Egypt is as surreal as it gets

Been a minute. Travel has happened, but to places that did not need me to write about.

All that I knew about Egypt was through movies, books and shows; so fiction and fact melded together was the only narrative I had. And I hadn't been curious enough to separate the two, but I loved it all. The Mummy, Indi Jones, Agatha Christie etc effectively gave me enough about Egypt that when an opportunity came to travel there, I took it. I knew nothing, I tried to read about it, didn't get too far.

So, off I went to Egypt, with a bunch of friends and new people thrown in, clueless and happy - a state of mind I have decided to adopt, maybe permanently.

The plane ride was uneventful, I feel the need to say this as I fainted, once, on a flight. So. Colours as the sun came up promised a new continent.

Please Note: The culture of Egypt is rich, full and complex; many, many historians, egyptologists (an entire educational stream is dedicated to it), guides, amateurs, movie-makers etc have tried to put together. I have only shared what I have seen and heard and read in the last 15 days. Please let go of the errors/missteps (there are too many perspectives/versions, including how names are spelt) and read about the tiny sliver of Egypt I offer. And I understand that nothing is as simple as I have written.

Other than what I saw and read, content came from:
1.Archaeology from Space: How the Future Shapes Our Past by Sarah Parcak. Too technical a read but I took what I needed
2.https://www.livescience.com/55578-egyptian-civilization.html
3. Wael our guide
4. Vidya, my enthu-cutlet buddy and a titbit from JiJi
5. Picture credits - almost all on our trip.
6. Three novels of Ancient Egypt - Naguib Mahfouz's historical fiction
7.Egyptian Magic by E.A. Wallis Budge

Before we start, 3 crudely drawn infographics (stretch of the word I know) to aid.

1. A map of our specific trip - Refer at will and do assume the blue to be the part of the Nile we sailed on.

2. Dynasties & Timelines (of only what we covered on our trip)

3. Gods & Goddesses (only the ones talked about on our trip)

We shall do this day by day. Starting with the obvious Day 1.

Day 1

As we got out of immigration, we were met by an over-instructing guide (he deals with people who never, ever, ever travel/travelled in their life is the only explanation I have), I plastered a fake smile and nodded, as I was warned that people here may not be too kind to irreverent women.

After an hour and a half of waiting for the tourist police (its a safety thing in Egypt) to clear us, we zipped off in our fancy bus to hotel Flamenco. A lovely old world hotel by the banks of the Nile in the posh district of Zamalek. Spent the ride looking out the window to get a feel for the city; a blend of the old and new, clean-er than expected and scent-neutral, whaaaat? It was. A excellent dinner by the banks of the Nile and off the bed was the end of Day 1.

Day 2

Wael our guide was an Egyptologist, I was so so excited. A historian.

We started the day with the pyramids (tombs). Built by the Pharaohs (rulers, kings, chosen by god) Khufu, Kafrae and Mankaure of the Old kingdom to ensure that they are assured a path right to the heavens. The pyramids reach for the sun, their one and true god. Giza pyramids are the fifth oldest and built by professional 'work gangs', this information was translated from the papyri texts; actually the translation work continues as I write. The neat thing was the king started his pyramid as soon as he took to the throne, practical, especially if it was going to be the massive pyramids they had in mind. The afterlife was a running theme across ancient Egypt - how they get there, what they need when they get there, the gods that should be appeased. They did not want their life to be any different from what they had here. I mean, who would?

The connect to the pyramids was non-existent. I saw, it was impressive, an engineering marvel, but I was not gobsmacked. Why? History, historically, has moved me, many a time to tears. In front of the pyramids, I was silently, furiously searching my emotional bank for a tingle, came up with zero. Terrifying. It is easily 4600 years old! Tickmark trip? (shudder) or lack of knowledge therefore no connect? Or too touristy? I had to solve the problem.

