The Suez Canal

A major driver for this year's trip was to see the Suez Canal (built 1859-69) as earlier attempts had been thwarted (2019 Covid, 2024 Houthis). Our travel agent was up for the challenge and we drove down to Ismailia to visit the museum. This was built in 1939 over the remains of the original Suez administration building and houses the numerous objects found during excavation of the canal. Unfortunately, photography inside was not allowed – a strange rule, given this was not an issue for the Grand Museum.

The building and grounds were colourful!

Photos in the entry atrium were allowed and housed some large equipment and a statue of Ferdinand de Lesseps, the French diplomat who was the driving force behind the canal's construction. 

The museum included ancient monuments through to modern-day history, such as a moving model of the Ever Given that went aground in 2021. Although that blockage was expensive (not least for the ship’s insurers) it pales into insignificance compared to the 50% downturn in trade since November 2023 because of the Houthis’ Red Sea antics.

After our translated guided tour, it was time for a snack. We were driven around the block with our police escort to the front door of the Maison Maxim De Lesseps. As it was next door walking would have been quicker! This is a beautiful building which has recently been refurbished into a boutique hotel. Quite an exquisite dining room for our late morning snack.

There were two unique aspects to this visit. Our guide was keen to point out two bullet holes in separate walls and years apart. It is a little ironic that both holes were carefully protected. Second a film team sought and received permission to film us during our tour. I'm a little dubious as to the value we would add to any marketing material.

We then travelled North to Port Said and enroute swapped our police escort ‘ute’ with its supine sleepy policeman in the back, to a degree-qualified officer with a driver in a relatively unbattered car. The experience of crossing the canal, albeit by ferry, after years of waiting was quite euphoric.

The canal is a very busy shipping lane, albeit most of the transiting ships now travel through the Eastern arm. Unlike UK canals, a boat’s wash is irrelevant as this tug demonstrated by generating a significant wave that was not only felt on our heavy ferry but also created quite a wave on the far shore.

Once across, we had an unexpected visit. This was to a “salt mountain”. Sea water was evaporated into ponds and then formed into “mountains” using excavators and stackers. It is then manually put into bags for industrial use. Quite a labour-intensive operation.

Having overcome our euphoria, the return across the canal enabled a bit more focus on what a busy waterway this is. From large floating dry docks:

To dominating mosques there is plenty to occupy the teeming population.

A busy day which we rounded out with a meal at a local fish restaurant before our 3-hour drive back to Cairo. Here we selected the fish which was then cooked and brought up to our table on the balcony overlooking the madding hordes. Not quite the calm or, with the taped plastic sheets of the same standard as our morning meal - but nonetheless an unforgettable experience.

A long day but one but one which was memorable in so many ways – and of course ticked a long standing item off the bucket list!

The Nile - Egyptology

While on SS Sudan we had daily trips to see a few of the many ancient sites. A map and some recent engineering history should help to set the scene. We sailed from Aswan to Luxor.

The Nile used to flood regularly (some 14 metres at Aswan, 12 metres at Luxor and 7.5 metres at Cairo) and a dam was the solution.  The first was started in 1892 and was subsequently raised twice. Once that was overtopped the High Aswan dam was built (1960). In addition to controlling flooding, irrigation and hydroelectricity were also drivers. Before the dams, many of the temples and other structures were buried in silt over previous centuries. This helped their preservation, along with a reluctance by locals to excavate the many sites, largely due to a fear of spirits and the like. Excavations started in earnest when Western archaeologists became interested.

Our group were joined by a couple (Billie and Andrew) who really added to the dynamics, not least because Andrew had a real interest and knowledge of Egyptology. This, together with my desire to understand how things were constructed, resulted in our 5-day guide laughingly proposing to limit our questions.

Our first stop was Kom Ombo, where Sobek the crocodile god, was worshipped. In the museum, the mummified remains of some were on display. A deity where presumably fear played a part.

In the afternoon, a short boat trip upstream of the first Aswan dam delivered us to Philae (island) temple. This temple was submerged by the High dam and its some 40,000 blocks relocated 500 metres away to higher ground (1970 – 80).

Throughout our visits, it was extraordinary how many of the carvings have been deliberately defaced by different deities, both in ancient times and more recently by competing religions (Christians and Muslims). Other carvings (graffiti?) were also occasionally spotted. The following was a remarkable coincidence as it lists the names of some soldiers who were lost in 1884-5 that were in Andrew’s old regiment. Not only a surprise but a pretty moving experience for our whole group. (Zooming in helps legibility.)

The number of huge carvings of various deities was overwhelming so I will stick to a few items that were headlines for me. The “key of life” or Ankh. The vertical represents the Nile with the circle above its Delta, while the 90° lines represent the banks. 85% of Egypt is desert so the key of life is very appropriate. It appears in the hands of many deities and other hieroglyphics. 

Some of the carvings were quite detailed, albeit scary. In the centre of this shot are surgical instruments and to the right, various medicines. On the far right, the Ankh is being held by the goddess Isis. I’m not sure how well the key of life aligns with those instruments! 

