KISS MY PIG - Pyramidal Explorations in Sakkara, Giza, and Dashur, Egypt

.......our previous blog wandering Cairo's neighbourhoods........

The Pyramids- last remaining Wonders of the Ancient World, other-worldly and mysterious. So much has been written about these massive structures, and conflicting controversial theories abound. This was our experience......

When we were last in Egypt, after being distracted by the social life at our hostel for some time, we eventually got around to setting out for the day to see the Giza Pyramids. Unfortunately, that day saw the worst dust storm in decades hit Cairo and completely obliterated our view of the monuments, or anything more than one foot from our faces. Our day trip was cut short, and we never even took one photo. This time we were determined to have a better experience, and a more thorough look at not just at the Giza Pyramids, but at the oldest pyramid in the world at Sakkara and the proto-type for Giza, the Bent Pyramid at Dashur.

Gazing in wonder, Giza

We'd found a small guesthouse online that appeared to be in a great position, right in the middle of the groups of ancient pyramid sites we were keen to see. The sites at Sakkara and Dashur were virtually impossible to see with public transport, and we had decided to splurge on hiring transport to take us around. Since this guesthouse was so close, we figured the prices might be lower than from Cairo. After tentatively booking a room, we spent a week trying to contact the owners to confirm they had received our booking, and to ask how to reach Abu Sir, where the guesthouse was located. We were pleasantly surprised (and a bit suspicious) when the owner offered to pick us up from our hostel in Downtown Cairo. All went well, although the drive to Abu Sir along the rubbish filled, stinking canal road with depressingly squalid housing was intriguing rather than pleasant. As we pulled up at an empty house in a tiny village, we thought it might be an interesting stay. The owner finally showed up, and asked our plans for our stay. We balked at the very high prices he quoted for transport, and he quickly seemed to lose interest in us.
We decided on a walk through the village to orientate ourselves a bit, but timed it badly, as dozens of feral kids were just coming out of school and we were completely mobbed, and not in a nice way. They were screaming, hanging off our clothes and bags, asking for money and stopping us from walking. It has to be said, it's the first time we've been chased off the streets by children!
We escaped to the main road and found some friendly people in the village, including two boys making liver sandwiches and rice puddings which were quite tasty. We noticed there were loads of Indian style tuk-tuks running up and down the road, and decided to use one to try to get ourselves to Sakkara the next day. The village had quite a strange vibe to it- nothing we could exactly put our finger on, but it didn't exactly make us want to linger, and went back to our guesthouse.
On return from our walk, the owner informed us that we would have to leave! We were a bit confused, and thought we had misunderstood. He said the electricity would be going off for two days, and it wasn't possible for us to stay. When we asked where he suggested we should go, he just shrugged as though he didn't care. We said that we were very disappointed, especially since we had paid him for four nights up front. Suspecting some kind of scam, we demanded our money back and a free lift to our next destination, and were surprised when he agreed! The whole day was quite bizarre and although we were extremely disappointed about not being able to take our time to explore the monuments, we felt as though we'd had some kind of lucky escape. When we reached our next destination, Giza, people there told us Abu Sir was famously dodgy, people there ran drugs and weapons, and were dangerous!

Driving from Cairo to Abu Sir

Rooftop of Abu Sir guesthouse, before it all went wrong!

Just as we were noticed, and before the onslaught! Abu Sir

The canal doubled as the rubbish tip, Abu Sir

Friendly sandwich twins, Abu Sir

Streets of Abu Sir

Curios kid, Abu Sir

We were relieved to arrive in the suburb of Giza, officially part of Cairo, but seemingly a world away from the Downtown area. Luckily we quickly found a hospitable, family run guesthouse, and were offered an old room stuffed with antiques on a rooftop with pyramid views.
We were also fortunate to meet a couple of travelers from France and Taiwan (we had yet to meet almost any fellow travelers in Egypt up until now), who were keen to see the same sites as we were. Not only did splitting the costs make a day trip more affordable, they were lovely company, and we had a fantastic day out.