The Sphinx temple was a short drive away. A mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a man, built during the time of the old kingdom. The name given is a modern name as no one knows what the people of the old kingdom called it. The pictures I have seen over the years did not do justice to the scale of the Sphinx. Sharing a picture that was taken during the sound and light show I missed.

Photo credit - Raji

Lunch was a rude affair, with bad food and fumbling for cash.

The museum was our next stop. A dusky pink building which housed over 100,00 artifacts. I am glad we got to see the old museum, the new that is being built looks too modern for what it needs to hold.

Wiki Picture

Despite what I feel about the materialistic nature of the kings, what was buried in the tombs really helps us understand the culture. Especially the Rosetta stone - the demotic script acted as a go-between the Egyptian hieroglyphic and ancient Greek script, it really opened up the culture of Egypt extensively. Once discovered, hieroglyphs were a problem everyone was keen to solve. Over decades and building off of each other's work, the experts figured out that Demotic was a script that was both symbolic and alphabet. But it was Champollion who finished the puzzle. " In 1824, he wrote: “Hieroglyphic writing is a complex system, a script all at once figurative, symbolic and phonetic in one and the same text… and, I might add, in one and the same word." For more, https://www.sciencefocus.com/science/ahow-we-deciphered-ancient-egyptian-hieroglyphsthe-meaning-of-egyptian-hieroglyphs/amp/

Indus is still waiting for its version of the Rosetta Stone to be excavated.

We covered what Wael thought was important - glitter and gold. I did slip in and out of the group in order to find a few gems of my own. I had read about the Tanis dynasty, an excavation site on par with Tut's. Tut was dynasty 19th, new kingdom and Tanis was 21th and 22nd. Tanis aesthetics were subtle and exquisite. The silver coffins (photos not allowed), the etching on the tombs, the delicate jewelry were very toned-down compared to the treasure found in king Tut's chamber, the rockstar of the museum. Either the riches receded or the dynasties had different taste. Tanis was also the lost city Indi Jones was looking for. I loved the exhibit. To read more - https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/tanis-egypt (picture courtesy)

Tut was amazing too. The treasures along with tools for the servants to work in the afterlife were cute, though I am sure if I were a servant, I would want to chill in my afterlife.

The process of preservation of the mummies was mind boggling. The details - features, skin folds, toes - the craft is genius. In parallel, the gods had to be appeased and care had to be taken so evil would stay away. In the book, Egyptian Magic, the author details out all the gods, elements, symbols and rituals that need to be done to protect the body and the soul from being corrupted. Osiris's "Book of the Dead' has chants and other important instructions that if one follows, they are guaranteed a smooth passage to the after-life.

The rest of of walk around in the museum was lovely.

The gift shop was massive, different then what I expected. Did not indulge.

As the evening progressed I was hell-bent on finding my connect with the country, so I kept the google frenzy on - places and people and in the thick of information scanning, I happened upon a Naguib Mahfouz walk! My daughter and I had read his Palace Walk trilogy a few years ago and had really liked the books. The details came rushing in and as I read more about this walk I got very excited. I also found a few of his books that were about ancient Egypt - what better way to see the ancient past than to have Naguib as your story-teller! I was excited and was looking forward to buying the books before I got on the plane the next day. And also was keen on the walking tour which would stop at all the places he frequented and wrote in. Cairo was so interwoven into his stories, it was impossible to see Naguib without Cairo. Thrilling connect, I say.

Day 3

We took an early morning, like early morning flight to Aswan to board The Medea, our Nile cruise/boat/ship. A little interest on my part would have helped in putting up a fuss for a couple of things on the itinerary - the Nile Dam for example. It's a beautiful picture spot and Wael in general would point out, 'great picture spots'. I guess for the most part that is the clientele he caters to, can't blame him.

The dam as a structure that helps with the non-flooding and flooding patterns of the Nile is one of the best decisions made by the government. In the early days the Nile flooded between the the months of June and August making it difficult for the civilisation settled around it. It also is what makes it the only land that is livable in Egypt, the rest (almost 67% ) is desert.

