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The Ancient Egyptians both respected and feared the power of the crocodile. Both the strength and speed of the crocodile became symbolic of the power of the Pharaoh, being that its strength and energy of the animal became the manifestation of the Pharaoh’s own power, showing the ruler’s might.

Sobek (Sobeq, Sebek, Sochet or Suchos) was the god who brought fertility to the land, the “Lord of the Waters,” who rose from the “Dark Water” and created the world and order in the universe. Sobek first appeared in the Old Kingdom as the son of Neith with the epithet “The Rager” and it is suggested that Seth, god of hostility and chaos was his father. The word ’sovereign’ was written with the hieroglyph of a crocodile this way the crocodile or Sobek would be linked to the Pharaoh, the sovereign of Egypt. It was believed that Sobek could protect the Pharaoh from dark magic. During the Twelfth and Thirteenth Dynasties, the cult of Sobek was given particular prominence and a number of rulers incorporated him in their coronation names.

Sobek was often depicted either as a crocodile-headed man or as a full crocodile, he was shown wearing a plumed headdress with a horned sun disk or the Atef crown (associating him with Amun-Ra) and in his hand he was shown carrying the Was scepter (representing power) and the Ankh (representing the breath of life).

The Egyptians believed that besides having the form of a crocodile, Sobek also had its nature. He could also use this force to protect the justified dead in their after life from Seth, who attacked those souls who traveled through the land of the dead. He was the protector and rescuer of the other gods… yet he could also use that power to savage his enemies and the sinful deceased. He was venerated as one who restored sight and senses to the dead and who protected them. He could bring water and fertility to the land. He was a god that was both feared and respected by the ancient Egyptians.

The tale goes to say that Sobek laid his eggs on the bank of the waters, thus starting the creation process. He was a fertility god, ‘He Who Made the Herbage Green’ with his sweat (of all things…)! This explains his link to the rebirth of the deceased into the afterlife. The Nile and its waters was important for the survival of crops, the success of trade, and the livelihood of fishing, but the waters were filled with crocodiles, so it only made sense that they only way to appease them is by worshiping their leader, Sobek. He was first mentioned in the Pyramid Text and his worship lasted till Roman Times.

Sobek represented the four elemental gods, Ra of fire, Shu of air, Geb of earth, and Osiris of water, making him a fourfold deity. He was revered for his ferocity and quick movement, it is said that he was the god who caught the four mummiform sons of Horus in a net (Imsety the human headed protector of the liver, Hapy the baboon headed protector of the lungs, Duamutef the jackal headed protector of the stomach and Qebehsenuef the falcon headed protector of the intestines), by gathering them as they emerged from the waters in a lotus bloom. He was also considered an aspect of Horus because Horus took the form of a crocodile to retrieve the parts of Osiris’ body which was cut up by the evil Seth who scattered the 13 pieces across the Nile, the intriguing part is he was also associated with Seth too. Sobek was supposed to have aided Isis when she gave birth to Horus. Later he was also worshiped as the manifestation of Amun-Ra and was often depicted wearing either the headdress of Amun or the sundisk of Ra.

The crocodile was revered in ancient Egypt and were considered sacred and protected. Temples were built in their honor, the tame crocodiles kept were decorated with jewels and fed by priests, meat and honey cakes. They were given elaborate and costly burials when they died. The dead crocodiles were mummified with the use of natron or salt, and then they were wrapped in strips of cloth, just as the humans of the time. Many tombs contained not only crocodiles of all ages but also the eggs of crocodiles. While in some places it was worshiped and revered, in other places the reptiles were killed. In ancient Egypt, Sobek was seen as an ambivalent creature.

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem
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Crocodilopolis ….yes it’s a real place you can visit, and I won’t keep you guessing, it was the official head-quarters for a crocodile worship cult! The city of Crocodilopolis was located on the western bank of the Nile, southwest of Memphis in Egypt. During ancient time it was known by the name of Shedet and was the center of worship for the Egyptian water-god Sobek, or the crocodile god. It was the Greeks that dubbed it “Crocodile City”, or “Crocodilopolis”, but over time it has been given many names.

Its Greek name was Krokodilopolis but when the city passed into Ptolemy hands in the 3rd century BC, it was renamed Ptolemais Euergetis and then renamed again by Ptolemy Philadelphus II to Arsinoe in honor of his wife and sister Arsineo II of Egypt, and during its heyday it had a population of more than 100,000. In modern time, its Arabic name is now Medinet El-Fayoum.