Construction was a little different to the pyramids. Here, dovetails were cut into each end of a stone, enabling them to be locked into one another with a suitably shaped piece of wood. Our guide was even more excited about this than me!

Although there were clearly thousands of manhours building these temples, there was time for festivities. The holiday calendar was quite detailed.

Here is an explanation. A well-structured calendar set around the seasons.

Some of the paintings, despite the intervening years, were detailed and colourful, particularly if they were out of the sun and too hard to reach by defacers. The question remains – were these painted insitu or painted and then lifted into place?

The next day we visited Karnak, which is the second most visited site in Egypt after the pyramids. It is dedicated to Amon (the god of air). The entry with its line of sphynx ensures visitors sense they are about to enter somewhere special. 

There are three standouts. The first is the “Hall of columns” which was started in 1290 BC. The hall covers an area similar to Notre Dame in Paris (some 5000 m²). It has over 130 massive columns, which are 24 metres high and a colossal 3.5 metres in diameter. I suspect many children would view this as the perfect place for a game of hide and seek – it would have gone on for hours.

Second these are the granite obelisks. Only three remain of the original 17, with two taken by Emperor Constantine to Rome and the others broken up—mainly for reuse in building other structures. (Paris, London, and New York have also taken their share of other obelisks.) These two (left to right) are Hatasou (1479-1458 BCE) 33 metres high and Thutmose (1520-1492 BCE) 29 metres high.

Finally, there was the sacred lake used by the priest for purification rituals. The ritual continues today with royalty (see the previous Nile – SS Sudan blog). 

Just down the road - well, to be more precise along the 2.7 kms long Avenue of Sphinxes is Luxor temple.

Luxor was clearly occupied by the Romans. Some of the walls were plastered over to enable painting. This one was painted around 300 AD during Emperor Diocletian’s reign. (Again, zooming helps - look at the right side of the corner.)

Our last trip before heading back to Cairo was to the Valley of the Kings. An early start enabled a quick stop to view the Colossi of Memnon. These two massive stone statues are of Pharaoh Amenhotep III and date back to 1350 BC. They stand 18 metres high and weigh in at some 720 Tons.

The antiquity was counter-balanced by a drift of over 30 hot air balloons. A spectacular sight.

There was a remarkable model in the entry building. The clear plastic replicated the topography of the valley and underneath were the shafts, location and shape of the various tombs. A designer with a very imaginative mind.

We visited four of the 63 tombs and chambers. There is an expectation that more will be discovered. Some tombs were shallow with easy access, while others were deeper and very hot and humid. The colours and details were remarkable. I have picked one of the ten photos taken in the tomb of Rameses IV. Add that to the other three tombs followed by a visit to the artists and craftsman tombs in the next valley and you will appreciate this area could have been a blog on its own! 

And with that we disembarked the SS Sudan and headed to our Luxor hotel for a night before flying back to Cairo. The morning gave rise to a spectacular view over the Nile to the Valley of Kings once more being viewed aloft by several hundred visitors. A spectacular end to what was a very fabulous six day cruise.

 

The Nile - sailing on SS Sudan

After visiting the pyramids, we took a flight to Aswan and arrived at our island hotel on the Nile late in the evening. An early start did not prevent Helen from taking to the pool after breakfast. I suspect other guests sensed the presence of royalty and waited their turn to enter the pool complex.

After our bags were whisked away, we ventured aboard a Felucca for a trip to the botanical gardens on Kitchener’s Island. These are remarkable sailboats and the intricacies of setting the sails and boom require a crew of three. The Nile has quite a current (up to 4 knots) and these boats were able to make upstream headway in quite light breezes. 

The botanical gardens were quite large and although we were escorted, several of the gardeners were adept at presenting interesting facts about some of the plants, in return of course, to a few Egyptian pounds.

Some of the views around the island were particularly peaceful.

That is probably not the right description for this herd, although they do look content.

Aswan has numerous rocky outcrops, narrow passages with increased flows, all of which was handled by the captains with aplomb. The barren hills that line the Nile are particularly close in Aswan.

We completed our rounding of the island (repelling young lads on surfboards who grabbed the gunnels and sang in the faint hope of a few Egyptian pounds) and headed to our home for the next few days.

The SS Sudan is a steamship that was ordered by Thomas Cook back in 1895. She was eventually completed after WW1 and fell into disrepair in the 1950s. Subsequently, she was rescued and completely refurbished. She is now the only wooden steamship on the Nile. There are numerous cruise ships of a similar form to European river vessels but there was only one for Helen. The romance of course, was due in large part to Agathie Christie staying on board and writing Death on the Nile. (One evening, there was even a showing of the film in the bar.)

From head to toe (sorry, bow to stern) she was photogenic. With beautiful mahogany on the inside and teak on the outside.

The sloping decks would have been a challenge in the wet – but of course, you need rain for that. Wonderful to while away an hour or two reading a book, enjoying a cool drink or just watching the world slide by.

