Tag: history

Alluring Alexandria Part II

The Great Library of Alexandria was one of the greatest centres of learning in antiquity, and scholars from every corner of the known world in the second and third centuries BCE made pilgrimages to study there. While history still lists some of the head librarians and some of the manuscripts that were held there, the actual site of the library is unknown. The importance and the contents of the library had been in decline for years before the supposed destruction by Julius Caesar in 48 BCE. Now, only the legend remains, which may be more interesting than the real history.

AI prompt was “Dusty library filled with scrolls with a creepy gnome wanking”

With the lack of concrete facts, and considering the remains of the Great Library of Alexandria could easily now have a Starbucks built on top of it (it’s a nice Starbucks, filled with pretty medical students when I visited), the Bibliotheca Alexandrina is much more a spiritual than a practical one, but it’s very impressive nonetheless.

By Shivani Singh04 – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=81243664

The library was officially opened in 2002, at a cost of two hundred million USD. Its main reading room sprawls over eleven levels and covers twenty thousand square metres.

Main reading room

In addition to its main library, it contains six specialised collections, including one specifically containing Braille books. Even forgetting about the books, the Bibliotecha is home to nineteen art galleries, a planetarium, a conference centre, two gift shops, two cafes, and a restaurant.

I accepted the offer of a free tour, where a stunning woman walked us through areas and explained that for a fee equivalent to two coffees, an Egyptian student can gain access to all this, in addition to internet access, catalog access, study space, and more. She explained the symbolic aspects of the architecture and answered our questions faultlessly. Her (I neglected to jot down here name) delivery was a masterclass in public speaking and interpretation, and I wished I had a tenth of her ability. I was also incredibly smitten.

Viewing platform.

I couldn’t help but think what a balancing act these incredible, smart, and beautiful women working here must perform. Trying to keep to an authentic and self-determined life, working in such a modern institute of learning, while living in a culture that insists on a tradition of women being dependent on the men in their lives. All I could do was thank her for the tour and walk away.

On the way out, numerous security types and police seemed to be milling around, waiting, and so I waited to see what would happen. Soon, a convoy of conference attendees exited the grounds in chauffeured Mercedes and BMWs, while police shut down traffic outside the library to allow them to stay together with their escorts.

After a quick stop at a cafe for coffee and journalling, I discovered a small group of young ladies selling stickers. After walking past them I doubled back to buy some stickers and have a chat. 50 Egyptian pounds later, I asked if I could get a photo, which they were good-natured enough to consent to, with one of them offering to take the photo.

Hamming it up!

When I looked back at the photo, I said “Awwww, beautiful Egyptian ladies” which seemed to make them very happy as I said thank you and departed.

One day, when these amazing Egyptian women become a powerful force in Egyptian politics, Egypt will experience a rapid improvement for all its people.

Pyramids and Poop

There are three things I need you to understand about the Pyramids of Giza.

  1. It doesn’t matter how many photos, videos, blog posts, articles, and documentaries you have consumed about this place; nothing will prepare you for just how impressive they are in person.
  2. Every bit of statue, carving, every sarcophagus, every column, every obelisk that can be dragged away and taken to a museum or private collection has been. This leads to visiting the Pyramids to be a stark experience, devoid of context.
  3. You cannot escape the overwhelming miasma of horse and camel shit.

After managing to avoid my Uber driver’s efforts to have a tour through his brother-in-law’s, fighting my way through the touts, and paying the exorbitant entry fee, I passed through the security as if I was some dubious English lord looking for a nice piece to hang over his mantle, and was let loose inside the Giza Necropolis.

Just past the gate was a modest pavilion, and I stopped there to apply sunscreen to my delicate skin. This is where I saw my first glimpse of the Sphinx.

You kind of have to squint to see it, unlike the sunscreen on my nose.

The way to the Sphinx was unclear, which I suspect was on purpose, so I walked uphill to the tomb of Meresankh III, Queen and wife of Khafre.

Tomb of Maresankh III

It was a comparatively modest structure that I enjoyed exploring despite various touts yelling at me at all times.

I moved on to the Great Pyramid of Giza.

Great Pyramid of Giza

Correctly known as the Pyramid of Khufu, it has lost eight metres of its height due to the pillaging of its limestone shell, but the one hundred and thirty-eight metres left was still enough to leave me dumbfounded. This colossal structure was the largest man-made building for three and a half millennia. Even with access to modern trucks, cranes, loaders, and diamond-tipped saws, the logistics to recreate it today would be staggering. It’s also the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still standing to this day. After walking around the pyramid and taking in its majesty, I moved on to the Pyramid of Khafre.

Tried removing that white thing 😦

The middle-sized of the Great Pyramids, it’s perhaps the most striking of the three due to the limestone cap that still remains to this day. Here I could have paid extra to go inside, but my claustrophobia and early-trip cheapness prevented me from taking advantage of this.

The third of the Great Pyramids is the very much reduced Pyramid of Menkaure.

Pyramid of Menkaure

It stands at sixty-one metres high today. The large vertical gash is the result of the Sultan of Egypt’s efforts to demolish it; luckily, after eight months, this act of vandalism was abandoned.

By now, I was getting worn out and baked in the sun, and I followed a group of tourists who seemed to be walking with confidence, hoping they would lead me to the Sphinx.

Too many horses, not enough people willing to ignore their condition.

This area seemed to be where the freelance horse carriage operators congregate, away from the Great Pyramid scammer bros. I managed to find the entrance to the Sphinx, which was through the Valley Temple of Khafre, who was also one of the suspected builders of the Sphinx.

Partly restored.

Once I made my way through the temple, I climbed a causeway with a view of the Sphinx, which is the closest one can get without bribing a guard or jumping a fence.

Great Sphinx of Giza.

Standing taller than the nearby Pyramid of Menkaure, the Great Sphinx of Giza (It’s certainly not the only one; it’s a common motif) has been the stuff of legends since it was carved from the bedrock over four thousand years ago. I grew up reading fairy tales featuring this enigmatic statue. Including ones where the statue is alive and poses riddles to weary supplicants.

I managed to hold off on taking a selfie snogging this ancient monument, which at least placed me in the minority of the crowd on that day. He or she deserves more respect than that. I sat on the stone wall lining the causeway for a few minutes, simply soaking up the view as much as I could while tourists milled around me, taking photos from every available angle.

Great Spinx of Giza, with the Great Pyramid of Giza in the background.