I am Egypt

Great Pyramid Closed Amid 11/11/11 Rumors

2011-11-18T13:56:00.001-08:00

by Rossella Lorenzi

The Great Pyramid of Giza. Credit: Nina/Creative Commons

Egypt's authorities closed the Great Pyramid on Friday after rumors that various groups planned to hold bizzarre ceremonies on the Giza Plateau at 11:11 a.m. on Nov. 11, 2011.

Although the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said the closure was due to "necessary maintenance," the head of the Department of Pharaonic Archaeology Atef Abu Zahab told reporters that the decision came "after much pressure" from concerned Internet users.

Rumours of strange rituals spread after the Egyptian daily Ahram reported that people from all over the world were due to hold a "Ceremony of Love" at the ancient monument on 11/11/11.

Called "Cheops Project," the event was aimed at strengthing the power of the pyramid on the alignment of ones by installing a crystal pyramid inside Khufu's sarcophagus for 24 hours.

The operation, carried with people meditating in circles hand-in-hand around the pyramid, was reportedly designed to create a shield around the Earth to protect the planet against cosmic threats, according to Andrzej Wojcikiewicz, president of the Polish foundation Dar Swiatowida, which sponsored the event.

Rumors soon spread over websites and social networks that among the meditators were 1,200 Jews who planned to erect a Star of David on top of the Great Pyramid to support their claim that Jewish slaves built the pyramids, and not the ancient Egyptians.

Aly El-Asfar, head of the Giza Plateau in the SCA, told Ahram Online that Egyptian authorities initially approved the ceremony as the program submitted by the foundation referred to an ordinary private ceremony, with nothing installed inside the sarcophagus of King Khufu.

"I cannot control anyone's belief, but I am the guardian of the pyramids and Egypt's history and will not, by any means, allow that something wrong would happen, or if any damage occur," El-Asfar told the Egyptian daily.

Built for the pharaoh Cheops, also known as Khufu, the Great Pyramid is the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.The monument is the largest of a family of three pyramids on the Giza plateau, on the outskirts of Cairo, and has long been rumored to have hidden passageways leading to secret chambers.

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There are many theories as to the significance of the number 11. But when it naturally appears three times, defining a day that will never again appear, the rumor mill is bound to churn. I am not surprised by people wanting to hold a ritual at an ancient site which holds tremendous mystery and intrigue as the Great Pyramid does. I find it interesting though that one was initially approved to be held in the pyramid. I wonder what this ceremony consisted of. Hmmmmm.

Egyptian Pyramids Found By Infra-Red Satellite Images

2011-11-17T08:21:00.001-08:00

Although the following article by Frances Cronin is dated, May 24th 2011, I just came upon it and found it too interesting not to share. Imagine the possibilities of new technology in the world of Archeology in Egypt; Unearthering Ancient Egypt to our time. Imagine what we can learn. Please read...

Seventeen lost pyramids are among the buildings identified in a new satellite survey of Egypt.

More than 1,000 tombs and 3,000 ancient settlements were also revealed by looking at infra-red images which show up underground buildings.

Initial excavations have already confirmed some of the findings, including two suspected pyramids.

The work has been pioneered at the University of Alabama at Birmingham by US Egyptologist Dr Sarah Parcak.

She says she was amazed at how much she and her team has found.

"We were very intensely doing this research for over a year. I could see the data as it was emerging, but for me the "Aha!" moment was when I could step back and look at everything that we'd found and I couldn't believe we could locate so many sites all over Egypt.

"To excavate a pyramid is the dream of every archaeologist," she said.

The team analysed images from satellites orbiting 700km above the earth, equipped with cameras so powerful they can pin-point objects less than 1m in diameter on the earth's surface.

Infra-red imaging was used to highlight different materials under the surface.

Test Excavations

Ancient Egyptians built their houses and structures out of mud brick, which is much denser than the soil that surrounds it, so the shapes of houses, temples and tombs can be seen.

"It just shows us how easy it is to underestimate both the size and scale of past human settlements," says Dr Parcak.

And she believes there are more antiquities to be discovered:

"These are just the sites [close to] the surface. There are many thousands of additional sites that the Nile has covered over with silt. This is just the beginning of this kind of work."

BBC cameras followed Dr Parcak on her "nervous" journey when she travelled to Egypt to see if excavations could back up what her technology could see under the surface.

In the BBC documentary Egypt's Lost Cities, they visit an area of Saqqara (Sakkara) where the authorities were not initially interested in her findings.

But after being told by Dr Parcak that she had seen two potential pyramids, they made test excavations, and they now believe it is one of the most important archaeological sites in Egypt.

But Dr Parcak said the most exciting moment was visiting the excavations at Tanis.

"They'd excavated a 3,000-year-old house that the satellite imagery had shown and the outline of the structure matched the satellite imagery almost perfectly. That was real validation of the technology."

The Egyptian authorities plan to use the technology to help - among other things - protect the country's antiquities in the future.

During the recent revolution, looters accessed some well-known archaeological sites.

"We can tell from the imagery a tomb was looted from a particular period of time and we can alert Interpol to watch out for antiquities from that time that may be offered for sale."

She also hopes the new technology will help engage young people in science and will be a major help for archaeologists around the world.

"It allows us to be more focused and selective in the work we do. Faced with a massive site, you don't know where to start.

"It's an important tool to focus where we're excavating. It gives us a much bigger perspective on archaeological sites. We have to think bigger and that's what the satellites allow us to do."

"Indiana Jones is old school, we've moved on from Indy. Sorry, Harrison Ford."- Dr Sarah Parcak Space Archaeologist.

The Ankh Ceremony

2010-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a day to remember. I feel privileged to have been invited to my friends' Ankh Ceremony where they received their Priesthood Ankhs as they commit their lives to the priesthood and develop their own spiritual institution known as the Shrine of Ma’at. For those of you who are not quite familiar, the Ankh (illustrated above) is a symbol that represented life in Ancient Egypt and still holds value to those who observe the Kemetic ways today. Kemet, which means “black” was the name given by its inhabitants to the land we now call Egypt. The name Egypt is really from the Greek "Aegyptos" which is derived from the Coptic hi(t)-ka(u)-ptah, "the house/temple of the ka of Ptah". Ma’at means truth, balance, order, law, morality and justice. It is also the name of the Ancient Kemetic female deity who is the personification of truth and justice. I notice that both of my friends have included the word Ma’at in their Kemetic names. My friend Anika has adopted the Kemetic name Nfr-Ka Ma’at. So far I know Nfr means beautiful, Ka is a deep form of the word spirit and of course Ma’at means truth etc. Her husband Jabari’s Kemetic name is Heru Djeden Ma’at at Aten-Ra. This shows that the concept of truth or the revelation of truth is of great importance to them.

The ceremony began with the 4-point Opening of the Way. Four priestesses dressed in white and arrayed with lavish Kemetic jewelry stood on either side of one another, two by two performing a simple dance around the altar which was in the center. The dance was accompanied by the lulling of calming, tranquil music. The Priestesses each held two Ankhs in their hands and swayed them back and forth as they continued to move with the music. As the Abu or Kemetic priest entered, the priestesses welcomed him with a dance. Then they put the left foot ahead of the right and stretched out the left hand presenting the palm as the right hand was bent. Watching that greeting blew my mind. It was artful and full of strength and at the same time, it seemed so familiar. Now I just want to welcome people that way instead of shaking hands.

The ceremony continued with the priest reading excerpts from a work written by a Dr. Ben entitled “Reclaiming the Ankh”. It was basically an explanation why the African Diaspora need to return to the ways of their ancestors by embracing Kemetic ways of life. The priest also read all 42 Declarations of Ma’at which is part of the Book of Coming Forth by Day and Night (incorrectly called the book of the dead). It is strangely familiar to the commandments given to the Jews in the Bible. Edicts such as, “I have not committed sin, I have not committed robbery with violence and I have not committed adultery…”

Coming towards the end of the ceremony, there was even a Defense of the Ankh, where anyone in the audience could throw out inquiries to the couple as to why they have chosen this particular path. As each question was thrown, each one was batted out of the park in eloquent manner. As the couple exited with new ankhs in hand the priestesses created an arch for them to pass through. Upon their return, Nfr-Ka Ma’at and Heru Djeden Ma’at at Aten-Ra both surprised everyone by presenting beautifully crafted pendants with the image of Ma’at to four unsuspecting friends that they thought deserved them for all their support. My older daughter said, I would be called up but I looked at her and said plainly, “No”. Then, my name was called first. Of course I was stunned. I jumped up with my younger daughter, sleeping in my arms and made my way up to receive the wonderful gift. Thank you so much!

The occasion was like none other that I have attended. It was an eye opener. Utterly beautiful, calming and just natural. I am thankful that I was a part of it. Outside, we were blessed to have strangely beautiful weather; a type of weather pattern that is more familiar to the Caribbean than it is to urban New York - Soft rain drops shimmering in the golden rays of the sun. Sunshowers! What a way to top off the day!

Nfr-Ka Ma'at and Heru Djeden Ma'at at Aten-Ra have founded The Center for the Restoration of Ma'at

http://www.centerformaat.com/

They are also producers of their own show Kemetic Legacy Today on MNN (Manhattan Neighborhood Network) Channel 34 every Saturday at 12noon

http://www.mnn.org/

Molecular cloning of Ancient Egyptian mummy DNA

2010-07-02T20:14:00.000-07:00

I happened to come upon a very interesting Swedish article with the heading above. Check it out below and tell me what you think. For references, click on the link below.