We were particularly lucky (as were Steve and Jilly) because we snagged the two large cabins in the stern. 

With panoramic 90+ degree views, it was easy to lie on the bed and get lulled into a bit of napping. 

The atmosphere in the dining room was sumptuous as was the food, with a different menu each day. Wearing a jacket was not mandatory, but it did seem appropriate.

Being a relatively small ship (20 cabins and a first for us – more staff aboard than guests) we quickly made new friends with whom to share experiences. Mind you, there is no telling who you may meet. Anyone pick the real Poirot?

In the evening, the Feluccas came out in their hundreds as that tended to be when there was most breeze and of course, was conducive to visitors supping a few cocktails and aperitifs before heading to dinner.

The sunsets were glorious – it was hard to pick the best, but this goes a long way to encapsulating the atmosphere.

We did encounter a lock on the way down. Most dams were built to mitigate severe flooding, aid irrigation, and generate hydroelectric power. The initial Aswan dam had to be raised on two occasions to accommodate the annual floods, which were typically 14 metres at Aswan, 12 metres at Luxor and 7.5 metres in Cairo. Those levels resulted in serious damage and led to the construction of the Aswan High Dam (completed in 1970), which at the time was the largest embankment dam in the world.

The SS Sudan still uses her steam engines, although the addition of a pod and bow thrusters has made manoeuvrability somewhat easier. That said, the hissing of a steam engine is vastly superior to the constant fast-paced juddering of the stern motors.

The paddle wheels were just as mesmerising.

Getting off at Luxor after 5 days aboard was a real wrench. If you want to sail the Nile then this is the way to bring some romance into the experience.

Giza – The Great Museum and Pyramids

We had two days in Cairo and hence had two visits planned. The first to the Great Museum and the second to the pyramids. We survived almost an hour of weaving in our Uber ($AUD7!!) to arrive at a building of staggering proportions. The outside courtyard with its partial pyramid walls was a few hundred metres long.

Inside was cavernous. Although the statue in the middle foreground is some 8 metres it is unimposing when displayed in a 40 metre high hall. The roof had slits to provide an ever-changing light display.

The official opening is in November so we were part of a “soft” opening and were provided with a free audio guide with a request to provide feedback. Once through the styles there were four long flights of travellators that quietly raised us up to the top floor where we were greeted by an enormous window framing a view of the pyramids.  A sensational design.

To ensure we weren’t bored the travellator passed a range of statues on various large steps. Hopefully the size of those exploring the steps gives an idea of the spaciousness.

The displays are on four levels relating to history with each level having three theme galleries as outlined in this diagram. Due to its vastness even our 3+ hour roaming seemed rushed. 

The displays have plenty of space so despite the crowds there were views that suggest if was empty! Boats to the left, armies to the right and tombstones to the rear…

If you are ever in Egypt, then a visit to the Great Museum is a must. 

The next day saw us getting an up close visit to the pyramids. The one on the left was built for Khufu, the second for his son Khafre and the third for his grandson Menkaure. The smaller one on the right is for one of the wives. 

You could tour the area by horse cart or camel but for some reason our team opted for the air-conditioned hop on, hop-off buses! In the distance, you can just make out the restaurant where we were to have lunch.

The middle pyramid was in some ways in the best condition as it still retains some of the facing stones at the top. They are all located on the West bank of the Nile where the sun sets as the living were celebrated on the East bank, where the sun rises. The faces are each aligned with the points of the compass, with the entry on the celestial North face. Although weathering has reduced some of the “finish” most damage has been caused by theft.

The great (largest) pyramid was originally some 146.6 m (481 ft) high with a base length of about 230.4 m (755.9 ft), The angle is some 52 degrees. It was the tallest structure in the world and is the only one left of the 7 ancient wonders. The other two pyramids are progressively smaller by about 25 metres.

What does challenge the mind is the accuracy. The site and individual blocks were accurate to a few millimetres. Even today with lasers, GPS and the like we struggle to achieve such accuracy. When you consider plumb bobs and cubits (the length of your arm from elbow to the tip of the middle finger) were the order of the day it is extraordinary engineering. These base blocks were up to 15 Tonnes and look at the tightness of the joints (never mind their transportation). No mortar was used here!

Add to that the facing stones would have had to be 90 degrees at the back, 90 at the sides and precisely the same angle on the front; it must have taken ages to produce each stone. I wonder how many rejects there were.

The distant view of the museum makes it appear misleadingly small.

We then moved onto the Great Sphinx, passing first through a temple. Here, some of the stones were cut to interlock with one another.

Then the area opened up to a well-known but nonetheless awe-inspiring view. The size is hard to comprehend from a photo. The sphinx has the face of the king for wisdom and the powerful body of a lion in order to protect the pyramids.

These three decided to sit down with our guide and contemplate lunch. A couple of buses later we sat down to our meal while contemplating this view.

What an amazing couple of days.