It was one of my dreams to go to Egypt, look at the pyramids and visit the Valley of the Kings. In March 2023, my wife and I decided to do a short trip and our travel planner, Cherishtrip curated the entire trip including flight and train tickets, accommodation, transport, guides and entrance fees. This turned out to be a great decision as time was short and we were able to focus on the sights and experiences instead of managing the operational hassles of a complex itinerary.
The plan was to start from Cairo and explore the ancient sites of Memphis, the first Capital of Egypt, then subsequently go down to Aswan and Luxor (Thebes) in Upper Egypt which were the sites of later periods. From Aswan, we would cruise down the Nile to Luxor and then take a flight back from Luxor to Cairo and back to India.
We landed in Cairo airport Via Muscat at around 0630 in the evening and soon checked into our hotel, the Safir Hotel which was around 20 Kms from the airport and located on the western bank of the Nile in Giza.
Cairo is a dusty urban city with chaotic traffic and high population density. There is an old city area, a downtown area and beyond that new urban sprawls, quite similar to how most Indian cities have grown. The urban space is dominated mainly by men and other than savoring some wonderful food, there is nothing much to do in Modern Cairo. Egypt is all about Ancient Egypt and I was looking forward to it.
Giza City
Giza, where our hotel was located is on the west bank of the Nile River, just southwest of Cairo, and forms part of the Greater Cairo metropolitan area. It is the capital of the Giza Governorate and has a population of nearly 5 Million. It is administered as a separate city from Cairo which is the capital of Egypt and has a population of 8 Million. The Cairo Greater Metropolitan area is around 23 Million.
The ancient capital of Egypt was Memphis which is located south of Giza city. It contains the Saqqara Necropolis which we would visit first before coming back North to see the Giza pyramid complex.
Ancient Funeral practices and Architecture
Ancient Egyptians had an elaborate set of practices that they believed were necessary to ensure their immortality after death. These rituals included mummifying the body, casting magic spells, and burials with specific grave goods thought to be needed in the afterlife.
The tomb architecture was designed to ensure the dead person’s journey to the afterlife, protect the body and soul, and demonstrate status and divine connection. The structures have symbolic elements like false doors for the spirit to pass through, offering chapels, and elaborate wall art depicting religious texts and scenes.
Earliest graves started with Mastabas in the Early Dynastic and Old Kingdom which are flat-roofed, rectangular tombs with sloping sides made of mudbrick and later of stone. These tombs had underground burial chambers and above-ground chapels or offering rooms where the deceased’s spirit (ka) could receive offerings. Mastabas formed the standard burial type before the rise of pyramids.
Djoser (c. 2670 BCE) was the first king of the Third Dynasty of Egypt and the first to build in stone. Djoser's vizier, Imhotep (c. 2667 BCE), conceived of building a more impressive tomb for his king by stacking mastabas on top of one another, progressively making them smaller, to form the shape now known as the Step Pyramid.
Beginning with Pharaoh Snefru (c. 2640 BCE), pyramid design advanced from stepped shapes to smooth-sided pyramids, forming the classic geometric form which culminated in the Great Pyramid of Khufu at Giza.
Saqqara Necropolis (Burial Grounds)
The next day, our guide met us at the hotel and we started early for the Saqqara Necropolis, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which was 30 Kms south of our Hotel.
Saqqara is one of the most important and oldest necropolises in Egypt, a vast ancient burial ground, used continuously for over 3,000 years from the Early Dynastic period (around 3050 BC) through the Old Kingdom and well into Ptolemaic and Roman times.
There are numerous pyramids of pharaohs, mastaba tombs of nobles, and burial complexes spanning many dynasties and this site gave me some good insight into the social hierarchy of ancient Egypt.
Enclosure Wall
Our guide was a young man called Salah Hadaet who took us around the complex. We started with the Stepped Pyramid which was the first tomb to be built in stone compared to the earlier mud brick based Mastabas.
At the entrance is the enclosure wall which we crossed. The facade of the enclosure wall had niches, columns resembled bundles of reed and papyrus, and stone cylinders at the lintels of doorways that represented rolled-up reed screens.
Mortuary temples
Around the pyramid are the mortuary temples which were places for worship, offerings, and ceremonies dedicated to the deceased king. These temples had open courtyards, halls with roofs supported by columns (hypostyle) , statues, and chapels containing false doors (for the spirit to pass through) and offering tables.
