Pharaohs, A Prophet & The Saviour
- Baiju Mathew
- Mar 23
- 12 min read
~A trip in time through Egypt (Feb 2025)
The is the part 2 of the story of my trip to Egypt in February 2025.
Ozymandias and the Sands of Time:
When I first set eyes on the ancient monuments of Egypt, I was struck by the same sentiment that Percy B. Shelley captured in his poem Ozymandias (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46565/ozymandias. How great and powerful were these kings that they could construct such massive structures? Their gods omnipotent, their afterlives meticulously mapped, their temples the center of
their universe. Yet, all of that is gone. The gods who once commanded these lands are forgotten, their grand narratives now the subject of only academic study rather than devotion. The Egyptian religion thrived for nearly 3,000 years, only to dissolve into the sands of time. How certain can we be that our beliefs, our myths and our values will endure the onslaught of time? After all, Christianity is merely 2,000 years old—not yet as ancient to us as the Egyptian faith was to the last of its adherents.
We capture a perspective of the time elapsed since the dawn of Egyptian civilization
by raising our eyes to the skies. Today, the North Star Polaris, is our pole star, the fixed point to which Earth's axis aligns. It has held this position since around 1700
C.E. But back when Egyptian beliefs were firming up, their pole star was Thuban (Alpha Draconis). Their night sky looked different from ours, and consequently, the astrological and cosmological systems they developed were shaped by a celestial map that has since shifted with time.
Standing before the colossal statues and towering obelisks, I felt a sense of awe, but also quiet humbled. The Pharaohs built to defy time. Yet here they stand—shattered, silent, and stripped of their divinity. What remains are whispers of a past that once believed itself eternal.
As Shelley wrote:
" Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
In the parched desert of Africa, like a ray of hope, the Nile darts from south to north; it cradled one of the earliest civilizations on Earth. This unique geography leads to a counterintuitive naming convention—Upper Egypt lies in the south, while Lower Egypt is in the north, closer to the Mediterranean.
It was around 3100 BCE that King Narmer consolidated the kingdoms of Upper and Lower Egypt, marking the beginning of the Early Dynastic Period. In the Egyptian Museum, we saw the Narmer Palette, a remarkable artifact dating back to this era.
Considered one of the earliest hieroglyphic inscriptions ever discovered, Narmer palette is believed to depict the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Since then every monument we saw depicts the Pharaoh wearing two crowns, one for Upper Egypt and the other for Lower Egypt. Temple pylons from every era since then showed the same posture of the reigning king cutting the heads of the enemy and offering to the Gods.
A Brief Landscape of Ancient Egyptian History through Its Monuments:
The Old Kingdom (~ 2700 BCE – 2100 BCE)
The monuments we visited offer a fascinating glimpse into the evolution of Ancient
Egypt’s history, shaped by shifting centers of power, changing burial practices, and foreign influences. Egypt's early pharaohs ruled from Memphis (near present-day Cairo), which served as the political and cultural heart of the Old Kingdom. Later, power shifted southward to Thebes (modern Luxor), particularly during the Middle and New Kingdoms. Around 525 BCE, Egypt fell to the Persians, marking the beginning of foreign domination. The Persians, however, were largely unpopular among the Egyptians.
When Alexander the Great defeated the Persians and entered Egypt in 332 BCE, he was welcomed as a liberator and accepted as Pharaoh. After his death, his general Ptolemy took control of Egypt, establishing the Ptolemaic dynasty, which ruled from Alexandria. The Ptolemies continued Greek traditions in governance while incorporating Egyptian religious customs. Most of the Ptolemaic kings were named Ptolemy, and their queens frequently bore the name Cleopatra, the most famous being Cleopatra VII, who played a crucial role in the late Ptolemaic period.
In 30 BCE, following the defeat of Cleopatra and Mark Antony by Octavian (later Augustus Caesar), Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire, marking the end of its pharaonic era. As the center of Roman power shifted to Byzantium (Constantinople), Egypt remained under Byzantine rule until the advent of Islam in the 7th century CE.
