Seeing History

Ever since we arrived here, the haphazardness of everything around me and the disorganization has astounded me immensely. Joe and I were both excited to go to the Egyptian Museum which is located downtown almost directly across the street from Joe's school and we had heard many different things about it. But we knew that we'd have to dedicate a good portion of our day to being there when we decided to go because we didn't want to pay for it and not get a chance to be satisfied! And we love museums. So we set out early Saturday morning and arrived about the time that it opened. First you have to enter the area through a metal detector, then wait through a line to go through security where your purse/backpack is sent through one of those things they have at the airport. After this point you can purchase your tickets to the museum and you are on the grounds. You also have to check your camera as they aren't supposed to be allowed inside the museum, but I guess that you can bribe someone because we saw a few people with their cameras inside. Well, being the upstanding people WE are, we checked our camera before hitting the next line where they take your ticket and you go through security yet again.

I don't think words can quite describe the Egyptian Museum. But I'll try to think of a few... massive, overwhelming, amazing, crowded, and there are many more. At the entrance you start seeing things right away. It isn't like museums at home where they put 3 or 4 things in a room with nice explainations right next to them. No, not at all. Some things did have explainations, some didn't. But there is just no way to really allow anyone to understand how many THINGS there were everywhere. And they are all so ancient. Old coffins that mummies were in, art carved into rocks, huge statues, small statues, old weapons and shields, and then all the things taken from Tombs. We looked at all the Tutankhamen (I believe is the spelling) things--- the vast richness and pride of these warriors amazes me! The gold his mask is made of is every bit as incredible as people say. It sure shines like nothing I've ever seen, not that I am accustomed to staring at gold and valuing it, but it was so smooth and beautiful. The paintings were so pretty too and the colors of it all. It was really interesting to me that in his tomb he had two statues made to look exactly like him to be there to guard his treasures, so that anyone stealing from him would have had to look right at him!

But one of the most amazing parts of the museum is the Mummy Room! Although your ticket into the mummy room(s) there are two, costs twice as much as your entrance fee into the museum there is no doubt as to whether or not the extra expense is worth it. We looked at the bodies of people who lived over a thousand years before Christ! These bodies have been dead over 3000 years and it is amazing how much they still resemble themselves! Those ancient Egyptians sure knew how to preserve a body! Many of them still had hair, and almost all of them had finger and toe-nails still intact. We saw the body of the Pharaoh who supposedly ruled when Moses with Gods guidance and strength freed the Hebrews, they think it is Ramses II. And he still looks real. You can see marks of age on their faces as if their wrinkles remain. You can also see their eyelashes! It is amazing to be able to see something like that, truly awe-inspiring! Part of me still can't believe that they really were alive so long ago.

But I felt the same way about a lot of the other exhibits we saw. Like the mummy of a crocodile (which were thought to be sacred and not killed but sort of fed like a pet) They had 2 mummies of crocodiles in there that looked well over 15 ft long, maybe longer. I wouldn't want that thing coming up to me asking for coconut milk and raw meat! They also had animal mummies of dogs, cats, pet baboons, crazy things! The entire museum was just so full of ancient things. There was no way that we could be satisfied in one trip. The vast amount of objects in each room doesn't allow for it. Before we quite reached the end we were feeling just so overwhelmed by the history and awesomeness that everything was beginning to look the same. We will definately have to return to really see everything, but i don't believe that it would still be possible in 10 visits to feel as though you've looked at everything that the museum has. they even had stacks on the sides of one of the largest rooms, stacks of ancient things that I suppose they had no room for!

Outside we picked up our camera again and proceeded to take pictures of some of the statues outside (which were also ancient as you can see) You could get up right next to them! Can you believe that we were sitting on some of these things? It was incredible, a once in a lifetime kind of opportunity that I'm so grateful I was able to have!

I can't get the pictures to work. I will try again maybe tomorrow!