Pyramids of Giza and The Step Pyramid of Saqqara
It was only fitting, that the first free weekend here, I should go see the famous pyramids of Giza…and so I did! I, along with my three friends from the program, took a 2.5/3 hr train ride from Alexandria to Cairo at 7am on Thursday. We had arranged with a company, by way of Lonely Planet and a fellow student from last semester, to have a private tour guide and driver. Not only did we see the pyramids of Giza, but we also visited Memphis (the capital of ancient Egypt), and Saqqara, home of the step pyramid (the first pyramid to have been built).
MEMPHIS
There wasn’t really much to see in Memphis, apart from a huge statue of the infamous pharaoh Ramses II. That statue is found within a small building, while the rest of the statues were found outside.
SAQQARA
I would have to admit that seeing the Step Pyramid was more exciting for me than The pyramids. I don’t k now if it’s because it was the first pyramid I ever saw or the fact that is the one that inspired all the others, but I found more wonder in seeing it than the Giza ones. The step pyramid is also surrounded by numerous excavation sites and tombs. Unfortunately, this being Egypt, the sites were not maintained in a proper way and trash could be found everywhere, as in commonplace in Egypt.
GIZA
The pyramids of Giza were obviously the main attraction on this trip, and they definitely did not disappoint. One cannot simply describe the sheer magnitude of them! The size of each individual piece that make up the entire structure is so huge, you can’t quite imagine how this massive object was built. The Sphinx is, as you may have heard before, smaller than you imagine it to be. Unfortunately though, it also meant that this area was swarming with tourists, despite the fact that it was the slow season. The Sphinx, in particular, had a huge herd of people by it so that I really wasn’t able to enjoy it as much as I could have. The entire trip, especially at Gaza, was a little too rushed for me and I definitely have resolved to go back and fully enjoy it.
All in all, however, it was a great survey of the area and what things can be discovered. Our tour guide also took us to a special papyrus shop and an oil shop. However, if I could at all avoid driving through Cairo to get the pyramids I would. Traffic is absolutely abominable and simply driving from Giza to Cairo took more than an hour for that short of a distance. Additionally, the parts of the city that we saw weren’t exactly the most flattering and I am eternally grateful that we are studying in Alexandria. This entire trip really made me appreciate Alexandria a thousand times more than before, and I found myself feeling quite proud of living there and not Cairo.
Here are some pictures from the trip:
sphinx of Ramses II at Memphis
Ramses II statue
