Trifariam, The Lost Codex (2012) (21 page)

The decision to build the Aswan Dam and the increasing load of the Nile put the region’s temples at risk; many of them had to be relocated and over twenty were saved in total. But the most awesome feat was the dismantling of the two temples at Abu Simbel block by block, some of which weighed up to twenty tons, and transporting them to their new location where they would be put together again.

Mary revealed some trivia which was gratefully received by her friends. “There are a lot of mysteries surrounding them, the most significant relate to the main temple. There are three statues inside the sanctuary which represent the gods Ra-Horakhty, Ptah and Amun, and a fourth which represents Ramses. It’s fascinating how on the 20 February and 20 October the sun’s rays penetrate deep into the temple, lighting up the faces of Amun, Ra and Ramses and leaving only the face of the god Ptah, considered in ancient times as the god of darkness, in the shade. Although there isn’t any concrete evidence to support the idea, it is believed that those two dates correspond to the day the king was born and that of his coronation, respectively.”

“The Egyptians had an unbelievable handle on the Sun and stars for their time.”

“More than you think, Richard. Much more,” remarked Mary.

James, who had been silently listening to friends’ conversation until then, shared his thoughts. “Some time ago, I heard that the Valley of the Kings is relatively nearby, along with a series of temples built in honor of the gods.”

Mary frowned with surprise. She didn’t think that this was James’ kind of subject. “Yes, that’s right. The Valley of the Kings holds the tombs of most pharaohs from the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Dynasties, as well as queens, princes, nobles and some animals.”

“Weren’t the kings from the later dynasties buried there?”

“The kings of the Twenty-first Dynasty abandoned Thebes and transferred the capital to Tanis. At that time, the tombs were beginning to be looted by aggressive gangs who had no regard for any possible punishment, and who robbed them of their treasure. Even members of the local administration were implicated in the looting of tombs, culminating in one of the priests ordering the royal mummies be moved from their tombs to various hiding places where they would be safe.”

“The most important tomb which has been found here has to be that of Tutankhamen, doesn’t it?” asked James, waiting for Mary’s confirmation.

“Yeah. This tomb was the one that unleashed the worldwide fascination with Egypt that continues to this day, mainly due to the large amount of treasures that were found within, all of them priceless.”

“And what about the temples James mentioned?”

Mary took a moment to rest before she spoke again. “There are loads of temples in that area, some of them rebuilt in a different location to the original because they were flooded during the construction of the Aswan Dam. They include the Philae Temple, built in honor of the goddess Isis on an island next to the River Nile; the Temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, built to honor Horus; those of Karnak and Luxor, which were built to honor Amon and are connected by an avenue lined with sphinxes… However, the temple I like best is that of Queen Hatshepsut, which consists of huge terraces with columns which blend in with the mountainside behind. The temple is partly carved into the rock face with the other part being built outside.”

“But many believe the Temples of Karnak and Luxor to be the most significant,” protested James, not paying much attention to what his friend had just said.

Mary responded with a faint smile. “It’s fair to say that the Karnak complex is the most famous ancient religious site in the world - in fact, it is the second most visited place in Egypt, after the Pyramids at Giza. But for me, it’s something spiritual. I’ve always admired Queen Hatshepsut.”

Richard cursed under his breath. “So it’s a real shame we’re in Egypt and we don’t have time to visit them. If we had at least shaken off those two thugs…”

James reflected on the last few days and how he had come close to losing his life on various occasions. Mary knew what he was thinking and put her hand on his.

“Anyway, there’s more to Egypt than visiting museums, temples and pyramids. You can do other satisfying and fun activities like snorkeling.”

“Snorkeling?” asked Richard as he drank the last of his water. “Isn’t that supposed to be dangerous?”

James answered before Mary. “Richard, cast your mind back over the last few days. Still think it’s dangerous?”

“The Red Sea is the best place in the world to do it,” Mary went on. “The things you can see down there simply spectacular.”

I
t was eight in the morning when they arrived at the three Pyramids of Giza. They had decided to visit them as early as possible so as to avoid both the oppressive desert heat and the throngs of people who would make access difficult. At that time, however, there was already a queue of twenty waiting to buy tickets, all kitted out in matching baseball caps and sunglasses. Some even carried huge bottles of water, already half empty.

Mary insisted that they both cover their eyes and walk to a nearby plain from where they could see the three pyramids in all their glory. Once there, they removed their blindfolds and stood rooted to the spot as they observed how the four triangles of the pyramids converged at the top, in the expanse of Egyptian sky, and blessed them with one of the most breathtaking sights they would ever witness in their lives. The most magnificent and symbolic monuments of Egyptian civilization stood before them as they watched the years go by.

Richard smiled, using his right hand as a visor to shield his eyes from the sun. That first impression, seeing them after removing the blindfold, was well worth it.

He took a deep breath before he spoke. “They don’t seem as tall in the photos in books. From what I’ve heard, the Ancient Egyptians used to use mastabas to bury their dead. Why would they start building huge pyramids like these?”

Mary replied after wiping her forehead with a damp cloth. “That remains a mystery for the time being. However, it’s often said that the Egyptians wanted to reach ever increasing heights as a symbol of the importance and power of the pharaoh.”

James had stepped a few feet back and was staring spellbound at the Sphinx from afar. A group of tourists were milling around it while a guide was giving them a series of explanations. He joined them without a second thought. Richard had guessed his intentions; he knew him extremely well and he couldn’t resist any opportunity to learn something new. They would go and buy the tickets.

“The Great Sphinx was sculpted out of the limestone rock which was present here thousands of years ago.” The guide finally laid eyes on James; he didn’t remember seeing his face. “It measures sixty-five feet tall, two hundred feet long and forty-six feet wide with the head alone coming in at sixteen feet. You can see how it isn’t in proportion with the body, and is instead much smaller.”