Photo: Anju

The next stop was the temple of Isis, which was previously at Philae island but was moved to Agilika Island as the Nasser Dam needed to be built. We took a boat.

Impressive at first sight, the temple was primarily funded by the nubians (an ethnic group indigenous to Sudan/southern Egypt that shared pharaonic and pre-dynastic history with Egyptians). The story of Isis and Osiris plays out in the massively constructed temple complex. Isis bringing back Osiris to life, birthing Horus and the mummification of Osiris after his death. Like many ancient civilisations the themes of resurrection, bond of the mother/son, the woman as a protector (so she does all the heavy-lifting, imo) plays out here too. I woke up, a bit more alert to the brilliance of the carvings and the magnitude of the vision.The colours that were meant to be showing up once in a while, the place exuded space and peace.

Photo credit - Nayan

The culture was slowly connecting.

Desecration (I know, a strong word) by the greeks, romans, french etc was visible . I guess once they came face to face with something so much more superior, they had no choice but to behave like lesser-humans and put it down.

Headed out of the Island and went to watch papyrus being made - was not as dull as it sounds. Bought some papyrus.

Medea, here we come. Was amazing being on it. A river cruise, made possible by an innocuous ask of the universe a few months ago. Some asks are meant to be. It was the Nile, the Nile; listen carefully the Nile. How? My theory - some things I ask and don't expect, that's how. Carried the wonderment all 3 days, especially when Madea was sailing.

Photo credit - Nayan

Had a beer and slept - hoping to have cracked debilitating jet-lag of the last 10 days.

Day 4

Slept in and trotted off to a felucca (sailboat) ride. The sailor flirted his way to selling some of the souvenirs he had on the boat. Else, a good sail with each of us commanded to take the helm and feel like we were sailors of yore just heading from one town to the next.

The tombs visible in the picture below were of the, 'keepers of the southern gates' - nobles Sareput, Sabri & Mekho of the Old and Middle kingdom. Regular people.

Photo credit - Raji

Spent the rest of the morning on the deck - part a lovely conversation that only a beer and the Nile can perpetuate. The weather was perfect.

We set sail. Old-world and surreal. Immersed and became one with Medea - large enough to give ample space and small enough not to intimidate. Headed to Edfu.

Sobek's (crocodile god) was the first temple on the list, it was a dusky evening with warm yellow lights bouncing off the temple - the evening light and the warm yellow was enough to make the temple other-worldly. In the dark we also saw less of others, a bonus in a place as popular as Egypt. Kom Ombo is the name of the temple - a dual temple built in perfect symmetry - Sobek, the god of fertility (Nile was/is full of crocodiles and with the Nasser Dam, they are contained on the other side) and Horus the falcon god, also the first god of the kingdom. It was built around 180 BC - 47BC (ptolemaic/greek) but there is evidence that there was an older temple there . There is also a lovely carving of Maat holding a scale ensuring that both sides are equal.

The calendar carving at the temple is brilliantly close to what we use today.

It is divided into three seasons: Flood, sowing, and harvest. Each season has 4 months and each month 3 weeks of 10 days. The 36 weeks for 12 months add up to a total of 360 days. The amount of things they had figured out is mind boggling.

The walk around was chaotic - people, information, large, intensely intricate - I shut down and looked up at the sky. But, the sky was in cohorts with the temple, mad pretty. I soaked it in, pretended to understand and walked around.

I gave a miss to the mummified crocodiles. We docked at Edfu.

Day 5

Crack of the dawn visit to the temple should have meant no one else would be there but us. Sadly not true. I am sure every one of us who stood in that queue thought that. We were at the temple of Horus, the most well-preserved temple in all of Egypt. The temple built during the time of the new kingdom was a center for many festivals. The story goes that Horus's wife Hathor would visit her husband from her temple at Dendera. The parallel to the Indian culture was not lost on us south Indians, especially the palanquin (a rendition) that was used to carry the gods.

