What to see in Cairo, the capital of Egypt

Text/Lin Ai

In the early winter of 2019, we signed up for a 10-day tour of Egypt at Jining Kanghui Travel Agency. A group of 21 of us took the Emirates Airlines flight from Beijing Capital International Airport. The Airbus 380 took to the skies, and most of the people in the cabin were Chinese tourists in their early sixties. They must have traveled abroad to broaden their horizons like me while their legs and feet were still fresh. We old people are really a lucky generation. Although we suffered a lot when we were young, we went to the countryside or served as soldiers, but we still enjoy a lot of pension when we retire. Why don’t we go out for a while?

The sky was clear that day and the visibility was very good. The season of Beginning of Winter has passed, and the whole earth is gray and yellow. Flying through Inner Mongolia and Xinjiang, the desert is endless. Only the snow-capped mountains on the China-Pakistan border shine in the sunshine, showing a unique style. The passenger plane passed through Pakistan and flew north along the Persian Gulf. A puddle of clear water was sandwiched between gray-yellow mountains and deserts. Toy-like ships were dotted among them. The colorful beauty of nature was dizzying.

After eight hours of flight, the passenger plane landed smoothly at Dubai International Airport in the United Arab Emirates. It seems like it's still summer here, the plants are lush and green, the tourists at the airport are wearing summer clothes, only the Arabs are wearing black or white robes, the different races and attires of foreign people are also unique. We changed to a medium-sized passenger plane at Dubai Airport, and after a two-and-a-half-hour flight, we finally arrived in Cairo, the capital of Egypt.

The procedure for obtaining a visa on arrival is very simple. The customs staff only stayed on our passports and faces for a second, stamped them and then let us go. There was a minibus parked outside the airport, and a young man in the car introduced himself with a long list of names. Arabs seem to have their first name first, followed by the surnames of their father and grandfather. He said, everyone just call me Ajie or Brother Jie, it’s easier to remember.

It was dusk, and I felt hazy that the city was full of garbage and dust was flying. There were also sloppily dressed people lying on the street, as if they were spending the night. Ajie asked everyone, have you seen the garbage? No one answered. After a moment of silence, someone said no. Ajie said there is no such thing! Everyone laughed heartily, it was like the story of "The Emperor's New Clothes", they were telling lies with their eyes open. Everyone has the right to love their country and no one has a different opinion.

Tour guide Ajie continued, in the 1950s and 1960s, we were also a socialist country. Were you not as good as us then? We have pursued a multi-party system and a market economy, but they have not been very successful. We are now twenty or thirty years behind you. I have been to China six times, and every time there have been great changes. Deng Xiaoping's reform and opening up were so powerful. However, we have a history of five thousand years, so you can experience it slowly.

Ajie said that he graduated from the Chinese Department of Cairo University and later studied in the History Department for one year. Ajie speaks Chinese very fluently. Not only does he use words accurately, but he also mixes in joking sentences. This reminds me of the story "One Thousand and One Nights" that I read when I was a child. Arabs from ancient times to the present have always been humorous. Ajie has slightly dark skin, big eyes with double eyelids, and a beard as black as hair on his chin, which is a standard Arab look.

The minibus passed through an urban area of ??several square kilometers. There were two- and three-story mosque-like buildings dotted among the bungalows. The lights seemed dark and no one lived there. Occasionally, the courtyards flickered with dim lights as if someone was walking around. I have doubts in my mind, is this a household to be relocated in a civilian area of ??the city? I really couldn't help myself and asked Ajie? Ajie's answer surprised me. This place used to be a suburb, and people used it as a cemetery. In modern times, it developed into a city center. I asked why the grave was not moved? Ajie said that cultural relics that were thousands of years old were moved out, why? I asked again what those dim lights were for. Do cemeteries still need lighting? Ajie said that living people lived here, and the government had mobilized to relocate them, but the people were used to it and were unwilling. Isn’t there a saying in China that goes, “When it rains, the mother wants to get married”? Just follow what others wish! With its squalor and city cemeteries, Cairo, Egypt, may be a capital like no other in the world.

The hotel we stayed in was as magnificent as a king's manor, with tall date palm trees, bright bougainvillea, and green grass surrounding a moderately sized swimming pool. The restaurant's bread, eggs, sausages, milk, and fruits are all in your pocket, and the Western food tastes good.

Early the next morning, we set foot on the first attraction on our journey to Egypt - the pyramids.