Sakkara is an enormous site that was once the necropolis for the ancient capital of Memphis. The biggest draw here is the pharaoh Djoser's burial place, the Step Pyramid, the oldest pyramid in the world, and the earliest stone building in Egypt. Imhotep, the famous royal architect, was responsible for the design, and the change to stone from mud brick was very significant. Built in the time of the Old Kingdom of Egypt's history (approximately 2682 until 2613 BC), this could make the step pyramid more than 4.5 thousand years old!*

The sheer enormity and age of the Step Pyramid were incredible, but we couldn't help feeling a rather obvious and badly done restoration had been attempted, which was unexpected and rendered the pyramid slightly underwhelming on close inspection. However, the site was littered with dozens of lesser pyramids, tombs, grand rooms and ancient rubble. It was a bit confusing to find our way around the site, with no signs and many doors and gates closed. Some monuments were so spread out we had to drive between them. We sort of stumbled across lovely rooms filled with hieroglyphics, and followed the crowd (not very large) to find the next wonder. The highlights were the interior of the Pyramid of King Teti (slightly later era than the Step Pyramid) with it's colourful drawings of hunting scenes, and the Tomb of Kagemni. A final highlight was the wonderful museum on site, full of stories and beautiful treasures from the inside of tombs (including the world's oldest mummy).

Djoser's Step Pyramid, Sakkara

Ancient artifacts just lying around! Sakkara

Alcove in tomb, Sakkara

A hunting scene, Sakkara

Go on.....kiss my pig, Sakkara

Such clear ancient engravings, Sakkara

The site at Sakkara

Exquisite figurines in museum, Sakkara

Columned hall, Sakkara

Hieroglyphics, Sakkara

Stunning wooden sarcophagus of the architect Imhotep, Sakkara

A scene of famine, compete with skinny rib cages, Sakkara

Detailed carvings, Sakkara

Nile fish were commonly depicted, Sakkara

Keeping in order of age, the next site we visited was Dashur, home to the Bent and the Red Pyramids. Perhaps 100 years after the Step Pyramid at Sakkara was built*, a golden age of pyramid building began, apparently mostly thanks to the wonderfully named pharaoh, Sneferu. He ushered in the new Fourth Dynasty, and was responsible for a major change in pyramid building techniques. The Bent Pyramid was actually his second go, the first having long ago collapsed. The theory about the odd shape is that the angle was changed half way through building when it was realized collapse was imminent. It represented the transition between the step form and smooth side form pyramid.
This pyramid had been left alone, and we could see quite clearly some of the buildings techniques used where massive stones had fallen away, and the smooth limestone surface that was incredibly still on much of the outside.

The site here was empty, in the middle of no where, and we were very happy indeed we had not persisted with our plan to get here by public transport. There was nothing, including no other tourists. The two pyramids were awe inspiring- so huge and ancient, and once again we gazed at wonder at the enormous precisely cut stones and wondered how on earth it was all put together. It was amazing to see the progress between them staring right at us. The two pyramids at Dashur are equally the third largest pyramids in the world (after Khufu and Khafre's at Giza).
The only other monument on the site (apart from the blobby ruin of the Black Pyramid) was the Red Pyramid, built by Sneferu immediately after the Bent, and this time the angles were right on.
Included in our ticket was entry to the inner chamber of the Red Pyramid, and it was exciting to climb way down into the dank depths and see some of the internal parts of the structure. The following day Sal's pathetically aching legs caused her to feel every bit of her 44 years!

The ancient names of these pyramids were very romantic- these two were known as "Sneferu Shines in the North", and "Sneferu Shines in the South".

Bent Pyramid, Dashur

Smooth surface of the Bent Pyramid, Dashur

Bent Pyramid, with Red Pyramid in the distance, Dashur

Looking up the shaft, coming out of the Red Pyramid, Dashur

Dwarfed at Dashur!

We found Giza less enthralling than other parts of Cairo, mainly because of the inevitable and understandable hard sell as soon as we stepped out the door, but also due to the the lack of charm in it's modern town buildings. We had to ask the price for everything before purchasing, as some shops and cafes felt they needed to overcharge tourists. We soon found a good ahwa, shop, bakery and a few eateries we trusted. Because it was low season, the patter wasn't too bad, but there's only so many times one can be polite when refusing a horse/camel ride or visit to a perfume/papyrus shop. We were happy to hang out on the rooftop at the guesthouse, gazing at the Pyramids and chatting with the family and travelers. The only negative about the terrace was that it overlooked a square where the "tourist" horses and camels were kept, and mostly treated rather badly.