Life in Crocodilopolis has always rotated around Lake Moeris which was in the thin ridge that separated the city from the Nile Valley. During the Middle Kingdom it gained prominence when the oasis swamp of Fayoum was drained, creating a new fertile province. The level of the lake was artificially regulated, and large monuments were built around its shore, although the level of the lake was lower than in the past but still higher than today. In the 12th Dynasty the city became the capital of Egypt.

Crocodilopolis may not have become a major city and may not have had any major political standing in the area, but it was located in the most fertile region in Egypt, which made it a haven for farmers growing vegetables, corn, roses, vineyards and olives.

The protective deity of the whole of the lake area was the crocodile headed god Sobek (Suchos) and his sacred animal was the crocodile of course! The people of Crocodilopolis worshiped a manifestation of Sobek through a sacred crocodile named “Petsuchos” (or “son of Sobek”).The crocodile lived in a special temple, with sand, a pond and food, and was embellished with gold and jewels and had special priests to serve his food. When the Petsuchos died the body would be mummified and given a special burial, and replaced by another promptly.

Beside the lake where the sacred crocodile was kept, was the principle temple, dedicated to the cult of Sobek. During the 12th dynasty the temple already existed but was rebuilt by Ramses II. Sadly what currently remains of Crocodilopolis is no more than several mounds of ruins, a few column bases here and there and a stone obelisk erected by Senusret I during the 12th Dynasty and a few sculptured blocks. Between 1877 and 1878 a great number of papyrus manuscripts were discovered, some of which are important to the earliest Christian history of Egypt.

Fayoum may not attract visitors on account of Crocodilopolis but on account of its waterwheels, there are approximately 200 of these great waterwheels located throughout the oasis. The Seven Waterwheels, which are Fayoum’s landmark and the main attraction to the area, are surrounded by mangos, palms and willows. Fayoum remains one of the most fertile banks on the Egyptian Nile.

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Gawhara Hanem
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The Tale of Sinuhe (pronounced as “sA-nht”) is considered a supreme achievement of Ancient Egyptian literature. It was probably written during the 12th Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom in the aftermath of the death of Pharaoh Amen-em-hat I, in the early 20th century BC. Historically it is debated as to whether or not the tale is based on actual events involving an individual named Sinuhe, although the more probable consensus being that it is most likely a work of fiction.

The story is told in the first person by Sinuhe himself, and written in the form of a poem, combining in a single narrative an extraordinary range of literary styles. The poem continually examines the reasons for Sinuhe’s flight and his possible culpability for it, without reaching a conclusion.This biography yields information about political and social conditions of the time. The poem also explores the nature of what it is to be an Egyptian, without ultimately undermining the Egyptian assumption that life outside Egypt is meaningless, by placing an Egyptian character in a non-Egyptian (i.e. Asiatic) society.

His tomb has not been found, but the account of his adventures was a favorite tale in Ancient Egypt and was written many times on papyrus and read for hundreds of years after his death. Specifically, it has been recorded on 6 papyri and 26 ostraca (singular for ostracon and is a piece of pottery or stone, usually broken off from a vase or other earthenware vessel), making it one of the most popular literary works, and one of the oldest.

The tale starts with Sinuhe speaking from his tomb. He begins his story while on an expedition to Libya with the eldest son of the King Amen-em-hat Ι. He overhears a messenger speaking of the assassination of the Pharaoh. He decides to flee in a panic, either from fright or because of his complicity it is not clear. He intends to travel southwards but was blown north while crossing the Nile, and continues into the Desert of Sinai and onto Palestine and Lebanon. There he almost dies, and as he gives up all hope for life he hears the low of cattle. He is found and tended to by a Bedouin who recognizes him as an Egyptian of importance.

After this, Sinuhe goes on to the ancient city of Byblos in Syria and further still to the city of Retenu east of the great valley beyond the Lebanon. There he was welcomed by King Ammi-enshi, who adopted him and married him to his eldest daughter. At the height of his power he is challenged to a duel by a Syrian champion. Sinuhe kills his opponent and gains even more power and prestige. But as he approaches old age, he yearns to return to his homeland and to be buried back there, so he sends a letter to the reigning Pharaoh Sen-Usert, begging for forgiveness. He is invited back to Egypt and returns to the palace he once left.

