Egypt – Report #3

November 24, 2022

Egypt

There is so much to report since my last missive. Since being in Egypt I can say that one hotel had internet. Others claimed to have it, and in some cases there was a signal and a connection however brief and however slow. At the last hotel they handed out a network login and password. If you went to the hotel reception area you could get a wi-fi signal. But connection to the internet? No. One couple from Canada wanted to watch the FIFA World Cup game between Canada and Belgium. I went to my room and looked for the game. They had at least six hundred channels, None had the game. (My friends saw it down in the bar.) What was on those channels? Talking heads mostly. A Bollywood channel, a few English speaking channels, a few French, but mostly Arabic from half a dozen or so countries. In amongst these would be someone selling pots and pans or whatever. The talking heads appeared to be divided into news, commentary, and religion.

Today we went to Abydos. I have heard about the place many times. Usually by people who have been and they say, “Oh you must go to Abydos!” Why, was never clear to me. I have seen pictures and TV shows about Abydos, but nothing really stuck in my mind. Now I can say – I have been to Abydos and my mind is blown. You must go to Abydos! Why?

Well, our day began with descending into a rock cut tomb. It got hot and we got sweaty. At the end, there is a saucer shaped hole about eight feet across. That’s it. And big slabs and chunks of granite. How they got them down here I don’t know. But there they are. Coming out near the entrance we welcomed the cool air. Air that felt hot before we descended.

Then we moved on to the Temple of Rameses II. It’s called the small temple. Active archaeological work is going on around the main building and we could not film that. People don’t want their discoveries shown to the world before they can publish the results. But inside the main temple we were good to photograph. The walls are brightly colored in yellows, blues and I forget what other colors. Scenes of Ramses, one of them shows him drinking milk. “So what?” You ask? He is drinking it directly from the cow’s utter. (I know. I know. Don’t say it.) The cow represents the god Hathor. (Utterly … I told you not to say it.)

We were only given 20 minutes to film whatever we wanted. You would need several hours to do it all. This is a large open air temple. The walls are seven to ten feet high in most places and it is a large rectangle 50 by 125 feet with column’s in two courtyards and rooms around the courtyards.

Why were we rushed out? Why couldn’t we stay? The Temple of Abydos beckoned. 

We entered the temple from the back and worked our way to the front. This is covered colonnaded temple. At the back is a hallway dedicated to the god of the dead Osiris. The temple was built by Seti I, father of Ramses II. Rameses finished his father’s work and added on. On one wall there is a list of many of the pharaohs of Egypt, It has been used to develop the King’s list. Interestingly, some of the rulers are not listed. If they were from the period of religious change, known as the Armana period, they are not listed. If they were women ,they are not listed. If they were the invaders from the north, known as the Hyksos, they are not listed.

Passing through this hall you come to one of two large colonnaded halls. These halls have ceilings made of stone, supported by bulbous pillars. I’d guess the height to be forty feet and the pillars eight feel in diameter. It is quiet, semi-dark and cool in these places. It is quietly magical.

I walked around in a revered state of mind. Outside it’s bright sunlight; inside it’s cool and the light filters in from a few doorways and open spaces. Fluorescent lights mounted on the floor to illuminate the walls add a white greenish tinge.

It is transcendent. When you come to Egypt you must go to Abydos.