The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid.

The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid.

"Hw do I go about making my dream come true and actually seeing them?"

OP, there are these things called airline tickets...

14.7M people from around the world see the Great Pyramid and Sphinx every year, OP. Among that kind of figure there are many others who, I suspect, have overcome much greater obstacles than whatever yours may be to see these places. The trip most regretted is the one untaken. Go, FFS.

I would LOVE to see them, as well, OP...except that a former roommate of mine moved to Cairo and told me that all the ancient monuments are huge tourist traps that are roped off and surrounded by seas of tourists, along with local children begging for money in multiple languages at all times...photos never account for the tourists who swarm the buildings. So that seemed disappointing.

Another friend of mine lived in Cairo for a couple of years--she has a wild family history--and she said that as a teenager she and her friends used to get drunk and climb the pyramids at night. I didn't believe her at first, but lots of her stories have panned out.

Either way, at the Louvre, I was absolutely mesmerized by the Egyptian artifacts. The stone etching, even thousands of years later, is so precise that it looks like it had to have been done by a machine. I just find the remnants of the ancient Egyptian culture endlessly fascinating.

Look at all the tourists

I knew of a guy who went to Egypt with a group of people and while they nearing the Great Pyramid a very horny Egyptian man kept talking to him and wanted to take him right beside the pyramid and have sex with him . He declined the offer. An older woman in the group remarked to him, "I think that man liked you." Lol.

Climbing the Great Pyramid at night has been popular since the Victorian era.

21st century Egypt has never been terribly high on my bucket list, but I would like to take a slow cruise down the Nile, in a small cruise ship or private residential boat. As the ship slowly went from historical site to beauty spot I'd hang out on the deck, birdwatching and taking photos of the African wildlife... IF the political situation was mellow at the time and the country was totally safe for gays. And that's why I haven't visited the Middle East or Muslim world yet.

I am half Egyptian, OP, and can tell you that there is a lot more to see in Egypt than the pyramids and the Sphinx. I haven't visited those since I was a child, so it may indeed be more difficult to get close now, but Upper Egypt and a Nile cruise (not now obviously) would give you the chance to see many more interesting sights/sites.

Majestic.

The real issue for me is safety, as R7 points out.

My partner and I went to Egypt on a Viking River Tour in January. Saw the pyramids, Great Sphinx and lots of other ancient things. A trip of a lifetime.

Politically it is mostly safe now but certainly not gay-friendly.

Isn't a monument by definition "iconic"? FF for redundancy.

I'm 66 now, and we went to Egypt on a family vacation when I was little, well probably 12. There were very few other tourists there, and you could just walk around freely and spend as much time as your guide would allow (ie, you paid them more, ha.) You could still climb the pyramids back then, and the steps are much higher, at least to a 12 year old, then they looked on tv or National Geographic. We all, even my mom, climbed to the top, but its much scarier coming down than going up, and it took much longer than going up. I was less impressed with the monuments than I was with the camels we rode getting there. I think they finally made it illegal to climb them, and I know they were fenced-off at one point also.

Save up OP...see the world before we destroy it.

I think my brain has difficulty processing the scale of the Great Pyramid. When you see how tall every single block is up close next to a person, and how cubic they are, and then you see a long shot of the pyramid, it looks as if its sides are weathered but roughly diagonal and not gigantic cubes. That really does make me want to see them up close.

If I went, I would be thinking "my ancestors built that."

Thanks to R8 nd R11

Gotta get to Egypt!

The Sphinx and the Great Pyramid appear to have a great deal of mysticism and spirituality attached to them and may be much older than we suppose them to .

Skip the sound and light show.

I went two years ago with my boyfriend. We did a 10 day tour of Egypt and Jordan with Memphis Tours. I highly recommend them as they were reasonably priced and really thorough in taking care of everything. I know safety is a big concern in the middle east, but we never felt unsafe. Yes, there will be lots of tourists at any major tourist site, but I found it well worth the experience. (We also visited the pyramids the same day as Melania Trump, which meant all the vendors and beggars had been cleared out.) We really enjoyed Egypt, but If you're only interested in seeing the pyramids, you can actually see them on a long layover as they're really close to the airport.

Just buy 86-inch 4k UHD monitor and immerse yourself in 4K UHD travel docus - much more intimate, cheaper and safer these days.

Cornelia's father is a seasoned fraudster, r18.

Tourists and guide.

I visited Egypt over a decade ago. Seeing all those antiquities in person really was incredible. Egypt makes much of its money from tourism so everything is set up well for tourists.

