the next part of the trip becomes complicated as Jim meets 'John' in the Cataract Bar - and later they find they need to return to Luxor, where Jim has an important discussions with Tony about the sarcophagus. Next day some of the group fly to Cairo in order to show Clare some of the highlights of that fabulous - if noisy, smelly and crowded - city on the Nile and then at the insistence of 'Sigi' and partly to avoid 'John', the fly to Abu Simbel, in the far South...
 |
| Old Cataract Hotel - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
It was a fine late afternoon, with a cool, gentle breeze coming, as usual, up from the north.
 |
| Motorboat on the Nile Near Aswan |
The talk was mainly about who would be going to Abu Simbel, and who would be going to Cairo.
Clare, obviously, was very keen to see Cairo, along with Novius, and of course Ethan and Teddy would be included so that Teddy could act as 'guide', while Zac would accompany them for security - and 'Sigi' was also keen to tag along.
The others, however, would return to the 'Winter Palace' to relax, where they would presumably remain at the 'Winter Palace' and conclude the holiday by sitting in the sun, by pool, and in the lush gardens.
 |
| US Intelligence Community |
Whilst seemingly paying attention to the conversations regarding their upcoming trips and sightseeing, Jim's was preoccupied with thoughts regarding the young man who, when they were viewing Trajan's Kiosk, had introduced himself as John.
Jim was almost certain that the young man, who appeared to be American, was associated with either the US diplomatic presence in Egypt, or was a member of one of the US security services - and Jim was expecting to meet with the young man in the hotel that evening.
Before that could occur, however, Jim had decided that he needed to prepare for such a possible meeting by discussing the matter with Zac and Teddy.
The 'US Intelligence Community' consists of the following agencies: Air Force Intelligence, Army Intelligence, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), Coast Guard Intelligence, Défense Intelligence Agency, Department of Energy, Department of Homeland Security, Department of State, Department of the Treasury, Drug Enforcement Administration, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Marine Corps Intelligence, National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, National Reconnaissance Office, National Security Agency (NSA), Navy Intelligence, Space Force Intelligence.
 |
| Conference Room - Cataract Hotel - Aswan |
Jim, Zac, Josh, 'Sigi' (for his facility in German), Ethan and Teddy, on Jim's advice, then met in private in one of the conference rooms in the hotel in order to discus the matter of Jim's meeting with the enigmatic 'John'.
"Well, it seems to me that it was no accident that this guy came up and spoke to Jim when we were at 'Trajan's Kiosk' - and it was strange that he managed to avoid being asked to leave by the 'Tourist Police - and also, just coincidentally, he's staying at our hotel.", Zac began - and everybody nodded in agreement.
"So - any suggestions ?", Jim asked.
"Well I think he's American... because of his accent and his clothes.", Ethan said.
"True - but he could be putting on the accent.", Zac retorted.
"Now I think 'something's up'...", Teddy said thoughtfully.
Teddy then put on his horn-rimmed glasses, indicating that his reply was probably going to be lengthy, and probably complicated.
"I think Ethan's right, and he is American - and my 'voice analyser' suggests he's from the 'East Coast' - well educated, probably 'Ivy League'.", Teddy continued.
The general public in America associate the 'Ivy League' with prestigious educational institutes, and most people now think that the 'Ivy League' establishments are twelve in number (some say eight). The Ivy 'League Colleges' are currently the most eminent of all universities in the United States of America. These prestigious institutions include 'Brown University', 'Harvard University', 'Cornell University', 'Princeton University', 'Dartmouth University', 'Yale University', 'Columbia University' and the 'University of Pennsylvania'. Of these, Harvard, is ranked the highest, but Yale, (where the Boss studied), comes a close second). None of the 'Penthouse gang have attended any of the 'Ivy League Colleges', although most imagine that Jim, Josh, Zac and Ethan are 'Ivy League' alumni - mainly because of their accents, appearance and general manner.
Harvard University - Cambridge - Massachusetts - USA
 |
| Yale University - New Haven - Connecticut - USA |
All that information - and just from his voice...". Ethan interrupted enthusiastically.
"Yes, well - I don't think he's here on holiday - he's dressed too formally - cream linen suit, well-cut shirt, and expensive brown leather shoes.
So the question is, what's he doing at the 'Temple of Isis' on 'Agilkia Island' ?", Teddy queried.
"OK - there's a few possibilities...
Maybe he's working for some US company - but here - on a job in Egypt - maybe in Cairo.", Zac suggested.
"Yes - or perhaps he's just a well educated, 'snappy dresser'.", Ethan proposed, not entirely seriously.
"Yes - or perhaps he's a CIA agent...", Zac said, obviously more soberly.
"Well, it's not beyond the bounds of possibility, after all, we have come across them before.", Teddy said agreeing.
"Or rather they've come across us...", Ethan said with a grin, thinking back to the incident at the 'Kimpton Hotel' in Denver.
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is a supposedly 'civilian' intelligence service of the Federal Government of the United States, tasked with gathering, processing, and analysing national security information, primarily through the use of human intelligence (HUMINT). As one of the principal members of the United States Intelligence Community (IC), the CIA reports to the Director of National Intelligence, and is primarily focused on providing intelligence for the President and Cabinet of the United States. The CIA headquarters is situated at Langley, Virginia. - and with regard to 'John' - every US embassy has CIA agents working in their embassies, under cover - so 'John' could be working from the US Embassy in Cairo...
CIA Badge
"And what about this business of 'majestic'.
On the boat, when we spoke Jim, you seemed much taken with the possibility that such a description might be a disguised 'code-word'...", Zac commented.
"Yes, and what is this business about 'majestic' ?", Ethan, ever curious, asked.
"Well I think now - as we are alone - we might have the opportunity to discus the matter of 'majestic' more fully.", Jim said carefully.
 |
| US President Harry S. Truman |
The 'Majestic Twelve' refers initially to a committee of twelve, subsequently authorized by United States President Harry S. Truman in 1952 to explain how the crash of an alien spacecraft at Roswell in 1947 had been concealed, how the recovered alien technology could be exploited, and how the United States should engage with extra-terrestrial life in the future.
'MAJIC 12' is also the 'code' word used for all projects and operations dealing with such matters and such events.", Teddy explained.
Now Teddy knew that Zac, being responsible for matters relating to security, would almost certainly bring up the matter of the reference to 'majestic', and so Teddy had printed off just one 'visual aid' about 'majestic'.
So, as Ethan passed round the document, Teddy continued with his 'lecture', while the small group perused the names and photos of the 'Majestic 12'.
"The 'Majestic 12' themselves were :
Lloyd Berkner, Detlev Bronk, Vannevar Bush, James Forrestal, Gordon Gray, Roscoe H. Hillenkoetter, Jerome Clarke Hunsaker, Donald H. Menzel, Robert M. Montague, Sidney Souers, Nathan F. Twining, Hoyt Vandenberg."
Ethan studied the document carefully.
 |
| Majestic-12 Emblem |
Most of them, except for this Vanderberg guy - who has a very odd first name - 'Hoyt' - look like rather 'creepy' granddads.
And talking of odd names, does anyone here know someone with a name like 'Mr. Hillenkoetter', or 'Hunsaker' - or 'Detlev' ?
I think they should be called the 'Weird 12'.
All very odd.", Ethan said, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Well I'm sure they can't be blamed for their names - but no matter, there they are...
And as it happens, your 'Mr Hillenkoetter' was a director of the CIA, and a Vice Admiral.", Jim replied.
"Well, he's still got a funny name.", Ethan insisted.
Jim then attempted to put the discussion on a more serious footing.
"OK - but now let's consider this matter carefully.
