Cairo

Plans change, as always. Tomorrow, our group is getting an early start for Sinai, so we packed in all of Cairo in one day: the pyramids, the Sphinx, the Egyptian Museum, and the old Coptic neighborhood.

We started the morning at 7:30, were the whole tour group finally met together. Nice people, really. There are now some younger folks with us, so that at least gives me something to do on New Year’s Eve (where at St. Catherine’s monastery we’re going to party like it’s 1095). Our guide, Osama, is a fantastic tour guide; he introduced himself as the “man with the scary name, yes I think.” From the hotel it was off to the Egyptian Museum, where we saw King Tutankhamen’s burial collection (a great follow up to his actual tomb in the Valley of the Kings) and a great variety of artistic treasures from the period of the monotheistic pharaoh, Akhenaton.

But what really really matters is that I saw the Merenptah stele (c. 1300 BC). Yes, David, I saw the Merenptah stele in its full glory, the first historical mention of any entity called Israel in the historical record. Alongside it was a large collection of the Amarna letters (c. 1400 BC), the Akkadian correspondence about burning political issues Mesopotamia and the Levant sent to Akhenaton which makes mention of a strong people called the Apiru (the Hebrews? theories abound).

Leaving there, we discovered that the following day’s activities—seeing the Coptic churches called the Hanging Church and St. Sergius, as well as the Ben Ezra synagogue—were going to be packed into the day. So from there we went to see the remains of one of the oldest Christian communities in the world.

The Copts are an Oriental Orthodox Christian group that has been based in Egypt since the first century. Their language is the descendent of ancient Egyptian, and the word copt is likely derived from gypt or Egypt. The Hanging Church is called as such because it is built without foundation, and is instead constructed atop an old Roman fortress.


The church of St. Sergius contains a cavern in which the Holy Family is said to have resided during their sojourn in Egypt, when Mary, Joseph, and the infant Jesus were fleeing from Herod’s massacre of the innocents of Bethlehem.

Of course, then there were the pyramids and the Sphinx. The pictures say it all.

Hilariously, we saw an abject violation of the law in the midst of an authoritarian state: people climbing on the pyramids and displaying a Palestinian or Jordanian flag. Pictured below is the ensuing police chase on the side of the pyramid!


Finally, I took my first camel ride. It was barely ten minutes, but it was in the shadow of the three pyramids. They are so much larger than one would imagine. At one point in the ride, I found myself looking down at a man riding a horse, initially seeing it out of the corner of my eye as a dog.

My camel was, of course, the best because it was mean and spiteful. When I jumped on another camel with another tour-member walked by, and my camel bit the other one. He drew blood! That's when I knew that that camel ride was worth the five dollars.

Tonight it’s relaxation and repacking, for tomorrow we’re on to St. Catherine’s monastery and Mount Sinai.

Luxor

We're back in Cairo, and Luxor was amazing.

On day one we visited the temples of Karnak and Luxor. These temples were built at the site of the Egyptian city of Thebes, known in pre-Hellenic times as Waset. Dedicated to the sun god Amun, these magnificent monuments have stood the test of time as Egyptian and Greek temples, churches, mosques, and archaeological sites.

On day two, we saw the Valley of the Kings and the temple of Hatshepsut. The first is the burial site of pharaohs from the 18th, 19th, and 20th dynasties, long after the pyramid builders of the Old Kingdom but known to us as the time of the Hebrew exodus. Among the four tombs we entered were those of the warrior king Thutmoses III and the boy king Tutankhamen. The temple of Hatshepsut was built by the longest-reigning pharaoh in Egyptian history. Although her nephew, the aforementioned Thutmoses III (notice, by the way, that Moses's name may well be a shortened version), attempted to wipe out the of her building and claim the temple as his own, it is clear from the appearance of the statues that the figure was female.

Our guide, Mahmoud, was a great guy. He knew all the technical questions you just have to wonder about when you realize that not only did the Egyptians build these monuments three thousand years ago, but they did it without a pulley system.

For lunch we ate at a traditional Egyptian restaurant in Luxor where we met up with other members of the tour. They'd been on a different sort of extension, taking a Nile River cruise. Speaking of the Nile:



















So we flew back to Cairo. Tomorrow it's the pyramids at Giza, the Sphinx, and the Egyptian Museum. Check my Facebook for a whole album of pictures.

Until then, ma as-saalamah!

Ahlan wa Sahlan

Here I am in Cairo Airport.

Last night we arrived in Cairo after nearly 24 hours of travel. Every bit was worth it. We were greeted by our very hospitable host, Ahmed, who escorted us to our hotel at the Giza Pyramids Resort.

Culture Shocks: I forgot just how unruly driving in non-Western countries could be. We cruised without regard to lanes, pedestrians, or general safety to our hotel. We were all a bit freaked, but I have to say, I loved it. Dinner was very American, but our host told us plenty about local foods which hopefully we'll get to sample.

First Impressions: Egypt is very nice to travelers, ready to cater to our whims. The airports and hotels are luxurious. But as we saw out the windows on the driver around the Circle (beltway), this is very much an attractive facade. One wonders what daily life must be like. In any case, you can see the pyramids looming in the distance through a gap in the buildings, obscured by smog and clouds, but far larger and more grand than you'd imagine.

Now we back at the airport, getting ready to board our hour-long flight to Luxor. Today we will travel on the west bank of the river, seeing the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queen. Pictures to follow.

Some rules for my pilgrimage:

I will be pickpocketed;
Don't freak out.

I will miss a connection;
Use it as an opportunity to explore.

I will find myself in a culturally embarrassing situation.
Enjoy it.


Time to go.

T Minus One Week

Today in Israel it's sunny and sixty-five.

Here, we're shoveling snow.

Welcome to An Account of My Travels, the official record of my pilgrimage to the Holy Lands.

Holy Lands plural, you say?

Yes, from December 26th to May 10th, I will be traveling through Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the West Bank, Turkey, Greece, and Italy.

My route begins with a flight to Cairo, where I will be on a tour for two weeks with my parents. This tour will take us through Luxor, Cairo, Sinai, Petra, and throughout Israel. Then, it's three months virtually alone in Israel- save for a week-long visit from my girlfriend Maria- where I'll pray, hike, dig, and take in as much of the land as possible. From there it's two weeks in Turkey, ten days in Greece, and two weeks in Italy.

I have very little idea of when I'll have internet access, but I hope I can update this blog as often as possible so that everyone can get an idea of where I am and where I'm going.

Update in a week.