Ancient Vampires: Before There was “Twilight”

A statue of Sekhmet, the first vampire ever.

Some people believe the very first vampire came to us from Ancient Egypt, the story all started with a god named Ra.  You see, Ra was the ruler of Upper Egypt and he was being attacked by mortals from Lower Egypt who were trying to take over his Kingdom.  For help and protection Ra called upon the god Sekhmet.  When she arrived he put a spell on her.  The spell turned her into a bloodthirsty beast and he told her to go and feed on the mortals that were attacking his Kingdom.  She did as she was told, and drank the blood of the attackers.  The Kingdom was now safe.

After having tasted blood Sekhmet couldn’t stop.  She became thirsty for more and began killing innocent mortals for their blood.  Ra knew he had to stop Sekhmet so he decided to trick her.  He got buckets full of beer, turned them red and poured the beer out into the streets where Sekhmet roamed.  When she saw the red beer she thought it was blood and drank it all up.  The beer had a powerful effect and made her go to sleep.  While she was asleep Ra put a new spell on her, one that made her stop wanting to drink blood, and from that day forward she became a new god that didn’t have a taste for blood.

This tale is the first known story about vampires.  Do you think vampires really exist, or are they fictional?

A Visit to Coptic Cairo

When you visit Cairo you will see that it is a predominately Muslim city.  Most of the women are veiled or wear head scarves, and many of the men have carpet burns on their foreheads from praying five times a day on their prayer rugs.  Another reminder that Cairo is mostly Muslim is the call to prayer that booms across the city from minarets scattered about the town.  So is everyone in Cairo a Muslim?  No, not quite.

The Hanging Church in Coptic Cairo, called that because of the way it hangs over the rest of the area.

Tucked away into a corner of Cairo is an area known as Coptic Cairo.  This is the centre, and meeting point for several of the Coptic Christians in Cairo.  Built about 2000 years ago, it is a maze of streets, gardens, churches and homes that is surrounded by a tall wall.

The narrow streets that lead you around Coptic Cairo.  It is a real-life maze!

Many famous bible stories have roots in Coptic Cairo.  Some Christians believe that it is where Moses was found floating in a basket by the Queen who adopted him, and some also believe Coptic Cairo was where Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus came to hide when a king named Herod was killing all the babies in the land.  No one knows if these stories really did take place here, but it if fun to explore the winding alleys of Coptic Cairo anyhow.

Is this really the room where baby Jesus and his parents hid from King Herod?   Depends on who you ask.

Being Friday, the day when Coptic Christians come together from all across Cairo to go to church to celebrate, the buildings are alive and humming with chanting and insense.  The streets are bustling with children running around playing tag as their parents cram into one of the many churches in the area (there are about 8 churches in total!).  It is a beautiful part of Cairo, different from the ancient, and different than the new, it is truly a special place to visit.

A man working hard at restoring St. Barbara church in Coptic Cairo.

Cities of the Nile

Egypt has a desert climate.  The land is sandy, and no vegetation grows in the desert.  It is hot and dry the whole year, except for the few rain showers that fall in the winter.  The two cities that I have explored so far, Cairo and Luxor, are both cities that were built on the banks of the Nile River.   When you look at a map of Egypt you can see that all main Egyptian cities can be found along the Nile.  It is the water of the river that provides life to the plants, animals and people of Egypt.  Without fresh, clean water, there can be no life. 

Cairo along the Nile.  Look at the rows of buildings.

The river is important in another way too.  In ancient times people would use the Nile as a highway and travel around Egypt on their boats.  Without the Nile it would be hard to get around Egypt quickly.  You would have to ride a camel, or use a horse, but in the scorching sun that could be unbearable.  You can still see people drifting along the Nile on their boats today.

 A boat sailing along as the sun sets over the Nile in the city of Luxor. 

Think back to all the places I have visited so far and look at them on a map.  Are any of these other places near water? (Remember: Reykjavik, London, Istanbul, Athens)

The Riddle of the Sphinx

The Great Sphinx of Giza

In front of the Great Pyramids of Giza sits the largest statue of a Sphinx, (part human, part beast) in the world.  It is 76.5m long and about 20m tall.  Not only is it big, but it is also really old.  The Sphinx is one of the oldest monuments on Earth being around 4500 years old.  Now because it is so old we don't know much about it.  There are still questions of who built it, what purpose it served, who it was modelled after and why parts of it are missing (like its nose and beard!)?  So over the years many theories, and even some legends, developed to help people answer questions about the Sphinx.


The Sphinx on guard, keeping evil away from the Pharaoh.

Some believe the Sphinx was built in front of the pyramids to act as a guard, protecting the Pharaoh in the afterlife.  Others believe that he was an image of the sun god and that Egyptians would come and pray to the statue for good luck.

