In the land of the Pharaohs

To go or not to go

Our well-wishers thought we were nuts going on a cruise holiday at this time, can't blame them, they are sane people. Even our children were concerned. Our son dropped us off at the airport and gave us lots of advice. We booked our holiday six months ago before Corona showed up and we couldn't afford to cancel this holiday we have been dreaming about for a long time, if we did, we may not make it ever. It has been on top of our bucket list forever. It had to be ticked off. We decided to take the risk and go!

The Flight

The effect on tourism is obvious although I have no way to compare plus it's not school holiday. Our direct flight from Bristol to Egyptian coastal city Hurghada was full, because maybe like us people booked well in advance. But huge Hurghada Airport felt empty. 

Corona-panic is almost non existent in Egypt. We brought sanitizer, wipes, soap etc. Wiped the arm rests of our seats and put the sanitising gel on hand and face, other passengers did the same. Plane was full. There was inflight medical advice on Corona. We had to fill out a quarantine form asking questions about symptoms and travel information about certain countries and as we disembarked they took body temperature of every passenger, that's all.

The Egyptian immigration officer at the airport was so well decorated as if he was Gen. El-Sisi. Very imposing figure with a stone face. I said "Salam Alaikum" and he melted, the stone face disappeared, replied loudly "Walakum Assalam" and looked up with a sweet smile.

After collecting our luggage we bought an Egyptian SIM because from our travel experience we know the best place to buy sim is at the airport. Internet is cheap and vodaphone have best coverage. 30gb for 20 euro.

The tour operators received us and drove us to the resort by the Red Sea. About half hour drive to the resort by the Red Sea. 

At the Resort

I don't think they get too many Muslim tourists. At the hotel reception they welcomed new comers with a grass of red drink, looked like red wine, I asked "halal"? They all smiled "YES". It was pomegranate juice. 

The resort's name is Titanic and all the senior staff are uniformed as Captains and others as seamen of different capacity. Our package includes all food and drinks in any of the various themed restaurants, breakfast, lunch, dinner any time, all you can eat; a food lover's heaven. They are very generous with hot and cold drinks, automatic machines are doted all over the resort, you can never be too far. 

The resort includes their own private beach on the Red Sea and staff are always eager to help. I have heard many negative comments about Egyptian people, it's probably too early for me to comment but so far I found them polite and humourous. The shopkeepers try to hustle, but that's ok, bargaining is part of the fun traveling the East. And every Egyptian I met are either Ahmed or Muhammed.

Egyptians have good sense of humour, not difficult to find a funny Egyptian. They make fun of Corona scare. I sneezed and Egyptian shop keeper loughingly says Corona? I asked another shop keeper his name, he goes Corona, another says "don't go near him, he is virus. 

At Luxor

Good morning from Luxor, Egypt. We arrived last night, it was a 4 hour bus ride through a very arid landscape with sand dunes and rocky mountains. We stopped at a 'service' in the middle of the desert, actually a big tent where you had to pay to use the toilets. 

More tourists are arriving on the ship today. Under the present health scare it's a bit comforting that the ship is only a river cruise ship, not those ocean going big ones. So there won't be thousands of people. The ship is like an old colonial relic, pretty much like the Rocket or Ostrich ships in Padma with 4 decks.

This morning we had a briefing by our host, an Egyptologist, who reassured us about their hygiene standards. They have 5 star rating by Egyptian Authority. So unless we are cursed by Tutankhamun we should be safe.

As a tourist you have to watch what you eat. It's best to avoid anything uncooked like salads when you are traveling in any third world country for you don't know the quality of the water they used to wash them. 

At Karnak Temple

After lunch we went to see Karnak Temple. It's construction started around 2000 years BC. Dedicated to Egyptian God Amun, Mut and Khonsu. It's the largest religious building ever constructed. Amun was the chief of all God. All prayers was offered to Amun which is the origin of the Hebrew word Amen in Bible. 

I won't go into the history in much detail, that is easily accessible in the internet. I will tell you how I felt. I felt small, very small. Another person who felt the same at 332 BC. He was Alexander the Great. The sheer scale of it can make anyone feel small and he was no exception. Alexander was so overwhelmed that he told his soldiers that he was not going back to Greece. He said if I am to be God, this is the place for me to be. So he built his own template inside the complex, but it's very small compared to original structures. 

Around 306-337 AD during his rule Roman emperor Constantine recognised Christianity. And he built a temple inside it to mark Roman Catholicism in a pagan temple. Again it's also very small compared to original structures.

