August 2009
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October 31st, 2009. Abydos & Dandera Egypt.
After breakfast on The Melodie I walked up to the corniche near where our boat is moored. Saw a tour group I had befriended catching a bus back to Luxor train station then back to Cairo. One of the Australian women gave me a big hug and said “you really are a blouse.” A few days earlier her daughter Michelle had called me a “big girl’s blouse” which is Aussie slang...
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Our mini van pulled into a small tightly secured parking lot that serves as a caravan assembly area. Our guard boarded discreetly and sat at the front while we waited for the rest of the vehicles to arrive. My guide has so far done a good job of getting me to most locations well before the throngs of tourists. Caravans are supposedly safer but they have caused me some grief. I had hoped to...
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You cannot enter any temple without an Egyptologist. Guides are not even allowed at most of the smaller archeological sites without one. My Egyptologist for Edfu and Dandera was a handsome guy in his early 30’s. He wore prayer beads around his wrist and I caught him praying quietly to himself from time to time. I’ve forgotten his name in Arabic but it translates into English as...
We passed through some small villages along the route. Little kids came running up to wave at the busses. I asked Shooting Star how often he travels through here and he said every day. I asked if the kids come running up and wave each time and he shrugged his shoulders “It’s something fun for them.” When we arrived he mentioned that if anyone got lost they would find our driver...
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I have been looking forward to visiting Abydos more than any other temple. It is impressive and, of the dozen or so I’ve visited, probably my favourite. It isn’t grand like Karnak or pretty like Philae but it is informative, detailed and remarkably well preserved. It’s roof is still intact which makes photography difficult but moody, dramatic and mysterious. Permission to use my...
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I asked Shooting Star if ancient Egyptian building design had influenced modern Islamic architecture. I noted that the tours emphasize visits to ancient sites but seldom include tours of mosques. I’d like to see a tour themed around the evolution of Egyptian architecture -from ancient monuments to modern Islamic design. Shooting Star missed my point a bit and appeared pleased that I took an...
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Caroline from New Mexico interjected with another one of her bon mots. That she wouldn’t visit any mosques because they may be funding terrorism. I almost choked on my water. I was tempted to casually add that I don’t visit cathedrals because they harbour child molesters. I held my tongue though. Ha’am d’Allah nobody else heard her. Caroline is in her 50’s, about...
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Shooting Star, myself and a few others walked into the offering room and he described what rituals would have been performed here in ancient times. As we were leaving he exclaimed “Jews!” and pointed toward one of the pillars “Jews were here!” Carved and painted into one of the pillars was a large red Star of David. He explained how Jews and Christians sought refuge from...
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I wandered off on my own for an hour or so. Many of the pigments are still vivid and the reliefs feature some of the most intricate carvings of the day. The craftsmanship is incredible. The work done by Ramses II’s artisans was less intricate but equally important. Seti I, his son and Ramses II as well as his grandson Merneptah figure prominently in my book. I had read that there were...
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As we were walking back to the bus Shooting Star appeared a bit anxious. I heard the call to prayer in the distance and I saw some of the guides and drivers rolling out prayer mats next to the busses. I called out “Yellah Beena” to some of the stragglers and we all climbed aboard while Shooting Star disappeared for a few minutes. After he climbed aboard he handed me a few volumes of...
We joined another caravan headed for the Temple at Dandera. When we arrived I handed Shooting Star his reading material and thanked him. As we walked from the parking lot to the entrance he asked “what is this?” motioning to the feather on my hat. I said, “the feather?” “Yes, why did you put it there?” “It came with the hat. I bought it that way.” He...
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Because we were arriving later in the day I knew there would be groups of tourists obstructing many of the shots. Dandera was built to honour the Goddess Hathor. She is the cow headed Goddess of Fertility and the cult that worshipped her had a reputation for revelry and ancient alcoholism. Ancient Egyptians equated the Nile River with milk streaming from Hathor’s utters. They also described...
There are a lot of small rooms and passageways and, like Abydos is also remarkably well preserved with an intact roof. The engineers cleverly managed to allow natural light to flood certain areas. It has many stairs and levels. One set of stairs leads to a courtyard on the roof that features a spectacular view the surrounding landscape. Astronomical motifs adorn the walls and ceiling of a room...
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July 2009
116 posts
November 5, 2007 Alexandria to Disuq (part1)
I awoke at 7:30AM with a stomache ache. I wonder if it was the undercooked chicken from last night. Better make sure I stay well hydrated. Went down to the Regency Hotel restaurant for breakfast. Saw the Jamairican woman and sat and chatted over breakfast which was quite awful. She said goodbye and left on one of her adventures. Had time to kill so I ordered a Turkish Coffee. A man sitting with...
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I went downstairs to the lobby and Mohammed was sitting there. He was 10 minutes early. He asked how my day went yesterday and I told him about dinner and that my stomache was upset. He apologized for this and asked if I wanted to stop by a pharmacy along the way. I decided this would probably be a good idea. We walked to the corniche and hopped aboard one of the many white minivans that pick up...
The van dropped us off in a small shopping district about 15 minutes away. Having to buy otc pharmaceuticals in a foreign place is unnerving and, in Egypt, something I wouldn’t do without a translator. We went into the pharmacy and Mohammed said something in Arabic to the pharmacists behind the counter. The girls behind the counter had traded their traditional robes in for white lab coats...
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We walked back to the corniche and Mohammed put his hand up, palm facing the road, and began making and up & down motion as the mini vans drove by. He told me up & down indicated we want a van going to the bus station, side to side meant corniche. Finally one stopped and we hopped aboard and arrived arrived at the bus station shortly after. I went to the public bathroom. Umm, remember that...
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I drew the drapes but kept opening them to pear outside. There were people milling about between the busses buying tickets, smoking, laughing, arguing, loading & unloading luggage, and goods from neighbouring farms including the odd chicken and I’m pretty sure I heard a sheep. There was a communal washing station. A cement trough plumbed with copper faucets used for cleaning hands and...
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As we travelled Mohammed turned to me and said “I’ll tell you something you won’t believe. When I went home my mother gave my room to the chickens.” “I’ve got news for you.” I saud, “It’s not your room anymore.” “No?” “Nope, it belongs to the chickens.” He’s from a small town just outside Disuq. I hope he...
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Mohammed kept saying that people from the villages lead “very simple lives” in an apologetic tone. I kept assuring him that I was content. He said they are often happy to just sit on the banks of the Nile and watch the sunset, read poetry or play music “Very simple life -here everyone very simple.” I wish people could just accept their way of life as different -not better...
November 5, 2007 Alexandria to Disuq, Egypt...
Mohammed had arranged for a friend from a nearby village to meet us in Disuq. He was more familiar with the area than Mohammed. When we arrived at the Disuq bus station I bought water and biscuits at a roadside kiosk. The woman kept speaking directly to me in Arabic. I smiled at her blankly. Finally Mohammed translated “she’s saying hello, and welcome to the country.” She said...
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When I put my camera down for a moment they came over and ushered me inside. They really wanted me to meet and photograph the potter. He was elderly and seemingly beloved by the others. He had a slim weathered face and the telltale dark bruise on his forehead indicative of especially pious Muslims. He suffered from terrible cataracts. The shop went from a sedentary to a hub of activity, everyone...
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