'Majestic 12' is often spoken of as the 'ultimate secret', but I would suggest that is an exaggeration.
Firstly, the existence of the 'Majestic 12' is relatively well known - so its' existence and purpose is not really a secret - but secondly, and more to the point, the agencies that serve 'Majestic 12' - even today - are still apparently 'fumbling around in the dark' and are quite unable to 'get to grips' with various phenomena that they are intended to investigate, explain, or possibly exploit."
 |
| The US Naval Observatory - Washington DC - USA |
MJ-12 is only responsible to the President of the United States, although it appears sometimes MJ-12 can even go over the President.
That is the limited information regarding MJ-12 that can be verified to any extent.
Unfortunately the 'MJ-12 story' has become a 'gold-mine' for conspiracy theorists and the seriously paranoid.", Jim concluded.
"Yes - well we have discussed this, and related matters, on many occasions - without coming to any definitive conclusions...", Zac commented.
Here Novius - who had been listening patiently, interrupted.
"That's true, Zac, but Teddy and I have been pursuing some new research, and have may some information that might be of some use to us."
"Well, if you think it could help us - if and when this young man John contacts us again - please tell us what you have discovered.", Jim responded.
"Well our first comment, before we go into any details, is that these people - the Majestic-12 'committee' - are almost certainly 'struggling in the dark' as much as anyone else.
If that is the case, then they are hardly likely to admit to the fact, as they are charged with the defense and security of the so many.
And they will look to anyone who may provide them with information - such as ourselves - as is evinced by the appearance of this gentleman who claims to be 'John'.", Novius began - before he was predictably interrupted by Ethan.
"Excuse me, Novius, but what does 'evinced' mean ?", Ethan asked.
"Well in this case it means 'shown' - but please let me get on...", Novius replied.
Novius cleared his throat and continued.
"Now I know that we have been all over this before - but we still seem to be left with a mystery.
There are a number of unresolved issues if we are to accept that these 'UFOs' and 'aliens', which seem to be the objects of concern for the 'Majestic-12', are in fact extraterrestrial.", Novius stated.
"Such as ?", Ethan asked, in a desperate attempt to encourage Novius to get to the point.
Ethan, of course, had mostly given up on the whole 'UFO' and 'pesky alien' problem, being far more interested in his forays into hotel management and music.
 |
| Roswell UFO Crash - New Mexico - USA |
And are we to believe that these 'craft', created by advanced extraterrestrials, came all the way from distant worlds - even distant galaxies - and then simply dropped out of the sky on reaching earth.
Added to this is the fact that not only crashed craft, but also craft observed in flight are in almost all cases very small - usually about thirty to sixty feet in diameter.
It seems unlikely that such small craft would be capable of making journeys from locations in the solar system, let alone from other galaxies.
But anyway, I don't think we have the time to go through all the new information we have for you, so I will ask Ethan to hand out illustrated printed copies of some of the conclusions that Teddy and I have reached.", Novius said in closing.
"But remember - I think it imperative that no one mentions our previous 'alien' contacts, the 'portal', the 'pyramid at Armant', the 'sarcophagus', or the fact that Mr. Stark is at present in Luxor.", Teddy added.
"OK, Boss !", Ethan said, as he handed out the printed resume's, and the others all nodded.
for more information go to:
"Now myself, Zac, Josh and Ethan will come down to the bar once we have had a quick look at the 'briefing' from Novius and Teddy.
Ethan will have Teddy hidden in his Walmart bag, so that Teddy can make an audio recording of what transpires at the bar without arousing this guy John's suspicions.", Jim explained.
"And what if this guy is an 'agent', and has some device that detects that a recording is being made ?", Josh asked.
"That's no problem - Faunus assures me that Teddy's equipment is undetectable - remember, Teddy's a 'Stark Industries Product' - and is fool-proof.", Jim said.
"Well I just hope you're right...", Ethan said.
"I take exception to that !", Teddy said indignantly.
"Firstly, I'm not a 'product' - I'm a bear - and also I am fool-proof !".
Realizing that his comments had been somewhat inappropriate, Jim chose to ignore Teddy's complaint, fearing that if he said anything further it might end in an argument - and Jim wanted to get on with other matters before meeting up with John in the bar.
And so they went their separate ways.
The members of the group who were not going to the bar were welcome to spend the early evening wandering through Aswan's large souk, and then later they would all meet up for an evening meal at the Cataract, while those who were to possibly meet 'John' in the 'Cataract Bar' - if he in fact made an appearance - went off to read their 'briefing papers', before meeting with Jim.
Jim's 'inner circle' are referred to as the 'Penthouse Gang' or 'Penthouse Boys' because originally the 'Boss' allowed Ethan to live in a large Penthouse in Summerlin, Las Vegas, Nevada - where he was joined by Zac (who lived in a separate apartment), and later Jim and Josh. After the death of the 'Boss', (while excavating Maya ruins in Mexico), Ethan inherited the entire 'Penthouse Building' on the proviso that the other 'boys' would be allowed to live there in perpetuity if they so wished.
 |
| Jim and Ethan's Suite - Cataract Hotel - Aswan |
"Er... excuse me, Jim, but shouldn't that be Novius and Teddy's research ?", Teddy queried from underneath a rather ridiculous pile of cushions.
"Well yes... but I was actually talking to Ethan.", Jim replied.
"Yes, but Novius is still not very good at finding things on the interned, so I think I should be given some credit.", Teddy said.
"Right... but let Ethan at least give his opinion.", Jim said.
"Well guys... to be honest, I'm beginning to loose interest in all this business about 'pesky aliens' and UFOs.
I'd really like to get back to LA, get on with having some of my new music performed, and then - just for a change of scenery - go down to Mexico, and sort out this resort and airline business." Ethan griped.
"Really ? But I thought that you liked coming to Egypt...", Jim said, sounding quite surprised.
"Yes, but every time we come here creepy things seem to happen which brings up all this UFO business yet again.", Ethan explained.
 |
| 'Zebra-thingys' in the Cataract Bar - Aswan |
"Well why not go to Europe - maybe Italy or Greece - that might be nice...", Ethan suggested.
"OK, Ethan - all good ideas that we can look into, but what about this briefing from Novius and Teddy ", Jim insisted.
"Interesting - but it doesn't really seem to answer any problems - after all, does it matter if these guys are 'nasty Nazis' or 'pesky aliens' ?", Ethan said.
"I'm not sure - but anyway lets go down to the bar - and see if this guy John is there.", Jim said.
"OK... then lets go and sit on some zebra-thingys.", Ethan said, as he patted Teddy on the head in order to make sure that he was well hidden in his Walmart bag.
Meanwhile...
In the bar of the Cataract Hotel, John was expectantly waiting - hoping to speak further with Jim.
Jim, and his companions, Zac, Josh, 'Sigi', Ethan - with Teddy hidden discretely in Ethan's plastic Walmart bag - arrived in the bar - but not all in one group, as Jim didn't want them to appear intimidating.
Jim went in first, with a cheery 'Hi John'.
 |
| John at the Cataract Bar |
"Oh yes - we had a good motor-boat 'captain'...", Jim replied.
There was a short, awkward silence.
"So did you go to 'Kitchener's Island' ?", Jim asked - resuming the conversation.
"No... I needed to get back to the hotel - I had a meeting with someone.", John replied.
"So you work here - in Egypt ?", Jim asked, deciding to take an active, questioning part in the conversation.
"Well not actually here in Aswan - but in Cairo.", John hesitantly answered.
"So... you work for some big American Company in Cairo ?", Jim asked, pursuing his line of questioning.
"Yes... and you, and your friends ?", John asked, turning the queries back to Jim.
