BikeAbout Log

Rider Notes: November 26, 1997

Breakfast: Because we made such an early start from the hotel, we missed our chance at two more rolls with butter and jam. Somehow we soldiered on.

Lunch: After our return from Saqqara, we had a late lunch of kushari at one of our favorite places. The kushari itself is almost identical to that we've eaten elsewhere — macaroni, lentils, chick-peas, rice, onions, and a tomato sauce — but the hot sauce is considerably hotter. In fact, three drops were enough to make Corinne's mouth burn. Ethan and Anthony drenched their bowls with it. They acted as if nothing was wrong, but Anthony began hiccuping wildly while Ethan drank an entire pitcher of water.

Dinner: While the chat and debate was going on, Shady asked if we wanted to order out for some kushari. Who were we to argue?

Food of the Day: Rice pudding

Imhotep was Pharaoh Zoser's chief architect and the man generally credited with designing Zoser's pyramid (see the Place of the Day). His technical skill and daring architectural creativity paved the way the way for the development of the bigger pyramids at Giza and elsewhere.

The major attraction of Saqqara is Zoser's Pyramid, also known as the Step Pyramid. In the 27th century BC, the reigning pharaoh, a powerful leader named Zoser, decided he wanted a final resting place more grand than the underground tombs or low, flat brick buildings (mastabas) in which most previous kings had been buried. Fortunately, Zoser had in his service an architect of brilliance, named Imhotep (see the Person of the Day). Under the direction of Imhotep, Zoser's tomb started as a large mastaba but soon evolved into a much more ambitious structure. Imhotep kept adding mastabas on top of one another until Zoser's tomb became a six-tiered pyramid 62 m (203 ft) high, built of thousands of carefully cut stones all encased in a fine limestone shell.

Certainly one of the oldest standing stone structures in the world, Zoser's Pyramid was also the biggest stone building constructed up to that time. Somehow Imhotep figured out the answers to the problems of moving, precisely placing, and securing each of the thousands of blocks it took to complete the pyramid. The building of the Step Pyramid provided the inspiration and technical expertise that ushered in the age of pyramid-building. And while not as large or well preserved as the Great Pyramids in Giza, Zoser's Pyramid still deserves to be listed among one of the most impressive monuments we've seen.

Tech Fact of the Day: How to Build a Pyramid

Not all the pyramids were constructed in the same way. Some, like Zoser's Pyramid (see the Place of the Day) and the Great Pyramids at Giza, were constructed by the precise placement of hundreds of thousands (or millions) of huge stone blocks. In other cases, however, the builders saved time and money by just building an outer wall and filling the inside with sand and other debris. Not surprisingly, the ones made of stone seemed to have lasted longer. In this picture we pass by a pyramid where you can see the original outer wall and what a pile of rubble inside looks like. Guess how they constructed this pyramid?

Group Dispatch, November 26

It took nearly an hour to make it through Cairo traffic and then down the Nile River to Saqqara. Again we were amazed at how big Cairo is, but this time we were also amazed at how abruptly the city ended and the farms began. The scenery changed from gray concrete to brilliantly green farmland in just seconds. The green seemed that much more green since we could see the brown of the desert hemming in both sides of the valley that we often forgot we are in. We knew we had arrived at our destination when we saw a big sign welcoming us to the tourist sight. Isn't that nice?

So, as impressive as Zoser's Pyramid itself was, the huge funerary complex that surrounded it was supposed to be just as spectacular. As gods on earth, the pharaohs expected to be worshiped by their subjects even after death. The pyramids might have been the center point of the pharaoh's cemetery, but it was always surrounded by an elaborate complex of temples, chapels, and the burial sites of relatives and friends. For example, to enter the Step Pyramid site we had to walk through a long hallway of tall columns and through an entrance flanked by carved snake heads to get to the large central courtyard just in front of the pyramid itself. In this courtyard were the ruins of Zoser's two thrones (which symbolized the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt). Surrounding the pyramid were a number of ceremonial temples, including a mortuary temple at which Zoser's relatives were supposed to pay him homage after his death.

Just next to this temple is a stone structure known as a serdab, in which you find a large wooden box with holes drilled into it. Peering into the hole you are startled to find Zoser himself staring back out at you! It's just a statue, but spooky nonetheless.

After walking around Zoser's Pyramid, we climbed to the top of the wall that once surrounded the entire complex. We were rewarded by a nice view of the entire area. Besides the small pyramids of Unas, Sekhemket, and Userkef, which are only a few hundred meters from the Step Pyramid, we could also see pyramids stretching off into the distance to both the north and south. In one direction the Great Pyramids at Giza were just visible across the desert ; in the other direction we could identify the impressive "Bent" pyramid and "Red" pyramids in Dahshur. It helped us realize that we were standing in a field of pyramids — many of which aren't very big or have long since deteriorated — that stretches over 30 km (19 mi) along the desert ridge just west of the Nile. We tried to imagine what the site must have looked like thousands of years ago, when as many as 70 pyramids lined the ridge, and immediately understood why this whole area, including nearby Dahshur, is a included on UNESCO's list of World Heritage sites!

The sites at Saqqara also provide a good illustration of how not all pharaohs were buried in pyramids, not even during the pyramid-building phase of Old Kingdom Egypt. They, and many of the other prominent members of Egyptian society, also had less impressive but still fairly elaborate tombs — some in underground chambers, some in the low flat brick buildings called mastabas. Indeed, when we discovered that we were surrounded by many non-pyramid archaeological sites, we realized that dozens of pharaohs and thousands of ancient Egyptians were buried around us. We were in the middle of a huge city of the dead. With this eerie thought in mind, we set out to explore some of the other notable tombs. Here is a picture looking back over some of the other tombs towards Zoser's Pyramid.

Just south of Zoser's pyramid we wandered through a number of ancient tombs, all of which were in various states of excavation and renovation. None of the mummies were still around, but we found a lot of neat art and hieroglyphics on the walls. Particularly interesting were the tombs of Akhti-Hotep and Ptah-Hotep, father and son officials during the reign of the Pharaoh Djedkare. Inside their tombs we found pictures of the father-son duo in various settings — from hunting scenes to depictions of them receiving manicures. Although over 4000 years old, the pictures have been restored to their original bright color. Unfortunately, we were not allowed to photograph them (with a flash, which would have been necessary) in an effort to preserve the color for future generations.

Our final stop was the Mastaba of Ti, the tomb of a prominent member of one pharaoh's court. Again, the paintings and hieroglyphics on the walls of the tomb were remarkably well preserved and colorful. These decorations vividly portray everyday life in ancient Egypt, depicting such activities as the harvesting of grain, the butchering of cattle, and the brewing of beer. It also showed how well the elite of Egyptian society lived. Mister Ti himself is shown floating down the Nile on a barge, sniffing sweet-smelling flowers while being fanned by slaves! Unfortunately, once again, there was not enough light in the dim chamber for our pictures to turn out very well. Here's a look at our best efforts.

After a long dusty day in Saqqara, we hopped back into our taxi and headed to the inTouch offices in Cairo to prepare for the regular Wednesday night chat 'n' debate — always one of the highlights of our week. But first we had another bout with Cairo traffic. After a number of near misses, this time our taxi actually hit a pedestrian! Fortunately the pedestrian was not hurt and both he and our driver seemed to get a good chuckle out of the whole thing. Still, it would be untruthful to say we weren't relieved when our long ride was over. Our driver received a nice tip for bringing us back in one piece. He went off to pick up more fares. We spent the rest of the evening chatting and debating with classrooms back in the States.

Questions? Ask Padraic !

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