Gerard M. Foley
Travel & Photography Collection
Egypt
My son and his wife, both professors, spent several months this spring in Rome, Italy. My daughter-in-law, a classicist, wanted to take the opportunity to visit Egypt. Their son and I were lucky enough to go too. We began early April, 2001.
My friends Ruth and Fritz Saenger put us in touch with their granddaughter Katherine, who was visiting her husband Don Sparks in Egypt. By e-mail Katherine introduced us to Presidential Nile Cruises. PNC provided us with an excellent itinerary, comfortable accomodations and very pleasing and competent guides and drivers thoughout our stay in Egypt. You are advised, however, to deal with PNC through a travel agent outside Egypt, as communication, except by voice telephone, is not reliable.
Boarding our airplane, an Alitalia A310, at Rome
Northwest Suburb of Cairo
A Cairo Suburb close to Cairo International
A distant view of the Great Pyramids at Giza
One level of housing
Farm
Farm
We first drove to Memphis, about twenty miles south of Cairo on the West bank of the Nile.
I took almost all of these pictures with an Olympus C2020Z digital camera. Those on the West Bank at Luxor were by Nico Foley, my grandsonm with his father's Canon A50
A different kind of housing
![[Click to go to flickr]](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/3106562869_2bda08936b_m.jpg)
Duncan Foley and Ramses II at Memphis
A collosal statue of Ramses II at Memphis
A ruined pyramid at Saqqara. a few miles north of Memphis
My grandson Nico at a mastaba tomb at Saqqara
Reliefs in the mastaba tomb show daily life in Egypt 4500 years ago
Most Egyptian reliefs and sculptures were painted, and the paint has often survived. Men were usually painted red, and women white.
The Step Pyramid, the first pyramid built in Egypt,.was built in Dynasty III for King Zoser. This modification of the mastaba attempted (unsuccessfully) to prevent looting of the tomb, already common in the earliest dynasties.
The temple at the entrance to the precincts of the Step Pyramid
The Step Pyramid
The temple at the entrance to the precincts of the Step Pyramid
GIZA
This city, just west of Cairo, is world-famed for the three great stone pyramids, the Sphinx, and numerous other works of the IVth Dynasty.
The pyramid of Khefren, slightly smaller than the Great Pyramid of Khufu. From most places it looks the larger of the two, because it stands on higher ground. At the top of this pyramid some of the facing stone, which once made a smooth covering of all the great stone pyramids, survives. The facing stone has been stripped for building material from all the other pyramids. Khefren was probably Khufu's son.
A pit beside the Great Pyramid of Khufu
In 1954 two pits, containing two disassembled boats, were discovered close to the Great Pyramid. The material found in one of the pits was used to assemble this marvelous boat. The other pit has been left closed.
Deckhouse of the ancient boat.
The Pyramids of Khefren and Menkaure viewed from the Great Pyramid.
Our Guide, Helene, Nico and Duncan Foley and three big pyramids.
Gerry, Helene, Nico and Duncan Foley and three big pyramids.
Some think the sphinx was a portrait of Khefren, whose pyramid is behind it.
Khefren's pyramid, seen through a corridor of the valley temple. This temple, and others associated with other tombs, was maintained as a place to honor the God-King after his burial.