"Well we're at the School of Art at Nevada University - studying architecture - ancients Egyptian, Greek and Roman - so that's why were here in Aswan with our lecturer - Professor Nathan Barrett.", Jim explained.
"Well I don't know about your friends, but aren't you rather busy to be studying ancient architecture at Nevada University ? - You see I know who you are...", John said with the hint of a smile.
"And who am I ?", Jim asked, knowing that his 'cover was blown'.
"James Johnson...", John replied.
"So I suppose you are CIA, or something similar, operating out of our embassy in Cairo.", Jim said, coldly, sounding slightly annoyed.
"Yes, something similar...", John answered.
"And I know that you inherited the holdings and properties of Alexander Johnson, which by my reckoning makes you a very busy, and very, very wealthy CEO - in fact the CEO of the 'Athena Corporation', John continued.
"Yes - that's true, and I am here on holiday with my associates.", Jim said.
"So why all the business about Nevada University, and this 'Professor Nathan Barrett' ?", John asked.
 |
| Brigham Young University - Salt Lak City - Utah - USA |
"Well Nathan is a professor - from 'Brigham Young University' in Utah as it happens, who is working in Las Vegas under an arrangement I made for him with 'Nevada University'.
But I admit that the story about myself and my friends studying at the 'School of Architecture' was simply a ploy, as I suspected that you might be involved with the news media, and as you probably already know, I am a very private individual, like my deceased guardian, so I rarely give out information regarding my business activities - or my personal life, for that matter.", Jim explained.
"I see...", John said.
 |
| John Lewis - MJ-12 |
"Of course, Mr Johnson but it's not CIA - but identity related to my current project...", John replied - and with that John produced his identity document.
"Oh... I was expecting CIA...", Jim responded.
Jim was quite surprised, having seen CIA and FBI identity details to then be confronted with MJ-12.
"Well, as it says, I'm seconded from CIA to MJ-12 for this particular task.
And Jim, please - just remember, you and your 'friends' have never seen this... OK ?".
"So why MJ-12 ?", Zac, having been listening to the conversation between Jim and John, asked.
"Well strictly speaking that's 'classified', and all I can say its that I'm here because of some anomalous events that have been reported as occurring.", John explained.
"OK - but I don't think that we are very 'anomalous', as you put it.
We're just American tourist - taking a well-earned holiday.", Jim said.
"Maybe, but you and your friends do seem to turn up in some interesting places...", John replied.
Jim decided not to answer that remark, and was thinking that at least Ethan wasn't asking any awkward questions - such as, 'What does anomalous mean ?"
And it was at that moment - when Jim was thinking how good Ethan was being - that the whole world seemed to 'wobble'.
It was like a moment in a cheap adventure film, when they 'jiggle' the camera in order to simulate an explosion, or an impact, and the actors all move, as if they had been knocked off balance.
Except that no one in the bar of the Cataract Hotel moved.
An 'anomalous event' - perhaps ? Synchronicity ?
Jim decided not to react - but noticed that neither his companions, John, nor the bar staff reacted either.
 |
| United States Embassy - Cairo - Egypt |
"Oh, back to Luxor, and then for a brief visit to Cairo."
"Well - we will need to keep in touch, as I will require the addresses where you will be staying, and passport and visa details - which I shall obtain from the Egyptian authorities.", John said, rather officiously - and offered his hand to Jim - nodded to Zac, Josh, 'Sigi' and Ethan, and left the bar...
"So... I'm not very keen on that guy...", Ethan said.
"No problem... we have ways of dealing with him...", came Teddy's muffled squeak from Ethan's Walmart bag.
"I hope you have.
He could be problem", Zac said.
"OK - lets go back to the conference room and review what's happened.", Jim suggested.
And so, after ordering some 'shai' and sandwiches, the 'boys' returned to the conference room.
Carefully Ethan took Teddy from the Walmart bag, and placed him on the table, beside Jim.
At the same time, Jim, using his cell-phone, summoned Novius, (supposedly 'Professor Nathan Barrett' ).
Once Novius had arrived, Jim was able to start the discussion.
"Well, let's run you up to speed, Novius.", Jim began...
"This guy John claimed that he knew who I was, and cast doubts on our story that we were studying at the 'School of Art of Nevada University'
And to prove his point, he let us see his identity papers, which purported to show that he was a CIA agent working for 'MoonDust', apparently under the auspices of MJ-12.", Jim explained.
"So - do you know what this 'MoonDust' business is - and do you think he may be genuine.", Jim asked.
 |
| Project MoonDust |
"'Project MoonDust' had its origins dating back to the 1950s, and is connected to the issue of alleged crashed and recovered 'alien' UFOs held by elements of the U.S. military – 'crash-retrievals' or C/Rs as they are generally known.
It seems that intelligence personnel of 'Project MoonDust' also have peacetime duties in support of investigating reliably reported 'alien' unidentified flying objects and artifacts which are of concern to the US military, and more particularly MJ-12.
'MoonDust', it seems, operates out of the 'Air Materiel Command' at 'Wright Patterson Air Force Base', in Ohio - USA.", Teddy explained.
"So... What do we think ?", Jim asked.
 |
| 'Secret Squirrel' UFO Recovery Operation |
Jim smiled.
"And why do you say that, Ethan ?", Jim asked.
"Because he gave away too much about himself in the beginning - and he showed you his identity documents without you asking to see them - and, of course, he let on that he was part of this 'MoonDust-thingy' - which I suppose is very 'hush-hush' and 'secret squirrel'.", Ethan explained.
In 1965, 'Hanna-Barbera' produced a send-up of 'spy-movies', which starred a squirrel wearing a trench coat. The cartoon was, of course, 'Secret Squirrel'. The military adopted the phrase, and service members began applying it to all things classified such as CIA, FBI, ATF, etc. During negotiations to re-normalize relations between the United States and Cuba, there were talks to exchange prisoners. The secret talks were called 'Project Ardilla'. Ardilla is Spanish for squirrel. In this case, the 'secret' variety. Ethan is very fond of cartoons and squirrels - (but not the 'saber-tooth' variety, which are a rather alarming figment of Ethan's imagination). Jim had imported some squirrels, as they are not native to Egypt, and Ethan loves to watch them running about and playing in the trees in the well stocked gardens of the 'Winter Palace'.
 |
| Helicopter - Devils Tower - Wyoming |
"And what do you think, Zac ". Jim then queried.
"I agree with Ethan - but that presumes that this guy is genuine.", Zac said.
"And I'm also wondering if this all goes back to what happened at the 'Kimpton Hotel', in Denver - remember ?", Ethan said quietly - and Teddy nodded.
(Ethan, of course, was referring to the occasion when the 'Boss' was 'approached' by two CIA agents with regard to the purportedly illegal helicopter flights that the 'boys' had made to the summit of the Devils Tower in Wyoming which was associated with UFO sightings.)
"So - if it does relate to the problem with the CIA in Denver - what should we do ?", Josh asked.
Jim thought for a moment, and then offered his plan.
"First, we should send Captain Hossam, with the 'Hadeel', up north to Dendera, and leave a note here for John to say that we will be going back to Luxor by dahabyia, and that we will inform him of our address address when we get there.
Meanwhile, we can travel in the early hours, full speed, to Luxor.
Hopefully, John will think it should take us some considerable time to reach Luxor by dahabyia, which will give us time to alert Mr. Stark, so that he can conceal the sarcophagus, while we pick up the 'dimensional portal', and then take a flight to Cairo.
We shall also have to figure a way to dispose of our 'friend' John Lewis without leaving any traces.
"Mm... sounds cool, but it's a bit complicated.", Ethan commented.
"Well complicated or not - it seems the only way to deal with the matter.", Zac said.
