Egypt, January 23 - February 22, 1987
JGH: Egypt Notes, 1987
Cairo; Egypt at last! 1/23/87 - Leave our Bombay hotel at midnight for a 3AM TWA flight. Airport a zoo! 3 Indian women push to the front of a long line and complain the Indians are so poorly organized. Says she lives in Surrey and I should go to Heathrow. Plane leaves at 4AM, arrives Cairo 7AM (they spray the plane for mosquitoes on lift off!). Met at airport by Chah Abaza, Ali Bahram, Hakim our driver, all suggested by Cadle. Cairo looks so clean after India, quiet too since it is Friday, Moslem holy day. Stay at Marriott Palace, built for Suez Canal opening for dignitaries. Haircuts, manicures, washcuts, walk around city; 1/24.87 - Go to pyramid (9AM start) and mastaba of queen [Meresankh III]. See cheap boat. Then Cairo Museum. Chah gives marvelous pharaonic overview.
Procession of statues shows the queen growing up.
1/25/87 - Leave for Alexandria and the Delta; First stop, Farouk's Montaza Palace.
Montaza Palace beach; After Farouk's Palace go to Abu Qir Bay where we pass 2 dead horses to see Nelson's Island. 1/26/87 - (Few - no photos since Egyptians won't stop at each site to take photos!) - Museum: see Greek & Roman influence in Alexandria, Catacombs, Pompey's Palace (actually Diocletian), Serapeum, Tea with Mo & Evelyn Selen who are in Alex for business & economics conference, lads go to Chah's aunt; 1/27/87 - Farouk's niece house & family, then back to Cairo with 2 flat tires!; 1/28/87 - Cairo Museum, Memphis & Saqqara; Memphis.
Saqqara.
Camels & horses too dar, so we go by carriage around Saqqara; Mai (Chah's daughter), Sally (friend), and Fritz; 1/29/87 - Horse rides to Saqqara; Chah horse trades for best deal. She and I have tea.
1/30/87 - 2/2/87 - Sinai Desert. First stop, Suez. See bomb damage of '68 war (no film in camera when shooting Israeli bankers!); St. Catherine's Greek Orthodox Monastery; View of St. Catherine's. We stay across road in lovely simple hotel.
1/31/87 - Tour of monastery in morning: icons, Burning Bush & Jethro's Well; Chapel as seen through Burning Bush (left).
1/31 - Afternoon, we climb to the top of Mt. Sinai! (I drink a liter of water in preparation. Exhilarating 4 hour climb). At the start of the trail with monastery in background; A third or so of the way; Chapel at top after grueling stairs.
2/1/87 - Drive to Taba (near Istaerli Elat). Crusaders castle, gorgeous water; Lunch and beach at Nuweeba; Israeli hotel on disputed land; Chah relaxes; Only FRitz & Jack bring swim suits; 2/2 - Return to Cairo in sand storm! Laundry and bed.
February 3, 1987 - We're off with Chah and Hashim for another trip. First stop, Fayoum; Hashim with our luggage outside Fayoum Museum; Little is left of this Greco-Roman city.
Jack contemplates burial remains; Pyramid in another area of Fayoum shows mid-kingdom poverty.
February 4 - Jack's 45th birthday. Beni Hasan; Tombs of Beni Hasan: a chair carried for me in various chambers! Mayors from around Beni Hasan who awaitMellon Ambassador; Birthday celebration for Jack in our Best (!) Hotel Minia (where Jack asks for the local newspaper)
![[Kristen's birthday tribute]](https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/62e163b72ac2810ad9183578/cf3691af-9277-498a-9a09-0ae4622be820/Scan+14.jpeg)
[Kristen's birthday tribute]
Feb. 5, Tuna El-Gebel. Ibis mummies and tomb, Tel El-Amarna. Tuna El-Gebel: Two baboons & temple complex basilica; Tombs; Fritz gets Ibis curse here!
Tel El-Amarna. Akhenaten's capital. So little left; Outside North end tombs. Drive to South end then back to Minia; Feb. 6 - Off to Kharga Oasis; Temple just outside Kharga Oasis.
Our guide who shows us tombs and 2 toasted mummies; Coptic cemetery outside Kharga; 2/7/87 - Chah drinks tea at Dakhla Oasis.
Dakhla Oasis. First stop is Roman period tombs & attempts to buy jellabiyas.
2/7/87 - Dakhla Oasis. All the workers stood up and started moving as we got to the site!; French led archaeological dig of mastabas.
Temple ruins at Dakhla; Old and new visitors.
Dakhla, 2/7/87. Greco Egyptian tombs. Moslem village and lintels. El Qasr.
We always attract a group! At end of hard, long day we go to hot springs for a respite. After dinner we go to Adams to buy non-existent jellabiyas. He only has baskets; Pottery being made.
Feb. 8-10 - A respite with Chah's cousins in Asyut. The newer Mahfouz manse; With Chah's cousin, Khlaid; 'Hudson'; The old family home; 2/8 - Drive to Asyut, huge lunch at 3 and dinner at 10PM Ping pong; 2/9 - F. to doctor, then to Coptic monastery, nap, dinner and present exchange; 2/10 - Photos and drive to Luxor.
Feb. 10 - From Asyut to Luxor. We buy fruit and see cane driver along the way; We board our boat, the Nile Beauty, then tour Karnak ruins; 100 men could stand on top of temple pillars; Moonrise over Karnak.
More views of Karnak.
Beating out the Pharaoh's magic; common with Akhenaten & Hatshepsut.
February 11 - West Bank tour. 1. 2 tombs in Wackmanr's area, 2. 5 tombs in Nobles Valley (Ramses), 3. Temples of Ramses III & II; Moslem women mourn at funeral; Redo from 1978 at Ramses III.
Ozymandias, 1817, Shelley (Greek name for Ramses II, 1301 - 1234BC). I met a traveller from an antique land, Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand, Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown, And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command, Tell that its sculptor well those passions read Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things, The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed; And on the pedestal, these words appear: My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings; Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
February 12 - Abydos. The place where Osiris head was found; Back at the boat.
2/12 - Late afternoon to Dendura; Some of the most beautiful wall reliefs; Hathor who is honored at Dendura; Bes; Tea in the boat. I get very sick, so do 50 others on the boat.
Feb 13, 1987 - Jack and kids go to Valley of Kings and Queens on West Bank. I have 104º fever and see doctor who gives shot. A scare and a pass; 2/14 - Jack & kids in PM (after Esna) go to boat dress-up party; Jack is a judge; Dendura, 2 views (late discovered photos).
2/14 - Esan (Jack's phot, I'm sick); Esna or Edfu: Coronation of Ptolemy as king.
February 15 - Edfu, AM Kom Ombo PM.
Edfu two; Docked at Kom Ombo; Kom Ombo serves 2 gods.
February 16 - Aswan. Philae - Temple of Isis.
Our 'driver' to Philae; Damaged obelisk in Aswan quarry; Afternoon by felucea to Kitchener Island.
Kitchener Botanical Gardens; 2/17/87 - Fly to Abu Simbel; Dancers greet us at airport; Near the Aga Khan's tomb, closed that day.
Abu Simbel. Ramses; A moving picture in Abu Simbel.
2/18/87 - Coptic Cairo: Museum, churches & Ben Ezra Synagogue. 2/19/87 - Islamic Cairo: Museum, House of Anderson (British doctor), citadel, several mosques & walk through market.