Nature 314, 644 - 645 (18 April 1985); doi:10.1038/314644a0

Svante Pääbo
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v314/n6012/abs/314644a0.html

Department of Cell Research, The Wallenberg Laboratory, University of Uppsala, Box 562, S-75122 Uppsala, Sweden and Institute of Egyptology, Gustavianum, University of Uppsala, S-75120 Uppsala, Sweden
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Artificial mummification was practised in Egypt from 2600 BC until the fourth century AD. Because of the dry Egyptian climate, however, there are also many natural mummies preserved from earlier as well as later times. To elucidate whether this unique source of ancient human remains can be used for molecular genetic analyses, 23 mummies were investigated for DNA content. One 2,400-yr-old mummy of a child was found to contain DNA that could be molecularly cloned in a plasmid vector. I report here that one such clone contains two members of the Alu family of human repetitive DNA sequences, as detected by DNA hybridizations and nucleotide sequencing. These analyses show that substantial pieces of mummy DNA (3.4 kilobases) can be cloned and that the DNA fragments seem to contain little or no modifications introduced postmortem.
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In essence, the arid air in the desert was not only perfect for preserving human remains and in some cases, animal and plant remains, it has also proved to be perfect for preserving DNA. Thus, human mummified remains can easily be cloned. Was this what the Ancient Egyptians or Kemites had in mind when they taught of living forever in the Beautiful Roads of the West?
I know that the goal of some scientists is to clone a whole fully functional human being. I would not be surprised if they have already begun attempting to clone Pharaoh Tutankhamun himself. Can you imagine the Ancients walking the Earth again?

A Three Hour Tour

2010-07-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

For some reason, I can not find my little note book with all the wonderful facts I wrote down concerning my trip to the King Tut exhibit. I've been searching all over the place but to no avail. Oh well. Maybe this is a sign to simply write about the feelings surrounding my experience during my excersion. If that's the case, then here I go.

Firstly, everything seemed to go wrong with my plans before I even got there. Different things kept popping up like traps in an obstacle course to hinder me from my trip. I finally got frustrated and even though I finally made it to the train station, I was already almost 2 hours late so in the heat and in my long tropically textured dress, I dragged myself back home from the train station. Then I received a call from the coordinator of the tour. She encouraged me to come so I made my way back to the train station and jumped on the train for an hour-long ride into Manhattan. When I got there, it was quite empty and quiet in the lobby. I called the coordinator a few times but she didn't hear because she was probably too busy giving the tour that I was already almost 3 hours late to. 'A Three Hour Tour' kept echoing in my head.

I walked in the first room of the exhibit which was an introduction from one of the young employees basically telling us to keep our hands to ourselves and no picture taking. That was fine. I heard a tour group ahead of the tiny group I was a part of. When the young man finished his spiel, I asked if I could join the group straight ahead, thinking that I already missed my tour group. Lo and behold, the group I joined was my group led by my friend and her husband. 'Wow', I thought. I was excruciatingly late and yet I met them with ease. And what a group! There were easily 40/50 people listening intently to the guides and asking intuitive questions. The artifacts were phenomenal of course. Although I saw this same King Tut's exhibit before in Philadelphia a few years ago, I couldn't get enough of it. What made this exhibit in New York City so fascinating was that now that Pharaoh Tutankhamun's family members have been identified from his father to his grandparents, they too were on display. Not them but their belongings which I believe their essence still resides in.

So many breathtaking objects. I kind of felt at home. One aspect that I will take away from my experience is that finally, Tutankhamun was portrayed not simply as a mummy, but a beautiful young man who once walked the earth and was given the tremendous responsibility at the tender age of 8 or 9 to rule the mightiest civilization in the world. A young man who basically had the world on his shoulders and who tragically died so young before we could see his skills as a ruler. I do think that this exhibit honored him. The one aspect of it that I didn't care for was the replica of his mummified body. While this is pertinent to some, I believe they could have done without it. I think he should be remembered as any human being would without the display of his remains which should be respected and thus covered.

My next stop, Egypt! (One Day)

*Whenever I do find my little notebook full of good stuff, I will share it with you all. Thanks for stopping by!

Tomorrow's blog will deal with a very recent and interesting Swedish scientific article I came upon by accident dealing with Cloning of human remains from Ancient Egypt! The Possibilities

Pharaoh Tutankhamun Returns

2010-06-05T17:54:00.000-07:00

After decades, King Tutankhamun has finally made another appearance in New York City! Well, not Tutankhamun himself since his mummy is way too fragile to leave Egypt. Many of his funerary objects and personal belongings that I believe his spirit still resides in are on display. And even more fascinating, his family’s history is on display as well. Usually when we think of mummies, we may think of a simple specimen that has no purpose but to be poked and prodded by scientists but the fact that Tutankhamun’s family’s spirit has accompanied his on this journey to New York City somehow brings him to life. He was a real young man that walked the earth and fell in love and had caring parents and grandparents. My interest skyrocketed so I bought a ticket with my friends Jabari and Anika Osaze (Kemetic historians who live their life as the Ancient Kemites did) for an African-inspired tour of this exhibit. Too often Egypt or Kemet (the true ancient name) is separated from the rest of Africa but it was clearly an African nation so I wanted to get a more in depth, factual, educational tour.

Royal Diadem
I was an hour late but I was still able to join the group for a 3 Hour Tour. Where did I hear that line before? Well unlike Gilligan’s Island, I would have certainly enjoyed being stranded amidst all of the artifacts because they were simply impeccable. The craftsmanship was second to none. Many of the pieces were created by master craftsman for the sole purpose of accompanying Tutankhamun in the afterlife such as the exquisite golden royal diadem inlayed with jewels to the left which was found affixed to his head. As Jabari mentioned, no one was going to see the work of these artisans yet they put their all into making the objects flawlessly beautiful. Imagine if the craftsmen were ruled by today’s standards. They would most likely cut corners like crazy knowing that know one would examine their work. I learned that the standard by which Kemites created objects, down to the drawings and hieroglyphs were second to none. The minutest details possessed a meaning to the Ancient Kemites. In the next few articles, I will break down what I learned from this tour by subject and show correlations between the Ancient Kemites and our present world. Stay tuned!

TIME STOPS FOR HIM

2010-03-21T22:33:00.000-07:00

Queen Tiye

I have a friend who is a native Egyptian and who can trace his heritage back to the time of the Pharaohs which is astonishing in itself. He is a renowned doctor by profession but his heart rests in the timeless treasures of his artifacts which he has meticulously placed all over his office which has become somewhat of a home. The artifacts range from Ancient Egyptian artwork to Victorian busts. In addition, he has a collection of photos from the 1800’s from relative unknowns, a gramaphone, one of the first three way phones and paintings he made to look like ancient Egyptian stone cuttings as the ones seen here.

Interestingly, there is one piece of work that is all over his office in different variations hailing from different periods; his clocks - wrist watches, pocket watches, a grandfather clock. He even had a watch positioned onto a 3 minute hour glass! You want time? He’s got it. Ironically, when looking at his time conscious array, one thought came to my mind- ‘Time Stops for Him’. This could have more than one meaning. Stepping into his office is like stepping back in time; a virtual portal to another place that time has passed by but his office somehow froze that time so I and other lucky folk can enjoy this moving museum he has created.

In another vein, time stops for him I am sure when he is craftily grouping his artifacts together. I can only imagine how the gears are turning in his head and how the outside world is shut off when he is completely engrossed, creating a most perfect collage of beauty.

He could very well have lived comfortably in the time of the Ancient Egyptians and then in Victorian times. Although he does not believe in the popular theory of reincarnation, his whole existence seems to scream, “I have been here before!”

His presence spurs on the imagination and somehow I feel a fellow kinship with him, as if we were close friends or relatives in the past. Anyway, there is no doubt that he lives within each of his pieces therefore I was more than honored when he gave me one of them; a piece of him. Just beautiful.

A 12-Foot-Wide Home on the Nile

2009-07-16T12:35:00.000-07:00

Kent Weeks and his wife, Susan Weeks, spend most of their waking hours in a 130-room tomb called KV 5 in the legendary Valley of the Kings, the site of many tombs. And at the end of the work day, they come home to a place only slightly less unusual.

The couple lives on a 25-meter-long (85-foot-long) dahabiya, a houseboat moored along the banks of the Nile in this southern Egyptian city of around 400,000, known in ancient times as Thebes. Their closest neighbors are the mummies in the Mummification Museum next door.

“Archaeologists often live on boats because the sites are near the river,” said Dr. Weeks, 67, an Egyptologist. He captured worldwide headlines in 1995 with the announcement that KV 5 had been the burial chamber for the sons of Rameses II and sprawled deeper into the desert hillside than anyone had suspected.

The couple, who have lived in Egypt for much of the last 43 years, first lived on a dahabiya in the 1960s while working with the Unesco team trying to save historic sites after the construction of the Aswan Dam.

