Another day of touring

Date palms en route to Dashur

Dashur fruit stand

Another free day allowed us to spend it touring the area again under the expert guidance of Tarek Swelim, and in the company of our buddies Sarah and Mark Mineart. This day’s itinerary began with an early pickup, a drive through agricultural lands and the small town of Dashur, arriving at the pyramids of Dashur just as the mist of the morning was burning off.

Bent Pyramid (click on it to see Tarek for scale)

Pointing out a corner of the Bent Pyramid

Attentive Harris and Sarah

Though less famed than the great pyramids of Giza or the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, Dashur is extraordinary.



Its first pyramid, constructed for Snefru, father of
Khufu (for whom the greatest of the Giza pyramids was built) was a fascinating lesson in engineering. Snefru wanted a true pyramid, with straight sides (not steps), whose shape would reflect the benben or sun deity’s rays. However, it became clear after building halfway that the 54 degree slope of its sides was unstable—it literally crumbled at the corners—and the architects had to decrease the slope to 43 degrees, creating a profile that is, well, bent. Tarek took us around the entire pyramid, pointing out its cornerstones, smooth massive limestone sheathing (still nicely intact), and how the optics of the corners could play tricks on your eyes. 

Red Pyramid (click to see people trekking up the side)

Harris, Mel, Sarah, Mark: The Tourists

Bent Pyramid in the mist

Dashur is home to a military base and not much visited, and on our Friday morning, we literally had the enormous site to ourselves. It was a hazy morning, and the absolute silence as we walked around the pyramid, watching it change as the light became stronger and the haze began to burn off while the sky brightened was magical. A quick visit to the neighboring Red pyramid, Snefru’s more successful attempt (43 degrees seemed to work best), demonstrated the wisdom of an early start. Tour buses and tourists were tramping up the ramp to its interior, while we had enjoyed absolute privacy. BTW, Harris and I had visited the Red pyramid’s interior 15 years earlier, and between the cramped entry and the intense smell of bat guano, it’s not very pleasant.

Memphis alabaster sphinx and vendors

We made a short jump to the open-air museum at Memphis, originally the capital of Egypt prior to the pharaonic move to Thebes (Luxor) in the middle kingdom. What is left now is underwhelming and requires a vivid imagination; the city was mud brick, so we only know its structure from what was wrought in stone at Saqqara, imitating the capital. There is a sphinx in alabaster, probably of Queen Hapshepsut, in the center of the open area, and a huge statue of Mr. Big, Ramses II; the disjunction between the ancient objects and vendors hawking tacky rugs and souvenir pyramids encouraged a somewhat irreverent attitude. We agreed that Memphis was not home to the really good stuff.

Saqqara

But Saqqara is. We did not go into the museum this time (well worth a visit) but went straightway to the enormous complex. When I took my first art history courses, the Step Pyramid of Djoser (2667-2648BC) was in every survey, and we all knew the name of Djoser’s architect, Imhotep. Tarek pointed out details in the reconstructed Heb Sed court (used for festivals celebrating the pharaoh), walls that I had never noticed, like huge stone doors that--were magic activated and they could move-- would overlap and seal the place tight. After walking the causeway of Unas, another pharaoh with a big ego, we entered three tombs. Boy, were we lucky. The painted walls of the Tomb of the Butchers (tomb of Irukaptah, whose title was butcher to the king) were amazing and I got a decent photo. Tarek also got us into the tomb of Nefer Herenptah, called the Bird Tomb, for its beautiful paintings of birds flocking, hunting, and animals being animals (including mating cattle). The most curious may be the first gay tomb in history (or not—no way to know), the Tomb of the Brothers, Niankh and Khnum Hotep, the head manicurists for the king (not a menial job), depicted affectionately embracing in several large reliefs. On our past visit here, we had seen the tombs of Idut and Mere Ruka, so it was thrilling so see new sites.

Tomb of the Butchers

Our day ended with a leisurely late lunch at the Mena House, the nearest hotel to the great pyramids. Nibbling on lentil soup and lamb with the great pyramid looming nearby was not shabby at all.

There has been some violence again in Tahrir, though no killings. On Wednesday the 14^th, we went to a party for Fulbrighters at Annemarie and Bruce Lohof’s beautiful flat overlooking the Nile, and the traffic around Tahrir was nuts, with cars driving en masse the wrong way down one-way streets in order to get the heck out of there. The news says that the army and the Muslim Brotherhood are squaring off; evidently, the success of the Brotherhood’s political party (Freedom and Justice) and the Nour party of the Salafis (ultra-conservative Muslims) has the army anxious since the specter of a hardcore Muslim state is bad for business, to say the least. I’ve read that the Salafi party planks include no women or Christians in executive positions (Jews have no place at all), sex-segregated workplaces, full cover at resorts—closer to the Saudis than modern Egypt. According to what we read, the Brotherhood is probably more sensitive to business interests and tourism than their fundamentalist colleagues. I guess the democratic process has to take its way, like the results or not, but it does look like there will be some drama between the army and political parties in the future.

However, we are just fine, and Christmas spirit peeks out all over town, with tree vendors and hand-blown glass ornaments. I’ve turned in grades for one course, and will get final work for the other tomorrow. Harris and I are counting down to seeing our family and heading down to Luxor and Aswan. Merry/happy/cheers to all.  

Tahrir, December 16th, 2011

PS: tarek@tarekswelim.com if you want to plan a trip!