The Call to Prayer gave me an early start on my birthday.
I had in my mind decided I wanted to go to Luxor for this day - to travel upon a hot air balloon, marking the start of my 58th year, and my first year in Egypt; but moving into my apartment necessitated a last minute change of plans.
Asking Amr to help with something is like opening a treasure trove of delights.
Of course he knew someone who knew a very good guide, who could take me wherever I wanted to go - in this case I decided a trip to the pyramids would not be too shabby.
My idea was a sunrise trip - but the pyramids did not open until 0900, and so that idea was out.
My guide was Milad, a young father of a little one-year old girl - his face lighting up when he spoke about her. We exchanged parenting experiences on the journey to the pyramids and chatted about different things along the way.
It was quite a drive from New Cairo, where I had checked out from my last night at the swanky Helnan Landmark, to the pyramids which required crossing the Nile and driving to Giza - a separate city to Cairo.
Cairo and Giza together create a conglomerate with a total population of around 20 million, and boy do you see this squeezing of humanity onto the confined narrow windless streets as you head towards one of the most well known (if not THE most) tourist spots on the planet. Milad explained we would go by Manshiyat Nasser, or garbage city’, a place where around 60,000 people live in desperate poverty amidst the rubbish and garbage of the entire city of Cairo - this is where all rubbish comes to die. It also happens to be an area where concerted efforts are being made to produce something good from all this, in the form of recycling; whilst others sift through the garbage in the hope of findings items that can be on-sold in order to eek out an existence. It’s sobering. Check that story out here.
I could not believe what I was seeing - I had witnessed filth in Kathmandu, but nothing on such a vast scale as in garbage city.
Milad knew his stuff.
We parked in the near empty carpark at the pyramids and he told me what was going to happen, also exclaiming it was perfect that so few people were there.
An entry ticket into the grounds was 240 EGP, whilst one to go instead the great pyramid was 440 EGP - in total approx $35.00. Not cheap - but then again all the entry fee money goes towards maintaining this world heritage site. Who would begrudge that?
Security is extremely tight in Egypt. It is normal to submit your bags to scanning at every tourist attraction, shopping mall, hotel and even the main entrance to my school. The pyramids were no different. Thankfully cameras were allowed and no fee was charged for photography - as is the case in some places in Egypt.
Even though the pyramid of Khafre is often depicted as being the biggest, it sits on a rise giving it that appearance. It is though the only one that still has some of the smooth layer over the blocks.
I felt a welling over of emotion when I caught my first glimpse of the pyramids as we drove in, and could not believe the seize of them. On a hazy Cairo day, these surreal triangles jutted above the surrounding landscape, right on the edge of Giza, city on one side, and a vast desert which spread all the way to Libya, on the other.
The surreal triangles like something from a sci-fi movie, dominate the landscape on a hazy Giza morning.
Milad switched into tour guide mode - informing me of the history of the area with the assertive tone of a guy who had done this gig many times before. I appreciated his attention to detail. It is extremely over-whelming to see these pyramids in person.
They’re just there. Its weird. Its surreal. I wondered if people felt like this when they came to New Zealand and visited somewhere like Milford Sound for the first time. To say its breath-taking does these structures no justice at all. I expected them to be in the middle of housing but it is amazing to see they have kept the area devoid of urban sprawl to allow them to stand inter own ground - robust, strong, defiant, proud - against a desert backdrop.
Milad was concerned that due to my advanced age I would not be able to walk around this ancient area (!!). “Everything very far. Very far” he said.
“Very far” being approx 500m.
He insisted on driving me everywhere which was slightly frustrating - but I just let him be the guide and enjoyed the fuss.
Walking into the Great Pyramid I was struck by the cool atmosphere and the smell of stone.
An entrance tunnel takes you through to a very small and narrow steep stairway, where it requires you to crouch over in order to ascend around 50 m on a 45 degree angle. It is actually hard work doing this - as your chest touches your knees, its hot the higher you go and the wooden planking is slippery and steep. There are several tunnels inside this pyramid but only the main one to the burial chamber was open to the public. The Pharaoh’s mummified remains are in the National Museum.
A camel driver dwarfed by the pyramid of Menkaure, the smallest of the three at Giza.
