Spooky Night at the Museum

How did you celebrate Halloween in your part of the world? With monsters, ghouls, and mummies?  Did you say mummies? 







For me, in Cairo, there was only place to be on Halloween - with mummies of dead kings and queens at The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities at Tahrir Square (which actually is a traffic circle).
Enter this museum after dark, and you may feel a little spooked out anyway, Halloween or not.  Statues of every conceivable shape and size, with dust of a thousand years, gaze into space.  I walked around with a knowledgeable tour guide as she informed me of the different dynasties (32) and pharaohs (about 500) who ruled Egypt.  The Pharaonic dynasties continued till Alexander the great began his rule in 332 BC. Ancient Egyptians enjoyed life, and most certainly enjoyed death! The museum has piles and piles of mummies! Some in the coffins, some out of the coffins.  Some covered with masks, others coyly revealing an unwrapped foot or an ancient visage.  The coffins show remarkable artistry, some still showing bright paint, yet others covered with gold leaf. 
Which brings me to our golden boy -  king Tut-Ankh-Amon, affectionately know as Tut around the world.  His mask is without compare, his jewelry, meticulous.
His coffin is a set of matryoshka dolls.  One gold box within another within another, all tightly packed together. So desperate were the ancients that their king should rest in peace.  His gold chair depicts him and his sister, both wearing just one sandal each.  She, with a silver dress (apparently silver was more expensive than gold), touching his shoulder as though making him immortal.  God Amun Ra throws out his light, the rays becoming little hands at the ends.
There is endless symbolism with animals and objects.  Falcons, cobras, jackals - all rally around to protect him. The really freaky part of the display ( and this really spooked me out) was that the one of the canopic jars still have his blood stains on it.  Yes, I saw 4000 year old royal blood on Halloween! 
Best. Halloween. Ever.

Until next time, Massalam!

Comments

  1. UnknownNovember 1, 2019 at 7:18 PM

    Thanks for sharing your adventures. I am glad you are doing well.

    ReplyDelete
  2. SrikanthNovember 2, 2019 at 10:46 PM

    Love the perspective on the mummies of Egypt! Thank you Natasha! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. UnknownNovember 19, 2019 at 10:18 AM

    Ms. Agrawal, thank you for sharing your experience. Great article!
    - from Mr. Espenshade's 2nd block class.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Natasha English Language Fellow, EgyptNovember 19, 2019 at 1:38 PM

      Thank you for reading 2nd Block class! Keep sending me your questions!

      Delete
  4. UnknownNovember 19, 2019 at 10:23 AM

    Thanks for sharing your adventures. Your pics were really amazing and interesting!
    -from Mr. Espenshade's 1st block class.

    ReplyDelete

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