Alan thank you for al the beautiful pictures and the excellent background descriptions, that's a lot of knowledge about Egypt that you have accumulated. wishing you the best for your next 2 trips.
Just a photo op (poor photo quality - photo of a photo.) However, I must say the issue I had for the past 7 years from horseback riding during K&T in 2015 has finally mostly healed and I haven't had a recurrence of back issues, so I could have actually ridden the camel! Sure getting older, but seems a draw in the fight with ageing and falling apart!
Day 12 Old Cairo / Islamic & Coptic Quarters (and private excursion to Meidom)
This was a short day for Tauck activities- morning visit to the Coptic Quarter to see the Church of St. Serius & St. Bacchus, the "Hanging Church, and the Sultan Hassan Mosque, then return to the hotel, be tested for COVID, lunch, free afternoon, and farewell dinner.
I did not take many photos in the morning.
Upon arrival, we descended below today's street level to and walked along a very narrow street (more like an alley) lined with book, tourist brochure, and religious souvenir sellers, to the 4th Century Coptic Church, traditionally believed to have been built on the spot where the Holy Family rested after their journey to Egypt. It was burned in 750 but rebuilt several times over the years. The crypt is 30 feet deep and, when Nile levels are high, it is often flooded. It was too hard to photograph due to the plexiglass cover.
We made a brief visit to Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the "Hanging Church," because of its location above a gatehouse of the Roman Babylon Fortress. Its nave is suspended over a passage. The land surface has risen by some 18 feet since the Roman period, so the Roman tower is mostly buried below ground. It is one of the oldest churches in Egypt. The history of a church on this site dates to the third century.
Next we headed to the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan. I understand some tours visit the Al-Rifa'i Mosque which is across the street. Both mosques are under the gaze of the massive hilltop fortress and Mosque of Muhammad Ali. While impressive, I've heard the Hassan Mosque doesn't hold a candle to the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul.
Al-Rifa'i Mosque
Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
Mosque cat:
The Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or the Alabaster Mosque. It was commissioned by the Pasha between 1830 and 1848. Situated on the summit of the citadel, this Ottoman mosque, the largest to be built in the first half of the 19th century, is, with its animated silhouette and twin minarets, the most visible mosque in Cairo.
Does anyone know what this is? Hint: It has been 98+% finished for the past three years!! Arrrgggghhhhh!!!!!
Traffic was typical for Cairo, but the bus made decent time and on arrival everyone went to the Spa to be tested. We made an appointment to be tested the next morning. We got some stuff from our room before meeting our private guide and van at reception parking. We skipped the hotel lunch so we could get on the road, instead stopped at an "On the Run" on the street behind the hotel. It is a very nice gas and convenience store chain with locations throughout Cairo. While not as good as a Sheetz MTO in the US or Pret A Manger in the UK, or similar places, it was nice, clean, accepted plastic, and had tasty sandwiches and soft drinks. True to its name, we were in and out in a flash.
We had an hour drive to our destination, the Meidom Pyramid (named after the nearby modern-day town), but the start of the Faiyum Desert Highway was not far from the Mena House. It is new, smooth, and fast, at least when compared to the highways in and around Cairo and no speed bumps, plus it was nearly devoid of traffic.
Not far from the start of the route we passed huge apartment complexes that made up the 6th of October City. There were mile + long rows and rows of identical, new, large apartment buildings (no pics). We also passed a very large brick making facility with numerous smokestacks, but mostly we saw empty desert. Before long, the seemingly endless desert sand gave way to more and more vegetation as we approached the massive Faiyum Oasis.
Even from a distance, the pyramid is impressive. Due to its steep, but stepped sides, many who see it think it is an ancient watch tower. It is a pyramid, the first one built after the Step Pyramid of Djoser. This one was started at the beginning of the 4th Dynasty by King Sneferu father of a line of pyramid builders. As the sign says, it is possible it was started by his father Huni, but most of the work is credited to Sneferu who went on to build two more pyramids, both in Dahshur, south of Saqqara- the famous Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, the first true pyramid.
The Meidom pyramid started out as a step pyramid, but somewhere along the way the decision was made to build up the exterior and transform it into a true pyramid shape. Theories abound, but I do not know why the lower portion appears to lack steps, they may have been filled and faired with the general slope of the pyramid before building up the exterior, but in any case the sides are steep. When transforming the exterior, poor design, soft ground, poor base preparation or seismic activity caused the exterior, not just the sheathing, to fall off and down into the pile you see. The large rubble pile around the pyramid is the material that fell off. Like the pyramids in Dahshur, Saqqara, and Giza to the north, it was also going to be fully sheathed in white limestone. A portion of the lowest course of white limestone sheath was exposed during excavations and is visible just left of center in my second photo below. And, of course, like with the other pyramids, over the years much of the limestone was hauled away for other projects, but in this case, not until it was excavated from the rubble pile! It has been speculated that the collapse is the reason Sneferu changed the angle of the Bent Pyramid. To get an idea of scale, the two black dots at the lower edge of the spoil pile to the left, are people!