Photo credit - Aishwarya

The temple itself looked more familiar, the hieroglyphs 'seemed' decipherable and the symbols/signs recognizable. The concern of the Pharaohs showed in the detailing of their gods. The intimidation that I felt was probably far less than that of the plebeians of ancient Egypt as they approached these temples - the king and the god that protected the king were not to be messed with. I wandered some more, took mediocre pictures once in a while and absorbed whatever my menopausal brain allowed me to.

The rest of the morning was spent going back and forth between the deck and my room, willing the weather to be warmer, so I could sit on the deck, didn't work. It was a sail day so Madea was taking full advantage of the wind and speeding to Luxor. I guess it was good in a way because the deck was taken over by other travellers who wanted to experience their trip in the loudest way possible and I couldn't do much to protect my experience. I wish I had figured out a way to invoke Set and created some of my own chaos.

We stopped sailing and docked at Luxor, no more sailing. If Egypt ever happens again, it will be only to sail the Nile.

Luxor (Roman name) or Thebes (Greek name) or 'Waset' (Egyptian name) the city of a hundred gates, as it was known, was the capital of the middle (11th dynasty onwards) & the new kingdom. The city was glorious and rich during its heydays and rose to prominence on the world stage.

Luxor temple is where we first saw the colours of ancient Egypt - dull yellow/gold, terracotta/carnelian, blue/blue, stunning, muted and tasteful - loved, loved it. The temple is dedicated to the royal Ka and to the goddess Mut, consort of Amun and mother to Khonsu. The story is that Amun would travel from Karnak temple and visit Mut through the avenue of the Sphinxes - blessing with fertility. It was a new kingdom temple.

Photo credit - Vidya

The temple had succinct and to-the-point descriptions, someone had immersed enough to crystallize.

The large (many a time, my words miserably fail the visuality of what I saw) statues and the Obelisks were arresting. The pillars all shaped like bundles of papyrus unlike the roman ones which showcase multiple designs. The workers would go down-to-up as they built the pillars and up-to- down as they etched and painted. Simple.

You start to see the Roman influence, and if you are like me, you would also say, dang it. It bothers me that a species (homo sapiens) that has thrived because of its capacity to collaborate was not able to build next to a 'wonder' they saw - they had to build over or worse, destroy and build over. Seriously, the insecurities of our race is what will destroy us. For more morbid thoughts and discourses, do call.

The statue of the roman-ly dressed lady at the entrance was never identified.

Day 6

Twas the day for the highlight of Luxor, the valley of the kings (18 tombs and counting). King Tut and pre & post him. The tombs were built within the pyramid shaped El Qurn mountain/hill as pyramids were laborious and expensive to build - the key was as close to the sun as possible.

Photo credit - Nayan

The after-life prep really astounds me, I come from the Harappan way of life (I do, my unshakeable belief) so it is hard for me to understand - in the Indus civilisation excavations, tombs were not a thing, it seemed like they let it go or they didn't worry about adding the worldly baggage to the after-life.

We had access to three tombs and their innermost chambers, each tomb was artistic, gorgeous, clutter-free and serene. The bridge between life and death was made with the intent of ensuring smooth transition. The symbols, rituals, gods and humans marched to a drummer who promised no change of quality from the king's earthly life. Tut was bathed and tombed in gold.

Do burn me though - tombs from the perspective of the living.

The mortuary temple (temples erected close to the tombs of the Egyptian kings) of Hatsheput, the temple to the queen who started her rule as a reagent (governs the kingdom as the actual ruler is a minor) to Tutmose III and eventually became a Pharaoh herself (new kingdom). She is know to have established trade routes that were disrupted by earlier invasions and also was a prolific builder (her temple is standing proof) commissioning multiple projects in all of Egypt. A woman with this capability also had to dress as man to ensure minimal disruption to her rule.