Sinuhe becomes a great man in Egypt and a close friend of the Pharaoh, who lavishes him with land and riches. King Sen-Usert is said to have commissioned an extravagant tomb for Sinuhe to be buried in, where the story of his adventures are carved and decorated on the tomb walls.

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Following up on our story telling, I came across the tale of “Rhodopis” (the rosy-cheeked), which resembled the story line of “Cinderella” with a few variations here and there, the most significant being the glass slipper, which in the still romantic ancient Egyptian version is a “rose red-gilded slipper.” This version is the oldest dating back to 570-526 B.C. which makes it older than the Chinese “Yeh-Shen” which was first recorded in a book called The Miscellaneous Record of Yu Yang from the T’ang dynasty of 618-907 A.D.

The story is told in the time just before the country was invaded by the Persians. The ruling Pharaoh at the time was Ahmose Ι and to strengthen his country against this inevitable invasion he invited as many Greeks to trade and settle in Egypt. He even gave them a city of their own, the city of Naucratis.

Naucratis was at the mouth of the Nile that led to the sea, and was one of the richest cities at the time. One of Naucratis’ richest merchants was Charaxos. He was originally from the Greek island of Lesbos, and the brother of the famous poetess Sappho. And as he had spent many years trading with Egypt he settled in Naucratis in his old age. One day as he passed through the market place be noticed a crowd, curious he pushed his way through to find a beautiful slave girl, who had just been set up on the stone rostrum to be sold. Her beauty caught his breath for she was fair skinned and with rosy red cheeks and being wealthy it was easy for Charaxos to buy her.

Rhodopis had been kidnapped by pirates as a child from her home in the north of Greece and sold into slavery. Her rich employer had many slaves, and one of her fellow slaves was a little old man called Aesop, who was kind and told her stories and fables about birds, animals and humans. But her master wished to make more money so he sent her to the rich Naucratis to be sold.

As she was different from the other house-girl servants, with pale skin, rosy cheeks, golden hair that blew in the wind and bright green eyes, they were very jealous of her, teasing and making fun of her. They gave her all the dirty chores of washing cloths and weeding the garden. Her master was old and spent most of his day sleeping under a fig tree, but one day he woke to see Rhodopis dancing with such beautiful grace, he presented her with a pair of red-rose gilded slippers, which caused even more jealousy from the other servant girls.

One day the Pharaoh was holding court, to which everyone in the land was invited, but the servant girls made sure that Rhodopis had chores that she would not finish in time to attend the celebration. And as she sang to her friend the hippopotamus while she did the washing by the edge of the river, he splashed water on her rose red slippers. Rhodopis cleaned them and put them behind her as she went on with her chores. The god Horus came down from the sky as a falcon and took a slipper in his talons. He soared with his great wings, still carrying the slippers, south over the valley of the Nile until be came to Memphis, and swooped down towards the palace of the Pharaoh. He dropped the slipper in the Pharaoh’s lap, since it was bright he thought it was a scrap of the Sun, and then he realized it was a gift from the gods.

He was so moved by what happened that he decreed that, all the land be searched for who ever fits the slipper, and the owner will be Pharaoh’s wife. Ahmose’s search eventually leads him to Rhodopis’ home. Though Rhodopis hides when she sees the Pharaoh’s barge, he sees her and asks her to try the slipper. After demonstrating that it fits her, she pulls out its mate, and the Pharaoh declares that she will be his Queen and the Royal Lady of Egypt, and they live happily ever after of course!

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It’s evident that ancient Egyptians cared about how they looked just like the rest of us do today, and of course hair was a major concern to them, just like it is for any one of us today. As everything they did with style and flamboyance, so did their headdress, which too was of major significance to the Egyptians. And elaborate hair styles were not confined to royalty even the working labor class flaunted some very interesting hairdos.

Although hair length was not limited to one gender or other, both men and women adopted a wide range of hair styles, ranging from a shaven head to long flowing locks, which to some archeologists was misleading, so was the fact that individuals with a shaven head were automatically assumed to have held religious office which too proved to be misguiding.

Hair styles have always marked different periods in modern time as fashion statements; this was true over the course of history, as Egyptian hairstyles varied over the ages. Evidence of these styles is provided by surviving wigs, inscriptions, tomb scenes and statuary. During the Old Kingdom, men and women alike kept their hair basically short and simple, although there were variations in style. Young girls wore their hair in a pony-tail, down the center of their back, weighed down with an ornament or metal disc or the end of the tail was curled naturally or encouraged to do so by hair irons, which have been found in excavations.

