Historical Wonders and Modern Unrest


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Africa » Egypt
February 1st 2011
Published: February 1st 2011
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The second half of our time in Egypt was marked by stunning sights and the uncertainty of political upheaval.

First up were the temples of Edfu and Karnak. Edfu is the best preserved temple in Egypt and was built by the Greeks to honor the Egyptian god Horus. This was my favorite site of the trip because the buildings were still mostly intact and the decorations were still visible. It was easy to imagine this building while it was an active temple. Karnak Temple is the biggest temple complex built in Egypt that still exists and is dedicated to Amen Ra. Both of us were awed by the series of massive columns and intrigued with looking for hidden treasures in out of the way places like the nearly fully painted 2000 year old Amen Ra.

The next morning we had the unique experience of riding donkeys on a half hour journey through the city. Donkeys are ubiquitous in Egypt and we see them frequently being ridden, pulling wagons or carrying loads. Our ride was quite bouncy as the donkeys kept up a trot the entire time (they were constantly being told hop-hop by their handler). Riding through the back streets was fun because other people, especially the children, were waving to us and saying hello. John, not the most experienced of riders, was on a feisty stallion which he named Rocket. Rocket seemed to have it in for the other donkeys and would trot up and bite them on the rump. He got even feistier at the end and John had to leap off his back and grab the halter.

After riding donkeys we visited the Valley of the Kings where 62 pharaohs were buried. Archeologists suspect there are more tombs hidden in the valley but have not found them. It was here that Howard Carter led the expedition that found King Tut’s tomb. We toured four tombs: Ramses VII, Ramses VI, Ramses IV and Merneptah. Unfortunately, no photos are allowed because the flash damages the paintings so if you want to see them, follow this link.

Next was the Temple of Hatshepsut. Hatshepsut was the only female pharaoh but was a bit like the Chinese Emperor (Empress) Xixi who ruled in the place of legitimate male heir. In Hatshepsut’s case, Tutmoses II was the legitimate heir and, after he came of age, he assassinated her then worked to obliterate her from the history books by having her image and name erased from all the works she built in her 20 years on the throne. It obviously did not work since we know about her today. The temple was quite grand but after the temples at Edfu and Karnak it was not exciting because of the relatively poor condition.

That night we took the sleeper train back to Cairo and spent the next day exploring the Islamic sights there. We started by visiting two mosques: one of the oldest in Cairo and one of the most beautiful. The oldest is in the shape of a square 100 meters on a side. The center is open to the sky but the rest is covered. There is a niche that is the focus and it faces Mecca. The detail work in the niche is quite beautiful. There is a pulpit where the Imam preaches from and it has two minarets towering above the building. These are the common features of a mosque: niche facing Mecca, pulpit and minarets. The second mosque was bigger and more ornate and had the same key elements.

Next we drove to the
Cairo SkylineCairo SkylineCairo Skyline

If you look really close, you can see the pyramids on the horizon.
central bazaar. There were several more mosques there that we observed from the outside while Mikel explained the history. Accompanying us was a man in a pin-striped suit. He stood out from the crowd because of his suit, was obviously with us and even spoke with Mikel but Mikel never explained his presence. After touring, we had an hour of free time. Mikel left us but the other guy, who I called Tony, stayed with us. It was disconcerting not knowing why he was there. Honestly, he looked like a secret service agent and we later found out that he was a police officer assigned to act as our body guard. Our visit to the market was uneventful but the next day the city exploded with political protest which indicates his presence was needed.
On a lighter note, John has several times gotten teased by Egyptian men about having a harem because he is one western man walking with five western women. He periodically gets comments like “I am single, can I have one?” I, of course, am #1 wife. The rankings of the rest change as suits John’s whim. It is a fun running joke.

The next day
Enjoying the ViewEnjoying the ViewEnjoying the View

Taken at the top of Mt. Sinai. From left to right, Denali, Alice, John, and Beth.
we drove east from Cairo to the Sinai Peninsula. To get to Sinai we had to cross the Suez Canal. Built by Egyptians under the French in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, it links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean and so is a key shipping route and a major source of revenue for the Egyptian government. We did not actually see the canal because we went under it in a tunnel but we saw a diorama and, from a distance, saw a ship. It looked like a freighter sitting in the middle of the desert so it must have been in the canal.

Our first stop in Sinai was to climb up Mt Sinai. John climbed the entire way and I rode a camel up to the ¾ point then climbed the rest. It was a lovely two-hour journey to the top of the 2600 meter peak and I really enjoyed riding the camel. As we neared the top we were surprised to see scattered patches of snow, remnants of a storm a few weeks before. The view from the top was spectacular. We could see for miles and it was all arid desert. There is
Beth and her Trusty SteedBeth and her Trusty SteedBeth and her Trusty Steed

Beth used the camel to ascend Mt. Sinai.
a church on top of Mt Sinai along with many vendors. We saw many tourists climbing with the intent to spend the night; that would have been quite cold. We left the top before sunset but it was full dark by halfway down. Gratefully we had both flashlights and a Bedouin guide so made it down uneventfully .

