Egypt (5 page)

Waking again to the day’s early morning call to prayer, I stepped onto the balcony. The sky was still dark. A handful of headlights zipped along the streets below, but for the most part the city was quiet.

Taking a deep breath, I rested my elbows on the railing and looked over the rooftops towards the desert. As the sun began to light the sky, a few shapes appeared just outside the city. Faint at first, then becoming more distinct, were three triangles. Two of them looked to be about the same size, with one much smaller triangle to the left. Almost hard to believe, but there before me was one of the seven ancient wonders of the world. The Great Pyramids of Giza!

The largest of the three, the Great Pyramid, was built by the Pharaoh Khufu around 2550 B.C. Originally 481 feet high, the Great Pyramid currently stands at 455 feet, thanks to years of erosion. It consists of 2.5 million limestone blocks weighing between 2.5 and 15 tons each, and covers over 13 acres of land. Archeologists believe that it took 23 years to build, which seems like a long time, but a simple calculation shows that the workers would have had to put one of these massive stones in place every few minutes, round the clock, to get it done in that amount of time. And that’s just hard to comprehend.

The pyramid of Khafre, Khufu’s son, was built to be slightly shorter than his father’s, originally standing at 471 feet. Khafre also led the construction of the Great Sphinx of Giza. With the body of a lion and the head of a king, the Sphinx sits like a guardian at the base of Khafre’s pyramid.

The pyramid of Menkaure is the smallest of the three, originally built to a height of 218 feet. To give some perspective, it’s about one-tenth the total size of the Great Pyramid.

Even though we’re not exactly sure how they were built, we do know why they were built, as burial chambers for the Pharaohs. In a way, they’re kind of like the world’s biggest tombstones.

“Gannon!” I said. “Get up! You have to see this!”

From somewhere under his covers, Gannon responded without flinching.

“I’m sleeping,” he said.

“But the Great Pyramids are right outside our window!” Again, Gannon didn’t budge.

“I doubt they’re going anywhere, Wyatt,” he said. “I’ll see them when I get up.”

I shook my head.

“I have no clue how you won this fellowship.”

“Skill, intelligence, and a long list of accolades,” he said from under his covers. “That’s how. Now let me get some more sleep!”

The Great Pyramids seen from Cairo

After a breakfast of eggs, potatoes, toast, and fresh-squeezed orange juice with our parents, the van arrived to take us to the marina on the Nile River where we’ll board a boat to Luxor. In Luxor, we’ll get first-hand experience exploring a tomb Dr. Aziz recently discovered. Dr. Aziz wants us to have a solid understanding of proper excavation techniques, and not learn the process at the expense of Cleopatra, which makes good sense. This tomb near the Valley of the Kings is his 99th discovery! What’s inside, not even Dr. Aziz knows. Hopefully, we’ll be the first to find out.

“You boys be safe,” my mom said. “And make sure to keep an eye out for each other.”

“We’ve got each other’s backs,” Gannon said, and smacked me hard on the shoulder. “Isn’t that right, Wyatt?”

I glared at him without saying a word.

“I’ll take that as a
yes
.”

“Listen to me for a second,” my mom said. “I can’t emphasize this enough. I don’t want you boys taking any unnecessary risks. You got it?”

“Come on, mom,” Gannon said. “We’re as cautious as a couple of mice at a cat farm.”

Where Gannon comes up with these things, I have no idea.

“Good luck out there, boys,” my dad said. “Whether you find anything or not, just have fun.”

“That won’t be a problem,” I said.

“And try not to get yourself cursed,” he added with a smirk.

“Don’t even start, Dad,” Gannon said.

“You better get going,” my mom said. “You don’t want to miss your boat.”

“Ma’a Salama,” Gannon said.

“Ma’a Salama,” my mom replied.

“That means goodbye, Wyatt,” Gannon said.

I rolled my eyes at him.

“You know, Arabic isn’t as hard to learn as they say,” Gannon said, sweeping his fingers across his shoulder. “A few more months here and I’d be fluent.”

“How do you say ‘that’s a bunch of baloney’ in Arabic?” I asked.

We all gave each other hugs, Gannon and I climbed into the van and the driver forced his way into traffic. We’ve been inching along for almost an hour now and cars are still backed up as far as we can see. Gannon’s turning green from all the exhaust and keeps asking how much longer. Funny thing is, the driver always has the same answer: “Five more minutes!”

