A Visit to Memphis

You might recall reading of Memphis in ancient world history. This city on the Nile was an administrative center and the capital of Lower Egypt dating from around 3000 B.C. Yes, it is the namesake of B. B. King and Elvis' Memphis, Tennessee. There are also towns named Memphis in Alabama, Indiana, Michigan, New York and Texas.

Located only about a dozen miles to the south of Cairo, Memphis is at the center of a large number of pyramids and monuments. The most notable of these are found at Sakkara and Dahshur.


There are about 118 pyramids (or maybe 138 - it depends on who's reporting the total.) in Egypt. (UPDATE, 07/27/2010: Zahi Hawass appeared briefly on "Showcase Minnesota" today promoting the History Channel special "Chasing Mummies." His number was 123 including the last one he found. That has to be pretty close to official. Hawass is Secretary General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities.) You won't get to see them all, but a few in the Memphis area are well worth the trip. Many tours allow just a half day for this area but I recommend that you give it a full day. There are plenty of things to see and you can stop and have lunch at either a small local place like this one in Memphis.


Or you might want to try one of the fancier places like this.


Arranging the tour is easy. Ask the concierge at any hotel and they will arrange a private car and driver for you. You can go self-guided or pick up a knowledgeable local guide on site. (Helpful hint. Negotiate a firm price before you start!)

On this trip you are going to see three unique pyramids, two museums and a very significant funerary complex. We'll start with the open-air museum at Memphis.

There are numerous exhibits but the prize is a large statue of Ramses II. Ramses II was Egypt's great builder. Some say he was the pharaoh of the bible whom Moses dealt with. He also is credited with around a hundred children - some people say twice that number. Timewise, he doesn't really fit with the other things we will see in this area. Ramses II is from about 1300 B.C. and the pyramids that we are looking at are from around 2600 B.C. So why bring him up? Well, there is a dandy statue of him in the Memphis open-air museum. Ramses is lying flat on his back and the exhibit lets you photograph him from all sides.



Here you can see a group of Japanese tourists getting a few pictures. Note how this gentleman is getting just the right angle.


And of course, I did too.



It's only a short distance over to Sakkara from Memphis. The first stop you might want to make is at the Imhotep Museum. Imhotep was the architect who conceived and built the first pyramid which we are going to see next. The Imhotep Museum is a new and modern facility opened in 2006.


Imhotep's design for his king, Djoser, (sometimes spelled Zoser) was a step pyramid. The distinctive appearance shows up from as far away as the pyramids at Giza as seen in this picture. It's the one on the far right.


As you get closer, the step appearance really stands out.


You will tour a large funerary complex and can spend a lot of time checking out the tomb paintings and other relics of the past. Here I am, guide book in hand on an earlier trip. I've also done this area with guides a couple of times.

It's worth getting close to this one to look at the blocks and note how different the construction technique is compared to the pyramids at Giza.

The Sakkara area is still a very active archaeological area. There were recent reports of a significant new tomb being discovered just a month or two ago. Egyptologists suggest that maybe only 30% of the ancient relics have been uncovered so far. No one really knows.


Now you will want to head south to the Bent Pyramid at Dashur.


Archeologists have a couple of different theories for the shape. In any case, this appears to have been a transition design between step pyramids and the smooth sided ones.


The Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, below, were both built for Seneferu. The explanations vary but involve collapse and construction problems. The Red Pyramid is my favorite. It has relatively few tourists so no one is going to try to sell you a camel ride or a postcard or a stuffed camel while you explore. In addition, you can freely enter it, take your time and explore the burial chamber. It has a huge burial chamber and once you descend to the chamber, you find yourself climbing a wooden stairs to a height of about thirty feet for a good look around.


You begin the trip inside with a moderate climb up a ramp and then descend through this narrow opeining.


The entire Dashur area was a part of a military area until fairly recently so not many people have seen it. This is a must-see if you are interested in pyramids since the Red Pyramid was the tallest structure in the world at the time it was built and is the third-largest pyramid in Egypt.

Off to Carrefour in Maadi

I needed some food items and a refill on my phone minutes today so I headed out to Carrefour. Carrefour is actually the anchor store at the City Centre Mall in Maadi about ten miles to the East of us right down the Ring Road. If traffic isn't too bad, it's an easy taxi ride since the Ring Road has four marked lanes in each direction and is posted at 90 kilometers/hr or about 54mph. Well that's 54mph for cars - it decreases for other types of vehicles - down to 36 for tandem trailers.

