Egypt, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, always remained a mysterious and mythical destination. Starting right from textbooks and storybooks to major motion pictures, from the enchanting land of Pyramids to the home of queens ‘Nefertiti’ & ‘Cleopatra’ and the boy king ‘Tutankhamun’, Egypt has always lured us. For me, it was a dream destination and I knew very well that Egypt tour would be the trip of a life-time and that I would be covering a major part of the world history. It was an extensive trip and the travelogue would come in multiple parts.
Egypt, being a highly disturbed zone, it is always recommended to move in groups and thus we opted for a conducted tour with one of the renowned Travel Companies.
Cairo: The Land of Pyramids
Hotel: Movenpick, Cairo
LIGHT & SOUND SHOW AT THE PYRAMIDS
We reached late afternoon and after freshening up, we were taken to the ‘Light & Sound Show at the Pyramids’. Although it was dark, the first glimpse of the Great Pyramid and Sphinx was enough to brighten a tired soul. The laser show with its commentaries, interesting narratives and vivid projections will transport you to another world, the world of Pharaohs. The show was a curtain-raiser for us and we were eagerly waiting for the next day.
Tip to travelers: Light and Sound show is played at 4-5 important sites/temples in Egypt, so if you happen to miss the Giza one, you can opt for the other options from temples of Karnak, Philae, Abu Simbel or Edfu.
GREAT PYRAMIDS OF GIZA
After a sumptuous breakfast, we headed for the much awaited destination – Pyramids of Giza. Witnessing the Pyramids for the first time was a ‘dream come true’ moment for me. The colossal 4500 years old structure of the ‘Great Pyramid’ is undoubtedly ‘great’ in all its true sense. The pyramid of Khufu was built by the 4th dynasty Egyptian Pharaoh, Khufu (constructed between 2580 to 2560 BC), the original height was 480 ft making it the largest pyramid in the world. The second largest pyramid, Pyramid of Khafre (Chepren) was built by Khufu’s son, Pharaoh Khafre, the height of which was about 470 ft originally. It was around this time that the Great Sphinx, the mythical half lion half man structure, was also built and the face of the Sphinx is said to resemble Pharaoh Khafre. The Pyramid of Menkaure at a height of 215 ft is a much smaller one compared to the other 2 pyramids; this was built by the son of Khafre, Pharaoh Menkaure. There are 3 other smaller pyramids also known as queens’ pyramids. All these pyramids were built up of limestone and granite but the exact construction mechanism remains shrouded in mystery till this date.
Interesting Fact #1: Reason for building Pyramids – Pyramids were built to protect the mortal body of the Pharaohs so that their body could be easily identified by their spirits and hence was the emergence of the process of mummification. Ancient Egyptians were believers of ‘afterlife’ and thereby Pharaohs were buried with all their valuable earthly possessions so as to ease their journey and ascension to the eternal life.
Tip to travelers: Wear comfortable clothes, carry a hat or an umbrella, it’s scorching hot all over in Egypt. Most importantly, be observant, some locals may try to fool you with souvenirs / tickets / or anything for that matter, claiming that those are all authentic. Don’t be fooled by people wanting to help you with clicking pictures, as later on, they will want money for handing back the camera to you. Also, there is nothing much to see inside the pyramids as all the Sarcophagi were transferred to the Cairo Museum.
PAPYRUS INSTITUTE
Papyrus is a material made up of papyrus plant and was used for writing by the ancient Egyptians. The word paper has its origin from Papyrus. The Papyrus Institute is a government approved shop for selling hand painted papyrus parchments. They will also give you a demonstration of how papyrus is made from the plant. The tour to the institute was both informative and exciting. We also purchased a papyrus souvenir from the shop, the price was on a higher side but again in the midst of all fake papyrus sheets sold by the locals and the lack of differentiating skills, we thought it is best to purchase the same from a shop recognized by the government.
Tip to travelers: Bargaining is the key, bargain shamelessly for things that caught your eye and beware of fake products. Local sellers can fool you anytime anywhere so be watchful.
EGYPTIAN MUSEUM
Visit to the Egyptian Museum is a must when you are in Cairo. The museum houses over 5000 yrs old antique artifacts from the Pharaonic era. Our tickets were inclusive of a visit to the famed ‘Royal Mummy Room’. The moment we entered the museum, we were handed over ear phones so that we could listen in to the narratives and simultaneously carry on with the tour. The museum is spread across 2 vast floors with an entire section dedicated to King Tutankhamun and his treasures. We were awestruck by the mummy room and actual mummified figures and most importantly the mummified body of the great Pharaoh Ramses, the second. The tour to the museum was so fulfilling that I wished I could stay back a little longer in the museum.
Interesting Fact #2 : The secret of Canopic Jars – 4 canopic jars used to be placed with Sarcophagus (the coffin with the mummified body in it) and went inside the Pyramids/tombs. These canopic jars were used to store 4 different organs of human body – Liver, Intestines, Lungs and Stomach. Interestingly, these jars had 4 different lids signifying 4 sons of the falcon god, Horus guarding each organ. The final process of embalming and mummification was said to be watched over by the jackal faced death god, Anubis.
Tip to travelers: Camera is not allowed inside the Egyptian Museum.
MOSQUE OF MUHAMMED ALI
The mosque also known as Alabaster Mosque is one of the popular tourist attractions in Cairo. The mosque was built in the memory of Tusun Pasha, the son of Muhammed Ali Pasha and bears the mark of Ottoman Architecture.
KHAN-EL-KHALILI BAZAAR
No trip to Cairo is complete without a visit to the Khan-El-Khalili market. A marketplace as vibrant as this one, you will get the actual feel of Egypt in the streets of this market. The funny part is, the moment you enter the market, they will keep shouting Amitabh Bachhan and Shah Rukh Khan at you. We happened to enter one shop but then decided not to buy anything, the shopkeeper trying hard to sell his wares, kept calling me ‘Miss India, please come back’ which was extremely hilarious.
Tip to travelers: Again, bargain a lot if you are planning to buy anything from this market.
