I always find it a bit difficult to travel far for just one destination. But this time I couldn't do it otherwise, so I ended up travelling to the pyramids for just a few days.
More or less by chance I booked a small guesthouse/hotel right next to the pyramids. We arrived late in the evening and when I went up to the roof terrace for breakfast the next morning, the sight of the pyramids simply blew me away. There, right in front of me, were the Sphinx and the pyramids. Somehow it was completely surreal to look at, with camels and horses running through the desert and it was (still) relatively quiet.
I hadn't booked anything in advance, hadn't booked a guided tour (I don't like them anyway) and hadn't bought any tickets. I just wanted to throw myself into the hustle and bustle. And that's what it was, a noisy hustle and bustle in front of the ticket counter. Some supervisors tried to sort out the queues, but they quickly got mixed up again because locals were constantly pushing their way in, and this was tolerated, in order to quickly buy a few tickets, which they then sold a few metres further at a surcharge to tourists who didn't want to queue.
By Egyptian standards, the entrance fee is with 50 € relatively expensive, but that's probably the way it is at a UNESCO World Heritage Site. However, I would have appreciated a map or a brochure. There was no information material anywhere, no matter which sight I visited. There's a method to this, because after all, you're supposed to book a guide on site. I listened to a few of the guided tours, and some of them were terrible to listen to.
But luckily there's the internet ;-)
Many travel guides state that you can visit the complex with its temples and pyramids in two to three hours. I spent the whole day there.
The pyramids are impressive. I can't really imagine how huge sandstone and granite blocks weighing up to 2.5 tonnes were stacked up 2500 years ago, in 23 rows from the inside to the outside. A few sketches scribbled on the walls have been found, but we still don't really know how the pyramids were built. The accuracy is astonishing. Over a side length of approx. 230 metres, there is only a deviation of 4.4 cm, and the difference in height is only 2.1 cm! Even today, it is still a challenge to build with such precision.
In the largest, the pyramid of Khufu (or Cheops in Greek), you can climb up to the upper chamber. The corridor is very narrow and very low, a real challenge for some visitors.
There are a few guards standing, sitting or walking around everywhere who are supposed to make sure that nobody climbs onto the pyramids or walks around in the ruins. But this is quite often ignored, as signs are rare. I also climbed a mountain where I was immediately whistled down by a guard, only for him to show me another way up the same mountain (for the best photo motif!) and then immediately asked a few Euros for it.
You have to be damn careful, such "traps" lurk everywhere. Somehow I understand these people. The payment is lousy, and it doesn't hurt most tourists to pay 1, 2 euros for a few tips. But I found it quite annoying.
One of the ticket inspectors told me that he has a master's degree in Egyptian and Arabic history and now checks the tickets at the entrance. He earns the equivalent of €148 a month and tries to earn a little extra money this way, so I shouldn't be angry with him. His colleague, who didn't go to university but is a good acquaintance of his boss, earns more than him. A lot depends on personal relationships, in other words, you almost automatically become corrupt.
The Egyptian Museum is a must if you want to learn more about the history of the pharaohs. Ultimately, it is an exhibition about the very special burial culture of these empires. The pharaohs and other famous, powerful people made provisions for their lives in the afterlife while they were still alive. They had burial houses built, with religious scenes, symbols of the gods and their life stories carved and painted on the walls. The more important the person, the larger the building. It served as a meeting place for the survivors to commemorate the deceased. In one side of the temple was a false door through which the deceased could pass into the afterlife and through which he could make contact with his relatives. This door consisted of a large stone slab, often decorated with inscriptions or paintings.
Important people were embalmed and wore a death mask. This mask was intended to resemble the person so that the gods would recognise them in the afterlife.
They were then placed in several splendid coffins (one inner, one middle and one outer) in the burial chamber.
Some useful things such as crockery, food and jewellery were placed in the grave with the deceased so that they could continue their good life in the afterlife.
There are countless statues, frescoes, coffins and mummies to see. The highlights are the tombs of Tutankhamun and Psusennes.
Cairo is a juggernaut, a huge city, loud, dirty, chaotic, rich and poor. The traffic is indescribable, people drive wherever there is space, it doesn't matter in which direction, the main thing is to move. In view of this, European discussions about electric cars seem absurd to me.
It is worth exploring the city on foot, away from the tourist sights.
The Coptic quarter is interesting, as is el Moez Street, the bazaar and the garden city with its colonial buildings.
It is worth exploring the city on foot, away from the tourist sights.
It hurt me to see how neglected the buildings are, how people live there. The country has major economic problems, which are partly due to political dependencies and influences.
I took the photo accompanying the article in an art gallery and, in my opinion, it quite symbolises the inner turmoil of many people in this country.
People are angry about Israel's war in Gaza, about the fact that the Arab countries are not united and therefore weak, about the West, which only thinks of its own advantage and plays everyone off against each other. This is a short summary of an emotional discussion with a few students.