My taxi driver was pretty good. He weaved left and right and soon had the little Fiat well above the posted speed. These taxis don't have much horsepower so drivers hate to slow down and have to build momentum again. One young man dashed across the road in front of us as the driver waved, indicating he was going to the right of the runner. (See this article in the Daily News about "dozens of college students" dying on the ring each year)

I was glad I had a skilled driver as we descended a long hill on the East side of the Nile. A truck in front of us lost his drive shaft and it came tumbling back in the lane to our left. The truck kept going and made another half mile before beginning to brake. I don't envy the driver going back to pick up parts in the far left lane. No language barrier here. My driver pointed to his head obviously speaking the Arabic for "crazy." We laughed, honked at the truck and moved past.

City Centre Mall is a complex of about eighty shops and restaurants. The Carrefour hypermarket probably takes about half of the mall area. Carrefour is definitely the destination store and people refer to the trip as "going to Carrefour."

I wouldn't know it was the City Centre except that I did pick up a brochure with the name on it. They have parking for two thousand cars and on Friday evenings, every spot is filled and then some.

As you look from the parking ramp in the opposite direction you see some of the suburban housing development that is part of Egypt's on-again, off-again plan to move some of the masses from central Cairo to the surrounding desert.




The mall itself contains clothing shops that range from modest fully-covering veils to whatever it might be that is sold in Womens Secret.



You may not have heard of Carrefour. They are a French based chain of hypermarkets and the second largest retail chain in the world after WalMart. We were quite impressed with this store on our first visit but I would have to give the edge to Spinneys after visiting both stores. But you have to give Carrefour credit for having read Sam Walton's book.

We walked in on a Friday night with thousands of people in the store. There was a pile of microwave ovens on special. Six feet tall, ten feet wide and maybe fifty feet long. People were taking them away as fast as the guys in yellow shirts could replace them off pallets. It was bedlam! And yes, we have one in our kitchen! These guys can merchandise a store.

The restaurants and fast food shops are from the list of Usual Suspects.


With my shopping all done, I headed outside and found a taxi to take me home. By now it was rush hour and traffic was slow all along the Ring. Where it was backed up and barely moving, those four marked lanes now held seven lines of vehicles. You can see the situation in the left picture. There are five lanes to our right. Click to enlarge and then count them! We are in the sixth. You'll just have to believe me that there is one more on our left. I'll bet you wouldn't try to squeeze by that army truck like the dark pickup is doing. He had no trouble. And you probably wouldn't try to squeeze by that light pole like the light green truck is doing in the right picture.

People are sometimes surprised that I don't want to drive in Cairo. Do you? On the other hand, every time I am stuck in traffic at home now, I wonder why Americans are so timid. Two marked lanes? Two columns of cars. Surely a lot more could squeeze by on the shoulders. Come on, folks, get some imagination!

A Visit to the Sphinx

While you are visiting the Giza Pyramids (as we were doing here) you will want to spend some time looking at the Sphinx. Like the pyramids nearby, the Great Sphinx of Giza dates from around 2500 B.C. It is about sixty-five feet tall and over two hundred feet long.

Of course you will want to include a pyramid in your picture of the Sphinx and that is easy to do. Either of two will fit right in.


Since the Sphinx faces due East, you will also want to try and get this picture in the early part of the day. Your tour will probably get you to this spot last, but try to get to this spot early. There is a second entrance to the area near the Sphinx if you come back to photograph it in the morning light.


One problem with photographing the Sphinx is that it is almost always surrounded with tourists:

But that is why we have Adobe Photoshop, right?

On the other hand, don't miss the opportunity to take pictures of people taking pictures. Sometimes those are interesting in themselves.



And not every picture of the Sphinx has to show his smiling face.



And if all you can capture is a very flat photo of the face of the Sphinx because of lighting conditions and haze, well, don't worry, Photoshop can fix that up too.


Now, if you think it is cheating to photoshop your pictures so they look a bit better, just consider what Jean-Leon Gerome did in this picture of Napoleon standing by the Sphinx in 1867.

The original painting hangs in the Hearst Castle at San Simeon.

How Many Egyptians Can Ride on One Motorcycle

Speaking of motorcycles (and we were the other day when I talked about the hazards of walking in Cairo.) Just how many people can ride on a single motorcycle?

The other night, as we were coming home in a taxi, we saw a family of six riding on a bike comparable to this one.



Dad was driving. Mom was riding behind with a baby in her right arm and was holding another child of about eighteen months in the left. A small girl was riding behind mom. The oldest son was riding on the handlebars in front of dad. I'm sorry I couldn't get a picture. It was too dark as they surprised us passing by on the right side as we inched along.

And Just How Were Those Pyramids Built?