"The "Hatshepsut Problem" is a direct link to gender normatives in regards to ancient Egyptian social structures. Although she did hold Queen status, her reign, especially after, was disregarded and even erased. Her reign could be considered more successful than some pharaoh’s reign, for example with expanding borders, which can be seen as a threat to traditional gender roles. This raises questions about the conflict between power and traditional gender roles, and to what extent modernism and conservatism overlap" - Cooney, Kara (2018). When Women Ruled the World: Six Queens of Egypt. Washington, D.C.: National Geographic.

Next stop was the mortuary temple of Amenhotep II, popularly known as the Memnon. temple - two massive statues of the pharaohs along with the Nile God Hapi. I did not get off the bus, I was just bursting at the seams with images and information, couldn't take anymore. To do justice to Egypt, please plan at least a half a day at each of these places, will give time to engage and immerse.

Photo credit - Aishwarya

Final stop for the day was Amun's temple, Karnak. Notable here was the Hypostyle ('under pillars' - type of architecture that did not use arches; not very practical) Hall. I was told that this particularly one was designed beautifully and filled with greenery - and the window slits at the top allowed for light to come in. I went looking for the recreated/reimagined version.

Walked around (seriously, the best part of the trip - aimless walking and looking). The picture below caught my attention, it was of a massive tree, full of leaves, rare in the motifs of Egypt. When asked I was told that a/the story was being dictated by Anubis and the scribe who was also in the picture was writing it, hence the leaves (papyrus) - this version is not mentioned anywhere else (google). I did find a bit about the 'tree of life'. An interesting picture for sure.

We got on a plane and flew back to Cairo.

Day 7

The research of the last few days helped me formulate a formula for my last day at Cairo. Naguib's haunts were close to the El Khalili market which was our afternoon, I was hoping to roam around, take pictures at each spot, especially Sugar street and the Al-Hussein mosque.

All excited I went happily to our first stop Manial Palace, built by the last ruling monarchy of Egypt. It was heavily ornate, filled with multiple influences and great wealth. Very pretty, if you look at each individual element; collectively my brain couldn't process.

Next stop market! As we got closer, I realised the dream of a easy going walk vanished. Wael was listing out warnings of how to be, where to go, who to look at and when to look away. The streets were crowded as it was a market, a proper market that we see in our very own country. The mosques were packed as it was a friday. My heart sank. I asked our guide, 'want to go see Naguib's haunts'. He said, 'sure'. We all got off at a designated area, got an hour to walk around, there were people and police. Chaos I can deal with but being constantly told its not safe, be careful, be alert always finally unnerved me. I understand Wael had a responsibility but there could have been a way. Curation is a skill. The market to an Indian is not a sight, it is daily life.

Wael showed me the cafe that Naguib had frequented (it was also a cafe that was active since the time of Napoleon) and a cafe named after Naguib and I took a picture of the mosque as we whizzed by in our tour bus. The leisurely walk remained a figment of my imagination.

Lunch was at hundred year old pizzeria and we spent some quality time at bookstore called Diwan run by three women!

The evening was complete with a walk around the posh Zamalek neighbourhood, ogling at some beautiful, unaffordable Egyptian wares. The trip closed with a silent hurrah by the nile.

The mer-boys and the mer-men selling their wares as we sailed by, the refusal of acknowledging women more often than not, the adventure of the lapis lazuli necklace I bought, the rude no! to selling me tobacco, the amazing conversations and the wonderfully energy-matching company (special shout-out to Mohana), the belly dance on the ship, the refreshing Sakara beer and ohhh, the feta & the olives. And the romance of the live excavation sites, ufff. So much more of the trip eludes.

A great civilisation to say the least and it was a privilege to visit and see. And writing of this blog helped in immersing further. A good time to be a lover of history.