The pyramids were a stupid idea

The problem with the pyramids, as I found out today, is they're just screaming for a passing by grave robber to come along and steal all the treasures inside. Only a person trying to compensate for something would build their tomb underneath a giant pyramid for all to see and then hope no one gets the idea to get inside to grab all the goodies. Apparently this is the reason for the pharaohs moving away from pyramids towards secret under ground tombs, such as that found in the Valley of the Kings (or KV as the locals call it). They weren't very sucessful though as all but 3 of the 62 tombs found so far at KV were raided.

Valley of the Kings - map showing the 62 tombs identified so far in white.

KV is located in a valley surrounded by limestone hills in the desert not far from the Nile. According to our tour guide, this site was selected as it is secluded, has good conditions for storing mummies (ie dry) and the top of the mountain is shaped like a pyramid (top LH corner of pic), therefore still allowing the spirits to find their way out to the heavens. No photos can be taken at the site, however there is a really good website that has 3D drawings of each tomb and photos showing the painted and carved walls and sarcophagus inside.
http://www.thebanmappingproject.com/atlas/index_kv.asp?tombID=undefined

In the hills surrounding KV are also the Valley of the Queens, Valley of the Nobels, Valley of the Artisans as well as many temples build to honor them. The site is still under excavation so they are constantly finding new stuff and having to move entire villages to get access.

Hatshepsut Temple - Queen Hatshepsut was one of only a few females to be pharaoh and is the only woman buried in KV. The temple built for her is located on the other side of the hills to KV.

Statue of Queen Hatshepsut on the third storey of the temple. She is sporting a fake beard, which was apparently all the rage for pharaohs back then. The tour guide also tells me she was flat chested, not really sure of the relevence of this comment though, perhaps he wanted me to know that flat chested women can make it in a mans world? He tells me Egyptians are much more open minded about women than other arabs and allows all 400 satellite networks to be broadcast. Though I didn't point out that in my limited experience of tv here, all scenes involving kissing or worse are cut out. Swearing appears to be ok though. He also tells me that satellite dishs are about 1/10th the cost of air conditioners in Egypt thanks to the Chinese - wealth of knowledge my tour guide, I could go on but won't.

Painted walls of Hatshepsut Temple - the blank area once had an image of the queen but her step son hated her so much that he had it chiseled off the wall after she died

Dr Dopey standing in front of some big statues that are part of some temple that I can't remember the name of.

I've got to say (really quietly cause Warwick was still too sick to go) the Valley of the Kings was the highlight of the trip, particularly as the guide was so knowledgable and funny in a, I'm laughing at you not with you, kind of way. The tombs are much more interesting on the inside than the pyramids at Giza and the site has so much stuff that, back in the day, must have been amazing.

Up the Nile

Our last few days in Egypt will be spent at Luxor, about 700 kms south of Cairo. Luxor was the capital of Egypt around 3000 years ago and contains a large number of ancient statues, tombs and temples, including the tombs of Tutankhamun and Nefertari. Our first impression of Luxor is that it is a hot, very poor town with little sanitation and lots of people trying to get money out of you. Who can blame them though – the difference in wealth between the tourists and locals is shocking. Its a place where half carcases of raw meat hang out the front of shops and 5 Egyptian pounds ($1 AU/US) will get you an 1 hr ride in a horse and carriage. Fortunately our experiences in Cairo have wisened us up a bit, so you just get used to saying no. I’d also like to be able to say the last couple of days have been enjoyable but Warwick has come down with a bad stomach virus so he’s not ventured far from the hotel room. Plus a big sand storm has blown into Luxor limiting the visibility. Exploring Luxor alone has been an interesting experience.

The centre of Luxor, not particularly exciting I know but right behind you is.....

The Avenue of Sphinxs (above) was once 2 kms long and leads to the Luxor Temple (above also but you can't see it for all the sand in the air, better pic below)

To escape the heat (and the locals, sorry but sometime Sacha space is needed) I headed to the Mummification museum, which was small but interesting. I would have liked a bit more info on the mummification process than the body is washed and then wrapped in bandages covered in resin, maybe they should google it! Mummified man above and below, ram and crocodile.

Temple of Amun – massive temple complex spanning 100 acres build over a 1300 year period for the king of Gods, Amun. Though very difficult to see much given all the sand in the air.

Tomorrow is our last day in Egypt and we’re heading out to the Valley of the Kings, which was the burial site for the pharaohs at the time. Hopefully the sand has cleared and Warwick is well enough to come along.

More big, old stuff.....

Today we travelled 30 kms south of Cairo to Memphis, which was the capital of Egypt around 4000 years ago. Now it is a small farming village surrounded by desert with nothing left to suggest that it was once a prosperous city.

Giant calcite sphinx at Memphis - it is supposed to represent the king's wisdom (human face) and strength (lions head)

Giant sandstone statue of Ramses II found at Memphis (Warwick upstairs taking a photo)

The Step Pyramid of Djoser - the original pyramid and predecessor of the great pyramids at Giza is located at Saqqara, the burial ground for Memphis. Before this time, Egyptian royal tombs were mud brick underground rooms covered with low flat roofs known as mastabas. This all changed when an architect at the time called Imhotep, decided to try building several mastabas on top of each other but with stone instead of mud brick, resulting in the Step Pyramid. From then on there was no going back And the rest is history

The Step Pyramid is undergoing restoration as last year it started to crumble along the second level. Not sure if you can see but there are guys up on the 3^rd level conducting repairs with no safety equipment

Titi Pyramid – believe it or not this mound of rubble is a pyramid and while the outside has not fared well, the inside is still intact and hopefully stable cause you can climb down into it. The inner walls are covered with hieroglyphics carved into the stone and the black granite sarcophagus is still present though empty.