The boats, which resemble traditional Arab sailing vessels, became popular more than a century ago when as many as 450 were used for the tourist trade. Only four or five remain from the period and “this handful survived because they had metal hulls,” Dr. Weeks said. “The rest were sunk to get rid of vermin.”

In 2001, after searching for 10 years, the couple found an iron-hulled boat in Helwan, a Nile town south of Cairo. It was built in 1898 or 1899, they learned.
“The boat was a total wreck,” said Mrs. Weeks, 65. The hull, wooden decking and walls were intact but they had to replace everything else, along with adding a kitchen and bathroom to the layout. “It is an imperfect reconstruction,” Dr. Weeks said. “In the 18th century you would go ashore to eat and to use the bathroom.”

By the time the work was finished, in 2003, the boat had about 84 square meters (900 square feet) of living space spread over two levels, as well as conveniences like a bathtub, a washing machine, a generator and water pump. The boat is called “Kingfisher,” in honor of the couple’s favorite bird.

The cost of buying and restoring the boat came to 250,000 Egyptian pounds ($50,000). The project was so unusual that there are no comparative prices readily available, although Dr. Weeks said he believes it could be sold now for about six times the sum they originally paid.
The couple spend about six months a year on the boat, dividing the rest of their time in London, Cairo and Old Lyme, Conn.

They often take their meals on the open deck, which is decorated with the wicker furniture and Oriental rugs common to colonial British décor.
Several steps lead down to the foredeck, where there are eight oar locks in the long open bow and a 30-meter-tall (98-foot-tall) mast that often supports two large triangular sails of linen — the boat has no motor. Two staff members, who help sail the vessel and act as guards, live on the boat year-round in an area below the foredeck.
The white-walled cabin contains four bedrooms as well as the kitchen and bathroom. All the plumbing uses filtered water from the Nile. “If you fill up the bathtub, the water is pretty brown,” Mrs. Weeks said.

At the end of the central corridor is the master bedroom, which has a raised platform for a bed, and storage space below. “Because the bed lies so far aft that the sides of the boat curve upwards, raising the bed makes more efficient use of space,” Dr. Weeks said.

The boat is only about 3.5 meters (12 feet) wide but “the narrower the boat, the faster it can go through the water,” Dr. Weeks said, as the boat sailed gently down the Nile in December.
The couple occasionally takes the boat out for special trips, especially to raise money for the Theban Mapping Project, an effort they began in 1978 to create a comprehensive archaeological database of the ancient city. Dr. Weeks is the project director; Mrs. Weeks, its artist.
“If we need to convince someone to donate money then we might take them for lunch down the Nile,” Dr. Weeks said. The couple also plays host to benefit tours operated by Seven Wonders Travel and Ancient World Tours.

The project’s most prominent achievement has been the KV 5 excavation; the tomb was discovered in 1825 but only after Dr. Weeks’s team cleared large areas did anyone realize its significance. “KV 5 is the largest tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings, the oddest in plan and the only family mausoleum in which multiple sons of Egypt’s most powerful rulers were buried,” he said.

The couple reach the tomb by taking a colorful wooden boat across the river and then driving for 30 minutes along a dusty road, picking up some of the tomb workers en route. They usually are back onboard for lunch. “It is really very challenging putting a meal on the table when you have spent all day down a tomb,” Mrs. Weeks said.

Mr. and Mrs. Weeks say there are many advantages to living on the “Kingfisher,” including frequent bird-watching trips to remote islands. Still, there is a downside. “Sometimes there is a lot of tour-boat traffic,” Dr. Weeks said. “The captains toot their horns and it is just like being on a freeway in Southern California.”
But, he added, “We do interesting things — living on a boat, working in a tomb. Every day we see the sun come up and the sun go down. What more could you ask for?”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/greathomesanddestinations/15gh-egypt.html?_r=1

'Egypt and Nigeria Have Much to Learn From Each Other '

2009-05-14T07:29:00.000-07:00

Hamisu Muhammad and Aisha Umar
14 May 2009
interview

Professor Maged M. Al-Sherbiny, Assistant Minister for Scientific Research, Egyptian Ministry of Higher Education, in Nigeria for a conference organised by Commission for Science and Technology (COMSAT), of which Nigeria is a member, tells Daily Trust's Hamisu Muhammad and Aisha Umar how Egypt became the country producing the highest seeds of rice per acre, among other issues.

What is the purpose of your visit to Nigeria?
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I came for the conference by the Commission for Science and Technology (COMSAT). Members of this commission include Nigeria, Egypt, Brazil, Iran, Pakistan, Uganda, Kenya, Jamaica, China and many others. The Commission was established 40 years ago to coordinate centres of excellence among the member countries. For instance, in Nigeria there is Mathematical Centre, while in Egypt we have Centre of Biotechnology. These centres usually meet every year to review how far they have gone in exchanging scientists and expertise.

What does the consultative meeting of COMSAT entail?
We use it to plan for the future, to strategies the commission. This is a forum that collects all the south countries working in science and technology to benefit from each other in various experiences and knowledge. The COMSAT headquarters is in the Islamabad, Pakistan. Importantly, Egypt and Nigeria relate well. We are working together on low to harness medium technology for alleviating poverty and improving agriculture and high-tech technology; because Nigeria has a lot of satellites in the earth orbit and Egypt has too. There is an African forum for dealing between different countries called AMCOST, meaning African Ministers Conference on Science and Technology. Nigeria and Egypt play a crucial role in it.

Is there any MOU to sign between the two countries now that you are here?
There is a general MOU between Egypt and Nigeria which allows the platform to operate. Recently there is an MOU signed between Nigerian Institute of Standard and Egyptian Institute of Standard. In Egypt we have a well of experience in that sector. So with that MOU we can work together and harmonise on the methodology of standardisation and measures, and Egypt has very good experience, in that we have well reorganised international centre for that and we are giving our expertise for Nigeria to benefit from. That is how we go for every specific project we are working on.

You talked about the Biotechnology Centre in Egypt. In Nigeria there are efforts to develop the sector but there are fears of the likely effects of applying Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) in some products.
How do you treat that in Egypt?
You don't need that. Biotechnology is not only about Genetically Modified Organism. As a product it can enhance your productivity, to make tissue culture, it is very good for pharmaceutical products, agriculture, domestic product, vaccines, better seeds, and better quality products without genetic modification.
In Egypt we have excelled without genetically modified organism in the field of agriculture. Now, we are able to produce crops through bio natural selection and tissue culture. In Egypt we are able to reach crop like rice that can give 12 tonnes per acre. Usually the average is four tonnes per acre. As we speak, Egypt has the highest seeds of crop in Rice per acre more than any country in the world.
We are collaborating with Nigeria on achieving such level. Also, we have maize and we are focusing on the economic crops and wheat so that we can stop importing them from outside. Biotechnology can help you produce more, repel diseases and reduce degree of loss of water.

Do you have any plan to assist Nigeria in biotechnology development?
We are in contact all the time. We are, for instance, developing science parks and Nigeria is developing science parks and we are with UNESCO and Nigeria working in developing these science parks. In Biotechnology, Egypt has held two conferences on the COMSAT and Nigerian scientists and delegates visited our Biotechnology Centre and added more to their experiences.
Nigeria is trying to develop capacity in space technology. Egypt has already gained some experiences in it.

Nigeria lost its satellite in the orbit recently. How do you view that development?
You are at a learning process. To implement technology you have to suffer some failures and achieve some successes. Anyhow, good planning and investment in human capacity are important. I know that Nigeria is building capacity of about 70 to 80 experts in space technology and it is a good step. Also, you need to encourage education that will create more of these experts in the future. And you will need to host such experts in a place that can make them more innovative. It is good to continue doing that to be able to implement the technology by yourselves. This is the approach we took in Egypt: we built two satellites, one put into orbit, the other replicated on the ground, so that we know exactly what is going on.
We intend to be able to build the next satellite ourselves, with major components coming from our local companies. The main purpose is not just to send the satellite into orbit and leave it, because if you want it that way, it is easy. You can send it and continue to get the data you want, but the idea is, we want to implement the technology ourselves.
The West has good industries for two reasons: one, because they conquered the space; two, because they have advanced military technology. Most of the technologies we are using today are coming either from space or military technology.

What is the purpose of your satellite?
It's for remote sensing. We have cameras that can be loaded on aeroplanes and some on the ground. The idea is to look at the demographic changes of your country, to look at agriculture, lakes, population expansion, areas that could be developed, and productivity of your crops, because there are cameras that can tell you that this crop will yield this amount in so, so areas, and whether a lake is good for fishing or not. All these are tools that can be used to improve the life of a people.

How much progress have you made in information technology?
Before information technology you need to talk about infrastructure. Electricity is crucial. You need sustainable source of energy. On IT, we have gone a long way. We have several satellites of communication, we have huge past internet and internet grading, Our number of mobile phone is rising rapidly. We are approaching 47 million mobile phones out of the 77 million people. Internet users are expanding too. These are key tools in IT. You utilise them in various fields: in medicine, agriculture, and the rest.

In your view, what should Nigeria learn from Egypt?
Lots. We will learn as well. Nigeria has a great deal of good indigenous knowledge inherited from culture. We can exchange things like indigenous medicine remedies but not exploited in the level of pharmaceutical industries. We can work on aquatic culture, in agriculture, to increase our productivity. You have unique land with good resources of water and we have good experience in that and you have exploited a lot of plants that we don't in Egypt. So, there is room for exchange, I believe, in areas like agriculture, water resources, medicine, and space technology.