The lengthy post below shows the Giza pyramids from many angles. When you spend a bit of time around them, you certainly appreciate the construction project that created them. The conventional story, of course, is that they were built from stone quarried and then transported with primitive machines and set in place one stone at a time.

Another theory emerged several years ago.

In this 1988 book, The Pyramids: An Enigma Solved by Joseph Davidovits and Margie Morris, French chemical engineer Davidovits and University of Minnesota's Morris argue a convincing case that the pyramids were built using an ancient concrete technology. Convincing that is to everyone except Egyptologists and archaeologists. They wouldn't let Davidovits or others do the testing necessary to verify the theory.

In April of 2008, The Boston Globe reported on a new series of experiments being conducted at MIT to prove or disprove the Davidovits theory. Linn W. Hobbs, professor of materials science at Massachusetts Institute of Technology says:

"Maybe the ancient Egyptians didn't just leave us mysterious monuments and mummies. Maybe they invented concrete 2,000 years before the Romans started using it in their structures."

...
Hobbs describes himself as "agnostic" on the issue, but believes mainstream archaeologists have been too contemptuous of work by other scientists suggesting the possibility of concrete.

"The degree of hostility aimed at experimentation is disturbing," he said. "Too many big egos and too many published works may be riding on the idea that every pyramid block was carved, not cast."

A key part of Davidovits' case rests on the remarkably close tolerances between blocks in the pyramids. It is difficult to imagine someone with primitive tools carving one stone to fit perfectly against another, when a much simpler explanation is available.







I have been a supporter of Davidovits' theory for many years. Needless to say, no one I have talked to in Egypt has heard of the theory.

Davidovits has two new books out on the subject:

• They Built the Pyramids by Joseph Davidovits (Paperback - Oct 22, 2008)
  
• Why the pharaohs built the Pyramids with fake stones by Joseph Davidovits (Hardcover - Jan 1, 2009)
  

Presumably, he is now retired and able to spend more time writing!

A Visit to the Pyramids

(Remember that you can click on any image to enlarge)

Linda's ladies visited the pyramids on their first day in Egypt. They are staying at one of several five-star hotels that are located within a mile or so of the pyramids at Giza. This makes the first couple of days touring easy, avoiding a trip to or from downtown.

Until they have been here, most people think of the pyramids as being "out in the desert" surrounded by sand with an occasional camel passing by. And, you can easily take a picture that makes it appear to be so.


But remember that you are only ten miles Southwest of the center of the largest city in Africa. If you peek behind the pyramids you can easily see the downtown area of Cairo.

In fact, when you approach the pyramids from the Eastern direction, you see a lot of city.


If you can get to a high enough location on a clear day, you can capture this view with a telephoto lens.


It wasn't always this crowded in the area near the pyramids. In 1904, Eduard Spelterini drifted over the area in a balloon and snapped this photo at an altitude of about 2,000 feet.


If it's a clear day when you visit the pyramids at Giza, be sure to look to the South. You may be able to see the pyramids at Sakkara, about fifteen miles from where you are standing. Take a picture with your telephoto lens. Pay the camel driver whatever he wants to be in the picture.


You might even consider backing up a long way and getting a shot with both the Giza pyramids, the Sakkara pyramids and a camel driver. Even I don't have that one!


I obviously think you should bring plenty of camera equipment and take lots of pictures. But this might be going just too far.


Of course you won't really appreciate the pyramids until you get up close and see the size of the stones. And that's a chance for another picture.


This map, available with a great description of the Giza pyramids area is available on Wikipedia. To keep it simple, I sometimes refer to the three pyramids as "the big one, the capped one and the small one." Of course, they actually have names. And there is more around the area than just the three larger pyramids:


That white limestone cap on the top of the center pyramid of Khafre is worth a closer look since it is all that remains of the polished white limestone that once covered all of the pyramids. From the distance it first looks like smooth blocks that were placed face out on the sides of the pyramid.


But get a bit closer and you are surprised by two things. First the cap is not very smooth.

And second, those slabs are laid horizontally.


Wow! All that just to talk about three pyramids. And we haven't even visited the Sphinx yet.

I hope I've convinced you that you must come to the pyramids and bring your camera. But you can't capture everything is a single visit. Come back on an extraordinarily clear day. Come again when there are clouds in the sky. Come capture the morning light. Take pictures when the long shadows of the afternoon highlight jagged edges. Of course, this is most easily accomplished by living in the neighborhood. And the friendly people make it even more worthwhile.

Gotta go - I'm off to the bakery again!

Linda's Ladies Are On Tour

The three ladies that Linda is leading through the tourist sites of Egypt have arrived. Yesterday they visited the nearby pyramids of Giza. I am remaining here at the apartment while they enjoy the two-week tour. I will try to keep readers of this blog up to date on the ladies' progress by posting pictures that we have taken in the past of the sites they visit.