Our plan was to enter and see the burial chamber, too. We climbed to the top of a high timber scaffold where we were met by a caretaker who had the door open and was ready for us. Unlike the next pyramid I entered, the ramp stairway here was not too steep and the entry shaft headroom was much higher. It was also fairly well lighted making entry relatively easy, even for someone who might be slightly claustrophobic!
There was no decoration on the walls- no hieroglyphic "pyramid texts" nor painted reliefs. Just rock cut corridors and a small burial chamber with corbelled ceiling, but no sarcophagus (just a few bats ) The ceiling appeared have been braced- with a piece of 19th or 20th century iron and what may be a 4000 year old timber.
I was prepared for poor lighting so I put on the powerful LED headlamp I brought on tour.
Once rubble was cleared from the east side, a typical mortuary temple with two stelae was found. There were no inscriptions on the stelae and there were no signs of a Valley Temple which makes many think the pyramid was never finished.
There are a number of mastaba tombs nearby. Closest was this large one called, Mastaba 17. It posed a difficult problem for early archaeologists who could not find the entrance. They attempted to cut it in half, but eventually found the entrance, low on one side. Even today you must crawl on your stomach to gain access- not for us!!!! A little further north is the mastaba tomb of Nefermaat, the eldest son of Sneferu. It was here they found the famous Meidom Geese wall art. It was discovered in 1871 by Frenchman Auguste Mariette the founder and first Director of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities (the forerunner of the Supreme Council of Antiquities) and first Director of the precursor of the Cairo Museum. The scene was executed in painted plaster. The painting was removed from the wall in order to be reassembled inside the Bulaq Museum. I photographed it in the Cairo Museum two days earlier.
The final chapter tomorrow- A full day at Dahshur- the Bent Pyramid (all the way in!) and Black Pyramid + Saqqarra- the Tomb of Ty, the Serapeum, misc. tombs, a valley temple causeway, and a surprise- a boat pit. This has been fun posting pics and writing about and reliving the experience. I hope it hasn't been too boring.
Day 13 (fly home day) Private tour to Dahshur and Saqqara
A medtech arrived at 8:00 to administer our return COVID tests. After we resolved an issue about payment we went to breakfast. Our guide arrived at 9:00 and we were off to Dahshur and Saqqara. We decided to forego lunch at the Palm, so stopped at "On the Run" again for sandwiches. First we headed to Dahshur which is about 2 mi. south of Saqqara, but can't be reached from there due to the military base. The focus there was the Bent Pyramid, the second of three pyramids constructed by Sneferu, father of Khufu.
The last morning view of the pyramids from our room.
Just north of the Bent Pyramind in Dahshur we passed the Red Pyramid, the first true pyramid, and the third pyramid built by Sneferu.
The Bent Pyramid, with much of its white Tura limestone sheathing intact and dual angled sides 54° and 43° (upper), stands out from all the other pyramids. (Tura, located between modern-day Cairo and Helwan, was the primary quarry for limestone in ancient Egypt.)
When viewed from a certain angle the pyramid appears to have flat not "bent" sides
The sheathing stones were laid at a slight angle, tilted inwards, not laid horizontally like the the sheathing on the Great Pyramid of Khufu, .
A small mortuary cult chapel, consisting of fine white limestone walls and roof, stood at the foot of the east wall of the pyramid. It had an altar in the form of the hetep symbol, but constructed of three limestone blocks with two nine meter high fine white limestone monoliths (stele) on the sides.
The Bent Pyramid is made entirely of stone. . .
. . . not the nearby Black Pyramid. Though originally cased in limestone which was removed, it was made mostly of mud bricks, the reason for the severe deterioration, dark color, and hence, its name. It was built for King Amenemhat III during the Middle Kingdom and is one of the five remaining pyramids of the original eleven at Dahshur. It was the first to house both the deceased pharaoh and his queens. The black granite pyramidion (capstone) is on display in the Cairo Museum.
A small cult pyramid is close to the south side of the Bent Pyramid. It has a substructure with an entrance on the north side at ground level which leads to a corridor and a small chamber with a corbel vaulted ceiling. Many scholars see this corridor as the model for the Great Gallery in Snefru's son's (Khufu) pyramid at Giza.
Such precision on such a scale was amazing. Our guide showed us an alignment ridge that had been carved into the stone foundation:
We were about to leave when our guide asked if I wanted to enter. It was not planned, I had not done any research, and I had no idea what to expect, but figured, why not! Since 2019, tourists have been able to reach two 4600-year-old chambers through a narrow tunnel built from the northern entrance. It was the first time both the main and adjacent pyramids had been opened to the public since excavated in 1956. The 260' long entrance shaft was steep with a low ceiling- I had to enter backwards and stay partially bent over, for the entire descent.