Arriving in Giza

Our funny, musty old room, Giza

Yes! Finally captured a weasel (on camera!)

Rooftop at guesthouse, Giza

We were lucky enough to spend an entire day at the site of the three pyramids at Giza, taking our time, and soaking up as much of the ancient wonder as we could. As we were there in winter, it was surprisingly easy to find secluded, uncrowded spots where we could sit and gaze. Other times, "security" staff would appear and insist we needed to move- we just ignored them. There was some small trouble when we wanted to walk the half an hour or so to a view point where the panorama of the pyramidal trio over the city was favorable, but were told we couldn't walk, and instead must take a horse or camel. This was clearly a scam, and we simply started walking towards the nearest tourist policeman, who assured us we were indeed free to walk (and then asked if we wanted to take a picture of him on his camel!). Mostly, it was quiet and lovely, and we enjoyed the experience much more than we were expecting. Khufu's pyramid had the biggest crowds, as the interior tunnel was open and the bus loads were pouring in, after their obligatory selfie session out the front. We sat and watched the show for a while. Before our dust storm 12 years ago, we entered The Great Pyramid at Giza, and were disappointed with the crowds and the plainness inside. We were happy and a bit smug this time, to have seen the much more atmospheric interior of the Red  Pyramid.

The three pyramids on site at Giza are the life long work of three generations of pharaohs. Still in the 4th dynasty, and following on from Sneferu, the pharaoh Khufu, his son Khafre and grandson Menkaure all decided to build their tombs at Giza. We found it interesting that the oldest pyramid (The Great Pyramid of Giza, as Khufu's pyramid is also called), perhaps built in 2560 BC*, is by far the best preserved, and also that each successive pharaoh had seemingly built smaller structures than their forefathers. Plenty of theories abound about the structures, including that they may not have been burial tombs at all- after all, no mummies have ever been found inside any of them. Regardless of the purpose, the magnitude and awe-inspiring scope certainly suggested something immensely important.
The dreamy nature of the ancient names continued at Giza, with Khufu's pyramid known as "Khufu's Horizon" in ancient times. Khare's and Menkaure's went by the less imaginative "Khafre Is Great" and "Menkaure Is Divine"
There were several other lesser monuments on the site, mostly in a state of virtual rubble, but the security staff weren't too keen about people looking around these.

Horse riders in the distance, Giza

In his element, Giza

Good view of the "cap" of limestone on Khafre's pyramid, Giza

Resting in the shade, Giza

Around Menkaure's Pyramid, Giza

"The scene"- looking down to the Sphinx, entrance of Giza and Cairo city 

Moody sky at Giza Pyramids

Incredible precisely cut and laid enormous stones, Giza

Classic shot! Giza

Old Sphinxy, Giza

The smallest of the the three, Menkaure's pyramid, Giza

Exploring around the outskirts of the pyramids, Giza

It was hard to decide what to go for

Some entrance fees were expensive. Apparently there had been a recent price hike.

Giza Pyramids 200 EGP/UK£9.60
Sakkara Complex 180 EGPT/UK£8.60
Dashur 60 EGP/UK£2.90


* It must be pointed out there are hundreds of theories about ancient Egyptian sites- the ages, how they were built and by whom, and the information we have included is only an accumulation of the main stream theories from experts and archaeologists. When looking at the incredible structures up close and seeing the size and precision of the stones and their placement, it is easy to understand those who think other worldly races may have been responsible for their existence.

Happy travellers! 

.....next up, our experiences in and around Beirut......

WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN- Cairo Neighborhoods, Egypt

.....previously more Cairo wanderings........

Sorry, we couldn't resist that cliched title- it is just such an apt description of exactly what we have been doing whilst in Cairo!

