City of the Pharaohs
My fascination with the city of Cairo is one that was ignited a long time ago. It is not the city itself that has enthralled me, but what lay on the periphery; the Pyramids of Giza. The pyramids have become etched in my mind, not for their sheer monumentality, but the mysticism surrounding their construction which has made them inherently sacred. The site of Giza, particularly the pyramids has retained a certain type of sacral quality for me; my interaction with the site has remained untainted by the common tourist experience. Throughout the years, I have etched a certain romanticized image of Giza into my mind. The pyramids of Giza have remained ruins in a landscape. I see them for what they really are, unblemished monuments that have been saved from urban encroachment or the tourist experience. I have never visited Giza and I don’t plan to anytime soon.
I have reflected on a question that was originally addressed by Elisa in her exercise, in which she asks, “who is the city sacred to, its inhabitants or its visitors?” It is apparent that the interaction between Giza and Cairo is similar to that of Rome; something which Claudia had made mention to in her exercise in that the ancient past has been embedded into modern city. At Giza, it is evident that there has been some religious conflict, particularly when the present Egyptian state is trying to preserve the material culture of an ancient polytheistic society. This must cause some type of so-called sacred disconnect among the local populace, due to lack of engagement? Giza over the years has become so commercialized, that in a way, it feels like it is slowly loosing its sacredness? This is one of the reasons why I have decided not to visit the site. I have established a certain picture in my mind; I do not want to be let down.
This now brings me to Keffie’s exercise in which she closely examines the role of pilgrimage to these so-called sacred sites and the level of engagement that they offer. A city or site does not necessarily become sacred based upon communal engagement, but the individualized experience. As John Pahl (2003) suggests that “the city of God is a place of individual perception and subject.” We go to these places with certain expectations and we leave them with different experiences. As Heidi had expressed in her exercise that it is perhaps our level of familiarity and the connections we make with a city that makes it sacred. Even though I have not made a physical connection with the site of Giza, it does not mean that it is not sacred to me. I have had interactions with this place, not through academic literature, but through other people's interactions. In a way, I have made them my own.
I can see myself standing on the edge of greatness. The sounds of the afternoon street traffic of Cairo fills my head, I become unfocused. I lunge my body forward by placing my right foot in the hot desert sand, while the left still remains in place on the asphalt. I place my hand over my eyes to protect them from the bright desert sun. At this moment I stop and gaze out across the mysterious landscape; I feel so small. I am standing infront of the Great Pyramid of Khufu, I am perplexed. I keep asking myself "how did they do this?"
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Below, I have posted a link to Brown's Egypt: Photographs from 1923 Tour, they are quite interesting https://www.brown.edu/Departments/Joukowsky_Institute/resources/egypt1923