Is there any collaboration between Nigerian universities and the ones in Egypt?
Yes, we have a very active embassy here, and the Ambassador in Nigeria, His Excellency Sharif Nagib, and a lot of people in the embassy are working to promote corporation between universities. They are planning an event now to bring together all the universities in Egypt to show to Nigerians what we have in Egypt because everybody is working now towards internationalisation of education. Every year, Egypt offers 400 scholarships to African countries, paid for by the Egyptian Government, to learn in Egypt. Al Azhar is one of the universities where a lot of Nigerians are learning. We maintain this relationship because we believe the people that benefit from the system are going to be the leaders in future.

Copyright © 2009 Daily Trust. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com).

Prehistoric Fishing Tackle Found in Egypt

2009-05-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Tue May 12, 4:42 pm ET

CAIRO (AFP) – An Egyptian archaeological team has found prehistoric fishing gear, sewing equipment and jewellery all made from animal bones, as well as pottery and coins, near an oasis south of Cairo, officials said on Tuesday.

Culture Minister Faruk Hosni said in a statement: "An Egyptian archaeological mission working near El-Karn island on Lake Qarun in Fayoum has found a large amount of fishing tackle, sewing equipment and jewellery made from animal bone dating back to prehistoric time."
"The mission also found caves used by prehistoric man," he said.
"The most important item is an awl made of animal bone and granite, which shows that prehistoric man devised many ways to sew leather," Khaled Saad, who headed the mission, was quoted as saying.
The team also found ancient pottery, coins, whale vertebrae and fossils of seals, sawfish as well as crocodile and turtle parts, Saad said.
Medical equipment and weapons made of animal bone were also unearthed, he said.
The site was used by many civilisations, antiquities chief Zahi Hawass was quoted as saying in the statement.
"During excavation, the mission found antiquities from the Pharaonic, Greek, Roman and Islamic periods," Hawass said.
The team also found a rare block which dates back to 3150 BC depicting the mythical leader known as the Scorpion King, as well as colourful mosaic plates with engravings of the Fatimid caliph Al-Zafir.

Egyptian Antiquities Smugglers Caught!

2009-02-06T04:21:00.000-08:00

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni announced that Interpol apprehended antiquities trader Ali Aboutaam. Aboutaam was accused of smuggling Egyptian antiquities out of their homeland.
Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), said that Aboutaam is a Lebanese trader who owns an antiquities dealership and lives in Geneva, Switzerland. He was convicted in the well known antiquities smuggling case of Tarek El-Seweissi, who was caught in 2003 by the Egyptian Police and convicted of stealing and smuggling Egyptian antiquities.

El-Seweissi, in collaboration with Aboutaam, smuggled 280 artifacts out of the country by packing some of them as glass bottles and hiding the others in large boxes of children’s toys and electronics, all labeled with name of a well known international exporting company.
Dr. Hawass added that investigations carried out by General Prosecution in Egypt revealed that Aboutaam helped El-Seweissi to smuggle these artifacts out of the country. He was the eighth criminal to be convicted in such a case, but was still at large until yesterday when Interpol caught him in Bulgaria. In April 2004, the Criminal Court in Egypt sentenced him in absentia to 15 years in prison and a fine of LE 50,000.

In collaboration with the General Prosecution, the SCA was able to retrieve 1000 objects from Switzerland and Britain that had been smuggled out of the country. Three years ago, the FBI told Dr. Hawass, who was there to receive one of three reliefs of the Akhmim which were stolen by another convicted smuggler, about Aboutaam’s illegal activities.
Dr. Hawass asserted that catching Aboutaam is a concrete step towards stopping the trade in illegal antiquities around the world.

Since 2002, Egypt has succeeded in recovering 5000 stolen and smuggled antiquities. Great Job!

First Intermediate Period Discovery at Ehnasya El-Medina

2009-01-27T12:58:00.000-08:00

A group of stone architectural remains dating to the First Intermediate Period (ca. 2190-2016 BC) have been uncovered at Ehnasya El-Medina in Beni Suef Governorate during routine excavations carried out by the Spanish archaeological mission sponsored by the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid. Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni announced the discovery.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General, of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said that excavations in the courtyard of the temple of the god Heryshef had revealed part of a column drum, and inside the hypostyle hall the Spanish team discovered Ramesside inscriptions and part of a false door. Carmen Perez-Die, the head of the mission, said that on the western side of the First Intermediate Period necropolis located near the temple, a complete false door from an unidentified tomb was unearthed. The team also found burned false doors and offering tables, along with the remains of human skeletons in very poor condition. On the eastern side of the cemetery, two individual burials containing well-preserved skeletons were excavated.

The Secrets That Still Lie Under Egyptian Sands

2009-01-25T09:13:00.000-08:00

New Pyramid Found in Egypt: 4,300-Year-Old Queen's Tomb
Andrew Bossone in Cairofor National Geographic News
November 11, 2008

A new pyramid has been discovered deep beneath Egyptian sands, archaeologists announced today.The 4,300-year-old monument is believed to be the tomb of Queen Sesheshet, the mother of Pharaoh Teti, the founder ancient Egypt's 6th dynasty.Once nearly five stories tall, the pyramid—or at least what remains of it—lay beneath 23 feet (7 meters) of sand.The discovery is the third known subsidiary, or satellite, pyramid to the tomb of Teti. It's also the second pyramid found this year in Saqqara, an ancient royal burial complex near current-day Cairo.(See "'Lost' Pyramid Found Buried in Egypt" [June 5, 2008].)"I always say you never know what the sands of Egypt might hide," said Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA)."This might be the most complete subsidiary pyramid ever found at Saqqara," added Hawass, who is also a National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence. (The National Geographic Society owns National Geographic News.)

Surprise in the SandArchaeologists also found remnants of a white limestone casing for the surviving, 16-foot-tall (5-meter-tall) pyramid base. The angle of the base helped them determine that the pyramid's walls stood at a 51-degree angle. Based on that angle, the team determined that the pyramid was originally 46 feet (14 meters) tall and about 72 feet (22 meters) square at its base. The researchers were somewhat surprised to find a pyramid at the Teti site, since they thought the area had been thoroughly searched. Archaeologists had already found subsidiary pyramids for Teti's two principal wives Iput I and Khuit, about a hundred years ago and in 1994, respectively. Teams have been digging in the area for more than 20 years."One hundred years ago they used to take sand and put it in unexcavated areas," Hawass said."The archaeologists in the past used this area as a location for the sand. No one could think there is anything here."

Tomb robbers, however, had known the pyramid was there—archaeologists found that a shaft had been created to allow access to Sesheshet's funerary chamber. Due to those assumed tomb raids, archaeologists don't expect to find Sesheshet's mummy when they reach the burial chamber weeks from now. But they do anticipate finding inscriptions about the queen, whose name, perhaps coincidentally, evokes the goddess of history and writing, Seshat.

Mother Love Starting from the 4th dynasty (2616 to 2494 B.C.), pharaohs often built pyramids for their wives and mothers. "Mothers were revered in ancient Egypt," said Salima Ikram, a professor of Egyptology at the American University in Cairo, who was not involved in the discovery."Building pyramids for one's mother in her dead state … was fairly emphasized in the whole vision of kingship that the ancient Egyptians had," Ikram said."That was something that was instituted during [a pharaoh's] lifetime and was a very public way of expressing his debt to her, his connection to her, and her importance in Egypt politically and as a symbol for kingship."Sesheshet's son Teti might have been more motivated than the average pharaoh to pay homage to his mother. Sesheshet had come from a powerful family and probably supported his ascendancy to the throne during turmoil at the end of the 5th dynasty."She's one of the important ladies at that time," said Hakim Haddad, general director of excavations in Egypt."At the end of the 5th dynasty and the beginning of the 6th dynasty, there was a conflict between two branches of the royal families."The American University's Ikram added, "I assume Teti thought it would be a good plan to make his mother a pyramid."Regardless of Teti's motivations, SCA director Hawass says the newfound pyramid is special because of its association with a female ruler."You can discover a tomb or a statue, but to discover a pyramid it makes you happy. And a pyramid of a queen—queens have magic."

© 1996-2008 National Geographic Society. All rights reserved.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008-12-31T10:44:00.000-08:00

I'm so sorry 2008. You were good to me but I'm leaving you for something better - 2009 Baby!!! A bigger, better year is careening towards us in all its beautiful glory. Starting in Times Square with the full drop of a huge, silvery, twinkly ball ladened with hundreds of energy effecient light bulbs, the new year will be ushered in to us here on the East Coast. I'm oh so excited about 2009. I have only great plans for us and I know they will be fulfilled. I want to finally go to Egypt. This has been my dream since the age of 12. Hopefully I will be able to fulfill it in 2009. Above all I wish for Happiness and Good Health for myself and my loved ones and for all of you out there. With 2009 by our side, there will only be positivity. I think this will be the beginning of a beautiful relationship. I wish everyone a Safe, Healthy and Happy New Year!!!!

What are your New Year's resolutions?