Typical tourists tends to follow the same route--Pyramids near Cairo. Take a plane or train down South to Abu Simbel. From there, take a cruise up the Nile and stop at various sites, including the Valleys of the Kings and Queens. 7-10 days is enough for the entire trip.

So much to see.

Egypt wont let Americans in until covid is done.

I went to Egypt on a 2-week tour in 2008. Cairo, Luxor, massive houseboat up river to Abu Simbel. Magical place. I believe everyone on Earth feels drawn to go there.

The Pyramids aren’t called “mountains of stone” for nothing. Massive skyscraper piles, huge beyond range of vision. Clogged with tourists, but then I expected that. Just amazing to walk in those spaces!

Luxor’s gigantic temples, dedicated to their intricate polytheist religion, contrast to Abu Simbel, which is mainly a political statement by Ramses II. And the Valley of the Kings, where my hiking boots literally fell apart, were also fascinating. But we also went to temples at Abydos, where I had what can only be described as a mystical experience, and to massive temples at Denderra and Philae.

The Egyptian Museum is huge and unwieldy to visit. $20 a head for entry, an additional $10 a head to see the “Mummy Room, and you can imagine how much money they make from the hordes of visitors. But, apart from the de-humidified treasure room of Tut’s gold, which is a thrill in itself, the rest of the museum consists of dusty wooden glass cases, with hand-written descriptions, in French! (Meaning: no updating has been done in over a century, as well as no central air, offerIng up a mystery. Where does all that money go?)

My group traveled about in a van, complete with a government-mandated armed guard. While docked at Luxor, I suggested to my female roommate that we stroll downriver to see the Luxor museum, which was well-appointed and beautiful. But, when I later told our Egyptian guide, she had a fit about maintaining security! When I returned to New York, the hunky U.S. Immigration officer informed me there had been a shooting attack on tourists, which I wasn’t aware of.

All this was three years before their revolution, which didn’t surprise me. I understand there was some looting at the Museum, not surprising, since it didn’t look like they spent much on security. That, and the Museum faces Tahrir Square, where the demonstrations took place. No wonder.

There’s a lot more I can describe. It’s really a marvelous place. But time, politics, and pandemic are all obstacles to going back. Though I’d still like to. It’s that kind of place.

Meant to sign above

R1, the pyramid seen behind the Sphinx in your pic is not the Great Pyramid, but the Pyramid of Khafre, easily identifiable by the remnant of white limestone casing at the top. R5's pic has the right one.

In R18's pic, the Great Pyramid can be seen to the left, just over the Sphinx's right shoulder.

Don't just go; you may not be able to get in. Visits to the interiors of Egyptian monuments are frequently on moratorium. Be sure to check their status before plunking down money to go there.

They're essentially on the outer suburbs of Cairo and kindof disappointing because of this. The Sphinx is quite small. The less visited pyramids further South around Saqqara are more interesting than the ones in Giza--fewer tourists, more remote location. More opportunities for exploration.

[quote] The Egyptian Museum is huge and unwieldy to visit. $20 a head for entry, an additional $10 a head to see the “Mummy Room, and you can imagine how much money they make from the hordes of visitors. But, apart from the de-humidified treasure room of Tut’s gold, which is a thrill in itself, the rest of the museum consists of dusty wooden glass cases, with hand-written descriptions, in French! (Meaning: no updating has been done in over a century, as well as no central air, offerIng up a mystery. Where does all that money go?)

Ahem.

There's an interesting hypothesis that the Sphinx as it exists now is actually a re-carved version of a much, much older monument. The theory is based on supposed water erosion on the body part that would have come from a time when this part of Egypt received regular heavy rainfall. That would have to have been thousands of years prior to the ancient Egyptian civilization that the Sphinx represents. And interestingly, some scholars who argue this hypothesis point out that that would have been during the astrological age of Leo. They suggest that the Sphinx's pharaoh head, which is disproportionately small for the Sphinx's lion body, may have originally been a lion head that a pharaoh ordered to have carved down and replaced with his own.

R31, a minority opinion attributes the creation of the Great Sphinx of Giza to Khufu's son, Djedefre, depicting either himself or his father Khufu (he of the 'Great Pyramid'). The reduction of size in the Sphinx's head would have been the result of re-carving it to resemble Khephren, another of Khufu's sons, who succeeded Djedefre.

