EGYPT - OVERVIEW

When working internationally I had partners with clients in Cairo who described it as chaotic and intense.  I’d been to Delhi and Mumbai many times and had a hard time visualizing it more exotic than that so looked forward to the experience.  We arrived in late afternoon from London and found our names on a card, even before baggage claim.  Our driver took us from the airport through Cairo to Giza on the west bank of the Nile near the Pyramids.  It was rush hour, though I think most of the day is rush hour in Cairo. In most other cities this might be a half hour drive; it took us over an hour and a half and can take up to three hours.  In addition, President Sisi’s, motorcade drove by in the opposite direction and all traffic was stopped by security.  It was a flash back to my career – arriving in a foreign city late at night, crazy drivers, the cacophony of traffic (horns, pedestrians crossing, donkey carts, elephants, and tuk-tuks), the liter and poverty of a third-world/developing country, exotic clothing, and extraordinary sights, smells, and sounds.  Like India, they don’t bother to paint traffic lanes on pavement as staying in a lane is very optional.  Not as exotic as India I believe, but still pretty intense.  We love it – though it can be overwhelming at first.

Arrival from Airport.  No traffic in left lanes due to President Sisi's convoy

We met our Intrepid guide Ahmed and group of six other international companions for the next 12 days:  a family of three from Melbourne Australia; one British architect from Brighton, UK; a Moroccan medical technician now working in Boston; and a salt of the earth Iowan now living in MSP, Minnesota.  Two men, six women in total; four in their early forties, the daughter of the Australians at twenty-three with her parents in their late fifties, and us, first time being the eldest of the group.  All very well-traveled and engaging.  Over the next week we became good friends and enjoyed being together.  There were favorites, but no outliers.  And our Egyptian guide was the best: 19-years of guiding experience, graduate of Egyptology, enthusiastic, excellent manager of people, accommodating, fun, and efficient (he got us to sites early to avoid crowds).  

Brahim from Morocco; oldest couple; Laurie from MSP, MN; Catherine from Brighton, UK; Peter, Amanda, and Liza from Melbourne, Australia

Guide Ahmed Fauzy Mohamed Mohamed in front of copy of Rosetta Stone.
Original is in British Museum.  
(Rosetta is a city in Egypt on the Mediterranean where it was found)

There is not enough time in a blog, in 12 days of travel, or even in college courses to begin to cover the art, history, and culture of this country.  I will attempt provide the briefest of overview for context and our observations and experiences.  

As previously noted, Egypt is the second oldest civilization in the world, after Mesopotamia, while the rest of humanity were still barbarian and hunter gatherers.  But Mesopotamia hardly left any cultural legacy whereas 25% of all UNESCO’s monuments worldwide are just in the city of Luxor (formerly Thebes). Ironically, for over 2,300 years of their history they were ruled by foreigners.  Here’s a brief timeline.

    EGYPTIAN RULE

·      2700 – 2200 BCE:  Old Kingdom (Pharaohs and Pyramids) 

·      2050 – 1800 BCE:  Middle Kingdom

·      1550 – 1100 BCE:  New Kingdom (Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, King Tutankhamun, Ramses)

·      1550 – 1100 BCE:  Late New Kingdom (Nakht Nbf was the last Egyptian ruler of ancient Egypt)

FOREIGN RULE

·      524 BCE:  Persian Rule after conquest.

·      332 BCE:  Greek Rule (After Alexander the Great’s conquest it was ruled by his general and their descendants, the Ptolemaic Dynasty. The Ptolemies did not impose their Greek gods on Egypt, and even built temples to the local Egyptian gods to pacify the country.  Cleopatra VII was the first foreign ruler to speak Egyptian, and the last Ptolemaic ruler.  She and Marc Antony lost to Octavius - Caesar Augustus, at the battle of Actium off the coast of Alexandria. 

·      30 BCE – Roman Rule.

