A Cockney's Journey (31 page)

    “The standard explanation is that grave-robbers broke in and stole the bodies, but this is not very convincing, especially as some of the empty sarcophagi seem not to have been opened or disturbed. An alternative explanation, which I may add is my belief,” he said, “is that the corridors and chambers that have been discovered and explored in the pyramids were blinds, meant to deceive robbers, and that bodies of kings are hidden in skilfully concealed compartments, where they still lie undiscovered to this very day.”
    The guide went on to explain that the tour was now over for today and showed us the way out.
    Later that evening, we travelled to Azziz’s hometown in El Minya, where we stayed the night in a cheap hotel near Azziz’s home. Next morning, we boarded a riverboat, or felucca, and cruised up the Nile towards to our hotel in Luxor. I gazed in awe as we slowly cruised past the silhouettes of great ochre-coloured temples and monuments rising up on the horizon. The river’s verdant banks overflowed with tall obelisks and ruined shrines from a bygone age. This famous river is the very lifeblood of Egypt; its fertile banks shaped Egyptian culture and inspired religious life in the first dynasty. The sacred Nile is like an open-air museum and I found myself being transported back in time to an opulent age of pharaohs, gods and glorious temples. I could see in the distance the temple of Amen-Ra in Karnak and knew we would shortly be back in our hotel.
    After eating a hearty meal in the hotel’s restaurant, we made our way to the Valley of the Kings, north of Luxor. Hidden away in a scorching canyon flanked by arid sands and soaring mountains lies the majestic valley. This desolate ravine plays host to the burial chambers and tombs of Egypt’s many pharaohs. It was here that Tutankhamun’s golden sarcophagus was unearthed, exposing the King’s glittering treasures of Egypt. After strolling about in awe of the valley and the mystical brace it holds over you, we entered burial chambers hidden away in the Theban hills. I stood gazing in excitement at the reliefs and murals that decorated most of the vaults. Built into the cliff-face, the temple of Queen Hatshepsut was built in honour of the only woman to ever reign over Egypt as pharaoh. The temple rises up in a series of monumental terraces and we were amazed by the elegant columns stretching into cloudless blue skies. I focused my attention on the magical hieroglyphic inscriptions, wondering what secrets were really hidden here. I thought this was truly the most spiritual experience ever!
    Well, I was wrong. My visit to Karnak would blow me away completely.
    After visiting the Valley, we all returned to our hotel feeling quite jaded and extremely tired; the Egyptian heat had taken its toll on our mere mortal bodies. While we sat drinking ice-cold lager in the hotel lounge bar trying to relax, an excited Aziz broke the silence.
    “You’ve just got to visit Karnak, Luxor temple and the temple of Horus in Edfu before you all go back to Jeddah. I’m still around for the rest of the week. I’d love to see your face, Ed, when you see Karnak.”
    “Sounds good to me, Aziz. Everyone else OK with that?” I asked, looking around the table smiling.
    “Yeah, no probs,” Al and James both said simultaneously. The other guys asked to be excluded from our remaining sightseeing plans, due to the very early starts and the constant heat.
    The following day we set out for Karnak and, to say that I was spellbound would undoubtedly be an understatement. Comprising of three separate shrines, the temple is, quite simply, enormous. Standing, awestruck, I simply couldn’t understand why the Egyptians built such a huge monument in honour of Theban gods and the glory of the pharaohs. You just don’t build temples and shrines for no reason; somewhere back in time, the secret had been lost or deliberately hidden, I thought to myself. Our party walked around staring in utter disbelief at the vast labyrinth of towering stone pylons, obelisks, sanctuaries and monumental gateways. We entered the great hypostyle hall. Again, I was gobsmacked to the point of delirium. Before my very eyes stood well over a hundred soaring papyrus-shaped columns.
    “Well Ed, fantastic isn’t it?” Azziz whispered.
    “All this for gods, They knew something, something very important that modern man can’t or won’t comprehend,” I said.
    After spending most of the afternoon wandering around Karnak Temple in total awe of its enormity, we made our way back to our hotel for dinner. During dinner, my mind was in turmoil at the sights that I had seen this week.
Everything the Egyptians built related to gods, astrology and the afterlife. Why were the pharaohs so obsessed with leaving their mark for all mankind? Was it because they knew the secret of life? Is there, somewhere in the pyramids and shrines, messages left for mankind that, to date, we have not found, or just simply missed? There’s definitely something we’ve missed and all this, hundreds of years before Jesus of Nazareth. I believe Jesus was sent to mankind from the universe to show us the way forward spiritually.
    Al annoyingly broke my train of thought.
    “Fancy another beer, Ed?” he asked, looking at me strangely.
    “Yeah, why not?”
