Saqqara and Memphis

Already my last afternoon in Cairo is nearly over and I still haven't completed my tourist descriptions!  I started Tuesday morning with a walk down the road to see if I could cut across to the Nile.  I couldn't!  The busy road is chaotic and dirty, homeless people sleep on old sofas at the side - one has set himself up with a fireplace in front of him.  Horses are tethered and dogs also sleep on the pavement.  There is some kind of butcher's place on an open second floor and a man is doing something to a huge hanging half carcass.   Other men are manipulating the second half of the carcass out of a truck onto their shoulders.  It looks clean and still has its organs inside.

Tuesday's tourist venture is to visit the oldest pyramid in the world at Saqqara.  This is the famous stepped pyramid created for King Zoser by the architect, Imhotp.  This is the first time the pyramid shape was created.  It is in six enormous tiers and there were workers renovating the lower tier.  The entrance has 42 columns with 42 statues of King Zoser in the niches.  These were all robbed except one that was re-incorporated into a later building on site.  

Once through the entrance colonnade we came into a huge open couryard.  Mustfa told me that once every 30 years there was a big festival and King Zoser had to prove his strength by putting on heavy clothes including the massive double crown of Upper and Lower Egypt and dance/run around the courtyard that also represented the extent of upper and lower Egypt.  The pyramid had many false doors to confuse tomb raiders.

We then walked over to the tomb and pyramid of King Titi and his servant, Mereruka.  The tomb has very clear hieroglyphs engraved into the rock showing Titi's cartouche and telling the story of his glorious achievements.  Mereruka's temple depicts his work as a tax collector.

Lunch was in an outdoor restaurant and consisted of a personalised smoking BBQ.  As we came in, a woman was working at a traditional oven and a little girl sat by the toilets with a goat.  Clearly set up for tourists but charming still.  Then a quick visit to old Cairo and the hanging church of St Mary built over a Roman tower.  In the entrance courtyard, there are lovely mosaics showing the journey of the Holy family into Egypt and Mustfa told me something of the history of the early Coptic Christians.  We also went to the crypt of the Holy Family under St Sergius church where they had lived.  Mustfa, who is Muslim, clearly appreciated this peaceful place and was happy to light candles before we wandered back through the bazaar to the bus.

I spent the evening in the roof top restaurant after a dip in the pool and made the mistake of having a pizza for dinner that kept me awake in the middle of the night and left me feeling a bit seedy today.  But I must go now because my guide is due to return and take me to the airport for my flight to Aswan.