Pause Cairo: Play El-Sahel (Part 2 - Taposiris Magna Revisited)

I did not get much sleep the night before last, with Taposiris Magna on my mind, and myself in it's vicinity. I decided to see it again, this time with more eye for detail and the surrounding areas. I packed my camera and wore my heavy-duty clothes (perhaps heavily-worn clothes would be a more accurate term) and set for the ancient ruins again.

The main enterance to the temple enclosure.

The sun was up in the sky, the glare was a little less than last time, with a little cloud cover. I knew I had about two to three hours til sunset, and hoped I could make the most out of them. I was greeted a lot more warmly this time, with a few more members of the family living in the shadows of the ancient city coming out to see me. We sat out in the yard, on a straw mat, with a sheesha-pipe being passed around and sweet tea being served. We chatted about everyday matters and how the North Coast used to be before the city-dwellers' invasion. A little while later, Mardy (who guided me through the ruins previously) told me would could head out now, because there was a lot more he wanted to show me.

The eastern face of the temple enclosure, including the main enterance. The rugged landscape around it contain an abundance of ancient pottery shards and stone blocks, weathered with time and history.

We drove up to the temple enclosure again, but this time I decided I have seen enough of what was inside and wanted to explore the area around it. As we walked through the rocky desert landscape, I began to realise strange things. On the ground I was stepping on, there were large stones that seemed to have been placed in rows next to each other. I stepped back a little and realized they were buried walls, possibly of courtyards or buildings. I asked Mardy about it, and he said that it probably is ancient, but no one really had explored it yet.  He mentioned that some of the walls had an ancient form of cement on them, but that it was probably placed there in more recent history, by the Bedouins that roamed the area a few hundred years ago.

Part of a wall made out of ancient blocks of stone peek out of the rocky sands. The dark material holding the stonework together indicate that a primitive form of cement was used, possibly by Bedouins of the coast a few centuries ago.

Even stranger was an abundance of pottery shards on the ground. I picked up one of them, and realised from the wear that was apparant on them, that they must be ancient. They were strewn across the landscape, being much more abundant than natural debris - In fact when I asked Mardy about it, he told me that to them, it has become a part of their natural environment, with possibly millions of ancient pottery shards from the Ptolemaic dynasty littering the landscape.

The handle of a jar made out of clay is evident on the wall of a dug up site, near the salt beds. The site has been excavated in the past by a French expedition.

We got back into my car and drove deeper in land. We passed through a small village, with fig trees growing out of the sand around the small brick homes. The track was narrow and uneven, with desert scrub scraping the bottom of the car as we moved through it. We finally reached what I had believed was part of Lake Mariut, with it's waters gleaming in the sunlight. We got out and walked over a little hill. That's when I realised it wasn't a lake in the traditional sense - it was more of a wet salt bed. What I thought were lake waters turned out to be a gleaming sea of white salt. I was stunned by it's beauty.

This lake played tricks on my eyes. As I closed in on it, it turned out to be a shimmering salt bed, without a drop of water in sight.

After pinching some of the salt crystals and tasting it, I explored the area around it. There were stones set up in the mud around the salt bed - this time they seemed to be a bit more explored, with some obvious digging having been done around them. Mardy told me this was an ancient Ptolemaic sea port. There had been a lot of agriculture in the area during the Ptolemaic times, with barley and grapes being grown in the area. The port served to move these goods to different cities in the region and abroad. There were even pottery shards in the area that were a little different from near the temple. They consisted of long arms and large brims, indicating that they were possibly large amphorae that were used to carry the wine produced here.

A part of the ancient sea port with a an entrance still standing. The port has been used to to transport agricultural goods to other cities in the region.

A closer look at the stonework found on the ground of the port at the salt bed.

In the last leg of the journey, I decided to get a closer look at the Pharos lighthouse. When we reached it, I realised it was a lot larger than it seemed from afar. It's condition was magnificent for something that has been built between 285 and 246 BC, with an imposing presence from up close. I was astounded. We walked around it and I was surprised to find a small entrance. While I pondered  whether it would be safe to go inside there, Mardy took off, running into the dark tower. I heard his fast steps climb through the tower, and went in after him, deciding perhaps acting first and thinking later would be a good ideology, at least in certain situations.

This tower is the assumed alexandrine pharos lighthouse replica. It has been built around the same time the original has been built, between 285 and 246 BC.

It was dark inside, with narrow steps going up. It started off with stone steps, but then turned into wooden ones that creaked eerily under my feet as I ascended. After a few dark and dangerous flights, I finally found Mardy, standing on top of the lighthouse, with a cheeky smile on his face. As soon as I came up and looked around, my jaw dropped open. I could see everything. The salt beds, the sea, the villages, the resorts, the roads, and the temple. The view was humbling.

The first few steps in the lighthouse were strong and reliable, and part of the original stonework. The more recently placed wooden stairs that climb up to the top had a more perilous feel to them, being narrow and flimsy.

The temple enclosure was a magnificent sight to behold from the top of the lighthouse.

We sat on the ancient stonework, and looked all around us. The sun was setting in the distance behind the clouds. It was the same sun that I have seen set thousands of times, over many years and many landscapes. The sunset this time though was different. With all that I have seen in just a few hours, I felt a touch of disappointment knowing I wouldn't be seeing it again, at least not very soon. It would be hard for me to explain the feeling that washed over me throughout the experience, but I suppose that the state I was in, was a state of awe.

