WHS#59

The Pyramids - the most famous symbol of the great civilization of Ancient Egypt. Their grandiosity has been admired across the world for millennia now. Memphis and its Necropolis – the Pyramid Fields from Giza to Dahshur was among the first few sites on the WHS list, and for good reason: It tells the complete story of the pyramid, from its conception as stacked mastabas in Saqqara to the trial-and-error (and eventually, successful) developments in Dahshur, to finally the greatest manifestation of the pyramids in Giza. I was lucky enough to visit this ancient world wonder in May 2018. I got to visit the Giza components on my first day exploring Egypt, and supposedly left it at that. However, due to the scheduled day reserved for Wadi al-Hitan becoming free as we couldn't get police clearance, I decided that I could check out the other components of this WHS for another half-day, this time visiting Memphis and Saqqara. From Saqqara, you get a decent view of the entire expanse of pyramid fields "from Giza to Dahshur," so I could say this was a complete experience of all 4 important components of this site. Yes, it was accidental. Yes, I wish I had gotten the chance to visit Wadi al-Hitan. No, I don't think Memphis and the pyramids represent the height of the Egyptian civilization's cultural and artistic legacy. And no, not all parts of the experience of visiting will be completely pleasant, whether it be the heat or the swarms of tourists and scammers. But this is a true world wonder. It's to this day unequaled in the world in terms of its size and design for its age. At this period of history, most people were hunter-gatherers, herders, or in one of the few civilizations of the time. And while some civilizations are older or as old as Egypt, none left any remains as impressive as this, especially not over 2000 BCE. The pyramids were an unprecedented work, and until today, it's still considered one of the greatest projects in history, standing head and shoulders above most any of our modern structures. Now without further ado...

The pyramids dominate the modern city of Giza. Our guide actually grew up in their shadow, once just a small village, now a bustling city of over 10 million people. As you approach, you can see how the urban sprawl has affected the pyramids. The structures still stand strong, but this is no revelation in the middle of the empty desert. This is the (touristic) center of the city, and buildings, rich and poor, surround the complex on almost all sides. Each day, it seems at least 1 pyramid is open to enter, and on the day I visited, the Great Pyramid of Cheops was the one. Walking up to the pyramid, you realize the true scale of these structures. Each stone block is as big as a car, and thousands of them make up this mountain that rises before your eyes. Entering makes you forget the size of the pyramid you're currently inside, though. The passage was so short, narrow, and steep, meaning I had to crouch while also holding on to the rails climbing up, while all the while making space for the people going the other way. Quite an interesting adventure, I must say. You must crawl once you reach the top of the passage to get to the tomb chamber. Here, the guardian had turned off the cameras to bribe us to take some pictures. Disobedient guardians seem to be a common theme in Egypt, promoting the very things they were installed to prevent in hopes of getting some good baksheesh. But whatever, I look up to admire the flat ceiling here. I found out before that there is an extra triangular chamber above this chamber that distributes the weight away from this fragile flat ceiling. It's quite amazing to see this for real now. The sarcophagus is empty, but it's customary to look into it anyway. After going back down the difficult passage, we had our camel photo shoot of the pyramid panorama and later, the exploration of the Sphinx and associated buildings. This was apparently the temple area, and the wall structures are remarkably intact for their age as well. After the visit to the Egyptian Museum, we came back to the Pyramids for the sound and lights show, which was done better than expected. Or maybe I was just enamored with taking pictures of the pyramids in different colors.

4 days later, I was in Memphis, the city around which the pyramid fields were erected in the first place. As of my visit, the archaeological site of Memphis itself was mostly off limits. What was open was the small open-air museum full of large artifacts like statues of sphinxes and Ramses. Yes, even in the Old Kingdom's capital, Ramses somehow manages to dominate the artifacts with his face. In the small museum building, the largest statue of Ramses lies on its back, and the whole building basically centers on it, complete with a 2nd floor to admire it from above. There should be more to see in the future, but from a map I saw of the site, most of the excavated sites are from the New Kingdom era, not of its golden days as capital of the Old Kingdom. Nearby Saqqara, however, is much more interesting for a look at Old Kingdom life. Yes, life, in the midst of a vast necropolis. If I had to compare, Saqqara as a whole is probably an even more interesting site than Giza. It's home to pyramids and mastabas, but these aren't the great monuments of Giza. These show the story behind Giza. They're home to art depicting the lifestyle of the age, and it's truly the most eye-opening experience to view these 5000-year old paintings of people, their animals, their clothes, their river, and their life. I got to explore the art-filled Pyramid of Teti and Mastaba of Kagemni before seeing the star of the show here in Saqqara, the Step Pyramid. It's surprisingly tall and imposing, but a side is covered in scaffolding and entry is not possible as of then. More interesting to ponder on are the adjoining temple and the surrounding views. The temple that leads to the pyramid itself is home to some limestone walls that are so shiny, they can act as mirrors. They're more reflective than modern tile, and they were created millennia ago! And the view? The whole stretch of pyramid fields unfolds before your eyes. With a panoramic picture, you can catch Giza, Saqqara, and Dahshur's famous pyramids in a single picture. It's the ultimate overview of this amazing WHS.