The Rich History of Egypt

By far the main drawcard to visit Egypt is the history. No other country has such a vast culture stretching over thousands and thousands of years. Quite different to the current culture of Cairo, the ancient Egyptian mystique has remained and is an intriguing history to learn.

Egyptian Museum & Nile Cruise (Day 3 in Cairo)

I was never much of a history-buff during my education years, but walking around the Egyptian Museum to escape the heat of the Cairo day proved to be well worth the time.

Most westerners walking around in here were accompanied by a guide positively spewing history out to sometimes blank ears. But like most things, I prefer to absorb information in my own way – a loud voice shouting information does nothing for my memory retention (you hear that, Mother?).

It proved worthwhile. I was often alone in a corner of the Museum, surrounded by giant stone statues of ancient leaders past. It was great following the different ages and dynasties, everything from Khufu to Tutankhamun – before, between and after.

The Tutankhamun exhibit is especially gasp-worthy. Seeing the actual mask of the Pharoah and being so close to it is beyond words. It was in this exhibit that I really started to understand how much the Egyptians wanted to live forever. Not only did they build monuments to last all of time to honor their great late leaders, but the intricate precision and care that was taken with the dead is impressive.

…[the Egyptians] were constantly looking to align themselves with something greater than mere mortality.

They realised that their time on the physical Earth was limited, and were constantly looking to align themselves with something greater than mere mortality. Their gods are depicted as human-like – bringing their status to something closer to what the Egyptians were, something more attainable. They believed if they aligned themselves with said figures so closely, they too can be greater than imagined.

My Nile Cruise was less than spectacular. Despite being a dinner cruise around the central Cairo area, I didn’t get much view of what I wanted. It felt like a floating tourist buffet – inside a function room on a semi-large vessel. It did have glass windows, but since it left the dock at 7.30 the sun had already set and I didn’t get as many photos as I’d liked. In fact, if I didn’t take it upon myself to walk outside the room and upstairs to the roof deck, I would never have gotten any (bar ones of the ‘talented’ belly dancer).

I was looking for a sunset ride on a small boat with the Nile breeze cooling you down and what I got was too much cheese.

The Pyramids & Sphinx (Day 4 in Cairo)

They are the King of all monuments – the peak of human innovation considering what technology they had at the time. The pyramids dominate the Giza plains and are quite incredible to view for the first time.

My first glimpse was driving from Cairo to Giza – they pop out of nowhere and you suddenly realise what you’re looking at. For some reason I thought accessing the pyramids would take an hour journey into the desert but their closeness to the Nile (and indeed Cairo) explains how they were built (the stones were carried up the Nile and to the site at a time of high waters).

My chosen vehicle (read: here jump on this!) to take me round the pyramids was camel, which at first is a bit awkward (could not have more looked like a typical white tourist + my pelvic bones still haven’t recovered) but makes a lot of sense once strolling through the Sahara. During a photo-op, the guide told me to stand on the camel and despite fearing the camel would race off and leave me sore-ended, it made for a great photo.

never before has man believed so heartedly in one purpose

In hindsight, I’m glad I visited the Museum before the Pyramids – I was able to appreciate how they built them and more importantly, who built them. At the Sound and Light show, one particular part really caught my attention – never before has man believed so heartedly in one purpose. They built the Pyramids because everyone involved truly believed that they could transcend mortality and that each worker should not be “pitied” (they were all killed and buried in tombs around the pyramid once completed) but applauded for such commitment to a common goal.

In my opinion…

No other history or structure can come close to the regal power and intricate meaning that the Pyramids, and indeed Egyptian history hold. They are the greatest, and will be for a long while yet – if not for all time.