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| Sunday, 12 December 2004 |
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Land of the Pharaohs - part III by Carol Aloysius Ever since Howard Carter the archaeologist peered through the dusty air of King Tutankhamum's tomb in 1922 and saw, in his own words, "many wonderful things, the treasures of the 19-year-old Boy King", Tut has held a special fascination for all visitors to the Cairo Museum. A huge casket said to be the inner tomb and weighing 374 pounds we see here, is one of three coffins. King Tut's tomb is the only one that was discovered intact in the Valley of the Kings. Our guide tells us that all that we see in this room are what was found inside the tomb which the King was taking with him on his final journey to the Other World. The treasures include hundreds of bejewelled collars, daggers encased in gold sheaths, necklaces carved with falcons and other Egyptian motifs, rings, amulets, bracelets of all types including flexible bracelets found on the forearms and wrist of the young King. In all, a most remarkable and amazing collection of treasures probably unrivalled anywhere in the world. We walk through rooms filled with ornamental chariots that were once driven by kings, a linen chest with carvings of the King on a hunting trip, a folding travelling bed made in three sections and connected with bronze hinges, ceremonial 'sticks' used by the kings carved with African and Asian figures to show the King's authority over both nations. We leave the Cairo Museum overpowered by a sense of the past and filled with awe at what we have just witnessed of the immeasurable wealth and splendour of a by gone era. 8 p.m. We are sitting in the coolness of the night sky dotted with stars in a huge open enclosure facing the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx. We are now about to witness one of the most remarkable Light and Sound shows in the world. The re-enaction of ancient Egypt in the time of the Pharaohs. Darkness, then a sudden beam of blaze of light spotlights the Sphinx which acts as the narrator and which like a chameleon, keeps changing its image, as various images are superimposed on it. The story it relates is as old as the history of this ancient land. The story of the Pharaohs, their lives, loves, battles and their final journey into the Other World accompanied by their wives, servants and close friends. It is a story that is narrated with lights, sounds and voices. Huge moving visuals flash across the immense wall in front of us with the pyramids towering behind them. We hear the shrill cry of battle and the clash of swords, the thunderous hooves of charging horses and chariots. Then the sad solemn and plaintiff funereal cries, as the pharaohs take their last journey through the underworld in the Other World on their funeral barge. This is undoubtedly one of the most awesome experiences of our Egyptian visit. Our final night. Our tour leader makes it a point to make this night a memorable one. He has arranged to give us a Cruise on the Nile on a luxury boat with a five course dinner and a belly dance and acrobatic show on the boat-free of charge. The cruise takes all of three hours and we gaze with delight at the passing scenes of the city, a rainbow of psychedelic lights as our boat glides along the Nile, now peacefully sleeping with scarcely a ripple. My mind goes back to that Biblical scene of the infant Moses who was placed in a basket and sent down the Nile to escape Herod's edict to kill all baby boys. The Nile, the mother of all rivers, a mighty river that has given food and sustenance to millions and inspired poets and writers down the ages. Watching the Nile flowing ever so gently from the deck of our luxury boat, is my last and most enduring impression of this ancient land still shrouded in mystery and mysticism with its ability to evoke that unique magical aura that continues to attract millions of tourists to this part of the world. Concluded |
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