Once at the bottom I had to climb a wooden scaffold, then a ladder to reach the corbelled burial chamber. To access the second (main) burial chamber I crawled on my hands and knees through a small, rough cut tunnel - see the sketch. The sloped entrance, not shown, enters at the lower right. This was no walk in the park! Though it was lighted, I was glad to have my head lamp.
Like the pyramid, some of the timbers were 4000 years old. And, yes there were bats.
To exit, I had to go back the way I entered. The climb up was easier, but not much!
We ate lunch in the van during the short drive to nearby Saqqara. Across from the ticket office was the Valley Temple of Unas, whose small rubble pyramid is adjacent to the south side of Djoser's complex. The step pyramid was visible in the distance in the second photo.
Up the hill on the right was the Bubasteion area (subject of Nat Geo and PBS TV specials) where tombs (Wahtye, etc.), sarcophagi, human mummies, and mummified cats, even a lion cub, were found. Permanent information placards were in front of several tombs in preparation for opening them to the public(?) Multiple excavations are still in progress, too. The supports for a traditional tambora, a manual cranked winch, was positioned over a shaft. There was no wooden cable drum. Archaeologist's, etc. tents were still erected- a scene straight out of an Indiana Jones movie!
We headed for the Serapeum. It was discovered by French archaeologist Auguste Mariette, founder and first Director of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. It is a relatively shallow, but extensive complex that contained the Sacred Apis bulls in huge granite sarcophagi, some weighing over 80 tons. It was believed the bulls were incarnations of the god Ptah. Outside the entrance we came across an active dig!! Two men were working a surface feature. A man carrying a tripod appeared from somewhere. When I asked him if he was surveying or photographing he said he was a cameraman and worked for the BBC, PBS, etc. He said he filmed something interesting but wouldn't say what! Check out the wheelbarrow, too. Update- the site may be the one in this March 20, 2022 press release: https://phys.org/news/2022-03-egypt-ancient-tombs-saqqara.html
A huge sarcophagus nearly blocked one corridor.
The hieroglyphics and scenes cut into the walls of the tomb of Ty were similar to, but overall in better condition and more colorful, than what we saw with Tauck in the tomb of Mereruka. Like Mereruka's tomb, it had a serdab, with viewing slots, for Ty's ka, .
We ran out of time so I didn't get to enter the Step Pyramid. Below the pyramid are nearly 3.5 mi. of corridors and galleries!! After post-tour reading, I was sorry we didn't have time, but my body would have likely hurt more than it did!
We still had a little time so went to an area southeast of Djosers Pyramid complex. We saw part of the causeway that connected the Pyramid of Unas to its Valley Temple which we saw earlier. Temple/pyramid causeways were originally fully enclosed and a section of the top of this one had been reconstructed.
Nearby I saw a long, curved, stone-lined trench which looked like a (solar) boat pit. Our guide didn't know one was there so wasn't sure. I did some research and confirmed it was a boat pit similar to ones found by the Great Pyramid!! After looking at my photos, I discovered what appears a second boat pit at the right in my photo!
We entered two more mastabas. The interiors were much like ones we saw on tour- same scenes of everyday life, etc. In one it appeared the owner was low on funds or died before it was finished- the wall art changed from painted reliefs to just painted flat ,stone walls.
The road home had several carpet "schools" (with galleries ) so we stopped at one "familiar" to our guide to use the restroom and see the children. Downstairs a few supervised children were making carpets. Upstairs was a fancy gallery with carpets of all sizes and prices. The first modest sized carpet (4' X 6') they showed my wife was only $4000!! A setup? Ya think? They were nice but certainly no Tabriz or Isfahan.
We got negative COVID test results via email; a paper copy arrived at the hotel later. At 1045 pm the Tauck transfer took us to the airport where a Tauck expeditor helped us through security. Check-in for our 2:45 am Turkish Air flight was without issue. The only negative- despite being masked, I caught COVID likely from an American who was near us in the small lounge and during our flight to Istanbul. I tested positive a few days later but had a mild case.
That's all she wrote. I may add some follow-up thoughts later about this truly fantastic tour, inshallah. I'm happy to answer questions.
Shukran
Your travelog for this trip has been wonderful, especially for those of us doing it soon. One detail that may not be of general interest but is quite important to us would be to describe the timeline for the last evening. We were able to get great flight arrangements on the non-stop flight from Cairo home to Washington, but only if we leave that last evening. Our flight departs Cairo at 11:20 PM so we expect that we'll miss the dinner, but not perhaps the reception? So, if you could list the time and duration of the reception (realizing that it probably segues right into dinner), dinner and also how much time before your flight Tauck arranged the transfer to the airport. That will give us an idea of what to expect. We will, of course, hammer out the details with the TD when we are on the trip.
