Day 90. Sunday October 31st. The Pyramids and the Sphinx-memories of school history lessons come alive.

Well they are incredible. The Great Pyramid of King Cheops, about 2500BC, was the tallest man-made structure in the world for 4,300 years (until the Eifel Tower was built). About 450 feet high, 2,300,000 stones each weighing between 1 1/2 and ten tons. Originally all smoothed over with polished limestone and the top 30 feet covered in gold. (The top and the tomb were plundered thousands of years ago). 100,000 people built it in about 20 years. At first people thought that the workers were slaves but now it’s considered pretty certain that they were paid free men who did it during the summer months when the Nile floods and they couldn’t farm. Despite the dozens of touts trying to sell me a stuffed dancing camel (“La’ Shokran”-“no thank you!”) or a ride on a real one I have a lump in my throat looking at these incredible 4,500 year old beautiful tombs and tributes. There are three pyramids here (there are more than 100 so far discovered in Egypt) and then also the Sphinx. The Sphinx was buried in sand until about 200 years ago when it was re-discovered.
Egypt is now considered to have been a rich Savannah many thousands of years ago (in fact, in our tour of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo the next day we see many stone carvings of pictures of Ibis, Gazelles, Hippos, Antelopes and the Lions that chased them). Then a climate warming occurred and the encroaching desert pushed all of the different hunter gatherer tribes toward the narrow Nile basin where they had to develop the societies and civil structures that started the ancient Egyptian Civilizations.
We then visit a museum to see how Papyrus paper was made from the Papyrus plant that grows along the Nile. We see Papyrus scripts that are 4,000 years old and yet still in excellent condition today with all of their colours and script readable.
Next is a trip to the ancient Egyptian capital of Memphis (nr today’s capital, Cairo) and we see the huge statues of Ramses II.
Last visit of the day is to Saqqara to see the step pyramid which is thought to be the oldest pyramid built. (2,650BC). The surrounding complex, including the palace, was covered in sand until it was discovered in the 19th century. Some people think that only a small % of the ancient sites have been discovered. (Both the Greeks and the Egyptians should be grateful to the Germans, they seem to have pioneered the excavations and preservations of the ancient sites over the last 200 years and they still visit and show a lot of interest in both Greece and Egypt). Tutankhamen came to the throne when he was nine and died at 18 not having achieved anything. All the treasure that was, nevertheless, made in tribute to him and buried with him is only available today because the tomb robbers didn’t find it before Howard Carter did in 1922. There were 170 Pharaohs so it’s tantalizing to think of what is still under the sand- I want to buy a spade and get going. There are lots of excavations taking place all over Egypt and we are shown a site near the pyramids that was uncovered for the first time four months ago.