Think about it – Cairo, the largest city in Africa, 17 million people – some on camels, some on donkeys, some on scooters, but always great traffic jams. It’s a study in contrasts. Older apartment buildings in the shadow of the ancient pyramids, each with multiple satellite dishes. You can go for a camel ride at sunset or sit in a plush gambling casino in a posh hotel.
The pyramids are a majestic sight. Cheops pyramid is the largest and was built about 2,690 BC, that’s almost 4,700 years ago. How did they move 10,000 pound blocks of limestone from quarry to building site? How did they place each block so that one would build on another? You know that the ancient Egyptians were great mathematicians and engineers. Obviously they had to make a plan and then execute it. An important lesson…you have to have a plan.
A short drive from Cairo to Memphis and Sakkara where you see the “step pyramid”. The oldest stone structure in the world (built in 2686 BC). We entered our first of many tombs in Sakkara. It was that of a mummified cow.
The river Nile and a river cruise boat were our hotel for 4 days. After exploring Luxor’s east and west bank including the amazing temples of Luxor and Karnak the boat begins its run to Aswan with stops at ancient cities of Edfu and Kom Ombo, and on to Aswan. The high dam was built with the aid of Russian engineers and shows a contemporary example of Egypt’s building on a monumental scale.
The final “contrast” alongside the dam is a shepherd walking down the street with his herd of sheep right past a McDonalds.
Fred Yaffe
