Giza: Saqqara and the Great Pyramids
The highlight of our trip... Waking up was easy to do today because we were all excited to head out and see the Great Pyramids of Giza, the only one remaining of the 7 Ancient Wonders of the World.We had to wait a little longer as the tour guide wanted to tantalize us further by heading out to Saqqara first. Good choice as the the afternoon sun would be too much for Saqqara and anything after the pyramids would be a let-down.
Saqqara (or Sakkara) is the necropolis of Memphis, the capital of Ancient Egypt. It features the oldest standing step-pyramid, built by Imhotep (yes, that Imhotep from The Mummy) for King Djoser. Also a good place to see some ancient Egyptian grafitti!
Going inside lets you see the ancient grafitti
Then it was off to see the Pyramids. A tour guide will be able to take you first to a plateau which allows you to take a picture of the three pyramids in full.
Otherwise, it is impossible to get a full picture up close of any pyramid. They're THAT big! For 4300 years, the Great Pyramid was the tallest structure in the world till the French built the Eiffel Tower in 1889.
Quite awe-inspiring really if you imagine how they got those big blocks of stone piled up so high using just their ancient technology (built in 4650 BC). Climbing is not really allowed, except for the first level to get to the entrance. Wong tried, but you can see how difficult this could be because each block of stone is soooo high!
We had some time to kill so we decided to enter Khufu's mother's pyramid, just right beside his. This one is free, unlike the EGP 100 they charge to enter the Great Pyramid (remember to show your student ID!). Surprisingly, we found this much steeper to climb down, though it was more shallow. By the time we got to the end, we were all quite sweaty and stinky.
Eeeew... look at all the sweaty shiny faces...
The inside of the pyramid... Nothing really
Cameras are actually not allowed inside the pyramids, even in the mother's. But with expectation of tips, the guards will usually let you take pictures inside the smaller ones.
I'm a tad claustrophobic so the prospect of going deep inside the Great Pyramid was a little daunting. Apart from the fact that you're bent down the whooooole way, you have to go about 35m in with no escape route or prospect of backing out.
Surprisingly though, it wasn't as bad the deeper you go in because the ceiling is quite high. Remember that entrance inside the Great Pyramid is restricted to 300 visitors only per day, 150 people each at exactly 8am and 1pm. We probably weren't there at peak season since tickets were relatively easy to get but you never know so better to be safe and arrive a little early.
The tour also includes photo ops with the Pyramid of Khafre, Khufu's (or Cheops' in Greek) son. The pyramid was built slightly smaller out of respect for his father, though being built on a higher part of the plateau, gives the optical illusion of actually being taller. Very very smart! It is easily recognizable because of the original casing stones on top.
Last leg of the tour ends with the Sphinx, which is a fantastic image to be left with. Many believe the Sphinx would not be around anymore today had it not been buried in the sand for so many long periods in its lifetime. That in itself, makes it all the more remarkable for us to still be able to appreciate it, lack of a nose notwithstanding.
There is a Giza Light and Sound show available at night in multiple languages (so check with your concierge what time is the English show). There weren't that many viewers so prime seating wasn't a problem. Going a bit early though allows you the enjoy the Egyptian sunset with the pyramids in the foreground... nice! The show itself is a bit cheesy and is probably not recommended for your parents or for non-history buffs. But it does give a short-hand of the pyramids' history.
This was really an unbelievable experience. I love my life!
posted by moan @ 3:43 PM
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