All the monuments through centuries of the Egyptian civilization were largely made using stones from Aswan region. Both Aswan as well as all the monuments lie next to the Nile. Present day Nile is much narrower post construction of dams on the river.
a. Djoser’s Pyramid or The Step Pyramid.
By the time of Pharaoh Djoser, the funerary practices of the Egyptians had transformed from underground tombs to ‘mastabas’ and finally to Pyramids. Around 2670 BCE, Djoser built the first pyramid—the Step Pyramid—that gets its name from its distinct terraced shape. This structure, located in Saqqara, near present-day Cairo, marked a revolutionary shift in tomb construction.
We entered the pyramid through a tunnel on the northern side.
This passage has been reinforced with steel struts for safety. The burial chamber lies at the bottom of a 28-meter-deep vertical shaft. Near the bottom, we saw a granite platform, possibly the lid of the burial chamber. The walls of the tunnels and chamber are plain, devoid of inscriptions or decoration—a stark contrast to later Egyptian tombs.
One of the more intriguing feature of the Step Pyramid complex is a small, sealed chamber called the Serdab. Inside it sits a statue of King Djoser, in his regal splendour, with the double crown and the beard, essential to the pharaoh. The chamber’s outer wall has two small holes, carefully placed so that the king’s spirit (Ka) could "observe" the world outside and receive offerings. Today, in a poetic reversal, we, the visitors, peer through these same holes to glimpse the statue inside—as if Djoser’s gaze still meets ours across millennia.
b. 3 pyramids in Giza:
The Great Pyramid was built by King Khufu (2589 BCE) in Giza. Known to the Greeks as Cheops, Khufu was worshiped as a god during his reign. Pharaohs were considered divine, and to symbolize this status, they wore an artificial beard (postiche), connecting them to Osiris, the god of the afterlife, who was also depicted with a curved beard. Interestingly a much later ruler Queen Hatshepsut ruled as a Pharaoh, wearing this postiche. She is always depicted as a male Pharaoh.
A typical pyramid complex included a mortuary temple, a causeway, a valley temple,
and the pyramids themselves. The Giza plateau contains three major pyramids—the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the Pyramid of Khafre (2558 BCE), and the Pyramid of Menkaure (2510 BCE). In front of Khafre’s Pyramid stands the Great Sphinx, a colossal statue with the body of a lion and the head believed to represent Khafre.
Parts of Khafre’s valley temple still remain, along with a diorite statue of Khafre, which we saw at the Egyptian Museum. Diorite is an extremely hard igneous rock, and its carving would have required immense skill to sculpt a diorite statue.
About 2,500 years ago, the Greek historian Herodotus visited Giza. His account is one
of the earliest descriptions of the pyramids. By then, the Great Pyramid was already 2,100 years old. He described it as being covered with smooth, polished limestone. Though this outer casing has mostly eroded, we see a glimpse of it at the top of Khafre’s Pyramid. Herodotus does not mention the Sphinx, likely because by his time, it was buried under sand. The Dream Stele of Thutmose IV (1400 BCE) records an earlier excavation of the Sphinx, and later in the 1st century BCE, Pliny the Elder also wrote about another excavation. Therefore, we can safely presume that the Sphinx had to be unearthed multiple times.
Kathy and I entered the Great Pyramid through the Robbers' Tunnel on the northern side. The tunnel is about 100 meters long, ascending 42 meters to the King’s Chamber. Some sections of the path have extremely low ceilings, requiring us to crawl, especially in the anteroom before the chamber. The King’s Chamber is stark and undecorated, with smooth red granite walls from Aswan. Unlike later royal tombs, it has no inscriptions or carvings. The sarcophagus, also made of red granite, is slightly damaged and too large to have been brought in after construction, suggesting it was placed before the chamber was completed. The pyramid was looted long ago, and Khufu’s mummy has never been found.
c. The tomb of Kagmeni:
Saqqara, in Cairo area, is home to numerous tombs of nobles, and we had the opportunity to visit one such tomb—that of Kagmeni (c. 2345 BCE), the vizier of King Teti. This tomb is considered one of the best-preserved noble tombs from the Old Kingdom. Unlike the stark, undecorated interiors of the pyramids, Kagmeni’s tomb is adorned with intricate wall carvings and reliefs, offering a vivid window into daily life over 4,000 years ago. The chambers are covered with depictions of hunting, fishing, feasting, and ceremonial processions, all intended to ensure the deceased’s eternal well-being in the afterlife.
