Me in front of Step Pyramid
Another view of the step pyramid
Worker's camp at Saqqara
In front of step pyramid
Memphis - me in front of calcity sphinx
Ben Ezra Synagogue
Doorway into Ben Ezra Synagogue10 March 2008
We took off at 7:30 AM this morning and headed for Saqqara famed for the step pyramid. We were the first bus that arrived so that we were able to see everything without being crowded. Egypt has been catering to tourists for at least two thousand years.
Near the step pyramid in Saqqara is a field, where, after the Pharaoh was in office for thirty years, he had to chase a bull around the field five times and catch it by the tail. If he succeeded, then he could reign for another thirty years. There is a reconstruction of one of the first buildings built. It has walls coming out which at the end are shaped like a column with fluted edges. This was supposed to be the shape of the papyrus stalk. Apparently before stone was used, bundles of papyrus stalks were used as columns. My big complaint was that I got a low battery signal and I had neglected to bring extra batteries. I had 24 in my suitcase back at the hotel.
After spending some time examining the stepped pyramid and surrounding area, we went to the tomb of the “nobleman”. This tomb has pictures on the walls of the various rooms. It showed the “nobleman” doing various activities such as hunting, fishing, gambling, etc. He was shown with his wife and daughter. The wife was carved as the same size as the “nobleman”, but the daughter who was holding a lotus flower was about a quarter of the size of him. There was even some paint left on the paintings. Apparently after the rooms were carved out of rock, the artists came in to draw the scenes. The master artist followed and corrected any mistakes. Then the carvers came in and they were then followed by the master artist who added the color. Unfortunately, we were not permitted to take pictures.
Our next stop was Memphis. Well not actually Memphis because Memphis is buried under the existing village. We saw some statuary that had been dug up. There is a magnificent statue of Ramses II who was reputed to have had 200 children. It is cut off at about the knees. Currently it is housed a building and the statue is lying down. There is also a calcite sphinx on display as well. I picked up a few souvenirs in the open air museum.
We then headed back to Cairo. Traffic was horrendous and it took a while to get back to the hotel, where lunch was served. The meal was so large that I barely touched it. I ate the appetizer and when we were served a mixed grill, I barely touched it. I was very frustrated at the relatively slow service, because I needed to get back to my room to get batteries. I finally got the coffee that I had requested and raced to my room to get the batteries. I took all of them and threw them in my back pack.
2:00 PM was the scheduled time for the Coptic Cairo tour. We took off a bit after 2:00 PM. We saw the “hanging” church first. It is called that because it is built over the old Roman fort. There were a few places where the floor where the wood was replaced with either glass or plastic so you could look down and see the remains of the Roman fort underneath. We next headed for the Coptic museum, where we were rushed through because both the museum and the Ben Ezra Synagogue closed at 4:00 PM. The Ben Ezra Synagogue is quite small. I purchased four pictures and a booklet which gives some of the history of the synagogue. The little synagogue at Forest Hills is larger. Again we were asked not to take pictures inside the synagogue. I did get a picture of the outside. From there we went to another church which is supposed to be the Christian holy family hid from the Roman governor.
There were only ten of us who signed up for this tour (an extra $30). As we were running from sight to sight, the tenth person was missing. It turned out that he had been in the bathroom when we left and was locked into the bus. The tour people were searching for him everywhere. Finally one of the staff thought to go back to the bus.
As we were returning to the bus, I bought a few more souvenirs. As usual, I overpaid!
At 6:00 PM, we left for the sound and light show at the sphinx site. It makes use of the three main pyramids on the Giza Plateau and the Sphinx. I probably would have enjoyed it more if I hadn’t been so cold. My guide book described it as kitsch worth seeing.
I checked my e-mail and then paid my bill, which should be about $50. Then I came back to my room to pack and get ready for bed.
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