The Great Pyramid was built by the Pharaoh Khufu (commonly called by its Greek transliteration of Cheops) and was known to the ancient Egyptians as Ekhet Khufu ("Horizon of Khufu"). According to Herodotus, 100,000 men worked on its construction for three months every year. Pharaoh would commence construction of their burial tombs once they had started their reign. All the workers were paid employees, by the way, not slaves as is commonly thought. It was an honour to be a builder on the pyramids for a pharaoh.
This mammoth structure's cubic content is staggering. Excluding the rock foundation and the interior chambers, the Great Pyramid is 2.3 million cubic meters. The base measurement is 227.5 meters, and the vertical height is 137.2 meters.
Its an astounding feat of engineering to have built these structures 4500+ years ago. I will just stick with the good old “the aliens did it” theory.
Ignorance is bliss.
My first glimpse of a camel brought with it a glowing sense of happiness. These be-humped creatures looked stunning in their blankets with brightly coloured ornamental weavings hiding their food bags which hung either side of their rotund bellies.
I felt slightly apprehensive about riding a camel - the camel owners were very persuasive, all trying to sell a ride.
Milad knew a guide who allowed me to take a camel for a walk so I could photograph it. It wasn’t long though, before I was on the camels’ back and riding the awkward lumpy creature back to the main area. A sunset ride though, is next on my to-do list.
The light in the haze on this morning, was simply stunning, but I can only imagine what it would be like as the sun sends hues of gold and pink into the sky around the pyramids.
A driver takes his camel into the ancient workers accommodation area.
I also walked to the Sphinx - this structure is over 50 m long and was carved out of a single slab of rock.
The Great Sphinx was carved out of a single block of stone.
I remember as a child pouring over my parents National Geographic books. I remember lingering over the issue about Tutankhamun - possibly the most famous of all the Pharaohs. His tomb of course was discovered in what is known now as The valley of the Kings near Luxor, but visiting this area in Giza took me straight back to those glassy-eyed days of being an eight-year old, in awe of ancient Egypt.
I was no less in awe today.
I also knew I would go back, for the famed light show at night, and the chance to photograph at sunset.
Milad suggested he take me to The Citadel after we had completed the pyramids visit.
This amazing structure has one of the most stunning interiors I have ever seen, with a ceiling that would rival the vatican.
The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin (Arabic قلعة صلاح الدين, romanised: Qalaʿat Salāḥ ad-Dīn) is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, built by Salah-ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residence of its rulers for nearly 700 years from the 13th to the 19th centuries. Its location on a promontory of the Mokattam Hills near the centre of Cairo commands a strategic position overlooking the city and dominating its skyline.
At ever corner, there is an even more magnificent view of this incredible structure.
At the time of its construction, it was among the most impressive and ambitious military fortification projects of its time. It is now a preserved historic site, including mosques and museums.
I was greeted by various cats as I entered the grounds of this monumental historical site. To enter, bags must be scanned by gruff looking police guarding the entrance, but they did allow cameras. However, near the police station, I was categorically told “NO CAMERA!” by a group of men playing cards near an entrance way, that I was going to walk through. This command was accompanied by raucous laughter and chatter - no doubt about the idiot tourist. I glanced up and noticed several surveillance cameras. Ok - no photos in here. The men waved me on - pointing and gesticulating towards signs and laughing again amongst themselves. “Ok, Ok!” I yelled at them. “Say it once - I GET it! No need for ridicule”.
I knew this fell on deaf ears.
Welcome to Egypt, woman.
“Egypt is not a country we live in but a country that lives within us.
”
The site includes other historic sites, a fortress, an ancient mosque, and the Military Museum, plus numerous buildings, and a commanding view over Cairo. It is well worth a visit. The massive citadel itself is incredible inside - the ceiling alone is high decorative, reminding one of the Vatican or similar - painting with gold paint and intricate artworks. I was also reminded of the Basilica in Milan - San Marco. Simply stunning. This made me realise how young New Zealand was, and how vital it is to preserve history. I was grateful for Egypts commitment to this.
After my day of being a tourist I felt like I had completed bucket-list must-do’s. I guess though, I had never had a burning desire to even construct a bucket list, but after being there I had to wonder why the heck not. No one can go through life without visiting this place. Surely.
Now to see the treasures that were extracted from the pyramids. Museums that house items and Mummies from the pyramids are: The National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation and The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities. These will be a weekend excursion at some stage.
For now my cup was full - in fact it overflowed.
This stunning mosque is viewed from the Citadel.