Walking around the wonders of the ancient world (Cairo, Egypt)

The long-awaited trip to Cairo.
Cairo (in Arabic القاهرة, Al-Qāhirah, meaning “the triumphant”, “the overwhelming”).
I have always wondered how it is to walk on that ground and to be in front of the wonders of the ancient world. Here’s how I finally found the answer.
As I wrote in the previous article about Egypt, we stayed in Hurghada, where we enjoyed the sea and the golden sand, but most of all we wanted to visit the pyramids and as much as possible the fascinating universe of Egypt that was once upon a time.
The road from Hurghada to Cairo was about 8 hours. We left at 1 o’clock at night, and caught the sunrise on the road, and in the first hour of the morning we broke into the chaos of Cairo.

I want to confess that I did not expect it to be the way I saw it, I did not look for information before because I wanted to be surprised and the truth is that I was.
Until we arrived to visit the Pyramids and the Sphinx we crossed the city. The capital of Egypt is a place filled with the history of mankind, where you are fascinated and shocked at the same time, where you have to deal with the chaos that surrounds you. There are no traffic lights or traffic rules, you have the impression that the cars will always trample, but the pedestrians have no fear. You’ll meet in the traffic with donkeys who struggle to shoot a bitter carriage. It makes you sad to see the poverty around you. Blocks look like after the bombing and that’s because there is a law saying that you do not have to pay state taxes if the facade of the house is not finished, so most of them are unfinished. You seem to be in a whirlwind and you do not know exactly what your feelings about that place are, but once you get back to the historical areas you forget about the others and you’re glad you came to see them.

1. Pyramids of Giza.
The Pyramids of Giza were built 4500 years ago. You overwhelm your emotions when you stand in front of such a construction and think about how old they are and try to figure out how they did that.
The three pyramids are precisely aligned with Orion’s Constellation.
The most impressive of the three pyramid structures is the Pyramid of Cheops called the Great Pyramid of Giza. This amazing pyramid is the oldest of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
The Pyramid of Cheops – the tomb of Pharaoh Khufu (2580 BC) of the Fourth Dynasty.
It has blocks of stone 2,300,000 weighing from 2 to 50 tons each.
This pyramid stands out for its grandeur. Appearing in the fourth dynasty of Egypt (2613 to 2494 BC), it was the tallest building in the world for more than 3,800 years until the Eiffel Tower in Paris was built in 1889.
Cheops Pharaoh reigned between 2589 and 2566 BC. It took about twenty years to build the pyramid, which is made up of three compartments: the lower chamber, the queen’s room and the king’s room.
The pyramid of Khafre – the tomb of Pharaoh Khafre (2570 BC) from the Fourth Dynasty.
The team of archaeologists found an empty sarcophagus inside the pyramid.
The Pyramid 136 m / 446 ft high of Khafre is the second largest pyramid in Giza and was built around 2570 BC.
The Pyramid of Menkaurei – the tomb of Pharaoh Menkaure (2510 BC) of the Fourth Dynasty.
Inside the Menkaure pyramid, they found huge sculptures and works of art. This is the least spectacular of the pyramids, since the pharaoh died unexpectedly.
We were able to get inside a pyramid, the road was very tight and steep, almost airless. We went down for a while and then because of the crowd we decided to go back. An unprecedented experience, but not recommended to those who are claustrophobic.
The road to the Pyramids was amazing, I ride a camel. Camels that are tired of their masters who have made a bussiness on their own.

2. Sphinx
The Great Sphinx in Giza is a gigantic statue representing a lion-headed man.
“There is no inscription on the Sphinx to represent the year of construction. Some Egyptologists believe that it was built by Pharaoh Khafra in its appearance, but some Egyptologists believe it was probably built from the ice age, perhaps by another civilization older and more evolved than the latter. Many inscriptions show images of some flying machines that built the pyramids and the Sphinx. “(Wikipedia)
The name Sphinx comes from the Greek word spingo, which means “strangle,” and the Greeks used it for the first time, calling it a fabulous creature that had the head of a girl, the body of a lion and bird’s wings that strangled its victims. The sphinxes are either the ram’s head and the lion’s body, the lion’s head and the lion’s body, or the head of a king or god and a lion’s body. The head is 6 m tall and 4 m wide, and only the eyes are 2 m tall. The beard and the beard are missing, only the beard being exposed to the British Museum.
FASCINATING!

3. Egyptian Museum
A place where you need a long time to see all the wonders of the ancient world that are exposed. It hosts a vast collection of antiquities in ancient Egypt. The museum has over 120,000 pieces and most of the art objects are displayed in the museum showcases, the rest being kept in the warehouses.
Unlike many tombs discovered in Egypt, King Tutankhamun was found largely intact. Inside this tomb there was a large collection of artifacts used throughout the life of the king. These artifacts varied from a decorated chest that was most likely used as a wardrobe or suitcase, two ivory and gold, bracelets, necklaces, and other decorative jewelry, alabaster vases and balloons. The tomb was also the keeper of several weapons and instruments used by King Tutankhamun. Although the grave originally had over 3,500 artifacts, the grave was not found completely intact. Apparently, there were at least two robberies in the tomb, probably shortly after Tutankhamun’s burial.
The best known artifact in the tomb of King Tutankhamun is the famous Golden Mask, which covered the bandages wrapping the King’s face. The mask weighs 11 kilograms and is made of solid gold, and is believed to represent the king’s face.

4. Cruise on the Nile
A boat ride on the famous river is always welcome.
You enjoy the view and relax, it’s all you want after a few hours exploring the wonders of Egypt.

5. The Papyrus Factory
And this time we stopped at the papyrus factory, we were not as fascinated as the first time (in Luxor) because we knew what it was, but it seems like being in the tour program, you want / do not want you have to visit it.
6. Fragrance Factory
Another local business that we have not enjoyed very much because our guide hurried from the Sphinx to take us there.

Egyptians take advantage of everything their ancestors have left to survive, there are all sorts of local business with papyrus, perfume, alabaster and a bunch of souvenirs from which they try to make money. Even if you do not want to buy something, it is impossible to avoid them because they have a deal with the guides to make a stop in those places.

The first time can be fascinating, but later you lose your interest.
If you accept this chaos of the city, you enjoy its contrasts and what it offers you from a historical point of view, you will leave with a pleasant taste there.
I was glad to be able to look at the wonders of the world, it’s worth seeing at least once in your life!