"So - we're all agreed ?", Jim asked.
Everyone nodded.
"Right tell the others to get packed, and we'll all meet here at 2:00am.", Jim finally said.
On their way back to their suites, Jim asked Zac, Josh, Sigi to join him in the suite that he shared with Ethan.
 |
| The Cataract Hotel - Night - Aswan - Upper Egypt |
"Did any of you notice anything 'strange' happen when we were in the bar just now.", Jim asked.
"Funny you should say that - because at one point I thought there was something wrong with my vision and balance because everything seemed to become unsteady...", Zac said,
And the others, looking surprised, all agreed with Zac.
"Of course... somethings up...", Teddy said, in an infuriatingly 'knowing' manner.
"Well, you can explain it later, Teddy.
First we need to get everybody informed about what's going on, and packed.
I'll pay the bills - and Zac - do you think that John will have anyone with him, keeping a watch on the hotel ?", Jim said.
"Unlikely - but I'll go with Brody and check round.
If there is anyone - it'll just look like they were 'mugged' for their wallets, and 'cell-phones'. Zac responded.
"Good - so let's get moving...", Jim said.
As it happened, as far as Zac could ascertain, when he and Brody checked the perimeter of the Cataract Hotel, John was staying alone in Aswan - which was just as well.
Meanwhile, Clare was puzzled by the sudden move, but as usual was obedient to the wishes of her 'boss'.
Hassan had been informed of the late-night journey, and had all three limos waiting - with drivers.
'Maybach' was founded in 1909 by Wilhelm Maybach as a subsidiary of 'Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH'. Later, 'Maybach' was acquired by 'Daimler-Benz'. The Mercedes Maybach is 17.89 ft long with a wheelbase of 11.04 ft. Acceleration is 0 to 60 miles per hour (0 to 97 km/h) in 5.0 seconds. Options include: air-conditioned, heated and massaging seats; heated armrests; a system to pump scented, ionised air around the cabin; and a 1540 watt Burmester 3D surround sound system with 24 speakers.
Mercedes-Maybach
"So - Jim, what's all this business about everything seeming to become unsteady ?", Ethan asked, as they began hurriedly packing.
"As I said - somethings up...", Teddy reiterated.
"And that means ?", Ethan asked.
"Well, Tony's obviously fiddling about with the sarcophagus - back in Luxor.".
"But how can that affect us here ?", Jim asked.
"It's because you and the others - Zac, Josh, and even Glen and 'Sigi' are all connected - you're not of 'this time' - and the sarcophagus is a sort of 'time machine' - or more precisely a 'dimensional machine'.", Teddy said, taking advantage that while they were listening to him they continued to pack - while he could get away with doing nothing.
(Teddy hated packing - although he really had very little to pack as he had no clothes, shoes etc.)
"And so that's why Tony's 'fiddling' affected you lot, and not the others, and particularly John ?", Ethan said.
"Precisely, Ethan...", Teddy said, patronizingly.
Fortunately the Cataract hotel had more that one entrance, and so they sneakily left by a side door close the where Hassan had the limos parked.
 |
| 'Sigi begins his 'Gap Year' |
And soon they were off on the three and a half hour road trip to Luxor - which can take about three days by dahabyia.
"So what about Abu Simbel ?
This is supposed to be my 'gap year' remember ?.", 'Sigi' asked.
"Yes, well the year's not over - yet.", Jim replied.
(In case you've forgotten, 'Sigi' had only recently graduated from high school.).
The road was clear - and there is only one road from Aswan to Luxor - and the night was warm.
The convoy of Mercedes limos had no problems with police checkpoints, and Hassan was able to speed to the north, with the other two limos following.
They only made one stop on the way to Luxor - at El Kab.
El Kab is an Upper Egyptian town on the East Bank of the River Nile, at the mouth of the Wadi Hillal, and is about 50 miles south of Luxor.
El Kab is truly a 'one-horse (or one donkey or camel) town', and is only known in the wider world for some archaeological remains - which includes a temple dedicated to the ancient Egyptian deities Nekhbet and Thoth, and a necropolis.
Nekhbet was an early predynastic local 'neter' in Egyptian mythology, who was the patron of the city of Nekheb (her name meaning of Nekheb). Ultimately, she became the patron of Upper Egypt and one of the two patron deities for all of Ancient Egypt when it was unified. One of Egypt's earliest temples was the shrine of Nekhbet at Nekheb - now known as 'El Kab'. It was the companion city to Nekhen, the religious and political capital of Upper Egypt at the end of the Predynastic period (c. 3200–3100 BC) and probably, also during the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3100–2686 BC). Nekhbet usually was depicted as a vulture hovering, with her wings spread above the royal image, clutching a 'shen' symbol (representing eternal encircling protection), frequently in her claws.
Nekhbet
These archaeological feature, however, were not the reason for the stop, but rather the reason why was the simple fact that the town also boasted a twenty-four hour coffee shop, which also served snacks - although not cheeseburgers.
Having had a brief stop for 'shai', and to stretch their legs, causing only a few surprised glances from some sleepy customers, they returned to their parked limousines.
With the longest part of their journey over, they were soon passing through the outlying suburbs of Luxor.
 |
| Winter Palace - Dawn - Luxor - Upper Egypt |
"So - home at last !", Ethan said, while Jim nudged Clare who had been dozing since they had left El Kab.
"You were asleep - and we've arrived at the Winter Palace...", Jim said rather apologetically to Clare.
"Yes... it's because these limos are so comfortable.", Clare replied, trying to suppress a yawn.
As soon as the limos parked up, young bellhops appeared to take charge of the luggage, and escort the weary travelers to their suites.
They could finally have some real sleep, after their three and a half hour drive, although Jim would be up early as he needed to talk to Tony as soon as was practicable.
Jim had also told the group not to unpack, as they would be making their way to Cairo later in the day.
Jim had decided that it would be best to fly, as that would take only an hour, and then, with all the numerous hotels in Cairo, it would probably be difficult for John, or any of his CIA 'friends', to find them.
After a brief nap, Jim, Ethan and Teddy went down to the garages and workshop which Jim had built on the site of the previously demolished 'Winter Palace Pavilion'.
 |
| Previous & Demolished 'Winter Palace Pavilion' |
When Jim, Ethan and Teddy arrived in the basement, the found Tony working on the sarcophagus.
"So... did you enjoy your trip to Aswan ?", Tony asked.
"Yes - but we had a slight problem.", Jim replied.
"Which was ?", Tony asked as he carefully replaced one of the lapis panels on the side of the sarcophagus.
"Some guy from the CIA - at least that's what his ID said - asking a lot of questions.", Ethan replied.
"And he showed you his ID ?
They don't usually do that - not if they can avoid it.", Tony said, sounding surprised.
"Yes, and Jim didn't even ask to see it - seems a bit of an amateur", Ethan commented.
"Anyway - we had a strange sort of 'dimensional distortion' while we were talking to this CIA agent in the bar at the 'Cataract Hotel', and Teddy had a theory that as it only affected those of us who had experienced previous dimensional 'hops', it might be connected to you doing something here to the sarcophagus." Jim explained.
"So it didn't affect the CIA Agent, or anybody else at the hotel ?", Tony asked.
"Apparently not...", Jim replied.
"Then I think Teddy was right.", Tony concurred.
"And Teddy also added that it may mean that the sarcophagus is some kind of a 'time machine'.", Ethan added.
"So what makes you say that, Teddy ?", Tony asked.
"Well, this particular sarcophagus is unusual in that, as far as I've been able to discover, it is made of a combination of lapis and pure gold, and lapis has various crystalline properties, - it often contains a lot of mica, which can be used as a dielectric in capacitors - while gold, apart from being virtually indestructible, also had unique electrical properties.", Teddy explained.