Along the route of the minibus to the pyramids, six or seven-story buildings with exposed red bricks and no doors or windows can be seen everywhere. Seeing everyone's confused look, Ajie asked Egypt when the exterior wall decoration would be completed and taxes would be paid to the government. Some buildings have been built for more than ten years. People live in the buildings below, while the buildings above are still under construction. People can buy a piece of land and start construction. Only God knows when it will be completed.

As the minibus continued to move forward, we saw that the walls were falling off, the floors were thin, and there was not even a fire escape between the crumbling buildings. What would happen if a fire broke out. The distance between buildings can be covered by just one step. If one building collapses, the front, rear, left and right will suffer. Every project in our country must be strictly managed, including the grade of cement and the quality of steel bars. Once problems occur, supervision and construction personnel must be held accountable. Is there no one to care about such a matter where human life is at stake and let it continue?

If Cairo’s city cemeteries and illegal buildings are the two biggest monsters in Egypt, then the chaos near the pyramids is the third monster. Before we arrived at the pyramids, our tour guide Ajie told everyone that if someone takes pictures for you, don’t give them your phone, as they will charge a lot of money. We really got to see how powerful these people are.

The location where we got off the bus was to the north of the Pyramid of Khufu. It was backlit for taking pictures, so my wife and I walked to the south. Along the way, there were either people selling handicrafts, or "services" on camels and horse-drawn carriages. Yes, we quickly waved our hands and said no. The tour guide said that these people don't keep their words. They negotiated a hundred yuan and paid one hundred dollars. The exchange rate between the US dollar and the RMB is 1.7, and the price of carriages and camels is sky-high.

Before we even picked up our phones at the south side of Khufu’s Pyramid, several more people came over to buy photo albums and stamp collections. As if to do us a favor, a young man came over and chased them away. When we were getting ready to take pictures, this young man ordered us to do this and that, but I wouldn't let go of my phone, so he reached out and asked for money. I thought he dismissed a few troublemakers and gave him two dollars, but they didn't accept it at all. My wife and I walked to a crowded place.

My wife was frightened and frightened. She gasped and said, "Where is it? We just have to rob it. It's scary!" In any case, we haven't suffered any financial losses, but another old man in the team can't even give anyone 40 yuan, which scares everyone so much that they no longer dare to act alone.

The Pyramids and the Sphinx built in 2600 BC are mysterious and majestic, and are known as the seven wonders of the world. Now that we are here in person, everyone wants to experience it more. But unable to withstand the torment of these "black sheep", people take precautions rather than play. Traveling is all about mood. You can't afford to offend or hide. Everyone gathered in front of the minibus and recounted the thrilling process.

Why is this chaos not strictly controlled? Just like riding a camel or a horse-drawn carriage, the relevant departments set a reasonable price and let the operators implement it according to the regulations. If tourists are found to be defrauded, they will be severely punished. Such a healthy operation not only facilitates tourists but also benefits local people. Isn't it better than letting things go their own way?

The museums of a country and region record the development history of each era in detail through the collection of objects and texts from ancient times to modern times. But the Egyptian Museum broke the rules and used numerous Pharaoh funerary objects and mummies to express more than 4,000 years of history. Therefore, it is not an exaggeration at all for me to call this Egyptian museum the Mummy Museum.

As soon as you enter the hall, you can see many sarcophagi weighing thirty or forty tons. These stone halls contain mummy coffins. The coffin looks like a human body, covered in paint, with a smile on its face, and is not scary. Whether it is the Sphinx of the Pharaoh in Memphis or the stone statue of the Pharaoh in the Luxor Temple, his face is festive and kind, without any majestic or threatening expression. Perhaps ancient Egypt advocated gods to govern the world and used a method of both kindness and power to manage the country. Therefore, there is nothing ferocious about the mummy's appearance.

The art of mummification lasted for three thousand years and reached its peak in the tenth century BC. Most mummies show unique human expressions, some smiling, some frowning, some stunned, and some contented. Although they were shriveled and dark in color, their appearance seemed to be in an eternal sleep, which was neither scary nor disgusting.

When making a mummy, the embalmer first uses a knife to open a ten centimeter-long incision in the abdomen of the corpse. Then, from the incision, he takes out all the organs of the deceased except the heart, and uses wine and cinnamon to make the mummy. , spices are washed one by one. According to the ancient Egyptians, the heart has emotions and should be kept in the body. The embalmer also washes the abdominal cavity of the corpse with cedar oil, breaks down the remaining soft tissues, and then uses a tool with a hook to penetrate the skull through the nostrils of the deceased to pull out the brain. Then pour in tar and spices to flush out the remaining tissue of the brain.

