We rode to Memphis, which was the capital of Egypt at the time of Abraham's visit in Genesis 12:10-20 (which we read). We also read Exodus 2:1-10, because this would likely have been the spot where Pharoah's daughter found Moses in the bulrushes.
We saw also the alabaster sphinx:
...and the massive statue of Rameses II discovered here:
Our next stop was Sakkara, the site of the famous step pyramid...
...where we could also see from a distance the famous "broken pyramid" and one other failed attempt before Snefru, the father of Cheops finally accomplished the first pyramid with perfect angles:
Next we stopped at a local carpet school (and store), where the students really gripped Robin's heart:
Then we visited the gigantic Amro mosque, which dates to the seventh century:
We removed our shoes and entered....
....as afternoon prayers were in progress. These were followed by a funeral procession--actually just a blessing of the coffin, as Muslims here are buried in the sand:
From there we saw a papyrus-making shop (and art store) and the historic Mena House hotel, built in 1867 by the pyramids.
At 8 tonight we board a train, and tomorrow we wake in Luxor!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment