“Yarra, Yarra, Yarra! Hmm!!“
While visiting the Egyptian Pyramids of Giza with the famous Egyptologist Mark Lehner, a series of voices suddenly erupted and echoed throughout the site. Our small group faced the turmoil and wondered what happened and if something was wrong.
Instead, I saw the cheerful faces of an approaching group of men running barefoot in the sand. Some of them were towing bags and other equipment. Their faces sweated in the sun and their luggage was heavy, but their frequent hoops gave the scene a festive sensation.
After all, their hilarious entry coincided with our own arrival at Dr. Lehner’s excavation site discovered by archaeologists and his team of Ancient Egyptian Research Associates (AERA). Lost city of the pyramid..
The energetic workers are headed by Sayed Salah, who pays homage to the Arabic word “rais,” which means “leader.” Their excavation work is a painstaking and painstaking task, but as Dr. Lehner explained, there is a more subtle and deeper level.
Many men, mostly from the small town of Abusir near Sakkara, consider them part of a respected team dating back to the Egyptians who first built the pyramids.
Evidence found in the last few decades is that the workers who built the Great Pyramid Was not a slave workerAs has long been widely believed. In fact, this work may have been done by paid workers housed in a nearby barracks.According to a fragment of papyrus discovered by Egyptologist and book co-author (with Dr. Lehner) Pierre Turret. “Dead Sea Scrolls” The job was considered a noble and respectable profession.
And the similarities between the high spirit of today’s workers and the new paintings of past workers were clear. In addition to the bonuses and festive feasts associated with this work, these men firmly believed that they continued to do the important work of their innovative predecessors.
I was in front of Dr. Lehner and his modern crew as part of a history-led private tour of the Giza Pyramid hosted by a travel agency. Your private africa.. On special occasions, Dr. Lehner will work with the group to lead a historic journey across Egypt for guests and patrons of his archeology and research projects. This is a series of work over nearly 40 years.
My last visit to the Pyramid was almost exactly 10 years ago, just before the Arab Spring Revolution began. Egypt has experienced a torrent of political and other changes over the past decade, but these ancient wonders have remained more majestic and extraordinary than ever before. However, as Dr. Lehner’s own work regularly shows, the structures and the people who created and used them. Due to his extensive expertise, constant commentary, and insider status (I lost sight of the huge number of government officials, other Egyptologists, and guides who welcomed him through the tour), my experience this November this time. Was definitely rich.
Revisiting the Giza Pyramid, an iconic monument where thousands of visitors take pictures every day, was a rich experience for me as a photographer. And it was mainly due to one unexpected wildcard. It rained.
Rainfall is really rare in this part of the world. This area is usually seen less than an inch each year. Still, “bad weather” often enables good photos. Light streaks and interesting cloud cover allow you to see things differently. This is especially useful when trying to capture a place where so many pictures are taken.
So when I approached the Bent Pyramids of Dahshur, about 25 miles south of Cairo, I thought it was fortunate when Mother Nature provided a rare and dramatic background. This remarkable pyramid I learned is the second pyramid built by Sneferu, the founding pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of Egypt. (His successor, Khufu, built the famous Great Pyramid of Giza.) Egyptologists now see the Bent Pyramid as an important step towards the construction of a strict pyramid-shaped tomb.
Mother Nature hasn’t finished her show yet. A fierce sandstorm swirled around the Pyramid of Djoser, part of the Sakkara Cemetery site about 19 miles south of Cairo. When we arrived, masks and scarves were whipped, and some people crouched to evacuate from the opaque walls of sand in the air.
The sandstorm season, and the wind that causes the sandstorm, Khamsin, Means “50” in Arabic and refers to 50 days of storms that can occur in late winter or early spring. But from my point of view, looking at Egypt’s most famous ancient treasures in such a drama-filled situation, these incomparable structures have become more extraordinary.
Dr. Lehner regularly dispatches research supporters to keep up with his fascinating excavation work. He is currently sifting sand from an archaeological site based in Giza. Heit el-GhurabA 4,500-year-old settlement, including two different ancient towns, a delivery bay, and some identifiable main streets. His daily thoughts, which he jokes about, are about testing “beautiful theories” against “ugly facts” from time to time, but from the hypothesis about the ability of cows to pass through certain ancient openings. It ranges from the exact usage of the area of the village he called. OK ranch. (In this case, “OK” cleverly represents “Old Kingdom”.)
And I am eagerly awaiting his discovery. As I have observed directly, the workers excavating the site next to him know that they are there to happily support each of the new information the team has unearthed.
Tambia Badal A travel, architecture and lifestyle photographer based in Los Angeles.You can follow his work Instagram..