However, in the New Kingdom women wore their hair long or used wigs. Hair was decorated with flowers and ribbons; a favorite was a lotus blossom. Also used for decoration were coronets and diadems made of gold, turquoise, garnet, and even malachite beads, but poorer people decorated their hair with petals and berries which they used to hold their hair back. Headbands or ivory and metal hairpins were also used to hold the hair in place. But to attach wigs or hair extensions Egyptians sometimes used beads to keep them in place.

Children wore a special hairstyle during ancient Egyptian history, called the “side-lock.” The hair was shaved off except for a long lock of hair left on the side of the head. This was sketched on hieroglyphic as a symbol for depicting a child or a youth. Both girls and boys wore this style until the onset of puberty. Children decorated their hair with amulets of small fish, presumably to protect them from the dangers of the Nile. Children sometimes used hair-rings or clasps.

Priests had to shave every third day because they needed to avoid the danger of lice or any other uncleanness to conduct rituals. They were required to keep their entire body cleanly shaven and that included eyebrows and lashes.

Near El Deir El Bahari in Luxor excavations have revealed a factory for manufacturing wigs out of natural hair or fibers. Besides being popular and worn by men, women and children, with all their variety, they were a headdress worn on special occasions, such as ceremonies and banquets. If the hair was not dark enough, thick enough or plenty enough, Egyptians preferred to flaunt a wig or risk not being beautiful enough to appear in public! As much as washing their hair regularly was a routine for Egyptians, they were very fussy about caring for their wigs! Wigs were usually made from human hair, sheep’s wool or vegetable fibers. The more it looked like real hair, the more expensive it was and the more it was sought after. Of course the ones made completely from human hair were the most expensive and Egyptians used emollients and oils made from vegetable or animal fat to properly care for and make the wigs last longer.

Egyptians loved coloring their hair as much as the next modern-day fashion conscious person, and certainly something had to be done about hiding gray hair, so “henna” was used. The leaves of the henna shrub are used to make the henna paste that produces a red-orange dye that bonds to protein and so was used to dye hands, nails and hair. In fact henna is still used to date for its vibrant red color and its excellent gray-hair coverage.

Although wigs were popular and saved face for men who were balding, the matter was not taken lightly, balding that is. There were many potions and remedies to stimulate hair growth, the most popular being chopped lettuce patches that were applied to balding spots. The things that people do to keep with the fashion goes back beyond time, back to the roots of humanity!

About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem
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About the Author:
Gawhara Hanem
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Egypt Tours

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Just as Cleopatra sailed down the Nile in her luxurious royal barge, the bank along the river Nile probably looks the same for that many years. A timeless picturesque scene, life has not changed much over the years. Buffaloes and cows grazing, farmers working the land by hand, women washing cloths on the waters edge, children fishing or jumping into the water, waving and screaming at the passing boats. Egrets fly over the water surface alongside the boat and a kingfisher hovers, ready to dive down into the water to catch a fish. As an important migratory stopover between Africa and Europe, the banks of the Nile are the perfect place for bird-watching. Lining the banks are date palms, willows, acacias, mimosa and sycamore trees.

The river Nile, the source of all creation, life and beauty, is the life-line of the ancient Egyptian civilization, and the unending source of sustenance to its people. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that ‘Egypt was the gift of the Nile.’ Sailing by the serene beauty on a Nile cruise ship, with all the luxuries of royalty of a Pharaonic barge, is a once in a life time experience. With all the facilities of a land based hotel, Nile cruise ships are fully air-conditioned, with a small swimming pool, bars, restaurants, shops, private baths and TVs.

The large sliding window of the cabin room opens directly on to the waters of the river emphasizing the closeness of nature even further. I can never tire of gazing out at the life on the Nile as it drifts by, and the single-sailed feluccas, that remind me of giant butterflies. My personal favorite is the sun-deck, especially during the early hours of the cool morning breeze.

During the actual motion of the Nile cruise ship there is little sense of motion, so even within the smallest cabin room there is no danger of any seasickness. With an all inclusive package, you can enjoy three meals a day with all the transportation to the tours and temples. A typical cruise will include visits to the Luxor Museum, the magnificent Temple of Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Queen Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon on Luxor. In Esna the Temple of Esna and at Edfu, there is the Temple of Horus. At Kom Ombo, there is the temple of Sobek, the crocodile god associated with fertility; it is directly on the edge of the Nile where crocodiles were fed red meat in ancient times.