At Valley of the Kings: 

These are the original tombs of the Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings, long before the Pyramids. Notice the shape of these limestone mountains, that's why Pyramids are shaped to mirror these shapes. Pyramids have three corners to represent 3 lives, past, present and eternal life.

These are deep inside the tombs of the in those mountains. It would be pitch dark in there without any light source. Think how they got light inside to do these carvings and paintings. Oil lamp would suck up all oxygen and they would suffocate. So they made reflectors with silver. A huge reflector would shine the sunlight from outside into the tunnel and small reflectors placed inside would reflect that light in different directions. So they could only work on sunny days.

Story of Abdur Rasul, the original Tomb Raider: 

Abdur Rasul lived in this area in 1817. One night he told his wife "come with me, I will show you something but you can't tell no one". He took his wife into a cave in these mountains, which was actually a tomb of a noble man, he found it by luck. His wife couldn't believe what she saw, silver, gold, stones, jewelry - lots. He said we won't be poor ever. So Abdur Rasul and later his sons and then his descendants lived on digging tombs at night and selling the treasures. They occupied all those mountains. They found hundreds and hundreds of tombs of rich nobles and plundered them for centuries. Look closely and you will see the caves. They even made deals with tour operating companies to take tourists into the caves. Eventually in 2005 Egyptian government had to use the military to remove them and relocate them. But by that time nothing was left. (These mountains are not in the Valley of the Kings but near and they were not king's but nobles of that time)

Min, the God of fertility:

A man had affairs with too many women in Ramesses's palace. So Ramesses had his one arm and one leg cut off and let him go. Soon after Ramesses had to leave for a war far away that lasted 3 years. Ramesses won the war but lost a lot of men in his army. When he came back he found 1500 children, all boys, born to the palace women. He called all the women and said he was happy to have so many boys who could join the army in future but wanted to know who are the fathers. They said they all had one father it was that man. King said "call him I want to see him". They said you can't, he has risen up to holy status, he is the god of fertility, Min, we built him a temple and we worship him. So Ramesses had to observe proper rituals to go visit him and blessed by him so that he can have more sons. Centuries later obviously someone decided to cut off another part of his body.

Not a temple, an archaeological research centre built by University of Chicago in the Valley of the Kings.

Tomb of Pharaoh Hatshepsut. (1748 BC)

When she was born her father sent her and her mother away in exile to present day Somalia, because she was a daughter. Her father then married a Syrian woman and had a son. When the king died his son couldn't become Pharaoh as his mother wasn't Egyptian, the high priest suggested he marry his sister to become king which he did by bringing her back from exile later he divorced her and re-married but the king died leaving a baby son to be the Pharaoh but Hatshepsut came to lookafter her baby nephew and wanted to rule as Pharaoh on behalf of her baby nephew. But the high priest said she couldn't because she was a woman. So she made a deal with the high priest that he will declare that she has become a male, but at night she will have to sleep with him in the temple where no one will be allowed. So she was a male in the day time wearing fake beard and mask covering her feminity and a female at night. 

She banished her sister-in-law (baby's mother) so her nephew didn't know he was real pharoah. When he became an adult and found out that he is the real Pharoah and what she did to his mother. He exposed her feminity in public and had her killed. 

Hatshepsut's Tree: 

When Hatshepsut came back from Punt (present day Somalia) she brought this tree and she planted the tree here. Excavators found it and preserved it's root (1400 BC)

On the Nile


Our ship has sailed cruising the Nile. Notice the unfinished buildings on the banks of the Nile. Whole Egypt is full of unfinished buildings. There is a strange reason for it. There is no property tax until the building is finished, so people leave their building unfinished to avoid tax.

Our ship was passing through a lock, where a ship has to pass through different level of water. Watch the two brave boys trying to do some business with the tourists way up on the sun-deck.

Aswan and Philae Temple

The 2,700 year old temple was going under the rising water due to the first Aswan Dam. They stayed half immersed in water for 40 years. The limestone were eroding away.  Eventually the world came together to rescue under UNESCO. Different countries and private donors financed the rescue works. They dismantled, numbered each stones and reconstructed the temples on a high man-made island. Work completed in 1970. Ancient Egyptian builders did not use any cement or mortars to hold them together, they were skilled to build without using anything to hold together. So the rescue work engineers couldn't use any cement to reconstruct because that would change the shape and character of the buildings. They came up with a solution, the drilled holes into the stones and ran steel rods through them to secure them, ingenious!