Meanwhile, I am attending to projects like supervising the electrician who last night replaced a switch and two faulty light bulb sockets. I notice that he carries a cloth bag of tools as did the carpenter whom I described earlier. This must be the standard crafts "toolbox."

Yesterday, after touring the pyramids, Linda called to say that she and the ladies were just down the block at this Papyrus shop.


It appears that one of the nearby shops on this street is a frequent stop for tour groups. I went down and joined the ladies. The shop is very bright and cheery. It is well organized for the tea sipping, demonstrations of papyrus making and hieroglyphic printing that accompanies all visits to the pyramids. And I got a free cup of tea. "No charge for looking!" as the saying goes here.

Tomorrow, the ladies will be coming back to the papyrus shop. It appears that they may regret not making an offer on some pictures. They will stop in to visit here. Good thing I picked up some goodies at the bakery!

By the way, this is what the baked goods at our neighborhood bakery look like:


And it occurs to me that I did two posts below that are more or less related to my walk to the bakery this afternoon without ever showing you the actual bakery. Well here it is. Notice that one customer has pulled up right at the edge of the shop. His passenger is just returning to the car with a bag of goodies. The shopkeeper in dark blue speaks English quite well.

Safety in Egypt - More Thoughts

While walking up to the bakery and laundry shops today, I passed this construction site. (It sometimes seems that all of Cairo is a construction site!) We have been walking past it for the last month. Notice that the construction materials are left standing by the street. The bricks and bags of mortar mix do not get stolen. And no kids seem to be playing "knock the bricks over into the traffic." That sort of thing just doesn't seem to happen.




There are lot of kids on every block. There are lots of watchful eyes too. People seem quite connected to their families and neighbors. The bawab is usually out in front of his building keeping an eye on things too.

There is one safety hazard though. Traffic. Here you see the typical three columns of cars squeezed into what we would doubt was space for two lanes. Notice the motorcycle passing everyone by zipping up the shoulder.

Now since pedestrians walk in the streets here, you do have to keep your wits about you. That motorcycle could also be a taxi taking advantage of a chance to pass a couple of cars or trucks.

One evening, a motorcycle trying to squeeze by a tree like this bounced off the bus he was passing and I thought he might lose control and be coming my way. But he kept it upright and buzzed past.

Worse yet, while we are walking facing the traffic like this, a car might come up behind us going the opposite direction. This can be particularly surprising at night. They always honk - but everyone is honking!

"Look both ways" in Cairo means look ahead and look behind you too!

Here I am glancing back - mostly to watch this load of lumber. I'm not sure if those guys are carpenters or just lumber unloaders bringing materials to the jobsite.


Part of the traffic congestion problem comes from the variety of vehicles on the road. Here are a couple of farmers returning home after making some deliveries to the market.

If you are wondering what is on the back of that wagon, it is empty crates. They might have contained tomatoes, eggs, chickens or other farm produce. Here is a closer look at one. They are found everywhere in town.

A Few Shops in Our Neighborhood

(reminder - click on any picture to enlarge it)

I mentioned in a previous post that our neighborhood of Cairo doesn't look anything like the City Stars mall over near the airport. I was out shopping at the bakery today and took a few pictures.

Look this one over carefully. Can you see three businesses in the shot?


The one on the left is a Koshary shop. It is a "take-away" as take-out is described here. Next door on the right is an easily recognized beverage shop. You see many of these with the beverages and coolers out in the open. It probably belongs to the Koshary shop or a family member.

But what about the third business in the picture? Did you spot it? On the right, behind the Egyptian symbol for "Tires Sold and Repaired Here!"



The owner even wrapped the key tire in blue to call attention to it.

And here is another shop on a street near us. Can you tell what it is?

Right! It's a laundry. They are easy to spot too. Usually the proprietor is standing at the front counter with iron in hand, pressing a few items. This is a very good laundry where we have our clothes done. We spotted it late one night around 11:00 p.m. when we were coming back from a long walk through the neighborhood.

First we saw his competitor on the opposite side of the street ironing away. Then we saw this smaller shop. It is a bit closer to us so we took our clothes in the next day. No receipt. No need for one. He just keeps things straight and you come back the next day about the same time to pick up your clothes, neatly pressed and wrapped in plastic.

UPDATE 3/21/2009
Here's another laundry that we used when we stayed at the Sheraton. Having the Sheraton do your laundry probably costs more than just buying new clothes. So, we would go "down the street" a bit and have ours washed and ironed here. We'd also bring back a few cans of pop purchased for about 38 cents each at the same time.