The Great Pyramids of Giza

The Tourist Police directed me on how to take this picture.

The last week of November and the first week of December 2010 I spent in Egypt and Jordan.  I think about my adventure frequently so I’m writing this blog to capture my memories of the trip before it's too late and I forget everything. 

On the fourth day of our trip we were guided to see one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, and quite possibly one of the most famous images in the world.  The Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren in Giza.  It was amazing! 

These monuments have been around for 46 centuries and there is a lot of mystery in their origin.  Theories of their creation abound from slave labor or a jobs program to aliens and divine intervention from the Egyptian gods. 

First we saw the Pyramids.  The ancient Egyptians built the three Pyramids in less than 100 years.  The monuments served as tombs for their deceased kings.  The other members of royalty were buried nearby so they could share in the afterlife and the king’s powers after death.  I'm sure it was also due to the king being buried with massive amounts of treasure for the afterlife.  Egyptian afterlife beliefs are that the king’s soul would join the “eternal stars” and the items buried with the deceased are meant to help them on their journey.

For an extra fee we were able to go into the Great Pyramid on our tour.  We climbed into the Pyramid and moved our way up the vertical shaft.  Being a Nevadan that has toured several mines during my life, it reminded me of the tunnels I’ve seen in mine tours.  Except at the end of the climb we found the King’s Chamber, not gold or silver.   

The King’s Chamber was a small empty room, about the size of a bedroom in a standard American home.  It held a lidless sarcophagus but other than that the room was empty.  It was exciting to be in a place with so much history and mystery. 

Ron, Andy, Bridget, Me, Shayna, Rob and Jason.  Chris took the picture.

After the Pyramid we walked around and took pictures.  I find human nature and culture to be fascinating so I constantly watch people and this was a great place to people watch.  While taking our pictures I noticed some locals yelling at a young blond lady.  I knew instantly what she had done wrong because I read about the Egyptian culture before I arrived in Egypt.  She was dressed inappropriately by local standards. 

Egypt is a mostly Muslim country and has recently become more conservative.  It is highly recommended that women dress modestly when touring the country.  Most tour books advise women to wear long loose clothing that covers the chest, upper arms, and your legs below the knee.  The reason they were yelling at the young blond woman was because she was dressed like she worked at Hooters, which is totally inappropriate in most countries.  I was a little irritated because I could hear them and they kept saying things like “dumb American” and other things that I would rather not write on my blog.  The woman was defending herself and verbally assaulting the men in return.  As she argued with them I realized she was speaking Italian.  Americans often win the rudest tourist award in international travel magazines and after watching this inappropriately dressed young lady I can’t help but wonder if some of the bad American tourist rumors are a case of mistaken identity.    

After celebrating our Kodak moments at the Great Pyramid we went to see a man about a Camel. 

Picture of the Day - Courtesy of Rob & Shayna's camera