in the middle east

Upon arriving in Cairo, we spent our first full day exploring the great ancient pyramids of Egypt. This is obviously one of the country's major tourist attractions, and even though it was "low" season, we were among thousands of visitors that day. But it's obvious why this is so: the pyramids are simply one of the most astounding things to see up close. The pyramids we saw were built in the 3rd and 4th dynasties of Egypt's "Old Kingdom", i.e. from the period around 2600-2500 BC. They were made as royal tombs for the deified pharaoh's, to give them a magnificent place to rest as they began their journey on the other side of death. We spent the day just circling them, walking around and looking at them from all angles, marvelling at their size. By the end of the day we were pretty spent, and packed up our bags to board an overnight train that would carry us South almost the entire length of the country, to Aswan. But for the moment, our pictures from the pyramids will do. Click Here.