Step Pyramid
Then we went to the main pyramid. Imhotep, the Vizier to the king reproduced in stone what had been previously built of mud brick. Six mastaba-like levels are piled on top of one another and the stones are placed at an inward incline in order to prevent the structure from breaking up. It is an impressive structure in terms of the size and stands out in the enclosure.
Memphis
From the Saqqara Necropolis, we went south to Memphis which was Egypt’s first capital. It was the cult center of Ptah, the God of creation. Many artifacts originally found here are now housed in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, but the site remain impressive with remains like the famous Ramesses II statue, an alabaster sphinx, temple ruins (notably the Great Temple of Ptah), and sphinxes and large blocks from various periods.
Ramesses II Statue
Ramesses II is one of Egypt’s most celebrated pharaohs during the New Kingdom and his statues can be found all over Egypt.
The Ramesses statue at the site is an enormous 40 Feet tall limestone statue, originally standing and now laid horizontally due to its massive size and fragility. The statue stands in a regal pose symbolizing his power and divine status and its face, chest, and upper torso are remarkably well preserved, displaying intricate details such as a necklace and finely carved muscles. I went up to level 1 to take a good look at the statue and the carvings. I was awestruck by the statue, so life like and looking as if it was built just yesterday.
Alabaster Sphinx
Believed to date between 1700 and 1400 BCE (18th Dynasty) of the new kingdom and likely portraying Queen Hatshepsut, this statue is carved from a single block of alabaster (calcite), a yellowish-white stone prized in ancient Egypt for its beauty and mystical connection to the sun. It is 26 feet long and 13 feet high and weighs around 90 tons, making it one of the largest alabaster statues ever discovered in Egypt.
The Sphinx had a calm expression and the artistry is very detailed. Originally, it was displayed near a temple dedicated to the god Ptah.
Great Pyramid of Giza
From Memphis, we travelled back North to our final stop, the Great Pyramid of Giza. This is the largest and most famous of the three pyramids at the Giza plateau in Egypt. Originally built as a tomb for Pharaoh Khufu (also known as Cheops) during the Fourth Dynasty around 2589–2504 BC, it stands as one of the greatest architectural achievements of ancient Egypt. The Great Pyramid was the tallest man-made structure in the world for over 3,800 years until the completion of the Lincoln Cathedral spire in medieval England.
It was afternoon and the clouds had rolled in giving us some respite from the heat. As we approached from the road, the pyramid came into view and our excitement level kept going up. We had heard so much about the Great Pyramid and finally we had the chance to see it! Soon, we were inside the complex standing beside the massive pyramid.
The Pyramid is huge, standing 481 feet tall or the height of a 50 storey building. Each side measures about 755 feet with a total footprint of roughly 592,000 square feet. The pyramid is precisely oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass with only a very slight margin of error. In terms of precision, the base is level within 15 millimeters and the sides are equal to within 58 millimeters!
Around 2.3 million limestone blocks formed the core, with finer, light-colored limestone for internal passages and huge granite blocks for the burial chamber. The total estimated weight is 5.8 million tons.
There is an option of going down to the burial chamber for which we had bought tickets. We scrambled up the pyramid on the north side where there was a big entrance hole, about 59 feet from the ground and we joined the crowds waiting to go inside.
We first descended through a corridor which leads to an unfinished subterranean chamber beneath the pyramid. Then the ascending passageway led us to the Queen’s Chamber and then on to the Grand Gallery, a tall passage 151 feet (46 meters) long. Beyond the gallery lies the King’s Chamber, lined and roofed with massive granite blocks.
From the king’s chamber, two narrow shafts extend obliquely to the outside, whose exact purpose remains uncertain (ventilation or religious significance). Above the King’s Chamber are five compartments separated by granite slabs, which were likely meant to protect the chamber from the weight of the overlying masonry. The chamber was crowded with tourists and suffocating. We quickly took photos and then started returning back.
From the Great Pyramid, we went to see the Pyramid of Khafre who was Khufu’s son and the Pyramid of Menkaure, Khafre’s successor (and the smallest of the three pyramids). Before exiting, we stopped by the Great Sphinx to admire its facade.
Great Sphinx of Giza
The Great Sphinx is a colossal limestone statue carved directly from a single limestone ridge. It is believed to represent Pharaoh Khafre and served as a guardian figure for the nearby pyramid complex, symbolizing royal power and linking the king with the sun god.
The status faces east, aligning with the rising sun, and is often interpreted as the spirit protector of Pharaoh Khafre’s necropolis.
On our way back, we stopped to have some Koshari, Egypt's national dish and a widely popular street food. Known as the food of the common man, it consists of fried onions, lentils, rice, macaroni, vermicelli topped with chickpeas and a garlicky tomato sauce. It was nice and crunchy like the Indian snacks that we are used to.