·      61 CE – Christian Rule (These were/are Coptic Christians – locals converted by Apostle Mark, who was martyred in Alexandria.)

·      642 CE – Arab Rule

·      1517 CE – Ottoman Rule

·      1798 – 1801:  French Rule (Napoleon’s French Expedition)

·      1805 – 1952:  Algerian Rule (Mohamed Ali and Descendants. King Farouk – was last non-Egyptian King)

·      1882 – 1914 British Rule 

EGYPTIAN RULE

·      1952:  Mohamed Naguib (Former General, and first Egyptian ruler in 2300 years.)

·      1953 – 1970:  Nasser Rule (Former General. Nationalized the Suez Canal)

·      1970 – 1981:  Sadat Rule (Former General.  Made peace with Israel and was assassinated.)

·      1981 – 2011:  Mubarak Rule (Former General. Deposed by population) 

·      2013 – Morsi Rule: (The only democratically elected, non-military, official of Egypt.)

·      2014 – Present:  Sisi Rule (Former general who overthrew Morsi to avoid a civil war)

 

What we love about experiencing other cultures and religions is its ability to challenge our thinking, beliefs, and the status quo of our own culture.  Egypt has over 2,500 years of belief in Amun, the sun (Ra) God, 2000 years of Christian beliefs (only 600 as the dominant), 1,400 years of Muslim beliefs.  Each religion has their own fantastic explanations of creation, omnipotence to appease or reward, and life after death. Religions fulfill a necessary and a basic human need; yet each believes that only their's is true.  

 

Most of ancient Egypt is defined by a constant struggle between Upper (southern) and Lower (northern) Egypt.  Upper and Lower, while confusing from our North is Up perspective, makes sense relative to the Nile flow.  Upper Egypt is up-stream of the Nile's mouth, and Lower is downstream where the mouth reaches the delta on Mediterranean.  Lower Egypt is defined by the broad delta fed by the Nile and lush in agriculture, while Upper Egypt is desert with only a thin band of arable land along the banks of the Nile.  Lower Egypt was occupied by pale-skinned long-haired Egyptians, while Upper Egypt on the border with Sudan was historically occupied by Nubians, dark Africans.  In tomb and temple paintings/carvings you can identify each by their hair, skin color, and facial features (Nubians are large lipped). These two halves cycled between unification and warfare in ancient times. 

Our trip takes us from Cairo and the Pyramids/Sphinx, to Alexandria on the Mediterranean in Lower Egypt.  Then by train north to Aswan in Upper Egypt.  Here we will have dinner with a Nubian family, see the Great Monument of Abu Simbel near the Sudan border, and other temples near Aswan.  After, we take a cruise down the Nile for three days to Luxor to see the temples of Luxor and Karnak as well as take a hot air balloon ride and visit the Valley of the Kings and Hatshepsut's Mausoleum.  We end with a flight back to Cairo and visit the old Souk and Medina. After we leave the group Robin and I fly to the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula so I can dive at Sharm el Sheikh - world class diving location.

Lotus blossom shape of Nile Delta at top.  Cairo at beginning of Delta upstream of Mediterranean; Alexandria at left edge of Delta on Mediterranean; Aswan near image of a falucca (sailboat) on Nile near bottom of map ; Abu Simbel left of Nile at bottom; Luxor and Karnak at big bend in the Nile bottom half.  Sinai Peninsula to east (right) of the Delta separated by the Suez Canal.  The Peninsula separates the Gulf of Sinai from the Gulf of Aqaba (think Lawrence of Arabia) and combine to form the Red Sea (think Moses splitting it to escape the Pharaohs army after the 10 plagues during the Exodus.  He wandered in the Sinai for 40 years with the nascent Israelites, but was never allowed to enter their new homeland)

We studied all these iconic monuments in History of Art and Architecture.  This trip will fulfill decades of anticipation and close the loop on one of the greatest cultures of the Mediterranean basin, and the world.

 

 Next Post:  Egypt Part Two - Lower Egypt