Tony nodded in agreement...
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| The Armant Sarcophagus 'Control Panel' |
"Interesting...", Ethan said 'knowingly', which was something Ethan always said when he felt he was getting quite out of his depth.
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| Hieroglyph for Time |
"So how did you find this control panel.
It wasn't there on the two occasions when Ethan sat me on top of the sarcophagus - without my permission, may I say !", Teddy said, sounding a little annoyed.
"No - it wasn't there - but Ashraf found a 'button', on the side of the sarcophagus, which when pressed caused the circular panel to emerge from the lid of the sarcophagus, seemingly out of nowhere.
"Ashraf told me that he knew what the panel was - as he'd seen something very similar, 'in situ', at the Ptolemaic Temple of Hathor at Dendera.", Tony said.
Temple of Hathor - Dendera - Egypt The 'Dendera Zodiac' is a bas-relief from the ceiling of the pronaos of a chapel dedicated to Osiris in the Hathor temple at Dendera. This chapel was begun in the late Ptolemaic period; and its pronaos was added by the Roman Emperor Tiberius. The 'sky disc' is centred on the North Pole Star, with 'Ursa Minor', depicted as a jackal. An inner disc is composed of constellations showing the Signs of the Zodiac. Some of these are represented in the same 'Greco-Roman' iconographic forms as their familiar current counterparts (e.g. the Ram, Taurus, Scorpio, and Capricorn), whilst others are shown in a more distinctly Egyptian form: Four women and four pairs of falcon-headed figures, arranged 45° from one another, hold up the 'sky disc', the outermost ring of which features 36 figures representing the 36 'asterisms' used to track both the 36 forty-minute 'hours' that divided the Egyptian night, as well as the 36 ten-day 'weeks' or 'Decans' of the Egyptian year (with 5 days excluded). Not only does the 'Zodiac' represent 'astral concepts' but, by its very nature, also represents concepts of 'Time'.
The Jackal Upuaut - 'The Opener of the Ways'
"So you think it might really be some sort of a 'time machine' ?", Jim asked, obviously intrigued.
"Well yes - mainly because I've discovered that the discs and figures on the 'control panel' move in a circular way, forwards and backwards, round the central axis, indicated by the jackal, representing 'Ursa Minor', and so can be set to different temporal co-ordinates.", Tony replied.
"Temporal Co-ordinates - that's dates and periods of time, Ethan...", Teddy said, trying to pre-empt yet another question.
"Yes... I knew.
I'm not stupid you know.", Ethan replied.
"No - we know that...", Jim said, trying to avoid an argument between Ethan and Teddy.
It should be noted that Upuaut was often depicted as a jackal - which appropriately put him at the centre of the 'Time Disk'
"Well, that's all very interesting -
Good work Tony - so let Ashraf know that I'm pleased with the help he has given us.", Jim said.
"So what now ?", Ethan asked Jim.
"Now, we need to go to Cairo for a short visit, mainly for Clare - it is her holiday after all.
But I think the best thing to do is to make this place secure, as I expect John may come snooping round - and as Zac has already seen Cairo, and Brody's not really interested in that sort of thing, we'll leave then here, at the 'Winter Palace', as a small 'reception committee' for our CIA 'friend'.", Jim said with an ominous smile.
"So when, exactly, are we going to Cairo ?", Teddy asked.
"Well, as soon as possible..." Jim replied.
"OK - just one moment...", - Teddy replied as he accessed his own private internet connection.
"Lunchtime - if that's OK ?
A private charter flight to Cairo - 'Icarus Jet' - 'should take just under an hour.", Teddy said.
"Well lets hope the wings don't melt.", Ethan said with a grin.
Ethan, of course was 'well up' with his Greek mythology.
"Don't say that, Ethan.
You know I'm nervous about flying.", Teddy said, as he began to regret that he'd made the suggestion.
"So, can you arrange that for this lunchtime ?", Jim asked.
"It's a bit short notice - and we'll have to use two 'planes as they're quite small - just 'Lear Jets'.", Teddy explained.
"Oh, like your jet in the US...", Ethan said to Jim.
"Well similar - so let's get back and tell the others...", Jim said.
So it was a big rush to set out again on yet another journey - this time to Luxor Airport - to connect with the pair of 'Icarus' Lear Jets, and then to fly to Cairo - where their reservations had already been made, by Teddy of course, at the Gezireh Palace Hotel.
So what about limos when we get to Cairo ?", Ethan asked.
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| Luxor Airport - Upper Egypt |
Hassan brought the limos round to the rear entrance of the 'Winter Palace', close to the recently excavated 'Avenue of the Sphinxes', and making their farewells to Zac, Tony, Ashraf and Brody - they set off to Luxor Airport.
Now the Egyptian Government, for many years, had high hopes for the tourist industry in Egypt - and Luxor was obviously a key center for that tourism.
The result was that the rather tatty, dirty little airport that had served Luxor was repeatedly cleaned up and improved - and new, modern, if rather ugly, terminal buildings were constructed.
But then the political and economic situation in the Middle East, and also in Egypt began to deteriorate - and the whole area became politically unstable - not the sort of place to spend hard earned money on a holiday if there was a risk of terrorist atrocities, revolution or even outright war.
So when Jim an his 'associates' arrived at Luxor Airport for their flight to Cairo they found it almost deserted.
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| Lear Jet on the Tarmac |
This was good, as their passports contained 'phoney' visas that Faunus had provided, and on this particular trip Faunus had, for some unknown reason, decided not to join them on their flight - although he had said that he would see them in Cairo.
Jim had wanted to take the limos out to to the 'planes on the tarmac, but this, apparently for security reasons, was not permitted, so they had to walk to the two waiting 'Lear Jets' - although fortunately they were able to have their luggage carried - but by some very unsavory looking porters.
"Funny - I remember your jet looking a lot bigger than this one...", Ethan said to Jim.
"Well I can assure you that they are all of a similar size.
Maybe it's because there are no other 'planes on the tarmac that they seem smaller.", Jim said, making up a rather inadequate excuse.
"I do hope so...", Ethan replied.
And in case you are wondering why they didn't use the 'dimensional portal' to take them to Cairo, the simple reason was that Teddy was not confident that he could calculate the correct coordinates that would enable them to arrive in a suitable spot in Cairo.
Josh paid off the surly porters, and Jim was greeted by the Captain and co-pilot and a very fetching stewardess.
The 'Lear Jet' was one of the first companies to manufacture private, luxury aircraft. Lear's preliminary design was based upon an experimental American military aircraft known as the 'Marvel', substituting fuselage-mounted turbojet engines for ducted fan turbo-shaft engines.
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| Cabin of the 'Lear Jet' |
"Gee ! it's real dinky !", Ethan said, using his best movie slang.
"Well 'dinky' or not, I'm a bit claustrophobic, Jim, so I hope I'll be all right...", Clare admitted, as they were shown to their seats.
"There's nothing to it, my dear.
The first time that I flew I was very nervous, but once you get going it's very enjoyable - even exciting may I say.", Novius said, encouragingly.
Soon the cabin door was closed, the engines slowly started, and the stewardess came round to see that the seatbelts were all properly adjusted.
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| Flying to Cairo |
I know all the statistics say that flying is safe, but if teddy-bears were meant to fly, then I'm sure that Tony would have fitted me with wings...", Teddy moaned, sounding none too happy.
"Well you never know - perhaps one day he might fit you with a little 'jet-pack', and then we wouldn't have to listen to you complaining every time we get into a 'plane or a helicopter.", Ethan said, as the Lear Jet began to manoeuvre on the tarmac.