Notice the chiselled out carvings on the left and untouched carved image on the right. The damage was done first by the Roman conquest. For two hundred years they allowed half of the temple to be used as Christian church and half as Egyptian temple. After that they killed the Egyptian priests and converted the whole temple into a Christian church, so they had to chisel out the Egyptian gods. Then came the Muslims to cause more damage as they are not allowed in Islam. So they damaged faces of every carvings and statues. The right one and some others survived because they were covered in mud. Napoleon stole lot of things from Egypt, he came here and made his mark by some inscription. His soldiers also fired at some carvings. ( See other pictures)

Story behind Philae Temple 

There were 2 god brothers Orisis and Set  and 2 goddess sisters isis and nephthys, both brothers wanted to marry Isis, but she choose Orisis as her husband; so Set arranged with Hippopotamus (Priest) for Orisis to be killed and cut up into pieces with parts hidden in different places; Isis looked for her husband across Egypt and finally found all his pieces and bought his body parts to Philae where she resurrected him temporarily, she then became pregnant (postumously) with their son Horus (god with falcon head) who she hid from his uncle Set after his birth; she and her son both lived at Philae Temple where they were worshipped until Roman times (Church built and maintained jointly on site until 280AD where priests killed by Order of Byzantine Emperor Constantine); Egyptian people still think Hippopotamus is bad luck and there are none left in the country. 

Nile boat trip to Nubian village.

We visited a Nubian village by the Nile. Nubians are sub-saharan African tribe. Once they ruled Egypt because one of the Pharaohs married a Nubian woman and her son became the king and his descendants ruled for 300 years.

Abu Simnel. 

At dawn we set off to Abu Simbel, site of two temples built by the Egyptian king Ramses II (1279–13 BC), by coach. After 3f hours through the Sahara desert we arrived at Abu Simbel. The four colossal statues of Ramses in front of the main temple are spectacular. Although they appear to be identical at first glance, but on close observation you will see they are different, representing different age of Ramesses 2. 

The whole temple was buried under sand for centuries. It was discovered in 1813. The 66-foot (20-metre) seated figures of Ramses are set against the recessed face of the cliff, two on either side of the entrance to the main temple. 

The temple was curved into the stone. Our guide made a point that the Egyptian craftsmen did it over one thousand years before the one in Petra, Jordan.  

On two days of the year (about February 22 and October 22), the first rays of the morning sun penetrate the whole length of the temple and illuminate the face of Ramesses 2. Those two days were his birthday and his coronation day. 

Just to the north of the main temple is a smaller one, dedicated to Queen Nefertari his wife. 

In the mid-20th century, when the reservoir that was created by the construction of the nearby Aswan High Dam threatened to submerge Abu Simbel, UNESCO and the Egyptian government sponsored a project to save the site. An informational and fund-raising campaign was initiated by UNESCO in 1959. Between 1963 and 1968 a workforce and an international team of engineers and scientists, supported by funds from more than 50 countries, dug away the top of the cliff and completely disassembled both temples, reconstructing them on high ground more than 200 feet (60 metres) above their previous site. In all, some 16,000 blocks were moved. It was a feat of ancient and modern engineering. 

The reconstruction engineers did all kind of calculations to position the temple so that the sun would still light the face of Ramesses on those two days. But it was impossible because the temple was raised 60 meters up. Now the light illuminates his face on only one day but a day after his birthday on 21st February. 

Sobek (Crocodile) temple (Kom Ombo)

We visited a 2,200 year old temple by the Nile. The priests there used to hide behind the walls and talk to people to make them believe it was God's voice. That made people frightened to make more offerings. When Alexander the Great came here, he found out their treachery and killed the priests and closed the temple. He made another temple called Esna temple declaring himself God and told people to go there and worship him. 

Corona

Last night Corona finally caught up with us. We went to the nearby shopping arcade and the shopkeeper asked us when we're going back, we said 21st, he asked how, Egypt is shutting down all airports from 19th to 31st, no flight in or out. Couldn't believe him, checked the internet, to our horror he was right, it was breaking news at the time. 

We came back to our room, contacted our travel insurance, they still didn't have any information on it. But said if the news is true and from Egyptian government we will be covered since we bought the holiday before the Corona was reported. So we frantically started to book an earlier flight online. It was not easy, very few seats were available. Obviously other tourists who found out were also doing the same. By the time we got to the booking stage, after filling out the information, the seats were gone. It was a race against time. 

