Al-Ahram Weekly 12 - 18 August 1999 Issue No. 442
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875

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History brought to life

By Amira El-Noshokaty

In the Pharaonic Village, on the Nile Corniche in Giza, a visit is no longer limited to real life performances of the Ancient Egyptians' daily life. Now the visitor can gain more information about ancient life through visiting a number of museums.

Previously, there were museums dedicated to Tutankhamun, Alexander the Great and Islamic history. Now, there are three new museums devoted to boats, mummification and Pharaonic religious beliefs.

The aim of these displays, according to village officials, is to cover different phases of Egyptian history and thus provide a comprehensive historical picture within the village.

After sailing around the papyrus plantation -- the biggest in the Middle East -- and viewing the live presentation of daily life back in Pharaonic times, the boat stopped by an island for visitors to inspect the newly opened museums.

The Boat Museum opened just six months ago and was our first stop. Inside it, we saw many boat replicas made of papyrus and wood. Some had been used by Ancient Egyptians as a means of transport, or were used in trade or battles. Each has its own shape and specifications.

"The papyrus and wood used in building boats were usually imported from Syria and Lebanon. We had such material in Egypt but the Ancient Egyptians considered their wood as sacred and did not use it," said Ashraf Mahmoud, our tour guide in the village.

According to Mahmoud, Ancient Egyptians sailed around Africa by using such boats. "Records show that sailing took place during the reign of the 26th Dynasty when pharaohs managed to sail along the African coast, pass around the Cape of Good Hope, then once again into the Mediterranean. Records also said that the pharaohs used to say that at the beginning of their voyage, the sun [needed to be] on their right and by the end of the voyage it was on their left."

In the exhibition room there were various replicas of different boats that were made of strips of papyrus, all tied up in parallel patterns by strong piles of ropes.

After leaving the papyrus boats and drawings, we drifted away to the museum of mummification.

The Ancient Egyptians believed in the existence of the afterlife. Thus it was highly important to preserve the body in good condition so the soul could return to the body once more.

The Pharaonic Village has expanded its educational role through establishing a number of new museums devoted to mummification, boats and religious beliefs photos: Khaled El-Fiqi

As we toured around, we saw replicas of mummies. To the right, lay a mummy and four big cylindrical containers made of yellowish alabaster. The covers of the containers represented the heads of the four children of Horus.

"The internal body parts like the stomach, intestines, liver and lungs are well preserved, each in one of the containers," said Mahmoud, "while the heart is the only organ that remains in the body, to be weighed by the scale of justice against a feather in the afterlife."

Against the dark walls are many papyrus paintings depicting the procedures of mummification and the funeral. In one painting the scene of a burial is captured -- the coffin rested on a slide being pulled by people and followed by a group of servants who carried the deceased's personal belongings and food that would be used in the afterlife.

The mummification ritual, which was limited to rich, upper class and royalty figures, took 70 days. After the first 15 days preservatives were added to the "alabaster" containers. The next step was placing the body in "natron salt". This was essential for getting rid of the water in the body. This lasts for 40 days.

"The 40-day-phase is usually concluded by a memorial to the recently deceased person. It has no religious grounds -- it is Pharaonic," Mahmoud said.

Covering the body with white linen was the last stage of the mummification process. After this the body is preserved in a tomb with the rest of the person's belongings as well as the book of the dead (a book given to the deceased in order to help them on their day of judgment).

"We are planning to include Ancient Egyptian medicine, and their herbal medications and surgery in the art of mummification museum," said Mohamed Kamal, the village's public relations manager.

A few metres away was the museum of Pharaonic religious beliefs. This museum opened only a few days ago. It focuses on the religious beliefs and gods of Ancient Egypt. Different governorates had different gods. The gods were usually arranged in a set of three -- a god, a goddess and their child.

Amidst the portraits and myths of gods that covered the room's walls were those of Isis, the goddess of life, Osiris and their son Horus. According to the old Pharaonic myth, Osiris, the god of the afterlife, was killed by his envious brother, Set, the god of evil. Isis managed to bring her husband, Osiris, back to life, and she gave birth to Horus. Ever since then, Isis has been known as the goddess of life and Osiris the god of the afterlife and prosperity in Ancient Egyptian mythology.

In addition to the mythological and religious figures and gods were several musical instruments that were used in Ancient Egypt. Harps, flutes and other musical instruments were on display. Away from the museums we stepped into "Cleopatra's Studio", where people were dressed in Pharaonic costumes and were being photographed.

Later, we took a walk in the village's market where different Pharaonic and Bedouin ornaments and customs were on sale. On our way to the cafeteria, we stopped to watch a clever glassmaker in action. He was crafting tiny glass perfume bottles while engraving tourists' names on them.

As for the village's future plans, there are two more museums to be established. One is the Coptic museum and the other for modern Egyptian history.

"We are having a great festival for the millennium," said Kamal. "We are designing a Pharaonic night where we would celebrate the annual Nile festival."

The Pharaonic Village is open daily between 9am and 9pm. Tickets cost LE55 for foreigners and LE35 for Egyptians and include museum visits. The tour takes about two hours.

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