Socco

That is a very thorough and informative post about the Egyptian Pyramids. I am from Egypt, and one of the few Egyptians that are still not used to the sight of the Giza Necropolis. In fact, on the highway from Cairo to Alexandria, we always pass them and I’m amazed that the rest of the people in the car or bus don’t even seem to notice them anymore!

I still find them breath-taking, no matter how many times I see them.

The annoying thing however is that there are numerous locals that will try to push a camel or horse ride on a visitor, almost by force. They just don’t stop and they are such a rip off. The experience can almost be ruined from being bombarded by their ridiculously high-priced offers. I am sad when I see many tourists exhausted by warding them off and just give in to paying them just to shut them up. It’s sad it’s not more under control to give the viewers a more peaceful and magical experience as it should be.

I advise anyone who visits any historical sites in Egypt to go with a tour guide to prevent being ripped-off and hassled this way. The tour guides will also provide lots of great info on the history of the monuments.

I’d like to share another piece of info about the Egyptian pyramids:

I would like to bust the myth that the pyramids were built by slaves. They were actually built by ancient Egyptian workers who were mostly farmers. The Nile used to flood for 3 months every year, and the farmers could not farm during those months. They were conscripted by the Pharaoh to work for those 3 months on building his tomb. It was definitely hard work, but they were not slaves. They were paid and fed and given quarters near the site.

Also, the fact that ancient Egyptians believed that the Pharaoh was a reincarnation of the god Horus on Earth gave them quite the incentive to serve him and do such hard labour for him.

Anyway, thanks a lot for this great post, and I hope you post more soon!