The embalmer will bury all the organs and body in a mixed powder of sodium bicarbonate and drain out the water. After a month, the body is taken out and washed with spices and perfume. Every step of embalming must be done carefully. For example, every limb and toe of the corpse must be wrapped individually to avoid damage or falling off.

The reason why the ancient Egyptians went to great lengths to preserve corpses and hearts was because they were inspired by the cyclical movement of the sun and the regular flooding of the Nile River. Believe in the reincarnation process of life, the end of the old life is the beginning of the new life. Over time, the ancient Egyptians would hold an important event - the opening of the mouth ceremony. It is said that this way the dead can breathe, eat and drink, and can defend themselves in hell. During the ceremony, the mummy was raised upright, and the priest touched his bandaged face with an axe, and murmured the words "You are alive, you are young!" The last item was money for a banquet held by relatives and friends. The mummy will pass through the dark world and finally reach the tribunal of Osiris, the son of heaven and earth.

The whole process is filled with dark ravines, and demons constantly infest the ferry of the dead. The mummy still has to pass through the door guarded by two ferocious snakes, with Osiris sitting in the middle, and forty-two jury gods on both sides. Osiris orders the yamen jury to weigh the heart of the deceased. If the heart is heavier than feathers, They will be swallowed by the "ghost-eating beast" with a crocodile head. If the heart and feathers are balanced, the deceased will enter a wonderful world of bliss. The art of mummification lasted for three thousand years without interruption, reaching its peak in the tenth century BC.

The Egyptians believed that people would go to heaven after death, and they usually prepared items needed for death from birth. These ancient legends are vigorously displayed in the museum with pictures and texts. The Egyptian Museum was built and opened in 1902 and is one of the oldest museums in the world. The museum has a collection of 250,000 historical artifacts from the time of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs 5,000 years ago to the sixth century AD. The huge stone statues of the pharaohs, pure gold palace supplies, numerous mummies, the 242-pound solid gold mask of Tutankhamen and the coffin are all impressive for their exquisite workmanship.

Tutankhamun, a pharaoh who died at the age of eighteen, was unknown during his reign and had no achievements, but his tomb was completely excavated in modern times because it was missed by ancient tomb robbers. Instantly famous all over the world, the famous golden mask even became the national symbol of Egypt.

Tour guide Ajie described the tomb robbery process. At that time, Tutankhamun's tomb was covered with an ancient tomb. After the thieves succeeded, they thought that Pharaoh Tutankhamun's reign was short-lived, died suddenly, and was buried carelessly without much treasure, so they stopped digging further, so that this unique cultural relic could be seen again.

This young pharaoh may have liked to drive a chariot during his lifetime, because the wheels and shafts of the gold-inlaid chariot unearthed from the tomb were slightly worn; he also seemed to like chess games, with four sets of game boards He was also brought into the tomb; in addition to his love of driving and games, modern people also believe that the young pharaoh was a trendy man, because a scarf with excellent texture and workmanship was found in the tomb. Modern textile experts estimate that if a person works for eleven hours a day, it would take nine months to complete one piece. In addition, there are hundreds of pairs of shoes in the tomb, some made of leather, wood, wicker, and even gold. What’s even more surprising is the more than 30 brands of wine found in Tutankhamen’s tomb. One of them, “Tutankhamun Wine,” is also marked with the year, place of origin and manufacturer’s logo.

The cause of death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, who died at the age of 18, has been controversial. Many historians believe that the murals in the tomb may be able to reveal the answer, because according to Egyptian tradition, it is necessary to speak to the deceased. The person who performs the ritual must be the next successor, and this mural has clearly revealed that the successor pharaoh is He Yi. During the period of Tutankhamun and his father Akhenaten, Ay was the Visir (Egyptian Prime Minister) who was inferior to one person and superior to ten thousand people.

After Tutankhamun's death, Ayi ascended the throne and forcibly married Tutankhamun's deceased wife Ankhesen. Not long after Ankhesen married Ayi, he mysteriously ended up.

Various visions indicate that Ayi is very likely a regicide usurper. He first killed the young pharaoh and then organized Tutankhamun's funeral. In order to gain the support of the people, he forced Ankehussen to marry him. The bloody power struggles of the Eighteenth Dynasty of ancient Egypt were all expressed through this tomb. Just like Zhu Di in the Ming Dynasty of China, who rebelled and launched a rebellion, Emperor Jianwen's whereabouts are still unknown and has become an eternal mystery.

As the years of history roll by, the ancient Egyptian swords and swords and life-and-death struggles are also submerged in the desert. Only the grandeur of the Egyptian Museum and the numerous funerary objects show the glory of ancient times to future generations, leaving people with endless aftertaste.