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Authors: Rita Lee Chapman
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in this together. I still have a little more leave. I want to stay and help you”. I could see Kareem, although worried for my safety, knew I had made up my mind and that, deep down, he was pleased I was going to be with him.
Section II Life Decisions - Ramy’s Story
1. Yasmeen
It was a dream come true – to be in Egypt again, seeing the land of my forebears as an adult. I had been to Egypt once before, when I was very young, but this was so different! I spent a month with my uncle and aunt in Cairo exploring the city and soaking up the atmosphere. It was hot - very hot - and there were tourists everywhere. The streets were noisy and filled with vehicles which followed no rules that I could understand – cars just crossed lanes when they felt like it, pushed their nose in front of the next car, did a u-turn in front of 3 rows of traffic – to me it was just chaos. Every time I went out on to the street taxi drivers called out to me – although I am tanned and have some of my ancestor’s Egyptian looks, I guess my Australian shirts branded me as a tourist – at least from a distance. I thought I fitted in well in my jeans but apparently not. I visited the pyramids and marvelled at their grandeur. I went to the Museum and saw the Tutankhamen display, the mummies and the statues. I visited King Farouk’s Palace and witnessed the wonderful displays of knives, guns and ceremonial gifts. My uncle was a great fan of the Egyptian hookah and I spent many hours sitting in cafes with him sharing this waterpipe, which I found very relaxing. After a month of enjoying all Cairo had to offer I decided it was time to go and see more of Egypt .
I bought a plane ticket to Abu Simbel and bade farewell to my uncle and aunt and headed off as an independent traveller. Abu Simbel was everything I had expected – and more. The sight of the huge statues rising out of the desert was truly amazing. To think they had been moved to their present site, piece by piece, from where they would have been flooded when the dam was built, defies belief. I looked closely and could just see where the cuts had been made; huge sections had been cut straight through, moved and then put back together.
Even now they are still very close to the water’s edge – I tried to imagine the reactions of anyone travelling up the Nile , coming around the bend in the river and suddenly seeing these huge, imposing monuments in the middle of nowhere. The Great Temple has four colossal statues of Ramses II, seated. Between his legs are several much smaller statues representing his family. I wandered inside, along with the hordes of tourists, to marvel at the interior - two rows of pillars ten metres high with the features of Ramses. Above, on the ceiling, are great vultures and the aisles on either side are painted with stars. From there I entered the Sanctuary – a small room about 4 metres by 7 metres in which sit statues of Ramses II, Ptah, Amon-Ra an d Ra –Harakhti. The Sanctuary is built on a pre-determined axis and twice a year, corresponding to the equinoxes, the sun rises and lights the statues of Ramses, Amon-Ra and Ra-Harakhti. Somehow, Ptah, the god of darkness, is never lit. All this I had studied in Cairo before leaving, so that I might have an understanding of the sights I had set out to see in the context of my background. However, all the reading had not prepared me for the grandeur of Abu Simbel .
I went to see the Small Temple , just a little further around the river bank. The Temple was dedicated by Ramses II to his wife Nefertari and the six statues, all standing, gave the impression they were walking out of the wall to meet you. Inside the chamber carved with images of Nefertari as Hathor, are engravings depicting stories about Nefertari and Ramses. In the small sanctuary Ramses is shown honouring Hathor, who is set between two pillars
Section II Life Decisions - Ramy’s Story
1. Yasmeen
It was a dream come true – to be in Egypt again, seeing the land of my forebears as an adult. I had been to Egypt once before, when I was very young, but this was so different! I spent a month with my uncle and aunt in Cairo exploring the city and soaking up the atmosphere. It was hot - very hot - and there were tourists everywhere. The streets were noisy and filled with vehicles which followed no rules that I could understand – cars just crossed lanes when they felt like it, pushed their nose in front of the next car, did a u-turn in front of 3 rows of traffic – to me it was just chaos. Every time I went out on to the street taxi drivers called out to me – although I am tanned and have some of my ancestor’s Egyptian looks, I guess my Australian shirts branded me as a tourist – at least from a distance. I thought I fitted in well in my jeans but apparently not. I visited the pyramids and marvelled at their grandeur. I went to the Museum and saw the Tutankhamen display, the mummies and the statues. I visited King Farouk’s Palace and witnessed the wonderful displays of knives, guns and ceremonial gifts. My uncle was a great fan of the Egyptian hookah and I spent many hours sitting in cafes with him sharing this waterpipe, which I found very relaxing. After a month of enjoying all Cairo had to offer I decided it was time to go and see more of Egypt .
I bought a plane ticket to Abu Simbel and bade farewell to my uncle and aunt and headed off as an independent traveller. Abu Simbel was everything I had expected – and more. The sight of the huge statues rising out of the desert was truly amazing. To think they had been moved to their present site, piece by piece, from where they would have been flooded when the dam was built, defies belief. I looked closely and could just see where the cuts had been made; huge sections had been cut straight through, moved and then put back together.
Even now they are still very close to the water’s edge – I tried to imagine the reactions of anyone travelling up the Nile , coming around the bend in the river and suddenly seeing these huge, imposing monuments in the middle of nowhere. The Great Temple has four colossal statues of Ramses II, seated. Between his legs are several much smaller statues representing his family. I wandered inside, along with the hordes of tourists, to marvel at the interior - two rows of pillars ten metres high with the features of Ramses. Above, on the ceiling, are great vultures and the aisles on either side are painted with stars. From there I entered the Sanctuary – a small room about 4 metres by 7 metres in which sit statues of Ramses II, Ptah, Amon-Ra an d Ra –Harakhti. The Sanctuary is built on a pre-determined axis and twice a year, corresponding to the equinoxes, the sun rises and lights the statues of Ramses, Amon-Ra and Ra-Harakhti. Somehow, Ptah, the god of darkness, is never lit. All this I had studied in Cairo before leaving, so that I might have an understanding of the sights I had set out to see in the context of my background. However, all the reading had not prepared me for the grandeur of Abu Simbel .
I went to see the Small Temple , just a little further around the river bank. The Temple was dedicated by Ramses II to his wife Nefertari and the six statues, all standing, gave the impression they were walking out of the wall to meet you. Inside the chamber carved with images of Nefertari as Hathor, are engravings depicting stories about Nefertari and Ramses. In the small sanctuary Ramses is shown honouring Hathor, who is set between two pillars
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