“May Day” was one of observation and little visual documentation. The Egyptian National Museum was the primary mark of the day, which maintains a strict “No Camera” policy on the inside. So unfortunately, there are no pictures to share of the thousands of artifacts. A couple of hints for those who may venture to Cairo in the near future: paying $20 USD for access to the Royal Mummy Gallery is hardly worth the effort and allot at least two hours for the Tutt exhibit if you really want to see everything. The Tutt exhibit was incredible in scope. In a few display cases there were photos of pieces on exhibit in other countries. These hardly made a dent in the total artifact count.
Two observations of the day at the museum stood out. First, the man in charge of the construction of the two largest pyramids at Giza was a dwarf and the only man in Egyptian history to receive the endorsement of two Pharaoh’s cartouche seals on his grave marking. This is exceptionally important in ancient Egypt because it meant that two human gods were intervening on behalf of a man when his heart is “weighed against a feather” at the final judgment. In other words, this extremely powerful man had received a “get out of jail free card” in the final judgment. It very interesting that over 5,000 years ago the Egyptians didn’t seem to have an issue with dwarfism, as evidenced by one of the most powerful men in the country, but modern Western culture seems to look down on little people as somehow inherently less valued.
Second, I found a 5,000 year old “square knot” on a mummy that secured the feet in a perpendicular position to the body. This finding reminded me of learning the knot, as an aspiring Tenderfoot Boy Scout, and asking my scoutmaster “If the square knot is the strongest knot in the world, how long will it stay tied?” The answer was, “Forever.” Who knew that my scoutmaster would be right or at least 5,000 years in the right direction?”
I am hesitant to add the next commentary, but it was too “classic” to leave out. While wandering through the Tutt exhibit, I noticed several distracted local boys and men all looking in the same general direction. The visual was a fanning of male heads turned to a focal point. What was captivating their attention? I had to hold back a snigger when the obvious answer cleared. They were all staring at an early twenties, obviously Western, girl who had decided that it was appropriate in a dominantly Muslim country to wear a broadly woven cotton “tank top” with no bra. The “temperature controlled” environment, combined with the overhead spot lighting, fabric weave and cut of her shirt left precious little to the imagination. It is clear where Middle Eastern stereotypes of Western woman find their reinforcing documentation. Did the Western girl have a right to wear that outfit, sure, but it is more a matter of respect for the native culture. Just as it is not acceptable for European women to go topless on a US beach, she really should have understood that even an opaque short-sleeved t-shirt was the better cultural option.
The evening was spent wandering the streets and bridges of old Cairo. Much of the older part of town is very European with “flat iron” buildings and round-abouts that seem plucked right out of Paris.
Interestingly, the hot social dating spot is on bridges spanning the Nile River. The river provides a naturally cooler location for couples to lean on the bridge railing, while enjoying tea and sweets from local vendors. It feels almost Norman Rockwell-esque in that enjoying the cool evening air, sunset, and conversation is the icon of dating.
With the sunset, the full moon was free to put on a show.
No comments:
Post a Comment