Egypt Day Two : Cairo, Giza, Saqqara

We managed intermittent sleep, but were wide awake starting 3AM. We even make it down for the hotel breakfast, which we are never awake for. Our Egyptologist Marwa meets us in the lobby and escorts us to the car for our drive to Giza, which is technically a suburb of Cairo. Friday morning after midnight, the time went forward an hour in Egypt, and Friday's are also a holiday. The driver seems delighted with the streets, which remain relatively empty until people emerge after the noon time prayers and we race along to Giza.

The ancient Egyptians used the West bank of the Nile as their necropolis (to bury their dead) and the East bank for the living. Giza and the pyramids are therefore West of the Nile, although today both banks of the Nile are used by the living. I had always imagined the pyramids were further along in the desert, but in reality the buildings of Giza suddenly end, and the desert starts. Before I'd even mentally prepared myself, the great pyramid was in front of me. And goodness was it great. Pictures and videos never do the majesty of it justice. Both Mr. R and I were left quiet by the grandness of it all.

The pyramids are considered the oldest tourist attraction in the world: they were already some 2500 years old by the start of AD. The first pyramid (Cheops) was built by the Pharaoh Khufu and is also the largest. The second one (Chephren) was built by the son of Khufu, Khafre. It is smaller than Cheops but because it stands on a hill, it appears almost taller (clever son eh?). The third pyramid (Mycerinus) was built by the grandson of Khufu and the son of Khafre, the Pharaoh Menakaure. Marwa was very adamant on referring to them by their real ancient names, and not the names the Greeks had endowed on them and with which the rest of the world has come to know them. The Egyptians also have no word for "pyramids" (also a Greek name) and refer to them instead by the individual names of Khufu, Khafre and Menakaure.

The pyramids were built with blocks of sandstone that were floated down the Nile during flood season from as far south as Aswan. The blocks were then cut to precision and so accurately used to build the great pyramids- it astonished us that there was nothing used to hold the stones together- they were so perfectly planned, that they fit together on their own. That such a level of thought and execution existed so long ago is completely mind boggling and a true testament to the greatness of the ancient Egyptians. You just want to stand there and gaze for hours at these ancient marvels, and their sheer perfection (no other word does it justice). The pyramids were used by the Pharaohs as tombs, and were believed to have been stored with riches unimaginable. However, having their tombs inside such huge structures was like asking to be robbed, and no treasures today remain. It is quite easy to understand (once you see them in person) why there are thousands of those who claim that the Pyramids cannot be man made and are instead a divine creation.

Knowing no trip to the Pyramids would be complete for me without a camel ride, Mr. R agreed to go on a ride with me in the desert around the great structures. Our guide was a silly Sean Penn look a like who insisted on taking many pictures of the two of us together. The camels themselves were even sillier, and so easy to manipulate into going which ever direction we pleased.

Whereas the Pyramids seemed larger in life, the Sphinx on the other hand seemed almost smaller than I had expected. It perhaps had to do with the construction going on around it and the sorry gate that led to the site where it sits. With the head of the Pharaoh Khafre, and the body of a lion the Sphynx has stood as a mystery throughout time. Built out of the bedrock leading to the pyramids, and near the funerary temple of Khafre, it stands somewhat out of place and time has not been kind- he is without nose and beard (the latter lies in the British Museum). The structure is also decaying from the inside and recent attempts at restoration are jarring in their inadequacy.

After the trip to see the the Giza pyramids, we headed to the ancient town of Memphis, which was the capital during much of Pharaonic times. At Saqqara, which was the necropolis of Memphis and an active burial ground for some 3500 years, we saw the first attempt at a pyramid - the Step Pyramid: the world's first stone monument. Prior to the Step Pyramid, tombs were topped with perishable material, of which there are no remnants and therefore the Step Pyramid and the direction in which it led the rest of Egyptian architecture cannot be understated.

Our guide insisted we visit a fragrance factory on our way back into town- Egyptians love smelling good, and they manufacture about a 1/3 of the world's flower fragrance in the oasis of Al Fayoum. Here we got to sample many essences (flower nectar in the pure form, ie without alcohol) - as well as the essences they supply to the fashion fragrance houses- Chanel 5, Calvin Klein Obsession etc. I tend to prefer more subtle scents, but we were convinced into buying something that should help me sleep- lavender without the side effects. Haven't tried it yet.

After all this we arrived at our hotel dusty and dirty, with an hour to prepare for the pre-wedding dinner of my friend Sussi. The wedding of Sussi and Erik was what precipitated our visit to Egypt in the first place- Sussi being a dear friend of mine- we've lived/worked in Thailand, Nepal as well as now in NYC together. Sussi is a Coptic Christian who is half Swedish and half Egyptian, while Erik is a Swede. They had friends and family from all over the world attending their wedding, and it was really a great ceremony. This night, we attended a pre-wedding reception aboard a luxury boat on the Nile, complete with a lavish dinner, belly dance performance, and a fabulous Bedouin singer. Needless to say, we were wiped out by the time we headed back for the hotel.