Glorious Islamic architecture, Cairo

We made the most of the cool days whilst in the city, and walked to a different area almost every day. We saw much of central Cairo on foot, and for those further afield places, we used a mixture of metro, Uber and buses. The downside to the cool weather/walking combination was the painful effect on Rich's knees, so we took plenty of rest days also.

Colourful veggie cart, Islamic Cairo

Cat in old doorway, Islamic Cairo

Ibn Tulun Mosque, Islamic Cairo

Quiet moment, Ibn Tulun Mosque, Islamic Cairo

Life imitating art, Islamic Cairo

Mamluk architecture, Islamic Cairo

Minarets and domes, Islamic Cairo

Islamic Cairo was a great highlight for us, and appealed to our love of wandering narrow laneways taking in beautifully falling down ancient buildings and streets. The old city's skyscape is very distinctive- the Mamluk era buildings (13th century) with their tall thin minarets and domes characterize much of Cairo. Delicate decorative stone doorways and gateways contrasted with impressively huge monuments surrounded by walls. Some ancient buildings were no longer functioning as religious monuments and quite devoid of life, and others, such as the massive white Al Azhar mosque were filled with people of all races, praying, finding peace and simply resting. We loved the gorgeous rich interiors of some of the mosques. Hanging lanterns, courtyards, carpets and marble inlaid designs combined with red and white stripey brickwork, faded intricately painted ceilings, stucco carvings, stalactite-like muqarna vaulting and stained glass, and created a wonderful atmosphere.

Gorgeous metal door design, Islamic Cairo

Interior mosque, Islamic Cairo

Hanging lamps, Islamic Cairo

Metal and stained glass, Islamic Cairo

Mosque cat, Islamic Cairo

Exquisite mosque covered hallway, Islamic Cairo

Carvings and lamp, Islamic Cairo

Detail on exterior of minaret, Islamic Cairo

The posh Al Azhar park on the outer part of the old city was a sparkling clean respite from the noise and chaos, and the views across to Old Cairo and the Citadel were sublime.

Dusty views from Al Azhar Park, Islamic Cairo

View of Citadel from Al Azhar Park, Islamic Cairo

Pretending to be posh, Al Azhar Park, Islamic Cairo

Citadel view, Al Azhar Park, Islamic Cairo

We found the last fez making establishment in Cairo- it seems amazing there is only one, but there unfortunately mustn't be much call for the red felt hats these days.

The last fez making establishment in Cairo

Some areas of the Islamic Cairo had been somewhat tarted up, presumably to be more tasteful for tourists. We found those parts with their near perfect footpaths, street sweepers and security everywhere to be less interesting then the grimy, rubbish and pot-hole-filled narrow back streets. Many buildings were sadly disused and looked ready to collapse.

Renovated part of Islamic Cairo

Lived in streets, Islamic Cairo

Stunning entrance, Islamic Cairo

Lovely sunken doors, Islamic Cairo

Tarted up part of Islamic Cairo

Moody morning, Islamic Cairo

Tips were always expected in monuments to open the door, let us look inside, mind our shoes...it's just a part of the culture here we had to get used to. Australians are not natural tippers!

Old and new, Islamic Cairo

A peek into a mosque, Islamic Cairo

Market incorporated into historic building, Islamic Cairo

Coptic Cairo is another area that has been heavily restored, but there was still a trace of life left. It was easy here to visit monuments- quiet, no traffic, no one asked for baksheesh and everything was free to enter. The downside was there was very little interaction with anyone either. It's difficult to find accurate numbers, but it's thought that about 10% of Egyptians are Copts. Despite having being in Egypt for millennia, and before Islam arrived, they have been treated with discrimination and even violence in recent years. Every Coptic building we saw was surrounded by a heavy military presence.

Ooh, shut that door! Coptic Cairo

St George's church, Coptic Cairo

Rich interior decoration, St George's church, Coptic Cairo

Mixed patterns around a church door, Coptic Cairo

Pew inside Coptic Cairo church

Cemetery, Coptic Cairo

Rich has really let his beard go!

