After a good night’s rest, we headed out to Giza to see the Sphinx and Great Pyramids. As we crossed out of the fertile Nile River Valley and into the Sahara Desert, our first stop was in Saqarra, home to one of the earliest known pyramids, the Step Pyramids. Luckily for us, we were the first bus to arrive so we had the place all to ourselves – at least for 10 minutes.
The design and construction of the Step Pyramids are credited to Imhotep. Trisha provided a great presentation about Imhotep which included dressing up Sam to play the role. The student reports about ancient history while surrounded by it, is an amazing experience.
After a brief stop in the city of Memphis, it was on to the western plateau of Giza where awaiting the group was of a herd of camels. After interesting negotiations between Amr and the camel owners, we were assigned to our “ships of the desert” for the mile or so ride to the Great Pyramid.
This site includes the fully restored 4,500 year old Solar Boat which is a wooden boat entombed alongside the ruler. It was believed the boat would be used by the deceased to journey to the afterlife.
It was a full day in the sun and lots of walking. All of it well worth it!
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