Finally we managed to get two seats on a Etihad flight from Cairo to London via Abu Dhabi on 18th for £1,100. Since insurance will pay, money was our least concern, because next morning when the news will break out, there will be no flight available. Although our insurance company reassured us that if we can't get a flight, they will pay for our hotel accommodation until we can fly back. But what we would do for that many days away from our children and loved ones, what if any of them or we get infected during that time so far away from home, those were the worries. Being on holiday is one thing, being stuck in a foreign land is another. Unlike our other holidays, this time we are looking forward to go home early. We still have time to visit Pyramids before we fly, since our flight is in the evening.

Egypt is one of the least effected countries, but they are taking pre-emptive measures.

The Exodus

There were more drama waiting for us. After booking the flight from Cairo tomorrow we felt relieved, but not for too long. We soon heard that Egyptian government is putting all the tourist resorts under quarantine from tomorrow, so we decided to get to Cairo today otherwise we may not make it to the airport tomorrow. 

We had to arrange our own transport because we were no longer under our tour package.  Only means of transport was taxi. But no taxi driver wanted to go to Cairo because they were afraid they might not be allowed to get back in.

I had an Arabic translator in Cairo who has been working with me for many years and we became virtual friends. I sent him an email to find us a transport and he sure did. He said he would send a car from Cairo to pick us up but it's a good four hours drive, means it would be awhile. 

Advised by another couple, we called Ubar and got one. We told him that we will need an hour to get ready, could he wait. He said he can but he will have to turn off Uber, it will have to be a private hire. So I negotiated a price. I already had an Idea about the approximate cost from my friend in Cairo.  So in an hour we packed and got into the car and set off for Cairo. But there is a glitch. 

The driver Walid was a character, he didn't have the license to carry tourists to Cairo but his brothers had, six of them all taxi drivers.so he actually collected us for his brother, which of course we didn't know. On the way he explained and said that we will have to change car to his brother's licenced tourist car. Fine, but he didn't know his brother was ill. So he called a friend who came but refused to take us because he thought we were Chinese tourists and drove off. Walid was shouting at him in Arabic "they are not Chinese they are Muslims" but he was gone. Walid broke into laughter, but we were not laughing because we didn't know what happened. 

We were getting tensed and annoyed. He explained, that, that driver thought we were Chinese tourists because we were wearing masks. That was the only time we put on mask seeing other people wearing them, bad decision. So we took off our masks. 

Seeing us worried, Walid reassured us "brother, don't worry I will not leave you until I make sure you get to the airport. He was talking all the time on phone in Arabic and we had no idea what's going on. Then he drove us to another parked car, introduced us to the driver and told us "he will take you to the airport, he got the license" and showed us the special label required on the car. 

So now finally we are on our way to Cairo. Booked a room at Novotel Airport Hotel online from the car for tonight. Driver Mohamed is a nice polite dependable person unlike Walid - what an experience!

Walid

Later we saw how important it was to be in the right type of transport, a licensed tourist car and driver. Egypt is under military rule, there are military check points on the road, every time the car was passing through, the driver turned on the interior light for them to see us and talked to them in Arabic, we had no idea what they were talking about, but I felt like we were in one of those movies where the character had to escape from the military in a Middle Eastern country.

After all Walid kept his promise. Later he also remembered to send us a receipt to our drivers phone for insurance purposes.  

He knew we were pissed off at him, as we were leaving, he put his smiling face through the window and said, "you will thank me later", we drove off, Walid disappeared behind in the dust. We have reached Ciro. 

Thank you Walid! 

Pyramids of Giza

We have been misinformed at the resort, that Egyptian government have shutdown all public places. So we scrapped our plans to visit the Pyramids, we told ourselves, we will comeback again to Cairo just for the Pyramids and the Sphinx. But we knew it may never happen. 

We escaped the lockdown of Red Sea resorts, and reached Cairo in the middle of the night and checked into the hotel. It just occurred to me, that since we are in Cairo anyway, why don't we go and see the Pyramids from a distance, such a big thing, shouldn't be difficult. 

So next morning I went down to the hotel lobby and asked the reception to get some information. The receptionist showed me a desk in the lobby with pictures of Pyramids on the background and told me to go them, because they offer pyramid tours. I went there but disappointed that the man sitting at the desk hardly speaks any English. 

With a great effort, to my surprise, he told me that the Pyramids were still open, to be shut down from tomorrow. I couldn't believe my luck. But the price for their service seemed high. 

After breakfast we called Uber and set off for Giza. The driver couldn't speak much English. I tried to start a conversation, he was playing Quran in the car. I asked him if he was a Muslim, he said no, Christian. I asked so why are you playing Quran, he smiled shaking his head indicating, he just likes it. I saw this in other places they play Qur'an just like a background music. (Taxi fare was £9). 