FREEDOM

2008-11-08T07:51:00.000-08:00

In light of the historic U.S. election, the last paragraph of this piece can now be realized in the present tense. Although it has always been true, the plight of President elect Barack Obama has shed light to the world that regardless of your racial or ethnic background, regardless of your gender, regardless if you are considered a minority, regardless if you are poor and persecuted and hated, regardless of the obstacles you face, you are Free to be whomever you choose to be in this life.

I saw you
In a field in Mid-July, fanning yourself in the sweet southern heat born in the Mississippi Delta. You were glowing, sun-ripened and flowing with beauty from the top of your head to the tips of your torn fingers as they picked these fluffy-white things you called cotton.

I saw you
And your strong lovely legs, rippling with muscle, running down a dark rocky road. But you were anointed by the light of the moon and it lifted you away from the men and the dogs that were carrying them and set you down to rest in a place that you called, ‘FREEDOM’.

I saw you
And friends as beautiful as you are, standing erect, closely together like a bouquet of bamboo, flexible but unbreakable, freshly sheered from a garden paradise. Now standing against brick walls, with placards as flowers hanging from your necks. Men surrounded all of you with hoses to water you. After the shower, the words branded on all of your signs still bloomed,
‘FREEDOM’.

I saw you
All proper in your grooming and dress, Your heart pumping with liquid excitement, trying to become part of a prestigious company. But failing, because your chocolate covered body made you simply too sweet for the job. And frustrated, you turned away and kept repeating over and over in your head,
‘FREEDOM’.

I saw you in all these places,
But I remember you
Sitting on your throne, draped in lion skins and fine linen.
And when you stood, your magnificence enveloped your subjects
And your royal libraries taught your people to be free
Your scribes recorded your wisdom on papyrus, stone slabs, columns, temples
And taught your people to be free
Into the vast horizon your kingdom stretched
Into eternity reigns
FREEDOM.

Tutankhamun's Children Under Study

2008-10-22T06:58:00.000-07:00

In collaboration with the Cairo University ‘s Faculty of Medicine, the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) started a scientific project to study two mummified fetuses which have been stored at the university since their discovery in Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922 on Luxor’s west bank. It is thought that the tiny bodies may be those of the young king’s stillborn children.
Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni announced the collaborative project today, adding that the scientific team headed by Dr. Ashraf Selim, head of Cairo Scan, and Dr. Yehia Zakaria of the National Research Center carried out a CT scan on the two fetuses and took samples in order to carry out a DNA tests.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the SCA, said that the study aims at identifying the linage and the family of king Tutankhamun, particularly his parents. The DNA test and the CT scan may also help to identify the fetuses’ mother. The results of these studies, asserted Hawass, will also help in identifying the mummy of Queen Nefertiti, the wife of the monotheist Pharaoh Akhenaton. Within the framework of the SCA’s project to CT scan all royal mummies for identification, samples from several unknown female mummies found at the Egyptian museum have been taken for DNA testing. All of the results will be compared with each other, along with those of the mummy of the boy king Tutankhamun, which CT scanned in 2005.

Dr. Hawass also signed a scientific agreement with Dr. Ahmed Sameh, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, to establish Egypt’s second ever DNA lab at the faculty. The first one is inside the Egyptian Museum. Such a lab, explained Dr. Hawass, will enable scientists and researchers to carry out scientific comparisons between the results provided from both labs.
Dr. Hawass said that the forensic section at the faculty will study the bones found inside the pyramid builders’ cemetery on the Giza plateau, in order to learn of the diseases that they suffered during their lifetimes and their average ages at death.

The Nile is a Torn Woman

2008-10-07T12:33:00.000-07:00

The Nile is a torn woman
Her tears run long and sharp
Cutting through the thick of the land
The Sun is her partner in the day.
And the Moon, her mate by night.

The Sun and the Nile dance quietly in painted gold.
Seen and approved by onlookers.
He will not let anyone take this dance,
for it belongs to him once he reigns proudly and strong over his gilded net.
His selfish stances and bold turns
are designed to scare all would be partners away.
The Nile belongs to the Sun.

In the day, she thinks about the night.
She thinks about when she could be enveloped in his soft blanket.
When she could relax in his darkness…hidden.
She adorns herself with the diamonds he has given her
Preparing to meet him.

The Moon and the Nile share pleasures freely.
He makes the tears of the Nile dry up
And allows her waters to overflow abundantly
He gives her riches, replenishing her banks, giving them life.
The Moon loses himself in the Nile
She changes his face, making him beautiful.
His tears fill her up when he has to let her go and fade away to his home.

When daybreak comes, she stands still to greet her owner.
The Nile is a torn woman
But the night carries her through the day.

Excerpt from Mahatalbhi II - "Resurrection"

2008-09-23T14:07:00.000-07:00

“They say we Egyptians were obsessed with death. That we erected our spiritual temples, pyramids and engraved our colorful hieroglyphs of incantations and spells within and without them for the sole purpose of safe passage through the journey of death.”
The professor spins around and faces Isha with intense eyes.

“But no. We Egyptians were not obsessed with death. It is life. Life was and is our obsession. As is the obsession with every living thing that walks the earth and succumbs to fight or flight to save their skin; camouflages themselves when their life is threatened; tries to prolong the onset of old age with make up and lotions and pills and surgeries. We never forgot to wear our ankh’s, symbols of life and scarabs, symbols of resurrection, around our necks as we never forgot to breathe. No one wants to die. We Egyptians are very much like everyone else in our plight to beat death or make death as enjoyable or even more enjoyable than life. At this moment, we are, for all intents and purposes, supposed to be dead. But here we are.”

Isha tries to distance herself away from either the madness or the wisdom that is spewing out of the professor’s mouth. She tries to use the big vintage desk, set with scratches and gashes from the 60’s, as a wedge between them. She tries to create a distance from the thing that was putting fear and uncertainty in her; the thing forcing her to question her very existence as well as the existence of others who claim to know her more than she knew herself.

“No Professor. I am not Egyptian. I am from Brooklyn, New York, U.S. of A. I am American; and an American from the 20th Century, not 2000 or 1000 B.C. I really think you should leave now.”
Isha’s voice breaks as she fights not to show fear of any kind. But everything she tries to hide is shown in her trembling hands. She quickly puts them in her pocket and faces her nemesis.
The professor packs his few papers away into his brown leather satchel and flings it across his chest, adjusting the strap.

“Be that as it may. You are what you are....my dear Mahatalbhi.” He walks out of the lecture hall swiftly, never looking back.

Isis -Goddess of Magic and Life

2008-09-20T08:28:00.000-07:00

Isis, the Egyptian goddess of the moon, rebirth, and magic remains one of the most familiar images of empowered and utter femininity. The goddess Isis was the first daughter of Geb, god of the Earth, and Nut, the goddess of the Overarching Sky. Isis was born on the first day between the first years of creation, and was adored by her human followers. Unlike the other Egyptian goddesses, the goddess Isis spent time among her people, teaching women how to grind corn and make bread, spin flax and weave cloth, and how to tame men enough to live with them (an art form on which many of us would welcome a refresher course!) Isis taught her people the skills of reading and agriculture and was also worshipped as the goddess of medicine and wisdom. More than any other of the ancient Egyptian goddesses, Isis embodied the characteristics of all the lesser goddesses that preceded her. Isis became the model on which future generations of female deities in other cultures were to be based. As the personification of the "complete female", Isis was called "The One Who Is All", Isis Panthea ("Isis the All Goddess"), and the "Lady of Ten Thousand Names".The goddess Isis, a moon goddess, gave birth to Horus, the god of the sun. Together, Isis and Horus created and sustained all life and were the saviors of their people.
Isis became the most powerful of the gods and goddesses in the ancient world. Ra, the God of the Sun, originally had the greatest power. But Ra was uncaring, and the people of the world suffered greatly during his reign. The goddess Isis tricked him by mixing some of his saliva with mud to create a poisonous snake that bit him, causing him great suffering which she then offered to cure. He eventually agreed.Isis informed Ra that, for the cure to work, she would have to speak his secret name (which was the source of his power over life and death). Reluctantly, he whispered it to her.When Isis uttered his secret name while performing her magic, Ra was healed. But the goddess Isis then possessed his powers of life and death, and quickly became the most powerful of the Egyptian gods and goddesses, using her great powers to the benefit of the people.
Isis was called the Mother of Life, but she was also known as the Crone of Death. Her immense powers earned her the titles of "The Giver of Life" and "Goddess of Magic". Her best known story illustrates why she is simultaneously known as a creation goddess and a goddess of destruction. Isis was the Goddess of the Earth in ancient Egypt and loved her brother Osiris. When they married, Osiris became the first King of Earth. Their brother Set, immensely jealous of their powers, murdered Osiris so he could usurp the throne. Set did this by tricking Osiris into stepping into a beautiful box made of cedar, ebony and ivory that he had ordered built to fit only Osiris. Set then sealed it up to become a coffin and threw it into the river. The river carried the box out to sea; it washed up in another country, resting in the upper boughs of a tamarisk tree when the waters receded. As time passed, the branches covered the box, encapsulating the god in his coffin in the trunk of the tree.In a state of inconsolable grief, Isis tore her robes to shreds and cut off her beautiful black hair. When she finally regained her emotional balance, Isis set out to search for the body of her beloved Osiris so that she might bury him properly.
The search took Isis to Phoenicia where she met Queen Astarte. Astarte didn't recognize the goddess and hired her as a nursemaid to the infant prince.Fond of the young boy, Isis decided to bestow immortality on him. As she was holding the royal infant over the fire as part of the ritual, the Queen entered the room. Seeing her son smoldering in the middle of the fire, Astarte instinctively (but naively) grabbed the child out of the flames, undoing the magic of Isis that would have made her son a god.When the Queen demanded an explanation, Isis revealed her identity and told Astarte of her quest to recover her husband's body. As she listened to the story, Astarte realized that the body was hidden in the fragrant tree in the center of the palace and told Isis where to find it.Sheltering his broken body in her arms, the goddess Isis carried the body of Osiris back to Egypt for proper burial. There she hid it in the swamps on the delta of the Nile river.
Unfortunately, Set came across the box one night when he was out hunting. Infuriated by this turn of events and determined not to be outdone, he murdered Osiris once again . . . this time hacking his body into 14 pieces and throwing them in different directions knowing that they would be eaten by the crocodiles. The goddess Isis searched and searched, accompanied by seven scorpions who assisted and protected her. Each time she found new pieces she rejoined them to re-form his body. But Isis could only recover thirteen of the pieces. The fourteenth, his penis, had been swallowed by a crab, so she fashioned one from gold and wax. Then inventing the rites of embalming, and speaking some words of magic, Isis brought her husband back to life.Magically, Isis then conceived a child with Osiris, and gave birth to Horus, who later became the Sun God. Assured that having the infant would now relieve Isis' grief, Osiris was free to descend to become the King of the Underworld, ruling over the dead and the sleeping. His spirit, however, frequently returned to be with Isis and the young Horus who both remained under his watchful and loving eye.
There are many other variations of this myth . . . in some Isis found the body of Osiris in Byblos, fashioned his penis out of clay. In others the goddess consumed the dismembered parts she found and brought Osiris back to life, reincarnating him as her son Horus. In one of the most beautiful renditions, Isis turns into a sparrowhawk and hovers over the body of Osiris, fanning life back into him with her long wings.Regardless of the differences, each version speaks of the power over life and death that the goddess Isis symbolizes. . . the deep mysteries of the feminine ability to create and to bring life from that which is lifeless.To this day the celebration of the flooding of the Nile each year is called "The Night of the Drop" by Muslims. . . for it used to be named "The Night of the Tear-Drop" a remembrance of the extent of the Isis' lamentation of the death of Osiris, her tears so plentiful they caused the Nile to overflow.