Pause Cairo: Play El-Sahel (Part 1 - Taposiris Magna)

Visiting El-Sahel El-Shamaly (The North Coast) has been a relatively new tradition that Cairenes have adopted. Over the last 30 years, the Mediterranean Coast near Alexandria has seen one pilgrimage after another of families from Cairo hitting the resort towns and beaches during the summer. Leaving behind the cramped apartments and stuffy streets, and opting for sandy beaches and summer breezes, they find it to be quite relaxing. Personally though, I was never really fond of being part of the city hoards that eat up the North Coast every summer. I feel a certain type of guilt watching Al-Arab or the Bedouin people of the coast taking up jobs like gardening or sanitation and giving up their previous way of living.

The turquoise waters and sandy beaches are the main reasons Cairenes flock to the North Coast in the summer.

Nevertheless, here I am, enjoying the breeze (albeit, with a hint of reluctance) and typing away, ready to share some of the experience.

There are many things to do here; you can hit the beach or swimming pools and share the waters with the old paunched men in colourful trunks, or relax on the sands, perhaps try to get a tan, and share the sun with their bikini-clad jailbait daughters. Personally, I prefer going for a swim in the most remote part of the beach available, and at an early hour while everyone else is asleep (sleeping hours are from 5am to 5pm on the North Coast, so an early hour could be noon if you wish).

Wild grass growing in an untended garden in a resort - The greenery on the North Coast is mostly grown rather than wild, but is a delight to Cairenes who have been surrounded most of the year by concrete and asphalt.

This morning, I decided to visit an archaeological site close to the resort I am staying in.  In Abusir, a small village near Alexandria, bordering on Lake Mariut, the remains of an ancient town are strewn on the landscape. Taposiris Magna was built during the Ptolemy era, with not much left of it except for a temple dedicated to Osiris, as well as an ancient replica of the Alexandrine Pharos lighthouse, built by Ptolemy II Philadelphus. There isn't much of the temple itself standing, with only the walls of it's enclosure towering high around it. However, the site has been used for centuries after it has been built, with evidence of a Byzantine Church, as well as ladders leading to the top of the walls that Romans have used as a fort.

A view of the Alexandrine Pharos lighthouse replica from within the enclosure of the temple. The high walls have been restored to some degree by the expedition working on the site. The low walls in the foreground are the remains of the Byzantine era Church.

I parked my car at the foot of the hill on which the enclosure was located. I walked out into the glaring sun and looked around. There wasn't anyone around, but a faint rustling from a small makeshift building caught my attention. A small girl with frizzy brown hair peaked out at me from behind the door before running back inside. 

Two men came out, one large and burly, sporting a short beard, and the other younger and skinny. I asked them if it was possible to take a look inside and snap a few photos. The larger one asked me suspiciously who I was working for, and I jokingly said I worked for the government. They didn't seem to find it funny. Judging from the accents and demeanor, it was clear they were settled Bedouins. Soon enough though, they found my intention to be pure, and the younger one accompanied me up the hill to guide me. He told me I wasn't allowed to take photos from the inside, but could take a few from outside, and at certain points inside. I asked him why, and he told me that the archaeologists (led by our own Zahi (Not-Again) Hawass and Kathleen Martinez from the Dominican Republic) wouldn't want people taking photos of their 'discoveries' without their permission*.

This section of the wall enclosure shows the various stages of change it has gone through. At the very top is some of the original stone wall as it has been discovered. On the left, the darker stones are some of the early restoration efforts, using local materials. On the right are patches of the lighter stones imported from Giza during recent restoration efforts.

We walked  through the temple, and instead of finding squared off archaeology tape, I was surprised to find cigarette butts and soft drink cans lying around the edges. It was a bit better deeper inside though, with piles of ancient pottery shards waiting for examination and classification on display, as well as the well preserved remnants of pylons and columns strewn about. Faint outlines showed different chambers, with my personal guide describing their presumed history. We came onto a deep shaft, where Zahi Hawass got stuck earlier while descending in a faulty device that looked more like a big red birdcage. The device was actually still there. I smiled mischievously as I played out the incident in my head. Apparently they did find something in the shaft; two skeletons and a few gold items.

There are rumors going about that Queen Cleopatra and her lover Mark Anthony may be buried at Taposiris Magna. It is speculated that they were likely to be buried in a deep shaft like the one Zahi got stuck in. Although their tomb hasn't been found, a bust of Cleopatra as well as a few gold coins with her face on it were found. Looking back at the place, it seems like there's a lot of ground still to be uncovered, even though they have been working at it since 2005. Just two months ago, a man-sized headless statue of Ptolemy IV was discovered there - It made me wonder why it took five years to discover it. Every layer that they dig up however contains a new set of discoveries, and judging by the ground I trod on, as well as the large holes that have been excavated, I know there's still a lot more work to be done. Perhaps some day they will find Cleopatra and her lover.

*Without wanting to seem rude, I'm not a really big fan of Zahi Hawass, the Egyptian 'Master' Archaeologist. I believe he's got too much of his nose dug into Egypt's ancient past, with his face plastered across every new discovery. There's also his tendency to explain how he does all that he does for 'Egypt', but somehow most Egyptians are extremely uninformed of Egypt's history, let alone daily discoveries, with most expeditions representing experts from outside of Egypt, and a general lack of education and skill in the field locally. I'm not saying he's incapable - I'm just saying I'd rather see more faces describing Egypt's discoveries, with a more communal rather than monopolizing approach to our history.