Realising our conversation wasn't gonna go too far, I concentrated on the passing scene outside. Cairo could be a beautiful city if they deliberately didn't leave the buildings look unfinished and unpainted to avoid tax only on finished buildings. 

As we were going through the dusty unattractive roads, suddenly I noticed the top of the pyramid appeared behind some buildings. That was an exciting sight, completely unexpected. I was expecting a majestic befitting road will lead the visitors to one of the most iconic world heritage sites, it was no where near my expectations. One other time I had the same disappointing experience was when we went to visit Taj Mahal, the road to this magnificent and the most beautiful architecture was dirty, smelly, crowded, dull and mundane. It gives an impression that these third world nations don't treasure their treasures although they make billions from them. 

Due to the Corona crisis, there were very few tourists at the Pyramids, that posed another problem, there are more vendors than visitors and they chase you relentlessly. 

The ticket counter was same as our rail station ticket counters with a little window and a grumpy old man on the other side who is obviously not happy with his job. In his poor English he told us, "only Egyptian money, 200 EP, no foreign currency, no credit card". We didn't have enough Egyptian money, he told us to go to a bank inside a nearby hotel for the exchange. 

So we walked down to the bank and got the money. As we were walking back up, the texi drivers, camel drivers, horse carriage men kept chasing us simultaneously with their offers and services, they don't take no for an answer. Eventually they given up on us except one taxi driver. His approach was gentle and non-aggressive he offered showing us all the Pyramids and Sphinx with no limits on time and stops for 100 EP (£5). That seemed very reasonable, after all, it was a nine km site. So we took him. Again he was playing Quran, he said his name was Tarek and he was a Muslim. 

Tarek was very helpful, stopped at the photo spots and gave us some good advice. We liked him, so we made a deal with him that after we are done with Pyramids he would take us to The Egyptian Museum and then to our hotel for 450 EP (£21)

Most of you will be surprised if I say I wasn't that awestruck with the Pyramids like other people who visited Pyramids first before they visited Abu Simbel, Valley of the Kings and Karnak Temple, if they did. But we did it the other way around and Pyramids were the last. I would rate the Giza Pyramids after the other sites I mentioned. If anyone came to Egypt just to see the Pyramids and left without seeing the other sites, I would say, they have missed a great opportunity. 

One hour at the Pyramids of Giza is adequate, 2 hours max, unless you want to do the touristy things like, camel ride, horse carriage ride, buying souvenirs (mostly made in China) and getting your picture taken by the 'photographers' with your finger on the tip of the Pyramid! 

So near yet so far:

I have an Egyptian friend named Shawkey in Cairo, we have been working together online for nearly ten years and became friends but we never met. Towards the end of our holiday we had to cut our stay short and flee from Hurghada, a Red Sea resort town, to Cairo 300 miles away, to escape the Egypt lock-down catching the last flight out of Egypt next day. But we had serious problem getting a taxi because, the drivers were afraid of getting infected by foreign tourists. I contacted my friend in Cairo, Shawkey for help. He arranged for a transport to come from Cairo to rescue us. At the end we didn't need his help because we managed to find a taxi willing to take us. That's another story!

Shawkey told me to contact him from the Cairo hotel next morning so that we could meet. But I did not, because I didn't want to put him in an obligation and put him and his family at risk in this Pandemic scare, where thousands of tourists from all over the world were fleeing and we were amongst them. And we had only few hours before our evening flight which we wanted to utilise to visit the Pyramids and the Egyptian Museum.

Later when I reached home safely I saw an email from Shawkey, asking why didn't I contact him, his Algerian wife cooked an Algerian meal for us and his children were excited to have us. They were very disappointed. When I explained to him why I didn't contact him, he said in a typical Arab expression "I swear in gods name, no force in earth would stop me from seeing you my friend. I live in Giza near the pyramids and I could take you everywhere".

So near yet so far, what a lost opportunity, I feel terrible for I may never meet my good friend Shawkey ever. I hate you Corona!

