Wharton Journal

Issue date: 3/19/07 Section: News

Egypt is probably the only destination that offers ancient ruins, religious monuments and breathtaking beaches within its national borders. Although the population is nearing 80 million citizens, the majority of industries - tourism, hospitality and retail - are dominated by local men. Many of us were amazed by these observations; a fellow traveler stated, "I hope at least the belly dancers are female." A majority of the females we did encounter during our travels chose to cover their heads with the traditional hijab or burqa. Needless to say many of our "exposed" Wharton females became the center of attention in Egypt. Store vendors offered me camels in return for any of my fellow travelers, and many of them promised to kill their wives for a chance to court our American beauties.

But if we know anything about western women, it is that they love to shop. The strength of the dollar and the open bargaining for goods only heightened the experience. Self-nominated to protect our females, I often got cajoled into helping a few of them bargain on souvenirs and other retail goods. I am convinced that it is far more beneficial to enroll in Negotiations class prior to visiting Egypt. Many second-years embodied the smooth-talking attributes of Rico Suave while first-years were single-handedly contributing to hyperinflation conditions by leaving a generous portion of the consumer surplus behind.

About 90% of the population has ties with Islam, while the remaining minority is respected for its membership in either Christianity or Judaism. Although I was able to easily identify churches and synagogues in urban areas, it was impressive to find a mosque on practically every block of Cairo, Luxor and Aswan - three of the stops during our travels. Muslims traditionally pray five times a day, and this had many of us battling to sleep through the 5:00 am call for prayers. For those of us who managed to embrace the morning ritual, we witnessed the sun rise from behind colossal monuments built to appease Egyptian gods and ancient structures that defy pre-modern architecture.

The largest pyramid in Egypt - the Great Pyramid of Khufu in Cairo - is comprised of 2.3 million limestone blocks, each weighing two tons. The nearby Great Sphinx of Giza (referred to as Abu al-Hol or Father of Terror) is designed to capture the intelligence of a human with the prowess and might of an animal. It is one of many sphinxes residing in the area, primarily in place to protect neighboring sites. The sites of Cairo were followed by a 2-day cruise along the Nile River and relaxation in Sharm el-Sheikh. We encountered sensational temples dedicated to the god of crocodiles (Kom Ombo Temple - displays a mummified crocodile), the central god of the new kingdom (Karnak Temple - built over the course of 2000 years), and the transformation of kings into divine beings and pharaohs of fertility (Luxor Temple). The group also visited temples that were damaged and covered with European paintings from the Christian emergence and re-enacted many mythical and historical occurrences with the help of our devoted tour guide. We also visited tomb sites that were discovered only at the beginning of the 20th century. These grounds display elaborate and ornate hieroglyphics depicting stories of the famous rulers that were once buried in these underground vessels (Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens).

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