But soon they were 'off and away', and actually Teddy finally seemed quite happy, sitting on Ethan's knee, and looking out of the window at the snowy white clouds drifting by.
The flight from Luxor to Cairo was remarkably short - although not as short as the same journey using the 'dimensional portal' - but travelling by air had the bonus of the glorious views of the cloud-scapes, the desert and the Nile.
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| Cairo from the Air - Egypt |
As he promised before take-off, the Pilot made a low sweep over the city for the benefit of those who had not previously seen Cairo - and fortunately for everyone it was a clear day - (Cairo is often plagued by clouds of pollution).
"Well - it's quite a city... ", Clare said, as she looked down on the incongruous mix of high-rises, domes and minarets.
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| Landing at Cairo Airport |
"OK, well I'll hold on to you tightly...", Ethan said.
"Thanks...
But it doesn't matter how hard they try, the pilots always land with a bump, and then the engines get very noisy.
It's not very nice for a timid bear...", Teddy said, sounding very sorry for himself.
"Well don't worry, Teddy.
We're all here to look after you...", Clare said, trying to be as comforting as possible.
Of course, in reality (whatever that might be), Teddy was not a 'timid bear', as he had shown on a number of previous occasions, but he liked to pretend he was, just to get some extra attention.
Once the 'Lear Jet' had come to a standstill they quickly 'deplaned', and were whisked away by a hired limo, and taken to one of the terminals, where they awaited the arrival of the second 'Lear Jet' that had followed them from Luxor.
"So - where are we staying ?", 'Sigi' asked.
"Well, the 'Gizera Palace' seems to be the most appropriate - but, it's a likely place for John Lewis to come looking for us - if he's 'still around', so - with your agreement, we'll stay there under your name, Ethan, as I don't think your name is probably known to the CIA.
"That's OK, Jim, as long as you don't expect me to pay the bill.", Ethan said, looking a bit worried.
"Of course not - don't worry - I'll pay in cash - dollars - when we leave.", Jim explained reassuringly.
"Well, that's a relief...", Ethan said.
"And we'll not be here long - just long enough to have a look at the main sights, and then we'll go back South for a day or so, and finally take a flight to Aswan, and then back to Las Vegas.", Jim continued.
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| 'Gizera Palace' Hotel - Cairo Egypt |
As you should already know, if you have been 'following the story properly'-as Teddy would say - the 'Gizera Palace' was commissioned by the Khedive Ismail Pasha, and designed by Carl von Diebitsch, to host the French Emperor, Napoleon III, and his wife Empress Eugénie, during the celebration of the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869.
Ismail asked the architect to make it resemble the Palace of Versailles in France - although really it doesn't look anything like the Palace of Versailles...
In 1880, the palace was seized by Ismail's creditors, and it was eventually leased to the 'Compagnie Internationale des Grands Hotels', who opened it as the 'Gizera Palace' Hotel in October 1894.
In 1919, the 'Ghezireh Palace Hotel' was sold to a Syrian businessman - Habib Lotfallah - and then converted back to a private residence.
The palace was later nationalized by the Egyptian Republic 1952, and eventually converted back to a hotel, reopening in 1962.
In the late 1970s, the entire hotel was refurbished.
The 'Ghezireh Palace' is probably the most beautiful and luxurious hotel in Egypt - which is undoubtedly why Jim likes to stay there when he visits Cairo.
Soon the limos were heading off, away from the airport, and into the crowded streets of downtown Cairo.
"Well this looks familiar....
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| شارع طلعت حرب - Maidan & Sharia Talaat Harb - Cairo - Egypt |
Then, almost as if someone had clicked a switch on Teddy, their fluffy, diminutive 'tourist guide' began to give them information about the area through which they were passing.
"This street was originally named ‘Soliman Pasha Street’ after Suleiman Pasha, Egypt’s French-born General under Muhammad Ali, however, it was renamed in 1954 after Talaat Harb, during an obvious attempt from Egypt’s president, Gamal Abdel Nassar, to rid the city of all reminders of Muhammad Ali dynasty and the British occupation era.
As it happens, طلعت حرب باشا - Talaat Harb Pasha, who died in 1941, and was very rich and influential, was a leading Egyptian entrepreneur, and founder of 'Banque Misr', which still exists today.
But I'm sure that Jim will bring us back here during the next few days, as there are some very good shops, and a café where they sell excellent ice-creams - so I'm told.", Teddy said.
"And what is a 'maidan', Teddy", Clare asked.
"A 'maidan' is originally a Persian word - میدان - and is the word for a town square or public gathering place, borrowed into various other languages - for example Urdu - میدان - maidān, - Arabic مَيْدَان -maydān, and also Turkish - meydan.", Teddy replied.
And why wasn't the chauffeur alarmed at hearing a teddy-bear explaining all of this.
Well perhaps you have forgotten about Teddy's 'someone else's problem field', which could instantly filter out anything that Teddy might say or do that would appear to be abnormal, or inexplicable.
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| 'Gezira' - Central Cairo - Egypt |
"So this is an island in the middle of the Nile - yes ?", Clare asked Teddy.
"Yes, Clare...
'Gezira' is an island in central Cairo, and the southern portion of the island contains the 'Gezira' district, and the northern third contains the 'Zamalek' district - there's a story about football there, but I doubt if you'd be interested...
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| إسماعيل باشا خديوي - Ismail Pasha |
"So who is this Ismail Pasha who keeps being mentioned ?", Clare asked.
"Ah, now that's a question that I can answer...", Ethan replied.
"OK - then we'll give Teddy a rest...", Clare said, smiling.
"Well, and correct me if I'm wrong, Teddy - but politely...", Ethan began.
"Ismail Pasha was a ruler of Egypt, not that long ago.
He was not actually Egyptian, but Turkish, but that's another long story that Teddy can bore you with later.
His grandfather was Muhammad Ali Pasha - the person who started modern Egypt - and Ismail tried to be very European, instead of Turkish or Egyptian.
Unfortunately Isamil was not very good at managing money - he needed someone like Franklin - so the British, who were actually in charge of Egypt, got rid of him, and Ismail's son took over.
But the main thing is that he was the one who built the hotel on this dinky little island where we're going to stay - and very nice it is !", Ethan concluded triumphantly, as they approached the main entrance of the 'Gizera Palace' Hotel.
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| Gezira Palace Hotel - Cairo - Egypt |
"Gee, thanks Teddy !", Ethan replied - and that was a good start to their brief stay in Cairo.
And so they arrived at the entrance to the magnificently opulent Gezira Palace Hotel.
"My - it really looks like a palace - like out of one of those stories of 'One Thousand and One Nights'.", Clare said, obviously impressed.
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| أَلْفُ لَيْلَةٍ وَلَيْلَةٌ - 'One Thousand and One Nights' |
The work was collected over many centuries by various authors, translators, and scholars across West, Central and South Asia, and North Africa. Some tales themselves trace their roots back to ancient and medieval Arabic, Egyptian, Indian, Persian, and Mesopotamian sources. In particular, many tales were originally stories from the Abbasid and Mamluk (Egypt) eras, while others, especially the frame story, are most probably drawn from the Pahlavi Persian work Hezār Afsān (Persian: هزار افسان, lit. A Thousand Tales).
"Well just you wait until you get inside !", Ethan declared enthusiastically.
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| Gezira Palace Hotel - Reception - Cairo - Egypt |
Fortunately Ethan had left Teddy in the care of 'Sigi', otherwise the concierge would be unlikely to take Ethan very seriously - but all went well, and they were soon being escorted to the elevators, where 'Sigi' had the difficult task of stopping Teddy from playing with the elevator control buttons.
Once they had all settled themselves in their suites, Jim by 'cell-phone' called for a meeting on their private balcony, situated at the garden wing of the hotel.
