Egypt 5 - edited with photos

[bazfaz]

(Egypt 5 – Jan 30)

While Mrs Faz lay pale and weak in bed this morning I went out to explore the town. Goodness me, I had no idea I had so many friends in Luxor. Dozens of people greeted me as a long lost pal. Several were under the impression that I owned a caleche. One woman - forward hussy - offered me what she called her nightdress. Didn't she remember I sleep naked? Why didn't I recall any of them? Too much hibiscus tea, I reckon.

I discovered there is a McDo right on the Corniche. I had no need of the loo so I didn't go in. However I was impressed to see they had WiFi, not a service Western McDos offer. Since this is Friday and the weekend there was much less traffic. Just as well as come midday men were kneeling down on mats on the pavement and half way over the road listening to the prayers from the mosques. I have no idea what the imam was saying but it sounded pretty stern so I tiptoed past on the other side of the road.

This afternoon Mrs Faz was feeling a little better (it hasn't lasted - she is back in bed) and wanted to go out. We went to the Luxor Temple which is only 5 minutes away, or at the pace we walked 10 minutes. Rebuilding works are going on. Rebuilding works were going on when I was last here 10 years ago; and the time before that 14 years ago. A huge sign up gave credit to the organisations who are paying for this work. One of the sponsors is the National Organisation for Portable Water. So next time you buy a plastic bottle of water you'll know some of your money is going to a good cause.







We enjoyed wandering the site as evening fell in company of several German divisions of pensioners. The economic downturn hasn't hit them and the euro is steady. We admired the obelisk whose twin is in the Place de la Concorde in Paris. According to our guide book when French troops arrived at Luxor in 1799 they spontaneously presented arms on seeing this temple.

Could Kerouac please provide the French translation of the sergeant's shouted order: "Company - wait for it Dubois - company, spontaneously present arms!"

[bixaorellana]

Were the defaced statues damaged on purpose with the rise of fortune of new rulers?

[bazfaz]

I tdiehink you have to to realise that some of them are three thousand years old. We oldie tend to look a bit battered.

[onlymark]

I think there must be a number of reasons. Souvenir hunters being one reason why heads and bits are missing, remember that tourists have been coming to Egypt for centuries. Locals breaking stuff off and selling it, everything being covered in sand and then dug up, new Pharoahs obliterating stuff from their predecessors etc. I'm told that why Ramses had all his logo's carved so deeply into his temples, so that no-one could completely get rid of them.

Isn't there something about cutting or knocking noses off to stop the spirit leaving or returning or something?

[onlymark]

Stealing ancient objects is not a new thing in Egypt. You will have obviously heard of the grave robbers who take stuff from the tombs.
One lesser known theft is obvious in this photo -



This is the pyramid of Khufu.
You can see that the very top stone is missing.
A relatively minor archaeologist in 1885 decided he would remove the cap stone and take it to be displayed in London. After paying the required bribes and baksheesh he assembled a team of locals who detached to the stone in the middle of the night and began to gently lower it to the desert floor.

Unfortunately the hemp ropes broke plummeting it down at such a velocity that it broke into a million pieces upon impact with the recently built toilet block at the base of the pyramid.
That's why when you now visit there and walk round you do see some piles of stones lying around, plus on hot days you can still smell the sewage from the crushed conveniences.

[onlymark]

Theft is not a new thing, especially from building sites.
Upon building this pyramid, the "Bent Pyramid" at Dashur, the workers turned up one morning to find that a great quantity of stone and materials were missing.
This caused a re-think by the architect who decided to make the best of a bad job and try and finish it off anyway. Unfortunately he didn't have enough stones to continue with the previous angle of build.
He thus had to shorten and steepen the angle so it came to a point sooner.

[bixaorellana]

Why is the word "apocrypha" floating through my brain?

Although I know Mark knows a great deal in general, and certainly a great deal about Egypt, I suspect he is paying homage to the ancients by using the ancient art of pulling my leg.

[onlymark]

Further thread-jack, sorry Baz.

Also in the photo of the pyramid of Khufu (also known as Cheops) the missing top section has a triangular metal frame, coming to a point where the top would have been.
It can be seen in this photo -




The story about the destroyed cap stone is one of many theories as to where it is.
One latest theory, which has come to light due to the work of Dr Zahi Hawass, is about how the pyramids were actually built.
Due to the missing top the metal framework can be seen which was crucial in the fabrication of each pyramid. Other frames cannot be seen as they still have the top stones.

His theory is that a frame was made to the full size of the pyramid with a winch situated at it's apex.
The cap stone was hauled up first and then the second level and so on.
In effect the pyramid was built from the top down until it reached the base.
Engineers have agreed that it would then be easier to make adjustments due to inaccurate mathematics and the pyramid could easily better form a perfect square at it's base, and at the correct angles.