Again, thanks! We'll be studying your travelog in detail between now and October.
In Cairo on the way back home Tauck took us to the airport 3 to 3.5 hours prior to the flight.(Feb 2nd) For us that was at 10pm. You might leave a bit earlier since there is more traffic and perhaps the airport business it picking up.
Sorry if I missed it, but could you share the name and contact info for your guide at the end. Thanks so much for the amazing photos. We will be there the last 2 weeks in November and I can hardly wait.
wao! the inside of the Pyramid is incredible. I would have never gotten inside, claustrophobia for sure. )
Nice pictures.
Look what I found- How cool is this. https://youtu.be/uKIck2SJnzQ
Portolan
8:43AM
. . . Our flight departs Cairo at 11:20 PM so we expect that we'll miss the dinner, but not perhaps the reception? So, if you could list the time and duration of the reception (realizing that it probably segues right into dinner), dinner and also how much time before your flight Tauck arranged the transfer to the airport. That will give us an idea of what to expect. We will, of course, hammer out the details with the TD when we are on the trip.
Our J&E go sheet listed the farewell reception and dinner starting at 6:00 pm. To accommodate a couple who had to leave for the airport at 7:30 our TD moved the reception up to 5:45 pm. I don't remember when they commenced serving- yes a segue. I believe we made our meal choices either earlier that day or the day prior.
As I posted, our flight was scheduled to depart a day and a half later at 2:45 am. Tauck scheduled our transfer for 1045 pm- 4 hours prior- +/- 1 hour to get thru traffic to the airport and +/- 3 hours for check-in. So, for an 1120 pm flight your transfer time would be 7:20 pm. That would allow you to attend the reception and maybe have an appetizer, and part/most of dinner?? You can probably refine this with your TD once you get on tour. You probably should plan to have your bags at reception before the farewell reception/dinner.
There were 19 of us. I don't know what the effects of a larger group would be on meal/serving times.
OBXnana
12:08PM
Sorry if I missed it, but could you share the name and contact info for your guide at the end. Thanks so much for the amazing photos. We will be there the last 2 weeks in November and I can hardly wait.
Thanks, Alan! Very helpful. While we'd rather attend the dinner and spend the night, a return the next day was more than twice the miles. Even on a "dry" airline, the attraction of flying straight home was undeniable. We're taking the GOT on the front end and hope to go to the Wadi Mujib Gorge.
Portolan
4:06PM
We're taking the GOT on the front end and hope to go to the Wadi Mujib Gorge.
Are you going to do the "wet" trek of the siq? I don't know if there is a dry version. Have you checked the calendar- I looked into that as well and it was not open when we were in Jordan? Its season runs from 1 April to 31 October but depends on the weather.
"Please note customers must be at least 18 years old, know how to swim, and be in good physical condition. This tour is not recommended for clients with health problems. During rainy days Wadi Mujib closes and the tour is not operational. It can close without further notice."
We'll be on the tour in October. At least some of what I've read indicates that you can go/ get wet just to the extent you want. Plan on doing this through the hotel, and only as far as we enjoy it. Didn't seem to be other opportunities which appealed. Or just rest up from the trip. I was fast on the trigger and scored award flights in business on the new United non-stop from Dulles to Amman, so travel will be as good as it gets.
That is exactly what I discovered. mil and her mom took an excursion to a few sites in and around Amman, but none of those really appealed to me, so I booked a flight that arrived the night before the welcome dinner. We just slept in and did the float, but that was about it. I wish we could have applied a few of those hours to our first excursion to Jerash on Day 2, which I felt was too short (same goes for the light drizzle weather), which for the remainder of the tour was just perfect!!
cuzin GJ
10:24AM
Alan - Amazing pix !!! Thx for sharing. We are on the Nov 20,2022 Jordan & Egypt adventure.
Thanks. If all goes as predicted, you might be lucky enough to see the new Grand Egyptian Museum, so be prepared for a slight schedule change in Cairo.
Alan - I heard third hand of a couple that were recently able to tour the new museum and took them a full day to do just a portion. Everything I've read indicates it's not open until at least November. Did you hear anything when you were in Cairo that would indicate that what they said could be true? Thanks!
I've read and heard that some press and other 'special people' have been given unprecedented access to the GEM, but nothing approaching the limited tours they were offering in the restoration labs and mainly empty main halls, in the fall of 2019.
I have seen nothing new in the Egyptian press about the opening of the GEM- yes, I continue to check periodically. It is still forecast to happen in November 2022. Inshallah.
I just wish we had been given more time in the old museum and that more of the displays had been properly labeled. I'm sure a number of the things we saw on our own after the guided portion of the visit were of great significance- but we had no idea.