At Aswan the sites to see include a visit to the Aswan High Dam, Lake Nasser, the Unfinished Obelisk. The Temple of Philae is on one of the most romantic and beautiful site on Earth. It had become the center point to the worship of the cult of the goddess Isis. Optional is a relaxing felucca trip to the Botanical Island and a visit to a Nubian village as you float past the Elephantine Island and the Agha Khan Mausoleum.The cruises range from a quick, three-night cruise usually departing from Aswan to Luxor, to a moderate four-night cruise usually departing from Luxor to Aswan. The seven-night cruise either starts from Luxor to Aswan or Aswan to Luxor, this trip is for those who seek full relaxation.

Besides the day visits these cruise ships have active night life including cocktail parties, Nubian shows, belly dancers and whirling tanoura dancers, there is even a night where guests have a dress up parties putting on traditional Egyptian costumes. The meals onboard most Nile cruisers are usually buffet style and include a variety of international and local cuisine.

The best time to book your Nile cruise is between October and mid April, when the weather is cool and the locks along the Nile at Esna are all open. These locks will be closed around mid April because of the water levels. However there are cruise boats operating all year round, but due to the closed locks, cruise operators will arrange boats on either side of the locks, and a transfer must be made between boats. Although a visit to the Pyramids and the Sphinx maybe the pinnacle of your trip to Egypt, there is nothing like floating down the Nile on a cruise boat, truly an unforgettable and magical experience.

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Gawhara Hanem
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A long long time ago, some three or four thousand years before our epoch, around the same time every year, the rise in the water on earth was herald by a sign in the heavens. The brightest of all the fixed stars appears at dawn in the east just before sunrise about the time of the summer solstice, indicating the beginning of the sacred Egyptian year. The brilliant star of Sirius or as the Egyptians called it Sothis, marked the time of the inundation of the Nile. Sothis was deemed by the Egyptians as the star of Isis, the goddess of life and love. They called it so because it was believed that as Isis came to mourn her departed husband, Osiris, to wake him up from the dead; her tears caused the rise in the levels of the Nile water.

The flooding of the Nile was the most important event in the lives of the Egyptians. It was a matter of their very existence and welfare. For a year with little or no flood meant famine in the Kingdom, but too large a flood would mean a disaster for it would over flow into the villages destroying them. A flood had to be just right to determine a good season. The Egyptian flood cycle starts during the second week of August and is divided into 3 stages. The time of the Nile flood, Akhet (the inundation) was the first season of the year. The sowing time Peret marked the time when crops grew in the fields and was considered the Egyptian Autumn from October to mid-February. The last and third season, the time of harvest Shemu, ran from mid-February until the end of May and was the spring season of the Egyptian calendar. This cycle was so predictable that the ancient Egyptians based their calendar on it.

As the Nile flow from the south to the north, the flood brought the silt-laden waters into Egypt, and as the water receded later the silt would stay behind, fertilizing the land. The flood was seen as the yearly coming of the god Hapi, bringing fertility to the land. He was worshipped even above Ra as he brought the fertile inundation; he was a very important deity to any one living in the Nile valley. He was depicted as a blue or green bearded man with female breasts, indicating his powers of nourishment. At the time of the inundation the Egyptians would throw offerings, amulets and other sacrifices into the Nile at certain places, sacred to Hapi.

Today’s celebration takes on a different meaning and form. Yes it is still celebrated at the same time of the year but there is no longer flooding of the Nile, which stopped when the Aswan High Dam was built to regulate the flow of water year round. Now this time of the year is called “Wafaa el-neel Festival” or literally “Fidelity of the Nile”. It was said that the Pharaohs sacrificed a beautiful virgin girl to the river in return for a good harvest. The ancient legend has survived into an ongoing tradition where a wooden doll dressed as a bride is thrown into the Nile instead.

The modern-day celebration is now more contemporary with art competitions for children, poetry reading, concerts and scientific discussions. This year there festival will include flower parades and a Pharaonic procession portraying the ancient legend of the Nile Festival. The events included aqua sports like rowing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming. The celebrations well accommodate floating hotels, restaurants and other places over looking the Nile. This year’s concept is to promote the awareness to protect this vital source of life and a main attraction to Egypt’s ecotourism.