The next morning we visited St Katherine’s Monastery. St Helen was the mother of Constantine the emperor who made Christianity the religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century. When she was visiting Mt Sinai on pilgrimage it was revealed to her that the well in this location was the well where Moses met his wife and that the bush nearby was the actual Burning Bush from Exodus. As a result, many monks took up residence here and slowly a monastery was formed. It was named after St Katherine who was martyred and buried in Alexandria. Angels carried her coffin to Sinai and so monks built a church there and called it St Katherine’s. The nearby town and the mountains also share the same name.

After the monastery, we rode for over an hour to Nuwiba (sometimes spelled Nuweiba), a small town on the Red Sea. The beach was lovely and we had a full day to swim, lie in the sun and search the beach for interesting shells. It was a pleasant last day for us in Egypt.

Numbers


We call the numbers we use Arabic numerals so I had expected to see the same numbers used in Arabic but that is not the case. However, many license plates have both real Arabic numerals and western numerals so I was able to learn how to read their numbers. This has come in handy with merchants who sometimes try to overcharge assuming I can’t read the posted price. Here is a description of their numbers:

1 – Same as ours
2 – Looks like a backwards 7
3 – Looks like a squiggly backwards 7
4 – Looks like a backwards capital E
5 – Looks like a 0
6 – Written as a 7
7 – Written as a capital V
8 – Looks like an upside down V
9 – Same as ours
0 – is a dot

Political Situation


Let me take a few paragraphs to describe the political situation we found ourselves
Burning BushBurning BushBurning Bush

This is the actual bush that spoke to Moses. It is a miracle that it still survives after so long.
in the midst of. Understand that most of our news came via our tour leader who is not unbiased but is optimistic. The story started in Tunisia where a young man immolated himself over frustration with the government and that triggered demonstrations that led to the long-term president leaving the country. The Egyptians saw that and decided to use the same tactics to oust President Mubarak who has been in office for over 30 years. The first demonstration was on Jan 25th while we were in Luxor. There were demonstrations in both Cairo and Alexandria and between the two cities five people were killed. Demonstrations continued but smaller until Friday (the weekend in the Arab world) when they exploded into a large scale protest which degenerated into looting. (We left Cairo early Friday morning.) According to Reuters over 400 people were injured and approximately five more died. We spent Friday evening in Mikel’s room watching Al Jazeera’s reports on the situation. The tunnel under the Suez Canal and the airport were both closed so people (specifically protesters and reporters) could not get to Cairo. Mubarak finally made a statement about midnight on Friday saying that he would change the government
Temple at EdfuTemple at EdfuTemple at Edfu

Built by the Greeks, it's considered the most well-preserved in Egypt.
but remain in power. That did not satisfy the masses and the demonstrations continue.

Every day the protests have continued to grow but so has the looting; they even broke into the Egyptian Museum and tried to loot the Tutankhamen exhibit. The Egyptian government has cut the internet across the country and cell phones in big cities to prevent people from organizing. Somehow thousands of criminals escaped from the jails and Mikel tells us that people (including his family) are barricading themselves in their homes.

Mikel wants Mubarak out but is concerned that the Islamic Brotherhood will take control and Egypt will become an Islamic state. That will be trouble for the Christians of which Mikel is one.

After we left for Jordan, Mikel and the drivers were unable to get to Cairo before the curfew so spent the night at the hotel again with the plan of setting out early Monday morning. Mikel hopes to get so his apartment in Giza to get his car then drive to his hometown to be with his parents and family. It makes the situation more real to us knowing someone affected. I suspect we will see either significant change
Temple at KarnakTemple at KarnakTemple at Karnak

Our guide said it takes more than 12 people to link hands around one of these massive pillars.
or significant violence in Egypt very soon; I hope it is change that we see.





Additional photos below
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Queen HatshepsutQueen Hatshepsut
Queen Hatshepsut

She had herself portrayed with the beard to justify her rule.
Happy Australia Day, Mate!Happy Australia Day, Mate!
Happy Australia Day, Mate!

The two Aussies in our group gave us all Australian flag tattoos in honor of Australia Day.
John's 'Wives',,,John's 'Wives',,,
John's 'Wives',,,

John's other 'wives' admiring jewlery in the market.
'Rocket''Rocket'
'Rocket'

John thanking his ride for not bucking him off.


1st February 2011

That's funny that you weren't told that the man with you was a police office (from the tourism police). I was there last month and they made a big deal of letting us know that a police officer would be traveling with us (although we were under the impression that he was more there to make sure WE behaved than that we were protected) Ours wore a pinstriped suit too and was in dire need of a SHOWER! (or deodorant?)
1st February 2011

Continued Safe Journey
I am glad to here that you arrived in Jordan safely!! I have just read that the government of Jordan has been sacked so I will wish you continued safe travel!!!
1st February 2011

Glad to hear from you
I am glad to hear you were able to continue your Egypt tour despite the unrest and are now safely on your way. Thank you for sharing from your perspective.
1st February 2011

Sunset
Another GREAT sunset......... Can you tell I love sunsets too!!!

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