest graffiti - courtesy of Ramses II. Evidently he really didn't like anything to go without having his name on it, so he wrote on the walls of The South House.

We quickly learned a bit about 'baksheesh' or the traditional bribe/tip that is often given out in Egypt. As we climbed around The South House there was a tourist police officer who was towards the bottom of the pyramid.

Most of the pyramid was blocked off due to preservation, however he allowed us to go around the back after a quick exchange with Rani.

Towards the back of the pyramid we were guided towards the Serdab - or 'cellar' in Arabic. When we peered through the holes we were greeted with King Djoser himself staring back at us. The original is in the Egyptian Museum, which we would later see, however the Serdab itself is the original. Since so much was based on the after life during this time, King Djoser was aligned to look towards the North Star and the holes were made so he would be able to see the rituals and offerings.

We seem to have a lot of luck with people telling us about secret peep-holes, like the one we saw in Rome. I love that extra attention to detail.

We looked down one of the entry shafts. In the Imhotep musem we were able to see some of the beautiful faïence tiles that were used in some of the burial chambers (sorry, photos weren't allowed). The blue-green hue is most likely due to the belief that life comes from water.

They say "Man fears time, But time fears the pyramids", but in the meantime they are doing a lot of preservation work as well. It's very amazing and humbling to consider how much people are capable of - in creating or destroying.

It was nice to experience some of the solitude and calmness while we were there on our own. I really couldn't help but wonder what else is buried underneath the sands.

Rani also added to our pop culture knowledge by telling us that Indian Jones was filmed here.

The afternoon heat was starting to warm up and I could only imagine what the people went through to build these structures, which obviously took a lot of time. We were reminded time and time again that they were not created by slaves, especially taking into account the precision and attention to detail that was required to withstand the test of time.

Again, it made some of the scaffolding and restoration tools seem rather archaic. It also made our modern buildings seem so temporary and boring. The brut strength to create these pyramids - gathering natural materials, creating the pigments, transporting things, and making them structurally sound, is very incredible.

Many areas have not been fully excavated simply because there is so much to look at and categorize. It's a wonderful place to be an archeologist!

The Step Pyramid is not the only pyramid in the area. Sadly. some of the pyramids aren't as elaborate - after all, not all could be fit for the King! Erosion has worn some of them down to resemble hills, like the pyramid of Unas (pictured above and below), from the Fifth Dynasty.

While we opted not to ride a camel or donkey, I still think they are absolutely precious and so Mid-East.

Saqqara was one of my favorite places during our entire trip. I really appreciated its isolation and complexity.