There are some interesting tales about the missing nose too.  Some Egyptologists believe that the nose was cut off by an invading ruler who didn't like the way people were worshipping the statue.  Another story about the nose is that when the French were occupying Egypt it was shot off during target practice by Napoleon's soldiers.

Whatever the true story is one thing is certain, the Sphinx was built to inspire awe, and it can still do that today even after 4000 years.

A different Sphinx in the Ancient City of Memphis.  This one is much smaller than the great Sphinx, but it still has its beard and nose intact.

Mr. P Sees the Pyramids!

Dear Boys and Girls,

Today will be a day that Mr. P remembers for the rest of his life.  I remember hearing about the pyramids when I was a child, they were a symbol of ancient civilizations that came before us.  A group of people that started to change the way we as humans see the world and helped the world get to where it is today.  So to be standing, facing the pyramids was very special to me.  I couldn't help but grin.  Also making the day extra special was my very kind and knowledgeable tour guide, and now friend, Feby.  If ever you are in Egypt and want to arrange a tour of the pyramids, make sure you e-mail her (click on her name above and tell her Mr. P sent you).  She was an amazing host and was excited to give me several stories to share with you.  Wait until you hear the one about the Egyptian vampire!

There are many pyramids in Egypt.  Pyramids were used as a final resting place for Pharaohs and their families.  They were built well in advance of them dying because they usually took around 20 years (if not longer) to build.  The pyramids were stuffed full of treasures, usually things that the Pharaoh was believed to have needed in the afterlife.  The three pyramids at Giza (shown in the picture below) belong to a grandfather, father and son team.  The largest pyramid is known as the Great Pyramid of Cheops.  It is made up of about 2.5 million blocks and rises 137m out of the desert sand and is the most impressive of the three.  You can just imagine how it must have looked 4000 years ago when it was first completed.  Back then it was covered in polished limestone which would have made it shine in the sun, a sparkling pyramid fit for a king.

Standing in the desert.  Oh look...the Great Pyramids of Giza are behind me.  Now how did those get there?

The Egyptians used pyramids as tombs for several reasons; first their shape reminded them of sun rays coming down from the sky.  Also, a pyramid reaches high up into the sky ending in a point that shoots directly up.  Sometimes it looks like the pyramid is actually touching the sun.  The pyramids were believed to give the souls of the dead Pharaohs a way of getting up into the heavens where they would have eternal life.

Great Pyramid of Cheops touching the sun.

There is so much more I could tell you about the pyramids...they are truly amazing, but I will let you sign a book out from the library or do a Google search so you can learn some more on your own.  I can't wait to hear about some of the interesting facts that you learn!

Still grinning,
Mr. Pimentel

The Egyptian Museum: No Pictures Allowed!

I have spent the past couple of days in Cairo exploring many of the museums that can be found here in the city.  Yesterday, I went to The Egyptian Museum and I couldn't believe my eyes.  It was just like something out of a movie.  There were rows of wooden and glass cases filled with ancient artefacts, all of them labelled with little handwritten cards that have yellowed over the years.  There are no big flashy exhibits, nothing interactive to play with, the museum acts simply as a storage facility for all these amazing items, all 120 000 of them. 

The crowd of people getting ready to enter the museum.

Some of the most famous pieces in the museum are King Tut's death mask.  If you look at the header of my blog you will see a cartoon drawing of it.  Seeing it in real life after having read about it, taught about it and even having seen a hologram of it in London, was pretty neat.  The room the mask was in was jam packed full of people, so you don't get any alone time with King Tut.  You simply catch a glimpse of his mask, and then you move on.

A picture of King Tut's death mask taken from Sacred-Destinations.com

Another brilliant part of the museum are the special mummy rooms.  They have rows of mummies on display and you get to see how the mummification process changed over time.  They started painting people's skin yellow, putting rocks under their eyelids to keep the eye sockets full, and even made special rings for their hands and feet so their fingers and toes wouldn't fall off over time.  It was fascinating staring at all the different mummies. To see a picture of the mummy of Ramses II click here (warning, it is pretty spooky looking!)

I am sad that I have no pictures of my own to show you from my trip to the museum, but there are very strict rules about pictures.  You aren't even allowed to bring your camera into the museum with you and have to check-it at the door.  The reason for this rule is that the items in the museum are so special and the light from a camera flash can damage them, so it is a good rule to follow.  So I guess not having any pictures is fine, just means that one day you will have to come to Cairo and see all these sights for youself!

The Markets of Cairo

A street lined with clothing stores for both adults and children.

Shopping in Cairo can be just like shopping at home.  There are fancy stores lining big boulevards selling Egypt's  latest fashions.  There are even shopping malls where you can hide from the heat as you browse through all the sheltered shops.

 

What the kids are wearing, notice how they are all wearing pants.  Even though it is very hot in Cairo, you won't find many pairs of shorts for sale.  Most Egyptians are Muslim, and they favour a more conservative way of dressing, and shorts are considered too casual.