Comments
Alan thank you for al the beautiful pictures and the excellent background descriptions, that's a lot of knowledge about Egypt that you have accumulated. wishing you the best for your next 2 trips.
fantastic!!!!! great pictures
AlanS - Did you actually ride on the camel (with your history) or just do a photo op sitting on it?
I thought it was a photo op for the camel 🐪
Just a photo op (poor photo quality - photo of a photo.) However, I must say the issue I had for the past 7 years from horseback riding during K&T in 2015 has finally mostly healed and I haven't had a recurrence of back issues, so I could have actually ridden the camel!
Sure getting older, but seems a draw in the fight with ageing and falling apart! 
Ok, let's see if I can wrap this up.
This was a short day for Tauck activities- morning visit to the Coptic Quarter to see the Church of St. Serius & St. Bacchus, the "Hanging Church, and the Sultan Hassan Mosque, then return to the hotel, be tested for COVID, lunch, free afternoon, and farewell dinner.
I did not take many photos in the morning.
Upon arrival, we descended below today's street level to and walked along a very narrow street (more like an alley) lined with book, tourist brochure, and religious souvenir sellers, to the 4th Century Coptic Church, traditionally believed to have been built on the spot where the Holy Family rested after their journey to Egypt. It was burned in 750 but rebuilt several times over the years. The crypt is 30 feet deep and, when Nile levels are high, it is often flooded. It was too hard to photograph due to the plexiglass cover.
We made a brief visit to Saint Virgin Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church, also known as the "Hanging Church," because of its location above a gatehouse of the Roman Babylon Fortress. Its nave is suspended over a passage. The land surface has risen by some 18 feet since the Roman period, so the Roman tower is mostly buried below ground. It is one of the oldest churches in Egypt. The history of a church on this site dates to the third century.
Next we headed to the Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan. I understand some tours visit the Al-Rifa'i Mosque which is across the street. Both mosques are under the gaze of the massive hilltop fortress and Mosque of Muhammad Ali. While impressive, I've heard the Hassan Mosque doesn't hold a candle to the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul.
Al-Rifa'i Mosque
Mosque-Madrasa of Sultan Hassan
Mosque cat:
The Great Mosque of Muhammad Ali Pasha or the Alabaster Mosque. It was commissioned by the Pasha between 1830 and 1848. Situated on the summit of the citadel, this Ottoman mosque, the largest to be built in the first half of the 19th century, is, with its animated silhouette and twin minarets, the most visible mosque in Cairo.
Does anyone know what this is? Hint: It has been 98+% finished for the past three years!! Arrrgggghhhhh!!!!!
Traffic was typical for Cairo, but the bus made decent time and on arrival everyone went to the Spa to be tested. We made an appointment to be tested the next morning. We got some stuff from our room before meeting our private guide and van at reception parking. We skipped the hotel lunch so we could get on the road, instead stopped at an "On the Run" on the street behind the hotel. It is a very nice gas and convenience store chain with locations throughout Cairo. While not as good as a Sheetz MTO in the US or Pret A Manger in the UK, or similar places, it was nice, clean, accepted plastic, and had tasty sandwiches and soft drinks. True to its name, we were in and out in a flash.
We had an hour drive to our destination, the Meidom Pyramid (named after the nearby modern-day town), but the start of the Faiyum Desert Highway was not far from the Mena House. It is new, smooth, and fast, at least when compared to the highways in and around Cairo and no speed bumps, plus it was nearly devoid of traffic.
Not far from the start of the route we passed huge apartment complexes that made up the 6th of October City. There were mile + long rows and rows of identical, new, large apartment buildings (no pics). We also passed a very large brick making facility with numerous smokestacks, but mostly we saw empty desert. Before long, the seemingly endless desert sand gave way to more and more vegetation as we approached the massive Faiyum Oasis.
Even from a distance, the pyramid is impressive. Due to its steep, but stepped sides, many who see it think it is an ancient watch tower. It is a pyramid, the first one built after the Step Pyramid of Djoser. This one was started at the beginning of the 4th Dynasty by King Sneferu father of a line of pyramid builders. As the sign says, it is possible it was started by his father Huni, but most of the work is credited to Sneferu who went on to build two more pyramids, both in Dahshur, south of Saqqara- the famous Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid, the first true pyramid.
The Meidom pyramid started out as a step pyramid, but somewhere along the way the decision was made to build up the exterior and transform it into a true pyramid shape. Theories abound, but I do not know why the lower portion appears to lack steps, they may have been filled and faired with the general slope of the pyramid before building up the exterior, but in any case the sides are steep. When transforming the exterior, poor design, soft ground, poor base preparation or seismic activity caused the exterior, not just the sheathing, to fall off and down into the pile you see. The large rubble pile around the pyramid is the material that fell off. Like the pyramids in Dahshur, Saqqara, and Giza to the north, it was also going to be fully sheathed in white limestone. A portion of the lowest course of white limestone sheath was exposed during excavations and is visible just left of center in my second photo below. And, of course, like with the other pyramids, over the years much of the limestone was hauled away for other projects, but in this case, not until it was excavated from the rubble pile! It has been speculated that the collapse is the reason Sneferu changed the angle of the Bent Pyramid. To get an idea of scale, the two black dots at the lower edge of the spoil pile to the left, are people!