    “You all right, Ed? You were miles away, mate,” he asked in a concerned voice.
    “Probably all that sun, eh, Ed,” James laughed.
    “I’m not surprised. It’s been the hottest day of the year. Well over a hundred degrees,” Azziz informed us.
    “Do ya mind if I crash out soon, guys?” I asked. “I feel totally knackered and my body needs to sleep, big time.” I yawned and stretched my arms towards the ceiling.
    “I feel tired myself,” James reckoned, yawning as well.
    “OK, a nice early night wouldn’t go amiss,” Al said.
    “Fine, no problem. Tomorrow we’ll visit the temple of Horus in Edfu and take in Luxor temple,” Azziz suggested.
    After a short while, the four of us departed to our rooms. I opened my balcony doors to let in the cool, welcoming breeze and lit my mosquito-repellent candles. Slipping into bed, feeling completely drained, I once again fell into a deep relaxing asleep.
    After breakfast the following morning, we left for the small town of Edfu, where again I must admit at being taken aback by the sheer size of the temple. Dedicated to the falcon-headed sky god Horus, this huge edifice is quite probably the best preserved of Egypt’s ancient shrines. Two giant black granite falcons stand guard over the colossal gateway. Beyond this, we entered an extensive maze of splendid colonnades, courtyards and sanctuaries, adorned with exquisitely detailed wall carvings. I wandered through the temple, trying to imagine how it looked in its heyday, during a ceremony or festival, covered in flowers and scented with the delightful smell of incense. The thought sent a tingling sensation down my spine.
    After leaving Horus’s temple, Azziz thought it would be a good idea for us to travel by boat to Luxor temple. We sailed down the sacred Nile, perpetually in awe of all the temples and monuments, I felt as sick-as-a-parrot that we were leaving for Jeddah tomorrow. On arriving at the temple, we wandered down an avenue of sphinxes to the shrine and discovered an elegant array of courtyards and chapels overlooking the sparkling waters of the Nile. I stood admiring the unbelievably massive stone statue of Ramesses II. We visited museums within the temple, which were exhibiting objects from Tutankhamun’s tomb, along with quite a few mummified exhibits unearthed in the temple. The guide brochure was fascinating, with its many mystical stories. It’s quite amazing to think that Luxor is built on top of the 4,000-year-old site of the ancient city of Thebes, City of the Living.
    As I glanced around at this awesome and majestic piece of Egyptian architecture, I knew these past few days would undoubtedly stay in my mind forever. Looking in my leaflet, which contained a map of all the temples, shrines and monuments in Egypt, I realised that a week was not enough to see everything.
    I’d love to visit my spiritual home once more before my journey to the afterlife. Unfortunately, my financial circumstances since then have prevented me from doing this, however, hopefully there is still time yet.
    The following day we left Luxor and returned to Jeddah, feeling completely shell-shocked at the marvels we had all witnessed. Azziz returned to El Minya, making arrangements with all of us to meet up in a couple of weeks’ time, in the souk on a Friday.
    Back on site in Jeddah, it took me a couple of days to get my head around the job in hand, which was preparing for the team’s forthcoming football tournament in Qatar.
    The lads trained very hard every night that week, and I must admit they looked really sharp and positive. Sixteen teams participated in the three day knockout tournament. Arincon were drawn against the local Italian side that were based in Qatar. Their reputation preceded them, as we were warned prior to arriving about their physical and dirty play. As the game started, the Italians made it perfectly clear as to their intentions, committing horrendous fouls every time an Arincon player had possession. The Algerian ref was abysmal, disallowing three perfectly good goals that Arincon scored. Just before half time, he gave a penalty to the Italians for an innocuous challenge on their centre forward, and what followed can only be described as mayhem. Four Arincon players surrounded the ref, protesting about his diabolical decision. He then promptly sent off two of our players for arguing. After order was restored, the Italian forward stepped up to take the penalty. He thumped the ball so hard and aggressively that it sailed over the bar, much to every Arincon player’s amusement.
    The second half started with Arincon down to nine men. I told the lads that we should defend, trying to hit them on the break; and halfway through the half, our chance came. We quickly broke down their attack and caught them flat-footed; my long through-ball found James unmarked and he sped down the wing onside and quickly rounded the advancing keeper and slotted the ball into an empty net. For the remainder of the game, we played with nine men behind the ball successfully. Sheik Mohammad, who was watching the game from his air-conditioned minibus, was absolutely fuming with rage. His comments to one of the officials could be heard from the other side of the pitch. Unfortunately, I didn’t understand Arabic so I never had a clue what he said. Mind you, judging by his actions and facial expressions, I didn’t need to understand Arabic, but Arincon were now in the last eight, waiting for the draw.