Memphis and Saqqara are definately worth a visit and they are no where near as busy or touristy as Giza. Tomorrow we fly to Luxor to see more big, old Egyptian stuff

Giza - Pyramids, Sphinx and the poor of Cairo

After our interesting experience going solo on the streets of Cairo, today we decided to take an organised tour out to Giza to see the pyramids. This was definately better than my original plan of taking the local bus.

Fortunately we've missed the busy season so there weren't queue's and it wasn't too hot (low 30's). We managed to dodge the camel rides, crappy souvenirs and nomadic men trying to get their photo taken with us (for $$ of course) and have a great day out by the Pyramids.

Warwick standing in front of the Great Pyramid, also known as Khufu's Pyramid and to give you a sense of scale, below is the same pyramid but with people climbing on it (can you see them?).

Here you can see the 3 biggest pyramids on the Giza plateau. From left to right, Pyramid of Khufu (the biggest eventhough it doesn't look it from this point), Pyramid of Khafre (the second largest and the only one that still retains part of its original limestone casing at the top) and Pyramid of Menhaure (smallest and most recent built). The smaller little stone mounds to the right are the queens pyramids. We were able to go inside the 2nd pyramid to see the burial chamber - not for the claustrophobic's out there as the tunnel down is about 1m x 1m in diameter and the inside gets very little air.

The Sphinx which was apparently made from a piece of left over rock that happened to look like a lion

The pyramids lose some of their appeal when you see the conditions the locals live in. Being the poor part of town, the settlements surrounding Giza are a huge expanse of poorly constructed and largely unfinished red brick towers. Each tower is an extended family home and they spend as little as possible in the construction, saving their money for their sons. The concrete framework remains exposed and the steel rods extending up from the top of each building waiting for the next level to be added on when the next son is married. No $20k kitchen make overs here!

All in all a good day spent in Giza

Cairo is Crazy

The title says it all. Cairo is most definitely a crazy, crazy place. Our first full day in Cairo and the plan was to get Warwick registered at the conference and then head towards the Egyptian Museum. We passed up the numerous requests while leaving the hotel to take a taxi and in hindsight that might not have been such a good idea.

While everything appears to be in easy walking distance, this city is not designed for walking. There are no traffic lights and no pedestrian crossings and I’m not exaggerating, you basically take your life into your own hands trying to cross 3-4 lanes of traffic going each way. There are Tourist Police sitting at the side on the road who will occasionally get up from their seat to help you but only after you have been standing there for some time and even then don’t expect it. You are also constantly harassed by every taxi that goes past and there are lots of them.

Our plans to visit the museum were delayed when we met a nice older Egyptian man on the street who helped with directions and informed us that the museum wasn’t open for another hour. I should have realised at that point that something was up cause the guide book said it opened 2 hours earlier. But he was a fellow scientist specialising in botany and would be attending a conference in Sydney in 2 months time. He suggested we spend the hour in one of the nicer parts of town and volunteered to show us where....leading us straight to his papyrus shop. Looking back we were both impressed by how smooth he was getting us into his shop, offering us mint tea and a free piece of papyrus with an Egyptian painting on it. Then he indicated we would need to pay 400 EGP (80 AUD) for a second piece of papyrus, which he had already written Warwicks name in hieroglyphics on. Yep it was at that point that we decided it was time to get the hell out of there.

The Egyptian Museum itself was interesting though it was more like a warehouse of Egyptian artefacts with very little information on what was being displayed or the history behind it. It is amazing though that you’re looking at things that are 3000-4000 years old. My favourite was the Amarna Room, which covered the time of the rebel pharaoh Akhenaten in the 14^th century BC. The art from this era was different from the past as it depicted people with elongated heads and protruding bellies.

Tomorrow we’re off to Giza to see the pyramids and the Sphinx, which if its anything like today, will be an interesting experience

Pics taken from outside the Egyptian Museum (no photos inside please!)

Images of the Middle East

Abu Dhabi (UAE) – By air it looks like a flat, desolate place and entirely covered with sand though it appears some plant life can exist

Abu Dhabi Airport – Striking on the inside with its curved walls covered with colourful tiles arranged into a geometric pattern. It can be disorientating for weary travellers who may feel as though they’ve walked into a cross between an upside down swimming pool and a Las Vegas Casino

Gulf of Aquaba – Israel to the North, Jordan to the North East, Saudi Arabia to the East, Egypt to the West and the Red Sea to the South

Mountainous interior of Egypt’s largely uninhabited Sinai Peninsula

The Nile with Cairo in the background (view from hotel room)

Will attempt to post more exciting photos tomorrow assuming Warwick wakes from his jet lag/economy class syndrome slumber

Everyone Loves Sticky Buns

Sticky buns (aka Caramel Rolls) are a fave in my family. I've even got my Grandma Dopey's family recipe, though its not much use to me here as you just can't get the right ingredients in Oz. But my mum created the Aussie version which are still yummy in my tummy good. So for this Mother's Day I decided to give thanks to my mum by recreating the sticky bun for Sunday brunch on the balcony

Creation of the cinnamon rolls (thanks bread machine) and placement into the sticky caramel (yes that is butter in the pan for all you cholesterol watching party poopers)

Before and after baking

And the result? Loved by all!