After two days in Luxor..., we took an early morning flight to Cairo. As soon as we arrived into Cairo we drove straight to the step Pyramids. Located in the Saqqara Area, the step pyramids were constructed by Pharaoh Djoser. Having a total of 6 huge steps, it is meant to be the tallest building of its times. We walked through a gate (or rather a 10 meter wall)… into a courtyard of temples, chapels & columns.
As the Step Pyramid is meant to be a tomb, the burial chambers are underground hidden in a maze of tunnels to prevent grave robbers. Sadly the tomb was robbed and all that remained was Pharoah Djoser’s mummified foot.
From here we went to a Carpet school. It was interesting to see young kids learning the trade.
We then drove to the Great Pyramids. I have always wanted to visit the Pyramids (after watching Moses I think!!), and this was indeed a dream come true.
Within Egypt this is the most popular ancient site – One of the seven wonders of the world – Great Pyramids of Khufu. It is indeed beyond impressive. Standing at some 480 feet high and covering thirteen acres of land. In reality these Pyramids are less interesting than many other ancient structures in Egypt – mainly because it does not have any inscriptions or paintings….. however the magnitude & architecture in its times must have been commendable. We attempted to walk into the 2nd pyramid…. Its got a long & narrow walkway to the main tomb. It was dark, smelly & claustrophobic and my friends backed out…. I wasn’t brave enough to do this on my own. The Pyramids have a mysterious feel to it…. ….
Many of the later pyramids were not as large as the Great Pyramids of Giza. So I guess that the Pharaohs were making a statement about their own power, glory & strength.
A little further from here is the Sphinx. You feel magical seeing the Sphinx with the backdrop of the Pyramids. This Sphinx is a body of a lion & head of a king. This is believed to be the most immense stone sculpture ever made by man. The Great Sphinx is not an isolated monument, and cannot be looked at in this way. Like many other monuments in Egypt, the Sphinx is a complex consisting of an old temple, a new kingdom temple, some other small structure & a sacred lake.
My Day 1 in Egypt ended here….. and I cant wait to tell you all about my next day in this memorable, ancient, mesmerizing land….
