Egypt 7: Al Haram - The Pyramids of Giza
Today was a big day – finally I am going to see the most Egyptian thing of all things Egypt – the Pyramids of Giza, also called Al Haram. Neveen’s really cool Uncle Samir drove us to Giza, which is about 1 hour’s drive outside of Cairo city center. On the dusty highway enroute, you can see the pyramids in the distance – they didn’t look real, it was as if we were looking at a blue screen in a movie studio.
Up close, they were very real and very big. And apparently a very big business too, as demonstrated by local entrepreneurs that have sprung up around it.
There are three pyramids, although the largest one, Khofu, is the most famous. Its original limestone shell has been ripped off through the ages by greedy hands and the elements. The second pyramid (whose name escapes me) still retains a little cap of its original limestone covering.
The process to get on the Giza plateau is rather amusing. Cars and people stand outside the gates to the plateau, waiting for the 8 a.m. opening. As we get closer to 8, people and cars ramp up to be the first to get through the gates, which was funny since the Pyramids weren’t going anywhere. After we got through, it became clear why there was a rush. There is a queue to buy tickets before we can even get close to the Pyramids.
While waiting for tickets, I noticed both uniformed and plainclothes police – apparently to ensure no one steals any piece of the pyramids. Uniformed police in Giza sit on top of camels – although I’m not sure if that is for looks or effect.
After a few more dusty minutes, where I had visions of those speeding Benzes and BMW’s across the Iraqi desert in the movie “Three Kings”, we finally arrive at the foot of the Great Pyramid.
The Pyramid appeared to me a relic untouchable in its own space and time. Logically speaking it is not all that big compared to other structures present today, but it commands a presence on its own that defiantly challenges you to scale it, touch it, acknowledge its geometric and architectural brilliance, then step back to wonder at the amount of blood and sweat that went into it.
These pictures do no justice to the size of the blocks used to construct the pyramids – there is a beautiful symmetry, though, to how they all stack up seamlessly into perfect straight lines. Against the cobalt blue sky and fluffy white clouds, the profile of the pyramid is a study in geometry.
The original entrance into the Pyramid has been closed as it is considered unsafe for entry, instead a smaller one has been opened and it leads to tours into the Pyramid tunnels, which unfortunately time did not allow me to explore. That being said the folks at the entrance were quite grudging about letting me take a picture of it – I’m not quite sure why, but it certainly had nothing to do with how they looked that morning. But the picture does demonstrate the scale of the blocks that had to be hauled to the top by some engineering marvel that Egyptologists still can’t properly explain today.
So what did the tip really look like? Did I climb all the way to the top? Did I look upon the lands of the pharaohs and touched the sun? I won’t answer those questions, except to refer you to the following pictures:
Camel ride hawkers were calling out their services in six different languages, some whipping their camels to rush in front of you yelling “Hey Miss, Miss, take a picture of me!” They wind their way around the three smaller pyramids, which from afar looked no more than mounds of stones. These little relics entombed the pharaoh’s wives, and were right next to the site where the 1,250 pieces of the Sun Boat were excavated.
It was called the Sun Boat because after putting the pieces together, the boat resembled the vessels in Egyptian paintings where dead pharaohs were brought towards the Sun God.
The reconstruction of this boat was a remarkable effort, as the historians attempted to use the original pieces where possible, and where not, replicate with the same materials used as the original. Between the wooden pegs (not nails), twisted rope from reeds (not hemp), and meticulous drawing, the boat was reconstructed successfully and now hangs in the Cheops Sun Boat Museum by the Pyramids. To enter the museum, the entrance guards give you these little booties that look like duck flippers to wrap around your shoes so the sand from the desert won’t destroy the museum floors. One would expect it’s not for the benefit of the boat because what came from the sand, couldn’t possibly be afraid of the sand…
Our last stop was the Sphinx. I was frankly more entranced by the glimpse of true desert landscape in the distance, than by that famous monument.
All I could do was stare longingly at the undulating sand dunes, tipped at the edges with shadow, extending into the furthest reaches my eyes could see. There is a dreamy beauty to how grains of sand can come together to form such perfect waves and curves, layers upon layers, shifting with the wind and shape-changing to nature’s own whimsy. Then and there I knew, in this lifetime I will be spending some time traveling the deserts.
