We were picked up from the airport in Cairo by our tour guide Muhammad and his adorable three-year-old son, who escorted us to the Horizon Hotel. It’s much nicer than we were expecting! Sunday we were up early for breakfast at the hotel, and a day of touring Cairo. Our first stop was the Step Pyramid of Saqqara/Pyramid of Djoser. It was the first pyramid ever built, in the 27th century BC for Pharaoh Djoser. The first pyramids were made in step formation, before the traditional smooth sided pyramid. Originally, the Pyramid of Djoser was 62 metres/203 feet tall, and was covered in white polished limestone. It has decreased by 11 metres, but is still enormous. The pyramid is surrounded by trenches and a colonnade entrance, and there is a vast open courtyard. At the time the pyramid was built, the Pharaoh would race a bull from the colonnade entrance, to the front of the pyramid where they would circle a stone structure, and back to the entrance. If the man beat the bull, he was fit to rule, but as our guide said, they probably drugged the bull somehow. We also learned about the ancient Egyptian religion, and how they worshipped. Many people think they worshipped animals and objects, but this is not true. They worshipped the jackal,Anubis, god of the dead and fire, and the ram, hathor, goddess of fertility, for example, but not in their animal form. They worshipped the things they could not defeat, and the virtues they brought. They couldn't defeat fire, so they worshipped it's heat, they couldn't defeat the ram, so they worshipped it's milk as fertility, they couldn't stop the jackal from entering tombs, so they made him a temple and designated him as guardian of the dead, and they couldn't defeat the falcon, so they worshipped him as protector, and on and on. Also, they ate the meat from these animals, and if they worshipped the animal itself, not only its abstract quality, they would not have been able to eat it.
We saw tombs after the step pyramid, and were amazed at the hieroglyphics inside. They're so intricately carved and beautiful! Next we went to the Great Pyramid of Giza/Pyramids of Khufu, the most famous pyramid. It is the oldest of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, and for good reason. It is massive. It's crazy to think that people built it with rock, pulley systems, water movement and their own strength. It was built as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu in the fourth dynasty, in 2560 BC. For the next 3,800 years It was the tallest man-made structure in the world. We took camel rides to the spot where you can see all three pyramids in a line. It was fun! But a little odd. The camels are all just sitting there in a field with people ready to surround you and try to overcharge you. And they smell. The little boy pulling Brianna's camel was so cute though!
The smaller Pyramid of Khafre, next to the Great Pyramid, is still impressive, and belonged, along with the Sphinx, to Pharaoh Khafre. The Sphinx was really cool, but actually smaller than we expected. It's hard to believe when you're standing in front of the pyramids that they were built by hand so long ago, and that civilizations flourished here. Muhammad gave extensive detail on the dynasties, the pharaohs, anything you could think of. Apparently being a tour guide here is a really good job and takes a lot of schooling. I guess that's understandable though, as there is so much history to learn. I'm definitely glad we got a guide. Taking cabs and figuring out what we should and shouldn't waste time on would have wasted a lot of money. Also, the people who don't have guides are swarmed by people selling post cards, mini pyramids, etc. The people here are much, much more pushy than in Jordan. At every tourist place in Jordan, the same people would come up to you offering to take a picture for free, then charge you, but here it's worse. They don't stop, no matter how forceful you are, how many times you say no, even in Arabic. And they demand tips for EVERYTHING. In Jordan, tipping was unheard of, and they were more welcoming, hospitable and happy to see us. The falafel was better in Jordan too–we miss it! But the stares are pretty much the same.
After the pyramids we went to a school where they teach students starting at age eight to weave rugs of silk and cotton and wool. The rugs were beautiful, and the students' hands were flying! We also visited a place where they make lotus perfume and many other pure scents. It was really cool. They blow glass into beautiful shapes for the bottles, and since the scent is so concentrated it lasts for much longer than perfume at home, (there is no alcohol added). They make exact copies of brand names like Armani, Chanel, Lancome, etc. Lastly, we visited a shop where they make papyrus paintings. These were really pretty, and the process of making them was very interesting.
We finished day one with a nighttime fluka cruise on the Nile River. This was relaxing, and very pretty, but strange because when you think of the Nile, you do not think of being surrounded by hotels and McDonald's and bright lights. Definitely a successful and enjoyable first day overall!
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