This contrast—between the plain, austere pyramid interiors and the richly decorated tombs of nobles—raises an intriguing question. Did the art of tomb decoration develop in the 200 years between the construction of Menkaure’s pyramid and Kagmeni’s tomb? Or was this simply a shift in cultural and religious priorities? Perhaps it was not a matter of artistic development but rather a change in function and belief. The answer likely lies in a combination of evolving religious beliefs, changing funerary traditions, and shifting artistic focus. To fully unravel this mystery, one would need the keen eye of a professional Egyptologist. (Click here for photos & Videos)
Post Old Kingdom:
The Old Kingdom ended around 2181 BCE, giving way to a period of political fragmentation and decentralization known as the First Intermediate Period. A detailed account of this transition is beyond the scope of this blog, but what followed was a transformation in Egypt’s political and religious landscape.
When Egypt emerged from this period, Thebes had risen to prominence, eventually eclipsing Memphis as the new power center. This shift was accompanied by a change in funerary practices—the grand pyramids of the Old Kingdom gave way to rock-cut tombs in the Valley of the Kings. At the same time, massive temple complexes began to dominate the landscape, serving not only as places of worship but also as monumental symbols of pharaonic power. These temples, such as those at Karnak, Luxor, Abu Simble etc. emphasized the pharaoh’s divine status, reinforcing his connection to the gods.
Egyptian religious beliefs also evolved over time. The early pantheon was centered around Ra, the sun god, but gradually expanded to include deities such as Osiris, Amun, Horus, Isis, and Seth. Interestingly, Seth was not always seen as evil—he was originally a protective deity but, over time, became associated with chaos and disorder, especially in opposition to Osiris. There are interesting developments like associating gods with Ra to show their prominence, one such example is Amun-Ra.
We visited several of these magnificent temples, as well as the Valley of the Kings.
Any attempt to describe them in the detail they deserve would require an author’s skill far beyond mine. I would only end up repeating concepts and risking monotony. Instead, I will highlight key features and let the readers absorb the grandeur through photos and videos. Since I am taking this "lazy" approach, it might be useful to list the monuments we explored, including those of the Old Kingdom that we have already covered.
Monuments Visited:
The Karnak Temple is vast—built over nearly 2,000 years, with successive pharaohs adding pylons, halls, and shrines. It is primarily dedicated to Amun-Ra, along with his consort Mut and their son Khonsu. In many respects, Luxor Temple is similar. A 3-km-long processional avenue, lined with nearly a thousand sphinxes, once connected Karnak to Luxor. A distinctive feature of these temples is their massive columns, topped with two types of capitals—papyrus and lotus. The papyrus symbolizes Upper Egypt, while the lotus represents Lower Egypt, signifying the union of the two lands.
At Luxor Temple, one of the inner chambers was rededicated by Alexander the Great, with reliefs depicting him making offerings to the gods. This adaptation can still be seen in a chamber supported by four round columns, where the walls were re-carved to depict Alexander as a legitimate ruler in the Egyptian tradition.
As mentioned earlier, all the stone for Egypt’s temples, pyramids, and obelisks came from the granite quarries at Aswan. Here, we saw the famous Unfinished Obelisk, which would have been the tallest ever erected at 42 meters had it not developed a fatal crack.
With the construction of the dams on Nile, the temples Abu Simble and Philae were at the risk of being submerged. In an astounding feat of modern engineering, both temples were dismantled and relocated piece by piece to higher ground.
Abu Simble has two temples, one dedicated to Ramses II and the other to his wife, Queen Nefretari. The most significant event during the reign of Ramses II is the battle of Kadesh, in 1259 BCE. He defeated the Hittites and got them to sign a peace treaty. Interestingly Hittites invoked the god Varuna in this treaty. Varuna is also a god mentioned in the Rig Veda. Ramses II proclaimed this victory in grand reliefs at Abu Simbel.