But to not be unfair to the Sphinx, I did take a touristy shot of it, complete with me waving a touristy hand and the Pyramid looking on behind us.
Next: A Last Night in Cairo http://atygerontheloose.blogspot.com/2004/08/egypt-8-dinner-and-walk-in-cairo.html
Up close, they were very real and very big. And apparently a very big business too, as demonstrated by local entrepreneurs that have sprung up around it.
There are three pyramids, although the largest one, Khofu, is the most famous. Its original limestone shell has been ripped off through the ages by greedy hands and the elements. The second pyramid (whose name escapes me) still retains a little cap of its original limestone covering.
The process to get on the Giza plateau is rather amusing. Cars and people stand outside the gates to the plateau, waiting for the 8 a.m. opening. As we get closer to 8, people and cars ramp up to be the first to get through the gates, which was funny since the Pyramids weren’t going anywhere. After we got through, it became clear why there was a rush. There is a queue to buy tickets before we can even get close to the Pyramids.
While waiting for tickets, I noticed both uniformed and plainclothes police – apparently to ensure no one steals any piece of the pyramids. Uniformed police in Giza sit on top of camels – although I’m not sure if that is for looks or effect.
After a few more dusty minutes, where I had visions of those speeding Benzes and BMW’s across the Iraqi desert in the movie “Three Kings”, we finally arrive at the foot of the Great Pyramid.
The Pyramid appeared to me a relic untouchable in its own space and time. Logically speaking it is not all that big compared to other structures present today, but it commands a presence on its own that defiantly challenges you to scale it, touch it, acknowledge its geometric and architectural brilliance, then step back to wonder at the amount of blood and sweat that went into it.
These pictures do no justice to the size of the blocks used to construct the pyramids – there is a beautiful symmetry, though, to how they all stack up seamlessly into perfect straight lines. Against the cobalt blue sky and fluffy white clouds, the profile of the pyramid is a study in geometry.
The original entrance into the Pyramid has been closed as it is considered unsafe for entry, instead a smaller one has been opened and it leads to tours into the Pyramid tunnels, which unfortunately time did not allow me to explore. That being said the folks at the entrance were quite grudging about letting me take a picture of it – I’m not quite sure why, but it certainly had nothing to do with how they looked that morning. But the picture does demonstrate the scale of the blocks that had to be hauled to the top by some engineering marvel that Egyptologists still can’t properly explain today.
So what did the tip really look like? Did I climb all the way to the top? Did I look upon the lands of the pharaohs and touched the sun? I won’t answer those questions, except to refer you to the following pictures:
Camel ride hawkers were calling out their services in six different languages, some whipping their camels to rush in front of you yelling “Hey Miss, Miss, take a picture of me!” They wind their way around the three smaller pyramids, which from afar looked no more than mounds of stones. These little relics entombed the pharaoh’s wives, and were right next to the site where the 1,250 pieces of the Sun Boat were excavated.
It was called the Sun Boat because after putting the pieces together, the boat resembled the vessels in Egyptian paintings where dead pharaohs were brought towards the Sun God.
The reconstruction of this boat was a remarkable effort, as the historians attempted to use the original pieces where possible, and where not, replicate with the same materials used as the original. Between the wooden pegs (not nails), twisted rope from reeds (not hemp), and meticulous drawing, the boat was reconstructed successfully and now hangs in the Cheops Sun Boat Museum by the Pyramids. To enter the museum, the entrance guards give you these little booties that look like duck flippers to wrap around your shoes so the sand from the desert won’t destroy the museum floors. One would expect it’s not for the benefit of the boat because what came from the sand, couldn’t possibly be afraid of the sand…
Our last stop was the Sphinx. I was frankly more entranced by the glimpse of true desert landscape in the distance, than by that famous monument.
All I could do was stare longingly at the undulating sand dunes, tipped at the edges with shadow, extending into the furthest reaches my eyes could see. There is a dreamy beauty to how grains of sand can come together to form such perfect waves and curves, layers upon layers, shifting with the wind and shape-changing to nature’s own whimsy. Then and there I knew, in this lifetime I will be spending some time traveling the deserts.
But to not be unfair to the Sphinx, I did take a touristy shot of it, complete with me waving a touristy hand and the Pyramid looking on behind us.
Next: A Last Night in Cairo http://atygerontheloose.blogspot.com/2004/08/egypt-8-dinner-and-walk-in-cairo.html
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