Pyramids of Giza? Check! Pyramids of Saqqara? Check! Valley of the Kings? Check! Karnak Temple, Hatshepsut’s Temple, Luxor Temple? Check, check, check!
The past week has been something of a “traveler’s to-do” checklist of typical tourist sights in Egypt. We’ve crawled into more tombs than Indiana Jones, successfully managed to stay atop a moving camel, and watched the sun rise over the Nile River from a hot-air balloon.
For me, the most impressive stops so far have been the Great Pyramids of Egypt just outside of Cairo and Karnak Temple in Luxor. I’m still marveling at the sheer innovation and skill of the ancient Egyptians to construct such massive monuments, especially with minimal technology (my money’s on some assistance from aliens. Seriously).
Besides the hulking limestone testaments to the absolute power of the pharaohs, I really enjoyed visiting the smaller tombs of the workers and artisans in Deir Al-Medina. Although smaller and less grandiose, their tombs were no less beautiful, with amazing paintings incredibly well-preserved despite the harsh climate of the desert.
I definitely wouldn’t last a hot second left to my own devices in the Egyptian desert. Scorching, sweltering, roasty-toasty – pick your adjective. There’s really no other way to put it, Egypt is HOT. Our entire group has been in a constant state of stickiness/sweatiness/dehydrated glory for the past few days. It definitely makes one appreciate the availability of clean, potable tap water instead of having to stock up on 2-liter plastic bottles of water every morning.
Besides the heat, at every site we’ve had to put up with a constant barrage from vendors hawking scarves/stone cats/postcards/generally inauthentic, overpriced trinkets. It’s definitely a struggle saying no to everyone, even little kids, especially since so many Egyptians live on only a fraction of a typical American income. I’m not interested in buying what they have to offer, but I can’t help but feel rude repeating “NO” over and over.
Our group has also been dealing with sensory overload – after seeing so many amazing monuments, sights and “wonders of the world” in the span of a week, it’s hard to keep them separate and appreciate each one as an individual treasure. And I can’t help but wonder what the ancient Egyptians would think about us tramping through their resting places, wilting in the heat and thinking to ourselves “oh geez, not ANOTHER pyramid.” To them, death was just the beginning of one’s true life and the paintings in their tombs were crucial to traveling into the afterlife. As tourists, are we honoring their culture by opening their creations to the world in order to marvel at their masterpieces, thereby preserving their names for future generations, or are we simply being disrespectful by not leaving them in peace?
It’s a question we all reflected on this morning, watching the sun rise over the river and the Valley of the Kings from a hot-air balloon floating 3000 feet in the air. Some things in life remain mysteries – like whether the ancient Egyptians ever made it to their concept of paradise, and others, such as watching fields, palm trees and cars drift by under a balloon, manage to keep inspiring awe and wonder despite the overwhelming distractions of the world below.
*Catherine O’Connor ’13 is on Global for first semester and J-term. She majors in Asian Studies with a concentration in Chinese.