Egyptians
Introduction for Egyptians
As I write this intro Egypt is on the verge of potential internal upheaval on par with the revolt that ousted Mubarak in 2011. Within the next week or two we will know which way the winds are blowing. Let us hope that somehow they will sort out their political and religious differences without escalating violence.
Egypt drew me back some five times and I’d certainly go again, even though I’ve probably seen three quarters of her ancient monuments more than once. Exploring the ruins of ancient Egypt (mostly temples and tombs) made a nice counterpoint with my interactions with modern day (mostly Muslim) inhabitants. I seriously considered living in Alexandria as the poet Cavafy had back in the first decades of the 20th Century. At Saqarra I twice visited the so-called ‘gay tomb’ which is not open to the public for some reason not too difficult to guess.
At Luxor and Aswan I rented bicycles to explore both the nearby archeological sites and the surrounding area outside the towns. During the 1990s internal political strife made the central areas around Asyut off limits so I had to travel under military escort to visit both Antinopolis and Abydos.