Our plan was to enter and see the burial chamber, too. We climbed to the top of a high timber scaffold where we were met by a caretaker who had the door open and was ready for us. Unlike the next pyramid I entered, the ramp stairway here was not too steep and the entry shaft headroom was much higher. It was also fairly well lighted making entry relatively easy, even for someone who might be slightly claustrophobic!
There was no decoration on the walls- no hieroglyphic "pyramid texts" nor painted reliefs. Just rock cut corridors and a small burial chamber with corbelled ceiling, but no sarcophagus (just a few bats
) The ceiling appeared have been braced- with a piece of 19th or 20th century iron and what may be a 4000 year old timber.
I was prepared for poor lighting so I put on the powerful LED headlamp I brought on tour.
Once rubble was cleared from the east side, a typical mortuary temple with two stelae was found. There were no inscriptions on the stelae and there were no signs of a Valley Temple which makes many think the pyramid was never finished.
There are a number of mastaba tombs nearby. Closest was this large one called, Mastaba 17. It posed a difficult problem for early archaeologists who could not find the entrance. They attempted to cut it in half, but eventually found the entrance, low on one side. Even today you must crawl on your stomach to gain access- not for us!!!! A little further north is the mastaba tomb of Nefermaat, the eldest son of Sneferu. It was here they found the famous Meidom Geese wall art. It was discovered in 1871 by Frenchman Auguste Mariette the founder and first Director of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities (the forerunner of the Supreme Council of Antiquities) and first Director of the precursor of the Cairo Museum. The scene was executed in painted plaster. The painting was removed from the wall in order to be reassembled inside the Bulaq Museum. I photographed it in the Cairo Museum two days earlier.
The final chapter tomorrow- A full day at Dahshur- the Bent Pyramid (all the way in!) and Black Pyramid + Saqqarra- the Tomb of Ty, the Serapeum, misc. tombs, a valley temple causeway, and a surprise- a boat pit. This has been fun posting pics and writing about and reliving the experience. I hope it hasn't been too boring.
More great pictures
A medtech arrived at 8:00 to administer our return COVID tests. After we resolved an issue about payment we went to breakfast. Our guide arrived at 9:00 and we were off to Dahshur and Saqqara. We decided to forego lunch at the Palm, so stopped at "On the Run" again for sandwiches. First we headed to Dahshur which is about 2 mi. south of Saqqara, but can't be reached from there due to the military base. The focus there was the Bent Pyramid, the second of three pyramids constructed by Sneferu, father of Khufu.
The last morning view of the pyramids from our room.
Just north of the Bent Pyramind in Dahshur we passed the Red Pyramid, the first true pyramid, and the third pyramid built by Sneferu.
The Bent Pyramid, with much of its white Tura limestone sheathing intact and dual angled sides 54° and 43° (upper), stands out from all the other pyramids. (Tura, located between modern-day Cairo and Helwan, was the primary quarry for limestone in ancient Egypt.)
When viewed from a certain angle the pyramid appears to have flat not "bent" sides
The sheathing stones were laid at a slight angle, tilted inwards, not laid horizontally like the the sheathing on the Great Pyramid of Khufu, .
A small mortuary cult chapel, consisting of fine white limestone walls and roof, stood at the foot of the east wall of the pyramid. It had an altar in the form of the hetep symbol, but constructed of three limestone blocks with two nine meter high fine white limestone monoliths (stele) on the sides.
The Bent Pyramid is made entirely of stone. . .
. . . not the nearby Black Pyramid. Though originally cased in limestone which was removed, it was made mostly of mud bricks, the reason for the severe deterioration, dark color, and hence, its name. It was built for King Amenemhat III during the Middle Kingdom and is one of the five remaining pyramids of the original eleven at Dahshur. It was the first to house both the deceased pharaoh and his queens. The black granite pyramidion (capstone) is on display in the Cairo Museum.
A small cult pyramid is close to the south side of the Bent Pyramid. It has a substructure with an entrance on the north side at ground level which leads to a corridor and a small chamber with a corbel vaulted ceiling. Many scholars see this corridor as the model for the Great Gallery in Snefru's son's (Khufu) pyramid at Giza.
