This is our first postcard from Egypt. Hope you enjoy what intrigues or inspires us.

Ancient Egypt is defined as the period from 3100 B.C. when Egypt was unified to 331 B.C., when it was conquered by Alexander the Great from Macedonia. All of the Pyramids were built during this period, from 2650 B.C. to 1525 B.C. Egyptians believe that afterlife is very robust and enjoyable, so the Pyramids had a dual purpose. They were a statement to the power of the Pharaohs while alive, and then a place to put many things to enjoy during their afterlife. The reason they stopped building them in 1525 B.C. is that they discovered even then that “grave robbers” were a big problem, and pyramids let the bad guys know where to find things worth robbing. After 1525 B.C. they began building tombs instead, which theoretically were harder to locate by design.

We had a chance to enter the inner chamber of the Great Pyramid of Giza, the largest pyramid in Egypt. The immense scale of these structures is hard to fathom. This one has 3.4 million large stones, each weighing hundreds of pounds and soars to 450 feet high. It took 100,000 people (1/10 of the population) 20 years to build. Contrary to some beliefs, pyramids were not built by slaves. It was an honor to build one for a king.

This other photo illustrates the scale of the Great Sphinx, another symbol of Egyptian history. The body was carved from a single block of stone. We are standing between the paws.