But to shop in true Cairo style is to shop in the markets of the city.  There are several markets scattered all around the city.  There is a market for clothing, a market for fabric, a market for fruit and vegetables, even a market for car parts...you can find a maket selling just about anything if you search long enough.  The joy of shopping in a market is that you are outside enjoying the sunshine and the sounds of the streets, which unfortunately is just the sound of horns honking most of the time, but at the right time you might be outside as the call to prayer is being broadcast from a local mosque.

A busy fruit market in some of the back streets.

The crazy car part market where you can find just about any part for any car.

The clothing market just getting started.  All the umbrellas are setup to help give the vendors and shoppers some shade from the blazing sun.

Another fun thing about the street markets are the people you meet.  People are always happy to see you and they ask you where you are from, and sometimes offer you a cup of tea in hopes that you might give them a little baksheesh (a little gift of money).

Have you ever been to an outdoor market?  What kind of things did they sell there?

Getting Around Cairo

Getting around Cairo is not easy.  The city is very crowded, so driving a car can be scary and frustrating.  Walking is also difficult because the desert climate is hot, and shade can be hard to come by in some areas.  Taxis are available, but they also get stuck in traffic.  So how do the people of Cairo get around?  There are a couple of ways.

The first, most dangerous way, is by bus.  You will see men and women standing by the side of the road waiting for a bus, and as it passes it slows down (sometimes not stopping) and those waiting will leap on trying to make sure they get on the bus before it speeds up again.  The bad things about buses is that they get really crowded in the middle of the day, and again if traffic is bad, you aren't going anywhere fast!

A bus, and a mini-bus behind it with a man hanging out ready to jump off.

A safer way to travel is on the new Metro system.  The Egyptian government has realized that Cairo is getting too crowded, and that building more roads for cars will just make the problem worse, adding more pollution into the air.  Thankfully, they have come up with a great solution and have built a subway system.  There are currently two lines that run in an x across Cairo and there is a third line being built (they hope it will be done by 2019) that will connect the airport to the city.  Costing only 20 cents, it is a quick and cheap way of getting around parts of Cairo.

The new and efficient Metro pulling out of the station.

What are some other green ways the people of Cairo can use to get around their city?  I am giving you a hint below.  Can you think of any others?

A boy getting his felucca ready for the day.

Cairo Tower

When it was built in 1961 the lotus inspired 187m tall Cairo Tower was the tallest concrete structure in the world.

Towers are a great place to take in how big a city truly is, and let me tell you, Cairo is a huge city.  It has a population of around 17 million people making it a very densely populated area (dense is when there are a lot of people in a small area).

Taking in the view from the observation deck.

Looking down at Cairo from Cairo Tower you can see the density.  The buildings look like they are all attached.  They appear to all sit ontop of each other as they move away from the Nile River and into the desert. 

Cairo is a very hot city, today it was around 40 degree Celsius.  You can almost see the heat in the picture below, it is like a haze that sits above city (that haze is also smog coming from all the busy roads all around Cairo).



The haze sitting over Cairo.  Doesn't it look like all the buildings are connected?

Not only did I get an amazing view at Cairo Tower but I also made a friend.  My friend's name is Ahmed.  Ahmed works at the tower as a photographer.  When you arrive he offers to take a picture of you standing in front of the tower, and if you like the way it looks you can buy it as a souvenir.  When he asked if I would like my picture taken, I said "No thank you, I don't have any money to buy it with."  Ahmed asked me where I was from and why I was in Cairo.  I told him that I was a teacher from Toronto who was travelling the world to learn more so that I could teach more.  My story made Ahmed smile, so he asked if he could take a picture for me on my camera so I could have one of "Mr. P standing in front of Cairo Tower" to show you.  The picture was taken, but because it is so bright and sunny outside we didn't notice that my eyes were closed in the picture!  All that kindness that Ahmed showed me and I end up with a picture of me sleeping in front of the tower.  It is a memory of his kindness that I will always keep no matter how funny I look in the picture.

Mr. P sleeping in front of Cairo Tower.

Do you have a picture of yourself that you like because it tells a funny or happy story?  Bring the picture in and share it with you class.

Ancient Egypt: Being a Kid Again.

When I was a little boy I remember this clip from Sesame Street.  It was the first time I learned about the pyramids and Ancient Egypt.  I remember finding this video fascinating.  There was something about it that made me want to learn more about Egypt and the pyramids.



Let's just hope no statues come to life when I am exploring the pyramids in a few day.  That would be really freaky!  I can't wait.

Kid's Guide to Cairo

Your guide has gotten me really excited about Cairo.  Thanks for the warning about the desert climate.  I put on a thick layer of sunscreen before getting off the plane and I am sure glad I did because it is almost 40 degrees Celsius. That sun sure is hot.  I like how you have me wearing a hat in the picture too.  I think I hat in this kind of weather is a great idea.





I Am Here - Cairo, Egypt

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