Egypt: February 14, 2008
Happy Valentines Day! Dave and I celebrated the day with a visit to the pyramids. It was our first adventure outside the hotel in Cairo due to Dave’s food poisoning. Fortunately, he was feeling up to it today.
Our first stop was actually Memphis where we saw a huge statue of Ramses II. The statue was originally thirty meters long (98’ 5”), but only eleven meters (36’) have been found. I can’t imagine how huge it was. Since the statue was lying at eye level, we could easily see the detail on him. It’s incredible how meticulous the ancient Egyptians were with their work.
Our second stop in Sakkara was to the oldest pyramid created by Imhotep. The
temple is over 4500 years old, and it’s still standing. How’s that for lasting architecture? Our tour guide, Romany, showed us how the pyramids were built with wood beams in between the limestone rocks to absorb the moisture from the air since moisture would erode and weaken the limestone. Clearly, his plan was working. The temples are so massive when you are standing next to them. It’s hard to imagine them being created for one person to be buried in.
Our last stop was at the Giza pyramids, the famous ones. These were incredible to see because they are still in such great shape after 4000 years. We got to go inside one of the temples (no photos, sorry). Although there was nothing in there, we enjoyed the opportunity to go inside something we had heard about all our lives. After a long tunnel, you reach the burial site. The casket, if you could call it that, was still there, but nothing was inside. We also got to visit the Sphynx. This was also wonderful to see since we had heard so much about it in our lives. The Sphynx is the body of a lion and the head of one of the pharaohs to represent his strength (lion) and wisdom (head).
We had the opportunity to talk with Romany a bit about the Egyptian culture. Romany is thirty-one and unmarried because of the Egyptian culture. Men have to have an apartment, a good job, furniture, and money to pay the family of the woman they want to marry before they can get married. Consequently, it takes quite a long time for a man to get married. The average age a man gets married is thirty-five. Women are a bit younger when they marry. They live with their parents until they are married. There is no dating in Egypt because the family is so protective over their daughters. A woman’s virginity is highly valued, so she may only be allowed to go out with a chaperone. If she is allowed to go out without one, she will be within certain perimeters of time and place. Romany says much of this is changing in the young people who sneak out to meet their dates.
Valentines Day is celebrated with much ado here; Dave and I had trouble finding a restaurant in which to eat. There are decorations up all over our hotel. Romany told us the holiday has caught on in Cairo, but the rest of the country has yet to celebrate it.
More soon. For now, enjoy your Valentines day!
Our first stop was actually Memphis where we saw a huge statue of Ramses II. The statue was originally thirty meters long (98’ 5”), but only eleven meters (36’) have been found. I can’t imagine how huge it was. Since the statue was lying at eye level, we could easily see the detail on him. It’s incredible how meticulous the ancient Egyptians were with their work.
Our second stop in Sakkara was to the oldest pyramid created by Imhotep. The
temple is over 4500 years old, and it’s still standing. How’s that for lasting architecture? Our tour guide, Romany, showed us how the pyramids were built with wood beams in between the limestone rocks to absorb the moisture from the air since moisture would erode and weaken the limestone. Clearly, his plan was working. The temples are so massive when you are standing next to them. It’s hard to imagine them being created for one person to be buried in.Our last stop was at the Giza pyramids, the famous ones. These were incredible to see because they are still in such great shape after 4000 years. We got to go inside one of the temples (no photos, sorry). Although there was nothing in there, we enjoyed the opportunity to go inside something we had heard about all our lives. After a long tunnel, you reach the burial site. The casket, if you could call it that, was still there, but nothing was inside. We also got to visit the Sphynx. This was also wonderful to see since we had heard so much about it in our lives. The Sphynx is the body of a lion and the head of one of the pharaohs to represent his strength (lion) and wisdom (head).
We had the opportunity to talk with Romany a bit about the Egyptian culture. Romany is thirty-one and unmarried because of the Egyptian culture. Men have to have an apartment, a good job, furniture, and money to pay the family of the woman they want to marry before they can get married. Consequently, it takes quite a long time for a man to get married. The average age a man gets married is thirty-five. Women are a bit younger when they marry. They live with their parents until they are married. There is no dating in Egypt because the family is so protective over their daughters. A woman’s virginity is highly valued, so she may only be allowed to go out with a chaperone. If she is allowed to go out without one, she will be within certain perimeters of time and place. Romany says much of this is changing in the young people who sneak out to meet their dates.
Valentines Day is celebrated with much ado here; Dave and I had trouble finding a restaurant in which to eat. There are decorations up all over our hotel. Romany told us the holiday has caught on in Cairo, but the rest of the country has yet to celebrate it.
More soon. For now, enjoy your Valentines day!
posted by Lindsay | 1:40 PM
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