After the Great Pyramids of Giza, our next site visits centered on ancient Egypt. We visited the ancient cities of Memphis, Dahshour and Saqqara. Our first stop was Memphis! I was so excited to visit the old capital of ancient Egypt, but was a bit disappointed because I was expecting much more than what I saw. Mohammed, our Egyptologist, explained that there wasn't much left, in terms of artifacts and ruins, because everything was built or made out of brick and wood. Brick and wood cannot stand the test of time, especially when thousands of years have passed. The only thing left were those built of stone. We saw the Sphinx of Memphis, which is thought to be the first Sphinx made in all of Egypt! It was beautiful and pretty well preserved.
The image of the sphinx is thought to be that of Ramses II because they believe there is a resemblance to artifacts found at other sites identified as Ramses II. Ramses II reigned until he was in his late 80s or 90s, based on the timeline of artifacts that document his reign. There is no concrete evidence that Ramses II was based at Memphis, but they believe he was there at some point. They also found statues that are believed to be Ramses II's son. The most spectacular thing we saw was a gigantic stature of Ramses II in military stance even though the legs were chopped off. The statue was so detailed and beautiful! It was amazing!
An interesting thing that Mohammed taught us was that the most important part of Egyptian life was the afterlife. He said that most things were not built on or made of stone because life wasn't permanent. You were not going to live that long, so you didn't need things that were permanent or long lasting. There was no need to build a permanent life, the focus was on the afterlife. The pyramids were built of stone because it was in preparation for the afterlife. The afterlife was forever - permanent. Stone lasts for a very long time. Temples, tombs and pyramids were meant for the afterlife, so they were built in stone and took many years to build. So much work to prepare for the afterlife.
Our next site visit was Dahshour, which is the home of the Red and Bent Pyramids. Both pyramids were commissioned by Sneferu. The Red Pyramid was the first pyramid built in Egypt. It is called the Red Pyramid because when it was first uncovered it was encased in a red colored stone.
Sneferu was thought to be entombed in the Red Pyramid and not the Bent Pyramid. Sneferu was thought to have commissioned the Bent Pyramid for his tomb, but because it turned out correctly, moved to the Red Pyramid. If the Bent Pyramid had continued at it's original angle, it would have been the largest pyramid in Egypt.
Most people in the world would probably think that the Bent Pyramid was a mistake. That would be preposterous because the lines and angles were so precise, and then they made a mistake and didn't notice, duh! The most logical reason given is that the angle changed because of the pressure of the stones on the burial chamber. The pressure would have been too much, and would have caused the pyramid to collapse. There was evidence of scaffolding inside the passage, which suggests the ceiling was unstable. I will have to go back to my History Channel and National Geograpphic videos to check to see what they said though!
The next site was Saqqara where we saw Djosser's pyramid, which was engineered by Imhotep. Imhotep is probably best known in pop culture as the villain in "The Mummy" movies, with Brendan Frasier. I must confess I loved those movies! Anyway, in ancient Egypt, Imhotep was not a villian. As a matter of fact, he was Egypt's version of the Renaissance man. He was an architect, doctor, priest, engineer - he could just about do anything! Imhotep wasn't just building Djosser a tomb, he was building a palace for Djosser for the afterlife! It was just over the top! Imhotep's creation became known as the Step Pyramid because of it's shape. He kept building mastabas on top of each other to create this pyramid. He also created a grand entrance that led to the pyramid, where he was creating a grand palace as a tomb for his beloved pharaoh. Imhotep was truly amazing and talented, and the Step Pyramid is a testament to his true prowess.
Our final site visit was to the Oriental Carpet School to learn the ancient art of carpet making. This school is very unique though. In an effort to improve the literacy rate in Egypt, carpet schools were created to teach reading, writing and carpet making. Students learn to read and write, and take on the trade of carpet making. When the students can create carpets on their own, the school sells the carpets for them and gives them a percentage of the sale as payment for their work. Only the most talented go on to make carpets and start their own carpet-making business. It was quite amazing to see how hard working the kids were, and how proud they were of their work. There were these little boys that were so adorable. They kept asking us to sit next to them, so they could teach us how to make a carpet. Of course, they also wanted a coin, but that wasn't a big deal. They are trying to survive, we get it. Our immediate reaction to this school was that it was promoting child labor, and the students were being exploited. Mounnira, our Fulbright Leader, and Mohammed emphasized it was beneficial for the students because it helped them to provide for their families and receive an education, however minimal it may be. Otherwise, they would be begging on the streets somewhere. This school allows them to learn and be a productive member of society, so it's not seen as exploitation in Egypt. I felt so bad for the kids because they were working so hard, so I bought a rug. I hope it helps them.
As we traveled to our sites we found ourselves on Saqqara Road, one of the main roads leading to and from Cairo. Traveling along Saqqara Road, I saw everyday Egypt. People trying and struggling to make a living, and just living their lives. I saw people trying to fish in the river, herding their cattle to markets, or manning their street stalls. I saw kids helping their parents with the cattle or farm, swimming in the river or hanging out under a tree with friends. This is a part of Egypt people don't see, but it touched my heart.
I will have to edit this post at a later point to include pictures of the Step Pyramid and the Oriental Carpet School because they are on my iPad and I can't transfer them without wifi. I was also supposed to upload a video, but haven't quite figured out how to use iMovie. I'm working on it, and have lots to tell and show you! Hugs!!
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