Egypt Travelogue: Tahrir Square, Museum - 1 Oct 2006

We just returned from the Egyptian Museum, located on the north end of Tahrir Square, site of the main democratic protests in Cairo. They have a fraction of artifacts on "display" compared to what's stashed in their basement. I use the term "display" loosely. As much as they had, and the amazing Tut exhibit, the museum is so old - almost 100 years old, and still all the original display cases. There is so much stuff that it's just piled in corners, stashed behind other exhibits, everything just stacked and lying about with no descriptions and in most cases, not even any ropes, barriers, or glass encasements to keep people from touching them. What used to be pink granite and cedar sarcophagi are now tarnished black from decades of people touching them. Our guide took it upon himself to shoo people that were touching artifacts. It's so very sad. The government plans to build a new larger museum out by the Pyramids. I hope it happens soon. These artifacts in their current museum have no real climate or environmental control. The museum has no a/c.

As of 2011, the museum in Giza still isn't complete.  Like most any government project in Egypt, it's all talk and no action.  There have been discussions of the museum opening this year or next, but so far it hasn't happened.  The need for the new modern museum in Giza is more important than ever since thugs broke into the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir Square and damaged artifacts.  The current museum has no security or environmental controls.  The collection is in a dangerous state.

On the other hand, we did get to see the mummies. It's amazing to gaze down on what might have possibly been the face that spoke to Moses. Ramses II, Seti I, Tutmoses II and III, etc. So incredibly well-preserved. These were the only air-conditioned rooms, very small. The Tut exhibit was amazing. We saw his throne, the golden mask, and the 4 massive encasements that held his sarcophagi. They're so large that they were assembled inside his tomb. The scale of the artifacts is stunning. The gold is blinding. You know what's funny, though... that in some places, there's just a picture of an artifact. Beneath it reads "artifact is traveling abroad." Ha! That's because it's on tour in Chicago!  It was neat to see the Tut exhibit at the Field Museum then to come here and see where it fits in with the overall collection. If only you could be here to see it all, though. I was also excited to see the actual palette of Narmer (of which I have a replica), and the only existing statue/image of Khufu! Such a small thing 2.5" tall for such a large pyramid that he built.


Having a personal guide is worth its weight in gold. He greased a few palms and we slipped past guards, never stood in a line, and got the personal attention at the museum so we didn't have to crane our necks to see or hear anything. He's very well-educated and a really nice guy. Tomorrow he takes us out to Saqqara, Memphis, and the Pyramids and Sphinx. I asked him if we get to go into a pyramid. He said, "sure." I asked which one. He said, "Which one do you want?" We leave bright and early at 7am to beat the heat and crowds. 

This trip was the first time I had ventured so far from North America, across the ocean.   I had never been in a country where I did not speak some of the local language and be able to find my bearings.  Also, since this was my dream trip of a lifetime, I wanted to "go big".  A private guide, driver, coordinator, a corner suite at the Four Seasons, a beautiful Nile river cruise, upgraded flights; it was perfect.  It was great to have such personal service and someone to guide us through the chaos that is Cairo.  

However, after traveling independently in other countries, I much prefer being on my own without a guide.  In some ways, I feel as thought I missed out on the real Cairo.  We were sheltered.  We ate in the finest Cairene restaurants, but I wanted to pop a squat on a sidewalk and nosh on some fuul.  I wanted to explore alleys, side streets, and markets.  I wanted to interact more with locals.  I wanted to wander into a neighborhood mosque.  I like figuring out how to get from Point A to Point B, relying on a few words in the local language, a map, a compass, a guidebook, and sheer instinct.  I feel as through travel in foreign lands is the ultimate test of survival.  Strip away the internet, cell phones, computers, and the ability to communicate, and we're left with raw instinct, intuition, logic, and luck.  I plan on returning to Egypt soon, and next time, I want to fly solo (and/or with friends, of course).  Now that I have a feel for the country and rudimentary Arabic skills, I want to tackle it on my own... and probably to the dismay and fear of my parents.  But I would think by now they'd know that I can make my own way in the big wide world.

Did you ever wonder why Chicago cab drivers drive the way they do? Because they're probably all Egyptian! There are no traffic lights here. You drive your car wherever there's a space on the road. Want to get on the
bus? Run and jump on when it passes. Sometimes it doesn't stop. Want to cross the street? Just close your eyes and walk into traffic. Oddly enough, we hadn't seen any accidents (yet). Waiting for a taxi? Stand in the
street, literally. It's insane. The only American car we saw in 3 days was the only car we saw broken down in the middle of rush-hour traffic. We had a good chuckle.

Day 3 and no sign of Mummy Tummy. *Thumbs up* Coca-cola tastes just the same, except written like "kookah-koole" in Arabic. Jet lag has set in. This morning I was up before sunrise. I saw a man in a rowboat on the river doing ablutions ("wudhu") then the first prayer. We had come to see that when it was time for prayer, it was time for prayer, no matter where someone was.  We saw a soldier step out of his truck, place a prayer rug on the sidewalk, and pray. The sentry outside the French Embassy next door never moved for 3 hours. The Russian Embassy looks like Fort Knox. The President's palace is really damn nice. This is the same Presidential palace in Heliopolis (between Cairo and the airport) that the protesters have discussed marching to from Tahrir Square.  Anwar Sadat's widow's palace is really nice, too, I think she has made it into a museum. 

About security: I feel no fear here. I don't feel at risk or like there's unrest. It's just a lot of people going about their own business, taking time to laugh, shop, work, and pray. There are no demonstrations, no fights, no unrest. They're so nice here it's hard to imagine why anyone would want to cause trouble.

Wow, aren't those ironic words.  Little did we know that 4.5 years later we'd see a democratic uprising in Egypt, right on the very ground on which we walked.  Re-reading this, I was so naive back then.  Up to 2006, I had only studied Ancient Egyptian history up to Greek rule under the Ptolemys.  I had no idea what was going on in Egypt, the political climate, or the opinions of the populace.  We had a superficial discussion w/ our guide about President Mubarak, and he said that the President wasn't very popular at all.  In fact, he was widely disliked.  This trip had opened my eyes and had given me a new appreciation for the modern Egypt.  When I returned to Chicago was when I started a new study of modern history and politics of the modern Middle East and Islam.  I believed that what I saw and experienced, I wanted to bring back to the US, learn more, and talk to other Americans to help shatter stereotypes and blanket judgments.