Such precision on such a scale was amazing. Our guide showed us an alignment ridge that had been carved into the stone foundation:
We were about to leave when our guide asked if I wanted to enter. It was not planned, I had not done any research, and I had no idea what to expect, but figured, why not! Since 2019, tourists have been able to reach two 4600-year-old chambers through a narrow tunnel built from the northern entrance. It was the first time both the main and adjacent pyramids had been opened to the public since excavated in 1956. The 260' long entrance shaft was steep with a low ceiling- I had to enter backwards and stay partially bent over, for the entire descent.
Once at the bottom I had to climb a wooden scaffold, then a ladder to reach the corbelled burial chamber. To access the second (main) burial chamber I crawled on my hands and knees through a small, rough cut tunnel - see the sketch. The sloped entrance, not shown, enters at the lower right. This was no walk in the park! Though it was lighted, I was glad to have my head lamp.
Like the pyramid, some of the timbers were 4000 years old. And, yes there were bats.
To exit, I had to go back the way I entered. The climb up was easier, but not much!
We ate lunch in the van during the short drive to nearby Saqqara. Across from the ticket office was the Valley Temple of Unas, whose small rubble pyramid is adjacent to the south side of Djoser's complex. The step pyramid was visible in the distance in the second photo.
Up the hill on the right was the Bubasteion area (subject of Nat Geo and PBS TV specials) where tombs (Wahtye, etc.), sarcophagi, human mummies, and mummified cats, even a lion cub, were found. Permanent information placards were in front of several tombs in preparation for opening them to the public(?) Multiple excavations are still in progress, too. The supports for a traditional tambora, a manual cranked winch, was positioned over a shaft. There was no wooden cable drum. Archaeologist's, etc. tents were still erected- a scene straight out of an Indiana Jones movie!
We headed for the Serapeum. It was discovered by French archaeologist Auguste Mariette, founder and first Director of the Egyptian Department of Antiquities. It is a relatively shallow, but extensive complex that contained the Sacred Apis bulls in huge granite sarcophagi, some weighing over 80 tons. It was believed the bulls were incarnations of the god Ptah. Outside the entrance we came across an active dig!! Two men were working a surface feature. A man carrying a tripod appeared from somewhere. When I asked him if he was surveying or photographing he said he was a cameraman and worked for the BBC, PBS, etc. He said he filmed something interesting but wouldn't say what!
Check out the wheelbarrow, too. Update- the site may be the one in this March 20, 2022 press release: https://phys.org/news/2022-03-egypt-ancient-tombs-saqqara.html
A huge sarcophagus nearly blocked one corridor.
The hieroglyphics and scenes cut into the walls of the tomb of Ty were similar to, but overall in better condition and more colorful, than what we saw with Tauck in the tomb of Mereruka. Like Mereruka's tomb, it had a serdab, with viewing slots, for Ty's ka, .
We ran out of time so I didn't get to enter the Step Pyramid. Below the pyramid are nearly 3.5 mi. of corridors and galleries!! After post-tour reading, I was sorry we didn't have time, but my body would have likely hurt more than it did!
We still had a little time so went to an area southeast of Djosers Pyramid complex. We saw part of the causeway that connected the Pyramid of Unas to its Valley Temple which we saw earlier. Temple/pyramid causeways were originally fully enclosed and a section of the top of this one had been reconstructed.
Nearby I saw a long, curved, stone-lined trench which looked like a (solar) boat pit. Our guide didn't know one was there so wasn't sure. I did some research and confirmed it was a boat pit similar to ones found by the Great Pyramid!! After looking at my photos, I discovered what appears a second boat pit at the right in my photo!
We entered two more mastabas. The interiors were much like ones we saw on tour- same scenes of everyday life, etc. In one it appeared the owner was low on funds or died before it was finished- the wall art changed from painted reliefs to just painted flat ,stone walls.
The road home had several carpet "schools" (with galleries
) so we stopped at one "familiar" to our guide to use the restroom and see the children. Downstairs a few supervised children were making carpets. Upstairs was a fancy gallery with carpets of all sizes and prices. The first modest sized carpet (4' X 6') they showed my wife was only $4000!! 
A setup? Ya think? 
They were nice but certainly no Tabriz or Isfahan.
We got negative COVID test results via email; a paper copy arrived at the hotel later. At 1045 pm the Tauck transfer took us to the airport where a Tauck expeditor helped us through security. Check-in for our 2:45 am Turkish Air flight was without issue. The only negative- despite being masked, I caught COVID likely from an American who was near us in the small lounge and during our flight to Istanbul. I tested positive a few days later but had a mild case.
That's all she wrote. I may add some follow-up thoughts later about this truly fantastic tour, inshallah. I'm happy to answer questions.
Shukran
Alan,
Your travelog for this trip has been wonderful, especially for those of us doing it soon. One detail that may not be of general interest but is quite important to us would be to describe the timeline for the last evening. We were able to get great flight arrangements on the non-stop flight from Cairo home to Washington, but only if we leave that last evening. Our flight departs Cairo at 11:20 PM so we expect that we'll miss the dinner, but not perhaps the reception? So, if you could list the time and duration of the reception (realizing that it probably segues right into dinner), dinner and also how much time before your flight Tauck arranged the transfer to the airport. That will give us an idea of what to expect. We will, of course, hammer out the details with the TD when we are on the trip.