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| Gezira Palace Hotel - Balcony Rom - Cairo - Egypt |
As the group made themselves comfortable, Jim began explaining things.
"Let me begin by saying that this is to be a brief visit, mainly for those of you, like Clare and Novius, who are visiting Cairo for the first time.
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| CIA Badge |
Now because of our previous unfortunate run-in with the CIA, we need to keep a 'low profile'.
Hopefully Zac and Brody will take care of 'Lewis', if and when he turns up in Luxor, but that doesn't mean that other agents may not have been alerted to our possible presence here in Cairo.
Where possible, we should split into small groups and simply appear to be 'ordinary tourists', so try to use taxis rather than turning up in a convoy of limos.
So Ethan and Teddy will lead one group, and Ismail will lead the other group, but here in Cairo it will not be necessary to speak Arabic, as taxi drivers of shop assistants almost all speak a reasonable amount of English." Jim said.
Now as we have provided detailed accounts of the various sites visited in and around Cairo in previous chapters, that information will not be repeated at this part of the story - but that information - including images - may be accessed through the following links
(indicated in yellow below)...
Saqqara - the Imhotep Museum - the Pyramid of Unas - the Step Pyramid of Djoser - the Serapeum - the Pyramids at Giza - the Sphinx - the Sphinx Temple and the Valley Temple - the Great Pyramid of Kufu - the Cairo Museum & Tutankhamun's Treasure -
and for more images & information about Cairo see the additional chapter:
But now, on with our story !
For Novius, of course, his first time in Cairo was a wonderful experience.
Back in that 'different time', and 'different place', he had read accounts, in both Greek and Latin, about traveler's tales of the 'mysterious East', and particular 'mystic Egypt'.
Of course he was not seeing the various monuments as they had been - now they had suffered the ravages of time - but in the 'Cairo Museum', he was able to see objects made of incorruptible gold, just as they had been, all those centuries before.
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| Jewellery Shop - خان الخليلي - Khan el Khalili - Islamic Cairo |
And fortunately, it seemed that their presence was completely unnoticed, and they managed to avoided the attentions of the Egyptian authorities, and presumably any members of other intelligence services - it seemed as if either John Lewis had either not caught up with them, or had been 'dealt with' by Zac and the 'others'.
So they were able to visit the Kahn el Khalili, where Jim bought Clare some beautiful jewellery, and they all had 'shai' in one of Islamic Cairo's oldest coffee-shops - El Fishawi, established in 1773.
خان الخليلي - Khan el Khalili - Cairo - Egypt
خان الخليلي - Khan el-Khalili is a famous bazaar and souq in the historic canter of Islamic Cairo. Established as a center of trade in the Mameluke era, and named for one of its several historic 'caravanserais', the bazaar district has since become one of Cairo's main attractions for tourists and Egyptians alike. It is also home to many Egyptian artisans and workshops involved in the production of traditional crafts and 'objet d'art'.
Having seen a little of Cairo, Jim decided that it was time o them all to return to the hotel for their evening meal and have an early night, as the next morning they would be flying from Cairo to Abu Simbel.
So as everyone was resting, after a gruelling day's sight-seeing in Cairo, Ethan was helping Teddy to get ready for his 'Abu Simbel Presentation'.
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| The Bar at the Gezira Palace Hotel |
As they were not at the 'Winter Palace', that posed a problem, but Ethan soon contacted Jim, who contacted the hotel office, who were only too pleased to offer the use of a colour printer to their obviously wealthy and influential guests - (but don't try this if you are 'backpacking').
So, while Teddy consulted the internet, obtaining information about Ramesses II and Abu Simbel, Ethan worked at downloading and printing off various images that would serve as the inevitable 'visual aids' that Teddy had selected.
Together, they made a good team - as long as they didn't start arguing.
Of course, while this was going on in Jim's suite, Jim retreated to the bar to join Nathan, Clare, Josh and 'Sigi'.
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| Map - Cairo to 'Abu Simbel' open in a new tab to enlarge |
When morning came, it was a hurried breakfast, a quick check of their luggage and then a slow drive, through the 'rush hour' traffic, back to Cairo Airport by limo, where their 'Lear Jets' were waiting for them on the tarmac.
As it was an internal flight, there were practically no formalities at the departure lounge, and they were soon on board.
This was to be quite a long flight of about three and a half hours, but undoubtedly it was to be a memorable flight, as they would be travelling over almost the full length of the River Nile as it flowed five-hundred and thirty-five miles through Egypt, from Cairo to Abu Simbel in the far South.
During their flight they were able to spot many of the places that they had visited previously.
Some like Dendera, had taken on a new significance with the discovery, by Tony and Ashraf, of the possible 'control panel' on the lapis lazuli and gold sarcophagus.
Of course they flew over Luxor, and the 'Winter Palace', and then went on a little way to Armant, where they had originally found the 'pyramid' and the sarcophagus.
Eventually they came to 'Lake Nasser', and 'Abu Simbel Airport'.
بحيرة ناصر - 'Lake Nasser' is a vast reservoir in southern Egypt and northern Sudan. It is one of the largest man-made lakes in the world. 'Lake Nasser', however, refers only to the much larger portion of the lake that is in Egyptian territory, with the Sudanese preferring to call their smaller body of water بحيرة النوبة - 'Lake Nubia'. The lake was created as a result of the construction of the 'Aswan High Dam'. The lake is named after Gamal Abdel Nasser, second President of Egypt, who initiated the High Dam project. While providing 'cheap' electricity, the Aswan Dam has had very negative effects on Egypt, increasing salinity and raising the 'water-table' which had endangered many archaeological sites.
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| Abu Simbel Airport - Terminal Building - Nubia - Upper Egypt |
And why 'one horse' ? -
Well because 'Abu Simbel Airport' has only two runways.
So they left their Jet, and walked across the tarmac to the 'terminal building'.
"So... a really dinky little airport !", Ethan commented, as they mounted the steps, went through the minimal formalities, and then sat and waited, with a welcome glass of 'shai', for the second 'Lear Jet' to arrive.
"And where are all the people ?", Sigi asked.
"Well most people come here on 'coach trips' from Aswan, and when they leave, then there are very few people here...", Teddy explained.
"Just as well !", Ethan declared.
Eventually, after the second 'Lear Jet' landed, and everyone in the group had gathered, Faunus (who had seemingly appeared from 'nowhere' - which is probably where he had actually been) - led them all off to the temples.
 |
Despite Faunus being present, however, Teddy was determined to take on the role of a tour guide - mainly because he had been working for much of the previous night, collecting information and preparing his 'visual aids'.
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| Abu Simbel Temple - Nubia - Upper Egypt |
When they all started out the statues carved into the rock-face looked deceptively small, but as they trudged towards the main temple, they slowly began to appreciate the immense size of the seated images of the Pharaoh Ramesses II.
"So come on Teddy, tell us all what this weird place is all about...", Glen asked.
And it was weird, as the rock-cut temples - and there were two - seemed to have been put in the middle of nowhere - in an almost lunar landscape.
"OK...
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| Reconstruction of the Great Temple at Abu Simbel - Nubia - Upper Egypt |
"Show them the 'reconstruction', Ethan.", Teddy then said, wondering if his listeners might not be sufficiently impressed by the remains of the temple - so Ethan passed round a beautifully laminated print showing a possible reconstruction of the temple, while Teddy continued with his 'mini-lecture'.
"The two temples were originally carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the 19th Dynasty reign of the Pharaoh Ramesses II, and they serve as a lasting monument to the king Ramesses II, his wife Nefertari and some of his children, but the 'official' purpose of the temple is to commemorates Ramesses' victory at the 'Battle of Kadesh' - yet again.", Teddy explained.