[R30]: You forget I was there over 12 years ago, and the then existing museum had been raking it in for decades. When I mentioned this to one of our guides, who all had degrees, and were butter at Zahi Hawass, who had none, he mentioned a government official who had complained about the money drain, and was later found dead in the Nile.

*bitter

One or the other is undoubtedly an insatiable bottom.

Are there fast-path tickets, like at Disney? If not, can I rent a wheelchair nearby?

I went in 1988 and had an absolutely wonderful time. I found the people very warm, though the children constantly begging for money are a nightmare. The service at nice hotels is wonderful also.

My old friend took a private boat tour at Aswan. The young boat captain is a handsome Nubian ( black Egyptian ) in his 30s wearing their traditional robe cloth common for men over there. Long story short he paid him $10 and slipped his hand under his robe. The biggest and heaviest pair of nuts he ever held onto.

Your old friend was an ugly American r38.

There’s a nice view from the Pizza Hut

I visited Egypt over 20 years ago. I stayed at the Mena House by the Great Pyramid, which was built for Queen Victoria and it was quite nice. I planned my trip during the intifada years, when tourists were staying away. So there were no crowds. I went on a Nile cruise on a smaller ship - you get to see so many historical sites and I strongly recommend this. A stay at Luxor is a must - one of the most amazing historical sites I have seen was the tomb of Ramses II.

From that photo with the huge crowds at the pyramid, it seems as though Egypt has a Venice-type problem. I am glad I went when I did, as there were no crowds.

The best way is to time travel on a machine to the year 1350 bc and meet Nefertiti in person, she likes chocolate covered pretzels.

[quote] You forget I was there over 12 years ago, and the then existing museum had been raking it in for decades.

I was there 10 years ago, but I try to keep up with major developments and try not to confuse the past with the present.

Puma Punku!

Gobekli Tepe!

I never liked history at all until seventh grade, when I took a social studies class with Ms. Herring. (Everyone thought she was a lesbian!!! ESCANDALO!!)

She chopped up the year into sections, and we did an in-depth study of Egypt. She showed us slides of herself climbing through the shafts of the great pyramids. We had to learn all the monuments, different hieroglyphs, dozens of gods and goddesses. We read about the mummification process, including the hook that would go into the nostril to pull out the brain, and the canopic jars that organs were put into for posterity. It was riveting.

We also did a Greek and Roman section. We watched the Brando version of Julius Caesar and read part of it. We learned about the dual names of the gods and goddesses in the pantheons. We had a toga party in class with sparkling cider instead of wine and foods from the era!

She totally humanized history, including charging up my imagination with the spiritual beliefs. Up until that point, all the history I had ever learned was just X general led his battalion in X war at X place on X date, and X general won, your test is on Friday.

I've loved mythology and mysticism and ancient cultures ever since! Thanks, Ms. Herring!

Hi Giorgio r44 . How on earth Ancient Aliens still running?

Seems like an awesome teacher, R45.

Ancient Aliens was really fascinating to me at first. Fascinating comparisons among different ancient ruins and lots of great questions.

Then it just became a cartoon. But it can still be really entertaining. A lot of the stuff on the History Channel and the Science Channel are fantasy and science fiction and can be enjoyed as long as you watch them with the understanding that the emphasis is imagination and not accuracy.

[quote] She showed us slides of herself climbing through the shafts of the great pyramids.

She liked going up shafts? No wonder there were lesbian rumors.

A good teacher makes all the difference.

I'd like to see Egypt too but I'm afraid I will get raped. The men have huge dicks from what I can tell from pron.

I sold my car to a young Egyptian guy years ago and he was just adorable.

[R43]: Actually, I have been keeping up with what’s been going on there since. I was reporting on what I had experienced at that time, when I perceived an undercurrent of corruption and discontent.

Only a few years before, people with machine guns shot up a busload of British tourists near the temple of Hatshepsut. Shortly after I left, someone shot at tourists outside the Egyptian Museum.

I’m glad they’re building this new gargantuan exhibit space. I’d like to see it. But, I wouldn’t be surprised if a lot of the money going into it found its way into private pockets. At the time of my visit, various guides told me the government was more interested in restoring Muslim buildings than anything before that period, even though they knew tourists generally had but little interest in them.

Also, a number of gay friends have regaled me with tales of getting fucked by Egyptian men. That’s something I totally avoided, though it certainly continues to happen.

Tell us your impressions from your visit.

In the Giza Plateau all seems to breathe freedom and peace and to make one forget the world and its sad turmoils.

Get a load of the ghost of Paul Bowles at R54!

OP, you seem more like the type to go to Las Vegas.