Advertisement
Published: August 18th 2006
Edit Blog Post
The Red Pyramid
I entered the tomb of this pyramid Today, I went to two lesser visited sites: Saqqara and Dashur. These two places are about 1 hour drive south of Cairo central. But today being Friday, there was less traffic on the roads, a better day to travel this distance through Cairo. My hotel had a driver for me for the day, for Cd$30. There is no public transportation to these areas.
Saqqara has the step pyramid, the first permanant stone monument. It took six years to build, one layer a year. 2650 BC. King Zoser. There are a few other things to see around the area including some tombs. Today, I had one of the Saqqara site employers show me around and get me into the tombs with my camera. This of course was for a fee negotiated after. These tips, often called baksheesh, is the normal mode of business here. I was not expecting this fee to be so much. His help set me back 70 LE, that's Cd$15. I know my bargining skills are weak, but I can't afford to pay that much money all day long for 15 minutes help. The Saqqara site is far from the city, and part of the desert. It all
looked so hot, exotic, Arabic and fabulous.
There were a few tourists here, but no where near the numbers at the Giza pyramids. And again there were a few touts trying to sell postcards, water, camel rides.
Then we drove on to Dashur. Here is the Red Pyramid and the Bent Pyramid. The Red Pyramid is the world's first true pyramid. 100 steps led up to the tomb entrance. No cameras are allowed inside the tomb. But because my driver was able to drive right up to the pyramid, I left my camera in the car. Yesterday, I was unable to enter a tomb at Giza because I had my camera but no one to leave it with when I entered the tomb. So at the Red Pyramid I had my chance to enter the tomb. Probably better here anyway as there was only about 5 tourists around, not at all crowded. At the tomb entrance is a steep passageway that descends 63 m. A couple of bends and then you enter an antechamber with a 12 m high corbelled ceiling. That is a ceiling that looks like the underneath of a very steep staircase. And then another large chamber, up a set of stairs and finally you get to the burial chamber. Ascending that 63 m steep passageway to get out was extremely difficult. It's only about 1.2 m high so you have to crouch. Oh yes, and don't forget that the temperature here is approaching 40 degrees Celcius.
Then I got to the last pyramid of the day, the Bent Pyramid. This predates the Red Pyramid and post dates the Step Pyramid. During construction the sides became unstable, so the angle half way up decreases. Here the tourist police showed me around the entire pyramid. I was the only tourist at that point. On the far side they offered me a camel ride. So up I went onto the back of their camel for a few meters. A lot of motion up and down, back and forth. I couldn't imagine doing that all day in the intense heat. Then it was time for their baksheesh. After a bit of haggling I gave them 70 LE, another Cd$15.
We then drove back to the hotel, about 5 hours total. Much of this was driving. And my driver got a tip. I can't begin to describe how different driving through the streets of Egypt is to driving through Canada. The horn of every vehicle to connected to both the brake and accelerator. I have seen sheep and goats being herding in the city. Wilderbeast cooling off in one of the canals. A flock of ibis. People riding donkeys while traffic screams past. Yesterday, one man was asleep on his cart while the donkey was pulling the goods into town.
Near the canals and the Nile there is a forest of palm trees. But everywhere else you look there is almost no colour. It's like looking at the world through sepia toned glasses. The sky is a hazy brown, the buildings are brown, lots of brown sand. I wonder how this will show in my photos when I finally see them on the big screen?
Advertisement
Tot: 0.167s; Tpl: 0.011s; cc: 27; qc: 117; dbt: 0.123s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.4mb