 |
| Saqqara |
Today I got to see the "stair-step" pyramid at Saqqara, about 40 km out of town. The vast majority of the route is highly urbanized though, with evidence of agriculture appearing in the last few miles. The green of the fields is startling after the otherwise tawny landscape. The Saqqara tombs were built of stone (new building material) about 4800 years ago and this pyramid is the oldest among those available to see. This whole scene reminds me of the cathedral scene in England--each one has a claim to fame, such as tallest, oldest, best windows, etc. Same here. Saqqara has the oldest. It was built in a style that at the detail level mimics previous buildings made of thatch and mud bricks with wooden braces and woven sides. I saw small structures of this ancient form in the fields today--now offering shade to the farmers rather than housing. A very modern and reasonably sized museum as well as a movie about the building and design process served as appetizers for the main event.
 |
| The dig goes on. |
 |
| Rilla at reconstructed wall, Saqqara |
No one has been allowed inside this pyramid since the 1960s and it is badly in need of restoration (lots of scaffolding on one side). This is partly because it was built of sandstone, which has eroded. But other portions of the whole site are either restored or in better condition, including one very claustrophobic tomb with an empty sarcpohagus still in it (mummy was in the museum). This photo of me in front of the reconstructed entrance offers an idea of how big these sites are. The original wall was 30 m. high. Work is still ongoing at the site, as evidenced by these tents covering a small dig operation. The two small tombs I saw contained colorful reliefs and carvings celebrating life and showing various aspects of every day life--from how they slaughtered a cow to the arts and food. Everything needed for a full and rich afterlife.
Before taking you to Giza, let me comment on a few observations. First, at every site there is security--not just guys with guns but also checks of the guide's credentials and a record is kept of the nationality of the visitor. Thus, the basis for the Egyptian tourist statistics, I guess. It seemed like they were taking security seriously, but then I noticed pedestrians were just streaming on through without any checks. I remember at the old embassy in Antananarivo the security guys checked the cars going in thoroughly but waved motorcycles and pedestrians past. Same deal here.
The agricultural fields are vibrantly green--huge cabbages, onions, clover (for feeding animals) were all apparent. The fields are irrigated through canals dug from the Nile. The highway to Saqqara runs along either side of this canal and I noted that on both sides, the canal is being filled in slowly by the dumping of trash. The farther we got from the city the more we saw donkey carts and working farmers.
Also along the road almost all the way to Saqqara are up to 10-story buildings only partially finished. My guide calls this "Red Brick City." These are the shells of apartment houses. The way they work is you buy an apartment, which is basically a brick box and then you do all the finishing work, from plumbing and electricity to windows and all other furnishings. Most buildings have no occupants, while some are only very partially occupied. In some cases, holes for windows are on the buyer also.
 |
| First sighting |
 |
| Light in the funerary temple at Giza |
On to Giza, which once was "way outta town" and is now surrounded by sprawling development. My first view was from a Mobil gas station where we stopped to fill the tank. I was stunned they were so close! This is the location of the so-called Great Pyramid, built by Cheops, and two smaller ones for his son and grandson as well as others for their wives and important people or other relatives. It is also the location of the Sphinx, the now somewhat eroded figure that is the head of the pharoah with the body of a lion. My first glimpse of these pyramids came when we stopped for gas and I looked across the road. There they were, seemingly in the middle of town. The Great Pyramid is actually no longer the tallest. Father Cheops has lost 9 m of height over the years (in excess of 4,000) and his son is now 2 m. taller.
There were substantial changes in construction between the first and the second. The first took 20 years, using 100,000 men each year to build, in part because they were cutting stones taller than I am. Teams of 40 men worked together to move the stones into place. For the son's pyramid they cut the stones a little smaller and finished much faster. The grandson got even smaller stones and an overall smaller pyramid, all appropriate to the representations of power in Egyptian art--most powerful guy is biggest. Stones used here included pink quartz, marble, and sandstone.
 |
| Great Pyramid |
The Great Sphinx sits in alignment with the middle pyramid and faces east--now into the city of Giza. The face is badly eroded, especially the nose, and the front legs of the lion have been reconstructed. The entire site is pretty overwhelming. I saw more tourists there today than I have seen yet on the trip. And I don't think anyone would say it was crowded. There were dozens of guys standing around wanting to offer guide services, sell you junk made in China, or persuade you to pay for a picture with or ride a camel, horse, horse cart, or donkey. The photo I wanted to take but couldn't was of a traditionally dressed guy sitting on a rock talking on a cellphone next to his heavily festooned camel.
 |
| Great Sphinx and Great Pyramid, Giza |
No comments:
Post a Comment