A Cairo mosque

ABOARD THE BOAT


Sometime mid-morning we arrived at a downtown marina lined with rowboats and speedboats and lots of these traditional Nile sailboats called fellucas. Down at the end of the dock we found Dr. Aziz, James, and Serene and climbed aboard the river cruiser that’s taking us to Luxor. It’s an old wooden ship called the “River Queen.” According to a man working on the boat, it has about a dozen cabins and holds around forty people total. He also told me the distance from Cairo to Luxor is “very far” and since this boat tops out at the speed of a canoe, we aren’t going to get there until tomorrow afternoon.

Wyatt and I are sharing a cabin that’s hardly bigger than a closet with a bunk bed crammed inside and no windows and nowhere to sit, so I’ve settled on the sundeck up top, which is wide open and without question the best place to take in the scenery along the Nile.

We’re on our way and the sky is about as blue as it gets and the air on the river is definitely cooler than it is over land. As we cruised under a bridge just now, three Egyptian children leaned over the railing and waved to me from above. We’ve passed several larger riverboats docked along the banks and the famous Cairo Tower just went by on my left. All through the city, high-rise buildings crowd both shores. Most of them are gray and dust-covered and have billboard-sized neon signs on the roofs. Occasionally, I’ll catch sight of a mosque, their big domes and minarets standing out from the rest of the concrete clutter.

Running along the western side of the river is a busy street all crammed with people walking every which way and backed up with traffic. Horns blast from everywhere, but they’re far enough away that they don’t really bother me. Looking around at the gridlock and chaos of the city only makes me more aware of how nice it is to be on a boat, cruising down this wide and peaceful river.

We’re now moving beyond the city. The skyscrapers are fading into the haze behind us. Here, palm trees and farmland dominate the landscape instead of buildings and roads and cars. South of the city, most of the land is divided up into small, fenced-off plots where people farm. There are cows in some places, mostly thin with bones showing through their skin. There are men working these small plots of land, taking care of their crops, some with water buffalos pulling plows. There are also women in burkas and little kids helping in the fields. Other children are playing along the shore, some with dogs that are skinny like the cows.

Our boat is ignored by most adults, but the children always show interest. Whenever I wave they always wave back and shout and jump around with big smiles on their faces.

This is all so great out here on the river and I feel good and mostly relaxed, but I know the toughest part is ahead of us and I have to admit, nerves are starting to bubble up in my stomach again. My fear, I guess, is the unknown. Exploring unexplored tombs and all the dangers that go along with that kind of thing—the narrow tunnels and the dark chambers and the bats and rats, the snakes and booby traps, the curses and mummies… Jeez, I’m totally ruining this cruise by worrying about things that I might not even have to deal with.

I think it’s time to put away the journal and enjoy the scenery. I mean, how many times in my life will I be aboard a boat cruising down the Nile River? I’m guessing, not many. If I can just ignore all these troubling thoughts, just put them out of my head completely, this cruise will be one of the memories of Egypt I’ll cherish most.

Sunset over the Nile River

FEBRUARY 24, 10:56 PM


NORTH OF AL MINYA, EGYPT


24° CELSIUS, 75° FAHRENHEIT


SKIES CLEAR, WIND 5-10 MPH


E
arlier tonight we learned of
Cleopatra’s Secret.

James, Serene, and I sat in the boat’s dining area, playing cards as we moved south along the Nile. It was getting dark, as Gannon came down the steps from the boat’s deck and joined us at the table.

“Be honest, mate,” James said to me. “Do you really think we’ll find Cleopatra?”

“Hard to say,” I replied. “But I’m optimistic.”

“But this is Dr. Aziz’s sixth season excavating the site and he hasn’t found anything that proves without a doubt that it’s Cleopatra’s burial place. What if he’s made a mistake? Some archeologists believe he’s digging in the wrong place. They say Cleopatra’s tomb isn’t anywhere near Alexandria.”

“Don’t you worry,” Gannon said, “he’s digging in the right place.”

“How do you know?” James replied with sarcasm in his voice. “Did the Sun God, Ra, come down from the sky and give you this information?”

“Very funny,” Gannon said. “Actually, Wyatt and I met a man whose grandfather was close to finding Cleopatra and he was digging in the northern deserts just outside Alexandria.”

“So he said,” I added, as a disclaimer. “We have no proof that what he told us is true.”

“You’ll believe just about anything won’t you, mate?” James said to Gannon.

“I know it’s true,” Gannon said. “Check it out. He gave me this.”

Gannon reached into his satchel and removed the relic the man had given him.

“See the profile,” he said. “That’s Cleopatra. The shopkeeper’s grandfather found it near her tomb.”

“Oh, he was a shopkeeper,” James said. “That explains it. They’ll tell you anything to sell their junk.”