The Egyptian goddess Isis played an important role in the development of modern religions, although her influence has been largely forgotten. She was worshipped throughout the Greco-Roman world. During the fourth century when Christianity was making its foothold in the Roman Empire, her worshippers founded the first Madonna cults in order to keep her influence alive. Some early Christians even called themselves Pastophori, meaning the shepherds or servants of Isis. . . which may be where the word "pastors" originated. The influence of Isis is still seen in the Christian ikons of the faithful wife and loving mother.Indeed, the ancient images of Isis nursing the infant Horus inspired the style of portraits of mother and child for centuries, including those of the "Madonna and Child" found in religious art.The power of the goddess Isis in the "public arena" was also profound. Her role as a guide to the Underworld, was often portrayed with winged arms outstretched in a protective position. The image of the wings of Isis was incorporated into the Egyptian throne on which the pharaohs would sit, the wings of Isis protecting them.

The ancient Egyptian goddess Isis has many gifts to share with modern women. Isis embodies the strengths of the feminine, the capacity to feel deeply about relationships, the act of creation, and the source of sustenance and protection. At times Isis could be a clever trickster empowered by her feminine wiles rather than her logic or brute strength, but it is also the goddess Isis who shows us how we can use our personal gifts to create the life we desire rather than simply opposing that which we do not like.The myths of Isis and Osiris caution us about the need for occasional renewal and reconnection in our relationships. Isis also reminds us to acknowledge and accept the depths of our emotions.

Enter Tiya and Joel

2008-09-19T04:32:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from Chapter II of my original novel, "Crowning Heights"

Glistening in the new morning sun is Tiya, sprawled out on her bed like her strewn silk sheets. Amon Ra sent his first rays of light to wrap around her naked body as he does every third morning. Tiya has the unfortunate valor of being the cruel Pharaoh’s favorite of the concubines. Every third night, so as not to tire of her, she is his. The other two nights his fifty some odd other women took turns. It really didn’t matter to him who he saw on those nights. Only the third night mattered.

Maidservants vigorously try to wake her from her deep slumber which is the custom. Tiya wallows in her dreams, holding fast to them for they are the only reality she prefers. When she finally wakes, she steps away from the maid servants and their attempts to get her freshened up. Tiya draws hypnotically to the golden disk of Ra like a moth to the light. The only thing she liked about the third night was the morning after, knowing that she had two straight days of freedom ahead of her. Tiya looked down to the garden below filled with her favorite flowers, lotus blossoms, and took a deep breath, catching the floating fragrances in the air.

“Tiya!” A middle aged maid servant named Menna shouts trying to wake her from her happy trance.
“As you lay, sleeping away your caged life, you missed the whispers.”

“Whispers? I hate whispers. You know this. What importance do words have that can not be yelled from the tops of mountains?” Tiya says raising her voice, spinning around, arms and legs dramatically whirling everywhere to the dismay of the two maid servants who are so used to her antics. They never understood why she always seemed so happy, occupying the same cage they did. After dancing around for a few minutes, Tiya playfully bumps into the young maid servant Yuya, accidentally knocking the sheets she was folding out of her hand.

“So what kind of whispers do you speak of?”

“Whispers of the arrival of a savior for the slaves. Can you believe this?” Menna says with disgust.

“The Hebrews?” Tiya asks excitedly.

“What other slaves do we have?” Menna asks sarcastically.

“From where has he traveled?” Tiya asks peeked with interest.

“No one knows.”

“They say he used to be Egyptian?” The maid servant Yuya interjects coyly.
They all look at her perplexed in a moment of thinking silence.

“Well how could that be?” Tiya asks.

“I do not know. But that morning when he arrived with another man, I was in beer service to the king at court. In the presence of the Pharaoh, his companion spoke for him, like a man presenting a god, and through him he asked, no, commanded that his people be freed.”
Tiya walked over to her window in a cloud of thought. She was gripped by this story; all the possibilities played around in her head.

“Freed?!” Menna laughs. “They have been our slaves for almost 500 years. What is the reason for them wanting to be free now?”

“To go serve their god.” Yuya answers, busily putting the finishing touches on Tiya’s bed.

“What god? A god of slaves? How powerful can a god of slaves be? At any rate, we have many gods that they can choose from to worship. This man is mad. Pharaoh did not grant them what they beg for did he?” Menna asks in an angry tone.

“Pharaoh Amenhotep?” Yuya asks knowing full well that anyone who knows anything about the Pharaoh would know the answer to that question.

“No. Our Pharaoh added more burden to the work of the slaves.”

“But of course.” Tiya says disappointed.

“He has audience with the Pharaoh once more this morning.” Yuya adds.

“You mean he is not dead?” Tiya asks confused. The maidservant Yuya shakes her head, no.

“This is strange in deed. I must be there when he returns.” Tiya says excitedly.

“Of what purpose is there to see a carcass in waiting?” The older maid servant inquires of Tiya.

“If this savior is victorious and the slaves are freed, what more evidence do you need that one day we will also follow.” Tiya says confidently. “Do you not taste it?”

“Taste what?” A maidservant asks.

“Freedom!”

“Shhhhhhh!” The servants let out as one.

“Tiya, you look into your mirror with closed eyes.” The older servant smartly smirks, turning her back to Tiya while throwing her old sheets in a large cane woven basket.

“You do not have to clean the soiled sheets and dirty clothes and dirty behinds of others.” Menna notes making a reference to her duties to Tiya.

Pointing out the window to the distance Tiya returns.
“And you do not have to mold and drag monstrous slabs of rock up hill and watch your best friends and family get crushed under them time and time again while being whipped for working too slow in the fury of the sun because your soul has been weakened by the memory of your mother being ravaged by Egyptian soldiers all so that this Pharaoh can indulge in his vanity of having his name and these monuments stand to times indefinite.”

Tiya slid closer to the older maid servant in a threatening manner.

“Do not tell me I look into my mirror with closed eyes. Next time you look into your mirror, peer a little closer and you will see a line of people standing behind you.”

Menna, defeated, motioned for Yuya to exit. She had enough of Tiya. Every time she saw her in the splendor Pharaoh Amenhotep would lavish her with, she would be sick to her stomach. She would always think that, that could have been her. After all, she and Tiya were both servants to the Pharaoh. They just had different duties and if Menna was younger and beautiful, and Tiya was older and heavy set as she was, the duties would have been switched. So when Tiya complained about having to simply pleasure the Pharaoh, the Egyptian god on earth, Menna just wanted to slap her to her senses.

“Do not leave. I don’t want us to part on bad footing.” Tiya pleaded, holding on to Menna touch arm as she walked out the door.

