Sakkara and Memphis

After lunch in Giza, with the pyramids in the background and fresh-baked pita bread in our stomachs, we head south about 30 km to the area of Mit er-Rahina, the modern village that delineates the region of the first capital of Egypt, ancient Memphis. As we drive along an irrigation canal that shadows the Nile, the intense greenery of the fields assails us. Now, for the first time, we see why Egypt is the breadbasket of North Africa. The sheer size and abundance of crops astounds. Yet at the same time, you can see enormous problems that beset a nation of 70+ million: poverty, poor infrastructure, poor hygiene, government inaction in addressing key social issues. There is a tremendous disparity between urban and rural Egypt. However, the spirit of the people, their genuine-ness, gives an optimistic view of the future.



The village is evidence of the unbreakable chain of life that has stretched along the Nile for thousands of years. In fact, this village had almost made archaeological research impossible in this area. After all, what do you say? "Here's 100 Egyptian Pounds, can I dig a hole in your living room floor and promise to fill it back in later?" As a result, only limited, random research has been carried out, this often when, in the course of ploughing a field, a piece of statuary appears and authorities can carry out a salvage dig. These random finds have been gathered in an area just to the east of the modern village.



Found here, in the first part of the 19th Century, was an unfinished and badly eroded statue of the great King Ramses II. Lying in an open field, Giovanni Belzoni described it and painted it in all its splendor. Yet it would remain in this open field for nearly two centuries. Here is the way that it looked during WW II. (right). Finally, in the mid 1970s, the Supreme Council of Antiquities would build an open-air structure to protect this statue from the elements.





Other statuary gathered from the Memphis precinct also comes from the end of the Middle Kingdom, such as this statue of an Alabaster Sphinx. Alabaster is a gypsum-like stone that is found primarily in the Luxor District, about 700 km to the south. Left: Here is my father sitting on the sphinx in 1944 (now that's really frowned upon!). And, the second generation after, my daughter Jessi. (above).




Once again, you can see the progress made by the Supreme Council of Antiquities in preserving Egypt's ancient monuments.



From there, it is a short drive back across the canal to the vicinity of the Necropolis of Sakkara. This burial complex dates to the IIIrd, Vth and VIth Dynasties of the Old Kindgom. Here, during the IIIrd, one finds the earliest complete pyramid in Egypt- that of the Stepped Pyramid of the Pharoah Djoser. But before entering the Necropolis, there's a stop at one of most important craft arts of Egypt today; that of rug making. Our journey takes us to the El Sultan Carpet School. This governmentally licensed workshop combines the necessity of education with the necessity of learning a trade for life.


Students are taught the basics of a secular education for half a day 6 days a week. Then, for the balance of the day, they are trained in the art of weaving and rugmaking. This is not child labor or abuse of young people; but rather a means to ensure their working future.



So, buy a carpet bag, and get a rug free!



Next: The Sakkara Necropolis