We would spend our final afternoon in Egypt traveling 50km south of Cairo to visit the city of Memphis. Yup! I'm sure most of you know the first thing Leonard thinks about when he hears the word Memphis, right? Our summer roadtrip last year should have given him plenty of time to get Elvis out of his system.
It's actually time for lunch!
Enroute to Memphis, our tour group stopped at a traditional Egyptian food establishment to taste a variety of dishes. Unfortunately, we didn't take notes, and have no idea what any of that food is in the photos. Leonard actually refused to pay $15 to eat any of the mysterious foods brought to our table throughout this lunch stop. He wasn't going to risk his tummy getting All Shook Up today. Although, he did eat some of the free bread....so you do the math!
Memphis served as the capital city during the Old Kingdom, a time of significant advancements in Egyptian civilization, including the construction of the pyramids at Giza. The city is recognized by UNESCO, boasting impressive ruins, including temples, statues, and the nearby necropolis of Saqqara, which houses the oldest complete stone building complex in Egypt, the Step Pyramid of Djoser.
No King sightings yet....but just wait! Remember those giant 70 foot statues of King Ramses II at Abu Simbel? Today we're visiting an archaeological museum built solely to protect another giant statue of Ramses II. Discovered in 1820, this 33-foot limestone colossus of Ramses II displays him lying in the prone position due to extensive damage at his feet and base.
A similar large statue of Ramses II, originally discovered in the Memphis area, is now standing in the main gallery of the Grand Egyptian Museum since 2018.
Outside this building there were a number of other sculptures to see. Jenesa sphinx you'll really like this next one! She's sitting next to the largest alabaster (calcite) statue ever discovered and a significant artifact from ancient Memphis. This is known as the "mini Sphix."
You may even recognize another King in this photo! Oh! It's just a silly joke.....Don't Be Cruel!
Our last stop In the Ghetto was the Akhnaton Carpet School. Carpet weaving is a trade born and bred in Saqqara, and the handmade carpets are known worldwide. Those interested in mastering the skill are initially taught how to manipulate the wool or the silk fibres into knots. Once they’ve learned the knotting process and how to tighten the threads, the next step is interlacing them to form the picture that’s placed on the loom. Eventually, students who've mastered the craft can work on their own loom (looms are the devices used to weave the carpets).
The handmade carpets are more expensive because weaving a carpet takes months sometimes, and the process is quite difficult. For example, it takes about one to two months to make a meter of carpet using wool. The value of handmade carpets goes up with time, and the prices can range anywhere between EGP 20 to EGP 70,000. The most expensive carpets are the ones made of silk, while the wool ones are much cheaper.
Speaking of money, if anyone is interested in the USD to Egyptian Pound currency exchange rate, please visit our How Much Is That? blog page where we will discuss that.....and the cost of TAMPONS in Egypt!
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