Visit to the Valley of the Kings is mesmerising. We entered inside three of the tombs,
their walls decorated with elaborate hieroglyphs narrating passages from the Book of the Dead and the Book of Gates—texts detailing the soul’s perilous journey through the afterlife. Albeit the tomb of Tutankhamun was there, we decided not to visit that. Tutankhamun’s tomb treasures now reside safely in the Egyptian Museum, where we had the privilege of viewing them, including the famed golden mask, kept under tight security with no photography allowed.
Retracing The Exodus:
As a child, I was a devout Catholic, and Moses stood tall among my heroes—staff in hand, parting seas, defying the Pharaoh. So, I decided to retrace his path and climb Mount Sinai. For this endeavour, I decided to suspend my rational scepticism, embrace a childlike credulity, and indulge in the grand narrative of the Exodus.
Our crossing of the Red Sea, however, was decidedly less dramatic. We were seated on the last row in a flight so short that by the time we took off we could see the front row already touching down at the destination. We covered in 20 minutes what Moses covered in 40 years, he got mana from heaven and we were served canned juice in the skies. (Click here for the video)
A 4 hours road trip took us to St Catherine’s monastery at the base of Mount Sinai. We started our climb of Mount Sinai at 1:30 am. We took 4 hours to reach the peak, taking ample stops in between. The climb was a 4.85 km trek ascending 785 meters. At the peak, it was unbearably cold especially due to the wind chill. The Sunrise from there was magnificent in a clear sky with crisp air.
After descending, we visited St. Catherine’s Monastery, where they proudly showcase a bush they claim to be the Burning Bush that Moses saw. Just ten feet away, there’s a well they identify as Jethro’s well.
Now, as far as I remember from the Bible, the well and the Burning Bush should be at least a couple of days' walk apart. But then again, considering Moses took forty years to cross the Sinai Peninsula, perhaps he also took a few days to walk his sheep through these ten steps. A stark contrast to Neil Armstrong’s "small step" that turned out to be a 'giant leap for mankind'. (Click here for the Video and photos)
The Coptic Cairo & Alexandria:
One of the earliest schisms in Christendom occurred in the 5th century CE, following the Council of Chalcedon. Here, theologians debated a profound question: the nature of Christ—his divine and human proportions. This doctrinal disagreement led to the separation of the Egyptian Church, which came to be known as the Coptic Church.
The Bible briefly mentions that, after the birth of Christ, Joseph fled to Egypt with Mary and the infant Jesus to escape Herod's wrath. However, the Coptic tradition, drawing from non-canonical sources, has meticulously charted the Holy Family’s journey through Egypt, identifying caves where they supposedly took shelter, wells from which they drank, and sites they blessed with their presence. We visited some of these places, where faith and history intertwine. In one church, we even came across a relic purported to be a fragment of the True Cross—a claim that, like many others, rests more on belief than archaeology.
From the sacred to the imperial, our journey took us to Alexandria, the legendary city founded in homage to Alexander the Great. This cosmopolitan hub became the seat of power during Egypt’s Roman period, a melting pot where Hellenistic, Egyptian, and Roman influences intertwined. It was a city where philosophy, science, and politics once flourished, their echoes lingering beneath the shadow of the great Lighthouse of Pharos and the vanished grandeur of the fabled Library. Click for Carl Sagan about the alexandria library
Unlike the monumental tombs of the ancient Egyptians, Alexandria’s Roman administrators had a different approach to the afterlife: catacombs. These underground burial chambers reveal a fascinating fusion of artistic traditions—Greco-Roman symbols intertwined with Egyptian iconography, an architectural testament to the cultural syncretism of the time. Click for Photos & Video
Thus concluded our journey, a whirlwind through millennia of history, where myth, faith, and fact interlace like the hieroglyphs on an ancient temple wall. Egypt, in all its layers, remains a land where the past refuses to be silent, and where even a skeptic can find themselves spellbound.
You explained the history of Egypt beautifully, it felt like I was actually there!