Menna faced her from the hall way. She looked down at her own footing, tattered cloth sandals being held together by makeshift strings and then she looked over to Tiya’s golden threaded sandals in the corner. Tiya’s eyes followed hers and the silent message was clear as a cloudless day. Giving a sour smile Menna disappeared down the hallway and the younger maid servant, Yuya reluctantly followed, looking back at Tiya with apologetic eyes.

Tiya plopped on her freshly made up bed and just laid there naked as she was born.

Scientific Update On The Sphinx

2008-09-18T04:06:00.000-07:00

Minister of Culture Farouk Hosni received a technical and ecological report on the health of the Great Sphinx at Giza, which asserted that the Sphinx and surrounding bedrock are safe, and that the groundwater in the area in front of it has not affected any part of its body.
Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA) said that the scientific studies carried out by the Ecology and Engineering Center revealed that the groundwater in front of the sphinx is potable water, found at a depth of 4,8 metres below ground – a level which has not changed since ancient times. He asserted that within two months, the water in front of the Sphinx will be pumped out within the framework of a 2 million LE project being carried out by the Archeological Engineering Centre at Cairo University (AEC).

Dr. Hafez Abdel Azim, head of the AEC, explained that the movement and level of the subterranean water under the Valley Temple of Khafre are stable, and that seven experimental wells have been dug in front of the Sphinx to study the rate of movement of the groundwater. He also said that 260 cubic meters of water are pumped out every hour through drainage tubes, and that the water in front of the sphinx has been reduced to 70 percent of its original volume. 33 monitoring points, established to inspect the movement of the body of the Sphinx and the surrounding bedrock over the last month, have proved that they are steady. Dr. Hawass explained that a comprehensive two-year study on the sources of the underground water will be carried out in collaboration with the UNDP, the AEC and other Egyptian experts. A fund of 40 million LE has been established for this project, which should prevent future groundwater problems.

Discoveries at Edfu - 13th and 17th Dynasty

2008-09-15T19:23:00.000-07:00

H.E. Farouk Hosni, Minister of Culture, announced recently that an American archaeological mission from the University of Chicago has unearthed an administrative building and silos dating back to Dynasty 17 (c. 1665-1569 BC), as well as an older columned hall during routine excavations at Edfu.

Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities (SCA), explained that the columned hall is a mud-brick building with sixteen wooden columns that predates the silos. Pottery and seal impressions dated to early Dynasty 13 (c. 1786-1665 BC) were found inside the hall. Hawass said that the layout of the building shows that it may have been part of the governor’s palace, which was a typical feature of provincial towns. It was used by scribes for accounting, opening and sealing containers, and also for receiving letters.

Dr. Nadine Moeller, head of the American mission, said that the seal impressions were made by scarab seals decorated with ornamental patterns, such as spirals and a combination of hieroglyphic symbols including ankh signs. Patterns belonging to different officials were also uncovered, which provide evidence for the various administrative activities, such as accounting in addition to sealing boxes, ceramic jars, and other commodities.

Dr. Moeller said that this discovery reflects Egypt’s political situation at that time, a time when Egypt’s unity no longer existed and a small kingdom had developed at Thebes which controlled Upper Egypt. During this period, Dr. Moeller added, connections between the provincial elite, such as the family of the governor, and the royal family in Thebes were strengthened through marriage or the awarding of important offices.

"The Last Pharaoh" - TAHARQA

2008-09-11T08:17:00.000-07:00

"Academy-nominated actor and box office powerhouse Will Smith is gearing up for his latest role in the upcoming drama, The Last Pharaoh. He will play the role of Taharqa, a Nubian Egyptian Pharaoh, who battled the Assyrians during his 26-year-reign. The epic film will be written by Randall Wallace, the scribe behind movies such as Braveheart, The Man in the Iron Mask, and Pearl Harbor. Smith's production company Overbrook Entertainment will also act as producer of The Last Pharaoh, which will be released via Columbia Pictures. As of now, no release date has been announced for The Last Pharaoh." http://www.willsmith.com/news/newsItem.cfm?cms_news_id=34

In 701 B.C., Taharqa made a mark on history that many are not familiar with. His accomplishments are even mentioned in the Bible in the book of II Kings. At the tender age of 20, young Nubian Egyptian Prince Taharqa, in the footsteps of his mighty father Pharaoh Piye, averted the blood thirsty Assyrian army from attacking Judah which is present day Israel. A battle ensued between the Egyptian and Assyrian armies and although the Assyrians failed to kill the head of the Egyptian army, Prince Taharqa, Assyrian King, Sennachrib, falsely boasted of his victory and mocked the Egyptian – Jewish alliance by issuing this threat to the then Israeli leader, Hezekiah. “You trust upon the staff of this bruised reed Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: So is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.”

As the braggart King Sennachrib continued to advance his armies toward Jerusalem, a miracle happened. The surviving Prince Taharqa managed to amass his army once again and press forward to protect Jerusalem against this invader from the east. Upon hearing the grim news, Sennacherib suddenly abandoned the siege and galloped back in disgrace to his kingdom, where he was murdered 18 years later, apparently by his own sons. This victory allowed the Hebrew society and Judaism to strengthen for another crucial century by which, the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar could only banish the powerful nation and fail to obliterate them or their faith.

This was the first of many many successes by Pharaoh Taharqa. His will and persistence threatened the Assyrians so much so that they referred to him as, “the one accursed by all the great gods” and at his passing, his enemies defaced as many pieces of architecture bearing his name and his images as they could, focusing on destroying the ureaus on his forehead (which depicted his rulership over both Upper and Lower Egypt) and his nose (there exists various theories as to the motive). Regardless, his eyes, bright with buoyancy and character, still remain in tact in many of these works of art which still stand in museums around the world for us to enjoy.

With that said, I truly look forward to the Will Smith film, The Last Pharaoh, which will undoubtedly be a success. Let's keep our ears perked and our eyes peeled for more info.

Royal Love

2008-09-06T11:02:00.000-07:00

Excerpt from "Mahatalbhi I"
by Ambrosia

"As quiet as he is, she can feel the presence of her first love, her husband, Prince Keymahotep, enter the room. To her, he was like a wild hippopotamus rushing through a pottery house, sneaking. Into bed he crawls next to her and stares at her as he does every night. She could feel his eyes brushing on the contour of her face, her bare eyelids, her naked lips. Dahnseta could smell the scent of oils and flowers from a servant girl’s body fresh on his skin. Every night he stares at her as she endures the smell which is fast becoming a stench…creating an aversion to oils and flowers in her.

The question is not, ‘did he?’ The question is ‘with whom?’ Who was the chosen one this night? This beautifully cool night donned with curiously bright stars protecting the harvest moon. Who did her husband take delight in tonight? Who did he find more appealing than her tonight? Who was apparently more beautiful than her tonight? Who did his heart beat for tonight?
…’maybe younger, taller, more slender in frame, eyes like an innocent fawn’s, hair like exquisite fabric from the east.’ ‘I used to be beautiful too’ she thought. Now hips wide, breasts falling at the fruits of her belly that were never able to breathe one precious breath. Dahnseta pondered to herself as she did every night. Wasting thoughts into the night. Shedding tears from the inside of her heart; wrapped up in a blanket of silence.

Keymahotep gently sweeps Dahnseta’s hair away from her face with his middle finger as he does every night. She forces her heated breaths to become shallow as she pretends to sleep. Then he leans over and lets his lips softly touch hers sending an unexpected but welcoming warmth throughout her body. The same kind of warmth that possessed her body when she and Keymahotep shared their first kiss in the embankments of the Nile river.

Being the daughter of a high official, Dahnseta was subjected to Keymahotep's mischievous–filled presence everyday. All other young women would vie for his attention, but Dahnseta simply wanted to read and write, like a scribe. And the young Prince simply wanted her.
After playfully snatching Dahnseta’s writing utensil from her one day, he threw it among the reeds in the Nile. Naturally, Dahnseta, angry, pushed the Prince out of the way and jumped into the water to find it. Keymahotep, as surprised by her bravery as he could be, jumped in after her.

“Why did you jump in after it? These waters are infested with the leviathan.”

“My mother had that made for me you dirty boy. That was the last gift she ever gave to me!”

Keymahotep, after seeing the real pain etched on her face, dived into the muddy waters head first searching for the skinny little writing utensil.

“We will never find it like this!” Dahnseta protested as she searched also, desperately throwing globs of mud to and fro.
Their expensive linens were now dripping with the blackness of rich mud.

“What will you give me if I find it?” Keymahotep asked.
“What will I give you?...Hmm..” She thinks. “A strike for flinging it in the first place.”
Keymahotep laughed with his hand dripping behind his back.
“If I find it, do you promise to kiss me?”
“Oh, anything just as long as you find it.” Dahnseta blindly agreed, losing all hope anyway as she continued to drag more mud and reed roots to the surface.
As Keymahotep revealed the utensil in his muddy hand, Dahnseta lunged for it.
“You must seal the agreement now.” Keymahotep proclaimed like a commander of the royal army with a large triumphant smile of victory.
He wiped his muddy hands into his muddy shirt. Then he took his middle finger, which he knew yielded less pressure than the others and gently removed the mud from Dahnseta’s lips, revealing their red fullness. He then pulled her into him and kissed them softly as he did so many times before in his dreams. She did not want to kiss him at first but she succumbed to his passion that tasted like a hypnotic elixir which heated her body immediately and took her away from all pain and loss that plagued her. They were frozen in mud, in time, in place and did not want to be released from each others embrace as it got tighter and tighter and hotter under the last gaze of the orange sun as it smiled its way into the restful horizon.