Our afternoon in Heliopolis started out with a disappointment, as the last old tram of Cairo that used to run here had recently been discontinued. We took the Metro instead, appreciating the efficiency and function of the train, if not the beauty. An embarrassing incident occurred when Rich decided the massive Notre Dame Basilica church surrounded by police and army with a huge tank out the front would make a good photo subject. An angry policeman yelled at us and took away the camera. Another policeman inspected it and made Rich delete the offending photo. Rich used his usual charm to diffuse the situation and the mood quickly changed and soon everyone was friends- laughing and shaking hands. We poked our heads inside to briefly watch an interesting service taking place in French with African Catholic priests.

Not sure what to expect, we arranged for our hostel to book us an Uber to visit the Virgin Mary and St Simon Cathedral. St Simon lived in the 10th century, and is famous for having performed the miracle of moving Moqattam Mountain, the district where the cathedral complex has now been built. The slum surrounding the complex is home to the fascinating zabbaleen people, a Coptic clan who are responsible for collecting and dealing with Cairo's rubbish. The entire community was moved here in the 1960's, and walking through there to get to the cathedral was sobering. Families sat in big dark rooms sorting through the rubbish, other alcoves housed large machines for shredding plastic and other recyclables. It was a busy place, full of industry, but we couldn't help feeling depressed for the residents.
The actual cave cathedrals were lovely, light filled and with a soothing atmosphere. Seemingly bizarre quotes from the Bible, (apparently related to St Simon's life) were portrayed with carved scenes around the cathedral. Unfortunately, the tackier parts of the complex with huge simplistic carvings in the rock were overrun by obnoxious, noisy wealthy school children, who somewhat spoiled the mood.

Curious kid, back street, Moqattam, Cairo

Loaded up with rubbish, Moqattam, Cairo

Street scene, Moqattam, Cairo

Streets of Moqattam, Cairo

The Cave Cathedral of St Simon, Moqattam, Cairo

Fair enough

The quotes related to St Simon's life, apparently

St Simon church, Moqattam, Cairo

Other walks included the Nile-side neighbourhoods of Zamelek and Gezira, where we popped into the historic Marriott for a sticky beak (previously the palace of the afore mentioned Khedive Ismail). We also took the colourful little ferry across the Nile to Giza and walked back via the scruffy riverside Corniche and Garden City, and saw the glamorous, wealthy crowds boarding dinner cruisers along the river.
One walk early on in our stay saw us stumbling across a massive second hand clothing market. This proved quite handy, as we were both feeling the cold weather, and were able to purchase some extra layers for a couple of pounds.

Interesting picture made up of Arabic words

Resting in style at the Marriot Cairo

On the little ferry across the Nile

Fruit market, Cairo

Boats on the Nile, Cairo

Funky Pharaonic chick, Cairo

A cold shadow, Cairo

Massive gum tree, Cairo

All that walking created quite an appetite, and luckily, some of our favourite foods in the world were commonly available in Cairo. We basically lived on ta'amiya/felafel (deep fried chick pea patties), ful (bean dip), salad, flat breads, tahina (sesame dip), shwarma chicken and beef, shish tawook chicken (grilled chicken skewers), fried eggplant, kofta (minced lamb in a sausage shape), lentil soup and baba ghanoush (eggplant dip). We did try several new dishes too, including fiteer (Egyptian pizza) and hawawshi (sort of delicious burger in fried bread). This kind of food is cheap and varied in Cairo, and most of the time we paid about EGP40-60/UK£2-3 for a takeaway feast, or EGP100/UK£5 for a restaurant feast. We didn't pursue any alcohol whilst in Cairo- we just didn't feel like it. Instead, refreshing orange juice was available at many little juice stalls for about EGP5/UK£0.25. Strawberries, huge and sweet were Rich's fruit obsession during our stay, and we tried fresh dates for the first time (not to our taste!). The most amazing cake shop in the world was dangerously close to our hostel, and it must be said we visited it most days!

A yummy selection of dishes, Cairo

Fiteer, Egyptian pizza, Cairo

Kofta, shish tawook and other meaty delights! Cairo

Early morning bread shop, Cairo

Local oranges, Cairo

Friendly shwarma shop, Cairo

And, in case you're wondering, yes, there are pyramids on the next blog post!!