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The Sphinx‘ first words as it stand guarding the Pyramids of Giza. The Giza Necropolis stands on the Giza Plateau, located only a few kilometers south of Cairo, Egypt. The ancient Egyptians called this place imentet, “The West” or kher neter, “The Necropolis”. The Great Pyramid of Giza, the relics of a vanished culture, is the only remaining monument of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

The Pyramids of Giza are generally thought of by foreigners as lying in a remote, desert location, even though they are located in what is now part of the most populous city not only in Egypt but in Africa. In fact, urban development reaches right up to the perimeter of the antiquities site. The ancient sites in the Memphis area, including those at Giza, together with those at Saqqara, Dahshur, Abu Ruwaysh, and Abusir, were collectively declared a World Heritage Site in 1979.

The opening lines to the Sound and Light Show instantly capture the audience, and why shouldn’t they? With the backdrop being the Sphinx and the Pyramids beautifully lite, in the pitch dark, easily make one feel that they have actually been transported back into time.

The Pyramids of Giza were built over the span of three generations - by the Fourth Dynasty Pharaoh Khufu (Cheops), his second reigning son Khafre (Chephren, Kephren), and Menkaure. But it was Khufu who placed Giza forever at the heart of funerary devotion, a city of the dead that dwarfed the cities of the living nearby. Dominating the sandy plateau his pyramid built around 2530 B.C, is the largest of all the pyramids in Egypt.

On its southwest diagonal is the pyramid of his son Khafre. Although it is smaller, they appear from afar to be of the same size, this illusion is due to its steeper angle, and as it is built on higher ground it in fact appears taller. The notion that this was done on purpose to out-do his father’s pyramid is obvious!

Further along the southwest diagonal is the smallest of the three great pyramids, that of Khafre’s son, Menkaure. It is also the most unusual. As it is not entirely limestone the uppermost portions are made of brick. It is also not along the diagonal line that runs through the Great Pyramid and the Second Pyramid, but instead is nearly a hundred meters to the southeast. This error, if an error at all, is of a magnitude not in keeping with the mathematical skill known to have been possessed by the ancient Egyptians.

In the last few years there has been a theory that the three large Pyramids of Giza are actually meant to be in an alignment representing the three “belt” stars in the Orion constellation: Alnitak, Alnilam, and Mintaka. This theory is rejected by the majority of Egyptologists, but none the less a point to consider. And while the center of the pyramid does not line up with its larger counterparts, the southeast sides of all three pyramids are in alignment. The sides of all three of the Giza Pyramids were astronomically oriented to be north-south and east-west within a small fraction of a degree.

But who really built the Pyramids? The worker’s cemeteries were discovered in 1990 by archaeologists Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner. Contrary to some popular belief, the pyramid builders were not slaves or foreigners. Skeletons excavated from the site show that they were Egyptians who lived in villages developed and overseen by the pharaoh’s supervisors. The most possible assumption the Pyramids were built by tens of thousands of skilled and unskilled laborers who camped near the pyramids and worked for a salary or as a form of paying taxes until the construction was completed.

But graffiti from inside the Giza monuments themselves have long suggested something very different. They were not the Jews as been said, nor were they people from a lost civilization. And they were certainly not from out of space. They were Egyptian and their skeletons were buried on the plateau, and were examined by scholars, doctors and the race of all the people found completely supports that they were Egyptian.

An estimated 20,000 to 30,000 workers built the Pyramids at Giza over 80 years. Much of the work probably happened while the River Nile was flooded. The workmen who were involved in building the Great Pyramid were divided into gangs, groups, four groups, and each group had a name, and each group had an overseer. Undeniable evidence to this is graffiti found in places that were not meant to show such as the inscription above Khufu’s burial chamber. The workmen who were involved in building the Great Pyramid wrote the names of the gangs, names like “Friends of Khufu”. Plus there was solid evidence from the facilities that the workers were well fed, with a lot of bakeries found and left over bones of fish and cattle. Building the pyramid was a national project of Egypt because everyone had to participate in building it.

After 5000 years this place of ancient worship still stands with all its glory and awe. Defying the elements of nature and time, to this day they still keep from us many secrets. And as the saying goes, “Man fears Time, but Time fears the Pyramids.”

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Gawhara Hanem
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