In the evening, I walked around the hotel, taking in the sights and sounds of the street. The hotel is in an area called Al Doqi which lies on the western bank of the Nile, directly across from Downtown Cairo. It was a residential area with shops and restaurants and a bustling young crowd.
The next day, we would be visiting the Cairo Museum and the Old City.
Egyptian Museum in Cairo and the Old City
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo, also known as the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, is the largest and most famous museum dedicated to ancient Egyptian history, housing over 170,000 artifacts spanning about 5,000 years from the Pre-Dynastic period to the Graeco-Roman era. It is located in Tahrir Square, downtown Cairo. When we visited, a brand new museum called Grand Egyptian Museum was being built in Giza where eventually all the collections would move, but that was a few years away.
The museum had two floors with collections arranged in chronological and thematic sections. The Ground Floor has large stone statues, reliefs, royal artifacts from Pre-Dynastic to Greco-Roman and the 1st Floor has smaller artifacts, papyri, coins, wooden sarcophagi and objects from late dynasties.
The collections are out of the world and a full day is required to appreciate the wide array of artefacts and objects.
limestone statues of Rahotep and Nofret
One sculpture which caught our eye and is an example of the extraordinary collection was the painted limestone statues of Prince Rahotep and his elegant consort, Nofret The statues are from the 4th dynasty, 4600 years ago!
When archaeologists first cast their torchlight upon these lifelike figures, buried within a mastaba, their flickering beams met the glinting gaze of quartz and alabaster eyes so uncannily vivid that the Egyptian workmen recoiled in fright; convinced, it is said, that the statues had come alive. Inlaid eyes were a prized technique in the Old Kingdom that endowed stone with soul!
The statues were so real, we couldn’t get over it. Rahotep, lean and alert in his crisp white kilt, sports a finely shaped pencil moustache, fashionable among men of rank that would not look out of place in modern Egypt. Beside him sits Nofret, who more than lives up to her name, which means “beautiful”. Her complexion is pale, almost luminous cream, a striking contrast to her husband’s warm ochre tone. Her violet-painted eyes, wide and otherworldly, lend her a dreamy detachment, while the cascade of her black wig (held in place by a floral diadem) frames her delicate features with ceremonial poise. It was so life like, so real. I had never seen anything like this, so ancient and yet so modern.
Tutankhamun collection
The show stopper is of course the Tutankhamun collection, the highlight of our Egyptian trip and the best collection of treasures I had ever seen in my life. It was beyond extra-ordinary, out of the world and mind blowing and everyone should aspire to see this, at least once in their life. Photos cannot do any justice to the magnificence and grandeur of the collection. At the end of the tour, we had to tear ourselves out of that place, as we kept going back to see the artefacts just one more time.
The collection is one of the most complete royal assemblages ever discovered in ancient Egypt and was originally excavated by Howard Carter in 1922 from the Valley of the Kings. There are over 160 treasures which were collected from the tomb.
The highlights are the Funerary Golden Mask, three Nested Coffins, Golden Throne, Chariots, Jewelry, Daggers, Clothing and Sandals, Furniture and Funerary texts. I will have a separate substack article to detail out and do justice to the treasures of this collection.
After the tour of the museum, we went to visit the Old Cairo Market, Khan El Khalili Bazaar. This is a famous and historic market (souk), dating back to the 14th century. It still retains the vibrant ambiance of traditional Egyptian commerce with winding alleys full of shops selling spices, perfumes, jewelry, textiles, souvenirs, and antiques. There are local artisans at work and traditional cafes like El Fishawy where we stopped for some Egyptian Coffee.
El Fishawy is one of Egypt’s oldest cafes and first opened its doors in 1797 – one year before Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt. During the early 20th century the cafe was noted for its intellectuals and writers, among them the 20th-century Nobel-Laureate Naguib Mahfouz and King Farouk, Egypt’s last monarch. The Cafe has handmade arabesque furniture and dark mashrabiya paneling with yellow ochre walls. Old copper chandeliers hang from the ceiling. Everywhere there are mirrors, creating a sense of space and the air hangs with the scent of incense from the market and the aroma of fruit flavored shisha.
We sat down to have coffee and chat with the owner of the Cafe.
From the cafe, we went to a nearby restaurant for lunch, then went back to the hotel after seeing the Al-Azhar mosque nearby.
Our tour of Cairo had come to an end and the next day, we would be taking a train to go south of the country to Aswan.