Again, thanks! We'll be studying your travelog in detail between now and October.
Scott
Thanks so much, Alan for this terrific report. J&E has certainly moved up a notch or two on my bucket list.
In Cairo on the way back home Tauck took us to the airport 3 to 3.5 hours prior to the flight.(Feb 2nd) For us that was at 10pm. You might leave a bit earlier since there is more traffic and perhaps the airport business it picking up.
Sorry if I missed it, but could you share the name and contact info for your guide at the end. Thanks so much for the amazing photos. We will be there the last 2 weeks in November and I can hardly wait.
wao! the inside of the Pyramid is incredible. I would have never gotten inside, claustrophobia for sure.
)
https://youtu.be/uKIck2SJnzQ
Nice pictures.
Look what I found- How cool is this.
You are quite the adventurer Alan, it must have been really exciting going inside that pyramid. So happy for you. Great pictures.
Our J&E go sheet listed the farewell reception and dinner starting at 6:00 pm. To accommodate a couple who had to leave for the airport at 7:30 our TD moved the reception up to 5:45 pm. I don't remember when they commenced serving- yes a segue. I believe we made our meal choices either earlier that day or the day prior.
As I posted, our flight was scheduled to depart a day and a half later at 2:45 am. Tauck scheduled our transfer for 1045 pm- 4 hours prior- +/- 1 hour to get thru traffic to the airport and +/- 3 hours for check-in. So, for an 1120 pm flight your transfer time would be 7:20 pm. That would allow you to attend the reception and maybe have an appetizer, and part/most of dinner?? You can probably refine this with your TD once you get on tour. You probably should plan to have your bags at reception before the farewell reception/dinner.
There were 19 of us. I don't know what the effects of a larger group would be on meal/serving times.
Will send PM.
Thanks, Alan! Very helpful. While we'd rather attend the dinner and spend the night, a return the next day was more than twice the miles. Even on a "dry" airline, the attraction of flying straight home was undeniable. We're taking the GOT on the front end and hope to go to the Wadi Mujib Gorge.
Are you going to do the "wet" trek of the siq? I don't know if there is a dry version. Have you checked the calendar- I looked into that as well and it was not open when we were in Jordan? Its season runs from 1 April to 31 October but depends on the weather.
"Please note customers must be at least 18 years old, know how to swim, and be in good physical condition. This tour is not recommended for clients with health problems. During rainy days Wadi Mujib closes and the tour is not operational. It can close without further notice."
https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g2625854-d319447-r818105715-Wadi_al_Mujib-Amman_Governorate.html
We'll be on the tour in October. At least some of what I've read indicates that you can go/ get wet just to the extent you want. Plan on doing this through the hotel, and only as far as we enjoy it. Didn't seem to be other opportunities which appealed. Or just rest up from the trip. I was fast on the trigger and scored award flights in business on the new United non-stop from Dulles to Amman, so travel will be as good as it gets.
That is exactly what I discovered. mil and her mom took an excursion to a few sites in and around Amman, but none of those really appealed to me, so I booked a flight that arrived the night before the welcome dinner. We just slept in and did the float, but that was about it. I wish we could have applied a few of those hours to our first excursion to Jerash on Day 2, which I felt was too short (same goes for the light drizzle weather), which for the remainder of the tour was just perfect!!
Mil, your video is really cool.
franlovestravel Hi, yes it's interesting.
Alan - Amazing pix !!! Thx for sharing. We are on the Nov 20,2022 Jordan & Egypt adventure.
Thanks. If all goes as predicted, you might be lucky enough to see the new Grand Egyptian Museum, so be prepared for a slight schedule change in Cairo.
Alan - I heard third hand of a couple that were recently able to tour the new museum and took them a full day to do just a portion. Everything I've read indicates it's not open until at least November. Did you hear anything when you were in Cairo that would indicate that what they said could be true? Thanks!
I've read and heard that some press and other 'special people' have been given unprecedented access to the GEM, but nothing approaching the limited tours they were offering in the restoration labs and mainly empty main halls, in the fall of 2019.
I have seen nothing new in the Egyptian press about the opening of the GEM- yes, I continue to check periodically. It is still forecast to happen in November 2022. Inshallah.
I just wish we had been given more time in the old museum and that more of the displays had been properly labeled. I'm sure a number of the things we saw on our own after the guided portion of the visit were of great significance- but we had no idea.
For some fascinating background information, BBC has a radio documentary this month on GEM & here's another from 2020 on the New Cairo capital project to attempt to cope with congestion. Enjoy.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p0c4mkhb
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000nl7d