ফেরাউনের দেশে (২০২০)

গিজার পিরামিড: আমি জানি যে যদি আমি বলি, শুধু পিরামিড দেখার জন্য মিশরে গেলে আপনি হতাশ হবেন, বেশিরভাগ মানুষ আমাকে বিশ্বাস করবেন না, যেখানে এটি বিশ্বের সাতটি বিস্ময়ের মধ্যে একটি। এটি অবশ্যই বিস্ময়কর এবং এ ব্যাপারে প্রচুর পড়াশুনা করা এবং প্রচুর ডকুমেন্টারি দেখা দরকার। তবে সেখানে গিয়ে কিছু ছবি তোলা ছাড়া দেখার বা করার মতো কিছুই নেই।

গিজার তিনটি প্রধান পিরামিডকে পিরামিডস অফ থ্রি কিংস বলা হয়। এগুলো কোনও বিখ্যাত ফেরাউনদেরও নয়। ভিতরে থাকা সমস্ত কিছুই সরিয়ে ফেলা হয়েছে এবং কায়রো যাদুঘর এবং বিশ্বের অন্যান্য বিখ্যাত যাদুঘরে রাখা আছে। সেখানে ঘোরাঘুরি করতে ও ছবি তুলতে দুই ঘণ্টার বেশী লাগার কথা নয়।  পিরামিডের গা বেয়ে উঠা অবৈধ, কিছু নির্ধারিত সিঁড়ি আছে যেখানে উঠে দাঁড়িয়ে ছবি তোলা যায়। তবে অযথা সবাই সেখানে ভিড় করে, কারণ জিনিসটা এতো বড় যে দূর থেকে না তুললে তা যে পিরামিডের ছবি তা বুঝাও যাবেনা।

কায়রো থেকে ৫০০ কিমিঃ দূরে লাক্সরে ভ্যালী অফ দি কিংস, কর্ণক টেম্পল এবং আবু সিম্বেল আমার কাছে বেশী আকর্ষণীয় বলে মনে হয়েছে। ভ্যালী অফ দি কিংস এ রামেসিস, টুটেনখামুন এবং অন্যান্য বিখ্যাত ফেরাউনদের সমাধি রয়েছে। এই সমাধিগুলি গিজার পিরামিডের চেয়ে অনেক পুরানো এবং সমাধিগুলি পর্বতের ভেতরে খুঁড়ে তৈরী করা। পর্বতগুলোর আকার প্রাকৃতিকভাবেই ত্রিভুজের মতো, যে কারণে পিরামিডকে সে আকার দেয়া হয়। ভ্যালী অফ দি কিংস এর সমাধিগুলো যেমন ছিল তেমনভাবেই সংরক্ষণ করা আছে এবং ভিতরে গিয়ে ছবি তোলা যায়।

ভ্যালী অফ দি কিংস এ শত শত শত সমাধি রয়েছে যার সবগুলো এখনো বের করা হয় নাই, কাজ চলছে। সেখানে আন্তর্জাতিক বড় বড় বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়গুলির স্থায়ী গবেষণা কেন্দ্র রয়েছে, আমরা শিকাগো বিশ্ববিদ্যালয় একটি দেখেছি। এটি পাহাড়ের সাথে মিশে থাকার জন্য বেলেপাথর দিয়ে তৈরি মনোরম একটি ভবন যা এমনভাবে বানানো হয়েছে যেন আরব্য রজনীর কোন রাজবাড়ী। এ ছাড়া আমরা অন্যান্য স্থানেও বিভিন্ন দেশের বিজ্ঞানীদের কাজ করতে দেখেছি।

ভাগ্যিস এখন লোকজনকে মোবাইল ফোনে ছবি তুলতে দেয়া হয়, কিছুদিন আগেও দেয়া হতোনা। অন্য কোনও ক্যামেরা ব্যবহার করতে চাইলে ফি জমা দিয়ে অনুমতি নিতে হয় তবে কোনও ফ্ল্যাশ ফটোগ্রাফি করা যাবেনা।

আকর্ষণীয় তথ্য: সমস্ত মমিগুলি কেন একই রকম দেখতে, নাকের শেপ একই রকম বাঁকা কেন? এর কারণ মমির কারিগররা নাক দিয়ে মগজ বের করে আনতো এবং তা করতে গিয়ে নাকের স্বাভাবিক আকার নষ্ট হয়ে যেতো। আবু সিম্বেলে দ্বিতীয় রামেসেসের মূর্তির নাকটি মোটেও বাঁকানো নয়।

সমাধিগুলোর ভেতরে রাখা আরও অনেক কিছুর মধ্যে পনির এবং মধু পাওয়া গিয়েছিলো, যা তিন হাজার বছরের পুরানো এবং বিজ্ঞানীরা পরীক্ষা করে দেখেছেন এখনো খাওয়ার উপযোগী এবং সুস্বাদু।