"Right - well what is this 'Battle of Kadesh' ?", Josh asked.
"Well, I'll tell you about that in a moment - but first I have some information about the building of the temple, and some plans for you to look at.", Teddy replied, refusing to be rushed.
The big temple - ahead of us - which we will look at first, took about twenty years to build, and was completed around the 24th year of the reign of Ramesses - which corresponds to about 1265 BC.
"The temple was dedicated to the gods Amun, Ra-Horakhty, and Ptah, as well as to the 'deified Ramesses' himself.
It is considered by some to be the grandest and most beautiful of the temples commissioned during the reign of Ramesses II, and one of the most beautiful in Egypt.", Teddy continued
"OK, but what does this 'deified-thingy' mean ?", Ethan asked.
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| Teddy's Plan of the 'Great Temple' at Abu Simbel |
"...'thought it might be...", Ethan said.
"Well, to put it simply, it means 'to make someone or something into a god'... but as you should know by now, there's no ancient Egyptian word for 'god' - and they use the word 'neter' instead, which does not have the same meaning as the word 'god' as we use it.
A 'neter' is a 'principle' or 'power'... but it's best if you talk about that to Novius or Faunus, later." Teddy replied.
"Okey dokey...", Ethan replied, as he fumbled around in Teddy's white plastic 'Walmart Bag' in order to find some printed-off plans of the temple to hand out to the group.
So, as everyone looked at the plan that Ethan had given them, they wandered into the temple.
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| Entrance to the Great Temple at Abu Simbel- Nubia - Upper Egypt |
"Don't say that...
I'm a bit claustrophobic as it is...", Clare muttered, as she kept close to Jim and Novius.
"Don't worry - I'm here...", Faunus said breezily.
"So... lots of statues of this Ramesse guy...", Josh commented.
"Yes, and when the temple was first discovered in 1813 by the Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, it was almost completely covered in sand.
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| Temple at Abu Simbel - Nubia - David Roberts - 1838 |
Some time later, in 1838, the Scottish artist, David Roberts, made a water color of the façade of the 'Great Temple'.
In the late 1950s the temples were under threat from the rising waters that were resulting from the construction of the Aswan High Dam.
The salvage of the 'Abu Simbel' temples began in 1964 by a multinational team of archaeologists, engineers which cost some US$40 million at the time.
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| Moving the Great Temple |
The axis of the temple is positioned in such a way that on October 22 and February 22, the rays of the sun penetrate the sanctuary and illuminate the sculptures on the back wall, except for the statue of Ptah, a god connected with the realm of the dead, who always remained in the dark - and this is still the case, as the alignment was retained when the Temple was moved - however, because of the accumulated drift of the due to Earth's axial precession over the past 3 millennia, the event's date would have been different when the temple was built.", Teddy explained.
"So - it's a bit of a 'Walt Disney World' thingy - yes ?", Ethan commented, with a smile.
"Well, a bit...", Teddy reluctantly agreed.
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| Battle of Kadesh - 'Abu Simbel' - Nubia - Upper Egypt |
"OK, well the 'Battle of Kadesh' took place between the forces of Egypt, under Ramesses II, and the Hittite Empire - at the city of Kadesh, on the Orontes River, near the modern Lebanon–Syria border.
It is believed to have been the largest chariot battle ever fought, involving between 5,000 and 6,000 chariots in total - and is the best documented battle in all of ancient history - although there is no consensus about the outcome or what took place, with views ranging from an 'Egyptian victory' to a draw.
Inscriptions describing the battle are repeated many times - in temples in Abydos, the Temple at Luxor, at the Temple of Amun at Karnak, at the Ramesseum on Luxor West Bank, and here, at Abu Simbel.", Teddy rather reluctantly explained.
Realizing that the group were probably not really appreciating the rather depressing atmosphere of the interior of the 'Great Temple', Teddy pointed out that there was a small temple near by, and that as they had come such a long way to 'Abu Simbel', they should have a quick look at it.
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| Small Temple - Abu Simbel - Nubia - Upper Egypt |
"Yes, people have said that...", Teddy quietly agreed.
"Well, I'm afraid it's another walk in the sun, Novius, so will you be OK ?", Jim asked.
"Yes, it's fine, but I would appreciate getting into the shade quite soon...", Novius replied.
So rather than stand outside to look at the huge statues of the royal couple, Ramesses and Nefertari, they quickly entered the temple in order to get out of the sun.
"The 'Small Temple' at Abu Simbel is dedicated to Nefertari and Hathor.
The dedication text on one of the buttresses states:
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| Nefertari Meryetmut |
On other buttresses it says:
'King of the South and the North Egypt, Usermaatre Setepenre (Ramesses); he has made a Temple of eternal workmanship in Nubia, for the Great Royal Wife Nefertari, like Re forever and ever'.
The two colossal standing statues of Nefertari in front of the small temple are equal in size to those of Ramesses II.
Nefertari is shown holding a sistrum.
She wears Hathor's cow horns, the solar disk, and tall feathers.
In the interior of the temple, Nefertari appears in a variety of scenes.", Teddy said.
"Yes... and I think that Ramesses must have loved Nefertari very much to have that written on the front of the Temple...", Clare said, obviously moved by the inscription outside, as they moved into the temple.
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| Small Temple - Abu Simbel - Nubia - Upper Egypt |
"Well at least this is not so 'spooky' as the other place...", Glen said, as they wandered round the surprisingly small chambers of the temple that was dedicated to Nefertari.
"Now I think that's just about it...", Jim said, seemingly anxious to leave and return to Cairo, and from there to get back to the 'Winter Palace' in Luxor.
"Perhaps 'Sigi's' right Jim, it is a bit 'creepy' round here - holes in the rocks in the middle of nowhere - and it would be nice to get back to 'civilisation...", Ethan said, as he nervously twiddled one of Teddy's ears.
"I agree - but would you please leave my ears alone - they're delicate pieces of auditory equipment !", Teddy said.
"Sorry Teddy - but this place just makes me feel a bit 'edgy'.", Ethan replied, as they all made their way back out into the bright sunshine.
So wearily they made their way back to Abu Simbel Airport where their 'Lear Jets' were waiting for them.
"Novius - tell me, is there any reason why that place should feel 'creepy', like 'Sigi' said ?", Ethan said, as they made their way back to the waiting 'planes.
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| Ramesses in Battle |
You see we called Ramesses 'Οσυμανδύας' in Greek, and he became Pharaoh in his teenage years.
The historian Manetho said that Ramesses reigned for 66 years, and he probably died when he was about 90.
Ramesses made Egypt very rich from all the supplies and bounty he had collected from other empires.
He also outlived most of his wives and children, and left many great memorials all over Egypt.
The huge sizes of many of these monuments and temples, however, indicate that he probably had megalomaniac tendencies - and it is that fact that can still be felt in a place such as this.
To put it simply his character probably gives many of the places associated with him an unpleasant atmosphere."Novius said.
"I see - thanks for that...", Ethan said - while Teddy prepared himself for the expected question about 'megalomaniac-thingy' that Ethan would inevitably ask later.
But now they were leaving Abu Simbel...
Things needed to be done in Luxor, as Tony was waiting to discuss matters with Jim, Teddy, Novius and possibly Faunus - if he could be found - and there was business to attend to in 'Vegas - for example, concerts and Brody's wrestling, and of course there were new ventures to be launched in Mexico - and there was still the very important matter of the Armant sarcophagus....
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All text - © Copyright Peter Crawford 2021
All Images - © Copyright Vittorio Carvelli 2021
Graphic Design - © Copyright Zac Sawyer 202