CAIRO
We spent three days in Cairo, staying at the Movenpick Pyramids Hotel.
We arrived in Cairo from London Heathrow and were met at the airport, firstly by Ahmed, who sorted us out with Visas and tags for our bags so the porters at the hotel knew which rooms to take our bags to, and then by Bassem, who introduced himself as our Tour Manager for the trip. We all boarded a minibus and were swiftly driven through Cairo to our hotel, the Movenpicks Pyramids. This hotel is a short distance from the Pyramids of Giza and is built in two parts - the old and original building and the new, high rise, section overlooking the pool. We were greeted with hibiscus juice and one by one escorted to our rooms in the new wing.
We arrived in Cairo from London Heathrow and were met at the airport, firstly by Ahmed, who sorted us out with Visas and tags for our bags so the porters at the hotel knew which rooms to take our bags to, and then by Bassem, who introduced himself as our Tour Manager for the trip. We all boarded a minibus and were swiftly driven through Cairo to our hotel, the Movenpicks Pyramids. This hotel is a short distance from the Pyramids of Giza and is built in two parts - the old and original building and the new, high rise, section overlooking the pool. We were greeted with hibiscus juice and one by one escorted to our rooms in the new wing.
First trip out:
Memphis, Step Pyramid of Djoser and Giza Pyramids.
Memphis, Step Pyramid of Djoser and Giza Pyramids.
This was our very first sightseeing tour and a good start because we had no idea what to expect - the statue of Rameses is huge and because it's laying down, it is easy to really look at all the details in the carving and I noticed how the muscles in his chest and arms were so accurate, which when you consider the tools they had, makes it all even more impressive!Memphis was the first capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first city state of Lower Egypt. According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an important city throughout ancient Mediterranean history. During its golden age, Memphis thrived as a regional centre for commerce, trade, and religion.
Memphis was believed to be under the protection of the god Ptah, the patron of craftsmen. Its great temple, Hut-ka-Ptah (meaning "Enclosure of the ka of Ptah"), was one of the most prominent structures in the city. The name of this temple, rendered in Greek as Aί γυ πτoς (Ai-gy-ptos) by the historian Manetho, is believed to be the etymological origin of the modern English name Egypt. |
Djoser pyramid
The Pyramid of Djoser - The real founder of of the third dynasty is considered to be Djoser - a name derived from 'geser' which in Egyptian means 'sacred', and whoses importance is such that his name is written in red ink in the Turin Canon of Kings.
Djoser is Saqqara and Saqqara is Djoser: and perhaps only in the case of Abu Simbel and Ramesses II has a pharaoh been so closely identified with his architectural monument. The majestic step pyramid of Djoser, at the centre of the funerary complex of Saqqara, is the oldest structure in the world entirely built of stone. Discovered in 1821 by the Prussian General von Minutoli, it was systematically explored and studied some twenty years later by the German archaeologist Lepsius. Originally it was constructed in the form of a normal 'mastaba' - the Arab word for bench or shelf, which was the tomb of nobility and court dignitaries, rectangular in shape and with slightly inward leaning walls. A second mastaba was added on top of the first, then a third and several more, until a pyramid of six gradually dimishing 'layers' existed. This form later became formalised in the Sumerian ziggurat.
As it stands today, the pyramid is 62 metres high and the base is 109 x 125 metres. The complex of Saqqara is enclosed by a peripheral limestone wall that was originally ten metres high with 14 false doorways, creating recesses and reliefs in imitation of the facade of the royal palace of Mephis.
The architect of Saqqara was IMHOTEP who was one of the great geniuses in the history of mankind! Architect, magician, philosopher, doctor... he learned his trade in his father's workshops, probably in Memphis. According to history, it was Imhotep who discovered how to cut stone for the building of monuments and introduced the new techniques to bring about an unprecedented artistic revolution.
Djoser is Saqqara and Saqqara is Djoser: and perhaps only in the case of Abu Simbel and Ramesses II has a pharaoh been so closely identified with his architectural monument. The majestic step pyramid of Djoser, at the centre of the funerary complex of Saqqara, is the oldest structure in the world entirely built of stone. Discovered in 1821 by the Prussian General von Minutoli, it was systematically explored and studied some twenty years later by the German archaeologist Lepsius. Originally it was constructed in the form of a normal 'mastaba' - the Arab word for bench or shelf, which was the tomb of nobility and court dignitaries, rectangular in shape and with slightly inward leaning walls. A second mastaba was added on top of the first, then a third and several more, until a pyramid of six gradually dimishing 'layers' existed. This form later became formalised in the Sumerian ziggurat.
As it stands today, the pyramid is 62 metres high and the base is 109 x 125 metres. The complex of Saqqara is enclosed by a peripheral limestone wall that was originally ten metres high with 14 false doorways, creating recesses and reliefs in imitation of the facade of the royal palace of Mephis.
The architect of Saqqara was IMHOTEP who was one of the great geniuses in the history of mankind! Architect, magician, philosopher, doctor... he learned his trade in his father's workshops, probably in Memphis. According to history, it was Imhotep who discovered how to cut stone for the building of monuments and introduced the new techniques to bring about an unprecedented artistic revolution.
Giza Pyramids - Five thousands years ago, the fourth dynasty of Egypt's Old Kingdom was a highly advanced civilization where the kings, known as pharaohs, were believed to be gods. They lived amidst palaces and temples built to honour them and their deified ancestors. The sides of the Great pyramids of the Pharaoh Khufu are carefully positioned to point north, south, east and west. The second Pyramid belongs to the pharaoh Khafre. The pyramid of Menkaure or the Third Pyramid is the smallest of the three. The pyramids are not alone in the Giza plateau - there are also boat-pits, queens' pyramids, mortuary temples, valley temples, mastabas and the Sphinx.