One of the tourists took a long swig of water and wiped the lenses of his glasses, which were damp from the sweat glistening on his forehead. His shirt was soaking wet and he was obviously dehydrated. Even so, he was determined to ask the guide a question. “When was it built?”

“Well, even historians don’t agree on that. The size of the head is one of the reasons that make us unsure about the exact era in which it was created. The most widely-accepted hypothesis is that the statue originally had a lion’s head, because the body is similar to that of the animal, and at the time it was facing the constellation Leo. The sculpture displays signs of erosion brought about by rainfall when the climate in this area was much more humid, and they give us reason to believe that it was created many years before the Great Pyramid, making it over ten thousand years old. It is thought that the lion’s head was later replaced with that of King Khafra, which is what we see today.”

James broke away from the group and walked back over to his friends, all the while thinking about what the guide had said.

Everything that surrounds the Egyptians really is pure mystery.

Mary had already bought the three tickets and they were at the foot of one of the Pyramids when James found them. She was telling Richard about the great marvels and mysteries which lay hidden within the gigantic structures, so the young professor joined them and listened carefully to what she had to say.

“So they still don’t know how they were built?” asked Richard.

“There are several theories. Many of them are speculation but not even the experts can come to an agreement, given the lack of documentation which definitively describes the construction process which was followed at the time. Besides, that is just one of the mysteries, but there are many more.”

“Such as?” asked James, interrupting their conversation.

“Look at their position along the plateau. According to latest findings, it has a very close relationship with Orion’s Belt, which is formed by the stars Zeta, Epsilon and Delta Orionis. First off, the alignment of the pyramids and the stars is exact, since both are lined up in a southwesterly direction. Meanwhile, the furthest star, Delta Orionis, deviates from the diagonal line running through the other two stars; it sits off to the east. Now, the exact same thing happens with the pyramids, because the Pyramid of Mykerinos is diverges slightly towards the east compared with the diagonal line projected by the other two pyramids.”

This time it was Mary who was aware that her explanations were difficult to follow. She took out a pen and piece of paper from her backpack, drew a couple of diagrams and showed them what she had done.

James just couldn’t believe it. “Couldn’t it be a mere coincidence?”

“Maybe, if that were the only thing they had in common. However, there are lots of others. Delta Orionis is much less bright than the other two. This brightness may correspond to the size of the Pyramids, since the Pyramid of Mykerinos is much smaller, with both the others being practically the same size. Plus, the star in the center is almost the same distance from each of the others, just as the Pyramid of Khafra is positioned between the other two pyramids.”

“But if the three pyramids were related to Orion’s Belt, shouldn’t they have found something inside which would back it up?” he asked again.

“They already have. A few years ago, they discovered how, inside the Great Pyramid, the southern shaft of the King’s Chamber had been positioned towards Orion’s Belt, or rather Osiris. It was later discovered that the southern shaft in the Queen’s Chamber was oriented towards the star Sirius, otherwise known as the sister and wife of Osiris, or the goddess Isis. Obviously the Pyramids and Orion’s Belt are closely related.”

Just then, one of the guards informed the tourists that their tour inside the Great Pyramid would be delayed until four in the afternoon. Over the course of the morning, some archaeologists were going to be checking out some findings which had recently come to light.

Everybody was utterly disappointed. Many were traveling on a tight schedule with a certain amount of time allocated for each visit. They couldn’t hang around for five hours to go inside.

Much to their dismay, the trio returned to Cairo but without straying too far from the Giza Plateau. It was a gloriously sunny day, so they took refuge below an awning in a nearby cafe and spent their time talking about all the mysteries which were locked inside the Great Pyramid.

After ordering several bottles of water, Richard took out a folded up piece of paper from inside his pocket and smiled. “I’ve done my homework this time. I was doing some investigating yesterday, looking for information about the Pyramid of Cheops.”

James folded his arms. “And what did you find?”

“It’s full of mysteries! It is angled precisely at four minutes thirty-five seconds, with the thirtieth parallel passing right through the center. When drawing the map of Egypt, the Great Pyramid was chosen as the starting point for the triangulation; when they used it as the base, it was discovered that the diagonal lines of the square of its base corresponded completely with the Nile Delta. The meridian passed exactly through the top of the pyramid, dividing the delta into two equal parts.”

“I don’t really understand what you’re saying, but I guess you mean that the Pyramid isn’t there by chance,” said James.

“Precisely, but there’s more. They comply with a series of unbelievable mathematical conditions. I doubt that they could be built today with such accuracy. It’s interesting to note how previous studies showed that if the perimeter of its base is divided by twice its height, you get the number Pi, 3.141592… You know who discovered the number Pi?”

“It was the Greeks… but centuries later.”

“Well done!” exclaimed Richard as he read the next line on the sheet. “If its weight is multiplied by a billion, we get the weight of the Earth. If its height is multiplied by a thousand billion, it gives us the distance between the Earth and the Sun. The inside temperature is exactly the same as the average temperature of the Earth; if the latter alters, then so does the temperature inside the pyramid. The internal walls seem straight but they are in fact convex with a curvature which is exactly equal to that of the Earth’s surface. When the
pyramid cubit
is divided into the base length, the result is precisely the number for the days in one year. When you take into account the weight of the Earth and its polar radius, along with the study of a red granite rectangular receptacle found in the Royal Chamber, it all points towards a system of measurements, volumes and dimensions. In addition to all of this, you have to consider the mystery which surrounds the beginning of Egyptian civilization; at the time of the First Dynasty in around 3200 BC, it went from being an almost Neolithic culture to one which is unspeakably advanced and enabled them to build all these impressive structures. That is what has the archaeologists fascinated.”