Now, Dahnseta didn’t know from where this new person appeared from; this power-hungry, girl-hungry man. Prince Keymahotep covers his wife with his arm and nestles into her, content and with a restful mind. He immediately falls asleep but Dahnseta stays awake, hurting her head with thoughts of a better time.

Your Half Moon Smile

2008-08-28T14:14:00.000-07:00

By Ambrosia

excerpt from my unpublished, copywritten novel, "Mahatalbhi I"

Temhep writes...

'Summer nights fall slowly
The sky is black but the ground is still lit up with new born lovers
Planted in the winter, Fed in the spring
What is behind your half moon smile that shines in the night and in the day?
Touching the Nile waters with your finger so that they glow silver

The moon whispers to your smile
And tells it to ILLUMINATE
Your face, bright.
Beyond your disguise.

Your true hair curls around your head like a crown of loveliness.
Remove the black- green kohl from your eyes so that the moon can make its home and shine more brightly in them.

A poor wine presser am I.
But I become rich when I see the jewels cast in your teeth
Drunk, when I drink the laughter from your mouth
It is sweeter than the sweetest wine fermented by man

You follow me, like the moon.
When I lay my head on my rest, there you are.
When I stretch my arms with renewed vigor in the morning, there you are.
When I am trampling the grapes of love for you, there you are.
I try to run but you follow me, like the moon.
So I have given up on running.

Now I come to you.

What is behind your half moon smile?
*****************************************************
Mahatalbhi writes

'Your words are soft to the papyrus you have gently brushed them on
Your words speak to my Ka.
But when I spew your words out of my mouth for my ears to hear
They sting like the venom of a vengeful asp
You and I are from different halves of the land
Divided by our father's hands
I cannot cross to your side
And you cannot come to mine

A river scorned, a stubborn mountain, an evil windstorm
Stand in between us.
We can never touch.
How can such lovers survive without that comfort?
Behind my half moon smile is love
And hate
It is real and unreal
A smile is all I can give you
All that our father’s world can allow
All my heart can endure'
*********************************************
Temhep writes

'Therefore, I will cross the scorned river
And she will love me
I will climb the stubborn mountain
And he will become like clay in my hands
I will weather the evil windstorm until it becomes a mere whisper
In your ear.
And say,'Do not fear, I will take care of you'
Not the way that is common for a princess
I will treat you as my Queen.

The fathers of the past are prepared to eat at the table in Duat
And so their customs will follow them
Who will be the first to rejoin the land at war within itself?
Who will be the first to change the direction of the wind?
I accept the challenge.
These words that drip like sweet wine from my lips are true
I want you to taste them and see for yourself.'

********************************************
Mahatalbhi writes

'Why do you awaken such thoughts in my head?
Before you
There has been no other
Your voice has never spoken with mine
Yet you ask me to taste your lips?
Your letters are tormenting me
I lose my breath when I read them
My hands become cold
Perspiration plagues my body

I am imprisoned in an everlasting secret which lays hold of my thoughts and my every move
I look at my father and wonder if he knows
It is killing me
Yet, I dream dreams of tasting your wine drenched lips
I long to sleep in the day so that I may see you dancing in my head into the night
Like the moon with the Nile in an eternal dance

My father thinks I am sick
And he is the wise one
My hand has slipped and now you know my heart
And the thoughts you have awakened in me.'

**********************************************
Temhep writes

'My dear Princess,
I will not be the criminal
Guilty of stealing thoughts into your head
I am the Victor
Freeing the feelings that were already there,
Bound, dying inside of you
I do not want to hurt you
If you can not come away to me
I will continue to live

But without you what kind of life will that be?

Dear Princess just promise me one thing
Whenever you see me making love to the grapes
Until they turn to wine for you
Smile for me
When I pour the elixir of love into your chalice
Smile for me
When I protect the life of your father as his Royal Wine Taster
Smile for me
With the full moon, unafraid.'
*********************************************************
Mahatalbhi writes

'How do you posses such power?
To make you want to defy my father
In turn rebelling against a nation
You are but one man
But the power that lives in you is mightier than the power of the whole royal army
Mightier than me

If I may have one wish
It would be, to be like you
I, Princess, am not worthy of your love because I am not willing to act as you would.
The power that you possess blinds you to all obstacles
And yet, of all ailments, I would wish that same blindness upon myself
So that I may see
The love that runs through your veins.
My dear one,
Yoked to me, I will only be a burden to your heart.'
****************************************************************
Temhep writes

'This is where you are wrong, my love.
This power you say that I have
Is born in you.
When I watch you eat and drink, I gain power
When I hear your voice, I gain power
When I lay down at night and see you lighting up my dreams, I gain power
And when I touch the papyrus that you have sent to me with your words
Etched on them.
Knowing that you have touched it with your own hands.When I smell the perfume of your dried tear drops branded on your messages
I gain power.

It is a feeling unique to itself alone.
I have become a warrior, a conqueror.
And you have given birth to this power and handed it to me.

I want you to look and see for yourself that this power is shared by the two of us.
This love will not die.
Open your eyes my Dear Princess.'
**********************************************************
Mahatalbhi writes

'My dear one,
My eyes are open and I see all too well
I see that word has not reached you
Of a marriage that will soon take place
Between the Prince of Nubia and the Princess of Kemet.
This contract was made at the last inundation between the Pharoah of Kemet and the King of Nubia
My father and my Uncle
I will travel to Nubia in the next month and meet my cousin, the older Prince
And there, we will marry
So that the warring between the two nations will cease
And the trade dispute will be no more

I wish I were a slave girl
The role of Princess of Kemet is too heavy
I am sorry my Royal Winetaster,
My soul's equal'
************************************************
Temhep writes

'Oh Beautiful One of the Most High,
You have made yourself into a sacrifice for Kemet
To be prepared on an altar and burned for Amon

Lives on the battle field will be saved
But yours will be lost
Your life here in Kemet where you waded in the muddy Nile Banks with your friends will be gone
No more will you dress as a commoner and run around in the towns of the poor at night
No more will I be able to protect you like a mother Leviathan does with her young, without them knowing.

You must carry out your duty,
But do not forget these words that we have bound in union on papyrus, oh Comely one.
My soul will miss yours deeply.
My heart has fallen and I can no longer write.'

Love Letters of the Ancient Egyptians

2008-08-21T15:32:00.000-07:00

Memories by Ambrosia

We ran through the old abandoned temple together, silently laughing at each other as the twilight lent its last rays of sun to bathe us.
Feeling the rough ancient grooves of writing underneath our fingertips as we frolicked.
Reading the secret poems lovers wrote to one another from the day time began in Ancient Egypt. We were in a sort of lovers lane for those who could never show their faces together in a world with confinements.
Love makes men discover a talent they never knew they had: Poetry. Poetry of the heart.
Love making with the movements of the tongue. Love making with the strokes of the hand.
These are some of the writings we felt:

I. When Princess Torenhotep met you, I tasted wine for the first time
Like an infant, breathing air for the first time
When I lost you, I fasted for life.

II. The days for the love of Seta and Amonhotep will never see the night.
The moon will never show his face
The stars will fall out of Nut’s hair,
but her love affair with the sun will never die.
Amon will anoint us with his love to no end.

III. Do not give your ears to the voice of bitter women of old
Wisdom is where they should sit
But Envy has become their cushion
They crave our love like they crave lost youth
To have their hair become black as night is a dream that plagues them
To be able to jump and play like the stag
Sweet memories are revived when they see you in all your beauty
Do not give your ears to the voice of bitter women of old
Our love will live longer than their words

IV. When I sit with the father and mother of my youth
On our golden thrones
Listening to the cases of the people
Ruling over all the jurisdictions of the lands
The eye of my mind falls on you
My simple maidservant
I watch her fill jugs with water from the Nile and kick dust on her tattered sandals
Hurrying to feed her master
Her hair is filled with palm as she fans him, refreshing him
Her nails are plastered in dough as she kneads bread for him
Her clothes smell like the beer of wheat as she ferments it for him
Her beautiful eyes are drowned in tears as she gratifies him
Her labor is like a dance in my head
I want to take her to me and bathe her tired feet with my hair
Feed her thirst with wine
Comb her hair until it shines with perfumes from Nubia
Anoint her neck with the bluest lapis lazuli
Lay her to sleep and watch her breathe
I want to make his slave, my queen.

V. The Pharoah knows not what he possesses in his right hand.
A lady lotus blossom, freshly picked from the valley.
With her fragrance, I am intoxicated.
The air she breathes is most fortunate.
The ground she steps on becomes gold.
The rain that bathes her supple skin is holy water most blessed by Amon.
For I have seen within the bejeweled eyes of the lotus blossom, Hathor, the goddess of love.
Eyes that are now hiding sorrow.
Eyes that are now being kissed by the pharaoh.
Eyes not enough to be a queen’s but a mere concubine.
Eyes that are mine.
I will challenge the depths of the Nile and wrestle with Leviathan in order to receive one more whiff of her.
I will bring the morning on my back so that my lady lotus blossom may open once more and praise Amon for the beauty he has anointed her.