Tehuti News

    Highlights  of  Egypt  2004   

Volume 3, Issue 1,   August 2004

 Home Page       Egypt 2002       Egypt 2003       Ethiopia 2003-04      Conference 2006      Egypt 2006       So. Africa & Zimbabwe 2006    

Tour Members at Memphis (Men-Nefer, 1st capitol of unified Egypt)

 by Reba Ashton-Crawford

Everyone was excited about going to Kemet (Egypt)...those who had graced its ancient temples before as well as the first-timers.  We had several  young people  with the group who were surprised to learn facts about Africa's ancient civilization that  were not taught in their respective conventional classrooms curriculum.  They admitted this trip was the impetus to learn even more about the accomplishments of their African ancestors from the Nile Valley and Africa in general. 

According to Egyptian cosmology, the universe was spoken into existence from the abysmal waters of Nun.  From the waters arose the primordial "mound" which was the source of all life, thus the shape of the pyramid has its origin tied to the shape of the primordial mound.  

Clinton at the Step Pyramid

The Step Pyramid at Saqqara was commissioned by King Djozer of Egypt's 3rd Dynasty and designed by the multi-genius, Imhotep.  No, Imhotep was not the resurrection of a murderous mummy, as depicted by Hollywood's Mummy sequels.  He was a scribe, a master architect, a vizier (prime minister),  a master physician (the true 'Father of Medicine'), and a high priest along with numerous other areas of expertise.  His Step Pyramid represented a radical change in funerary architecture, as it was the first to be made completely from stone. Prior to that, mortuary structures were made from mud brick.  Imhotep was so respected he was later venerated as the god, Asclepius, in Greek mythology and referred to in the Hippocratic oath that all medical doctors must embrace at the time of their graduation into the field of medicine.  This oath should rightfully be called the Imhotepic oath.

As an artist, one of the most impressive and unforgettable aspects of Egypt for me is the fact that art and writing were not separate entities.  There was no shortage of hieroglyphs (medu neter), bas-reliefs, and beautifully rendered sculptures.  In fact, some art historians believe that many ancient Egyptian sculptures were 3-dimensional hieroglyphs. 

Beautifully rendered sculpture of the god, Amun, Karnak

Nova at the Sphinx, Giza

I always have to 'big-up' one of the highlights of our tour, the 4-day Nile Cruise.  After the Sahara sun had beat down on us all day as we visited the sites, we were all glad to return to the comfort of our cabins.  We were also able to take a dip in the pool or relax under the deck's canopy with a nice cool drink and watch the gorgeous landscape that flanked the banks of the Nile.

Tour members at the Valley of the Kings...it was hot.		Nile Cruiser...it was nice, cool and comfortable

As with all of our other tours, the sisters seemed to be the most impressed with Queen Hatshepsut, perhaps the most well-known of the few female pharaohs of ancient Kemet.  During Egypt's 18th Dynasty, Hatshepsut usurped the throne from her brother, Thutmosis III, as she thought he was too young and weak to rule after the death of her father.  She legitimized her position as pharaoh by claiming she was of divine birth.  Her divinity is illustrated on the walls of her temple.  How could one argue with that?  Her magnificent multi-tiered mortuary temple hewn from the rock cliffs at a place now known as Deir el-Bahri is a testament to her importance in Egypt's great history.

Reba and Queen Hatshepsut		Sisters against the backdrop of Hatshepsut's Temple

Part of our tradition when we visit Kemet is to visit a Nubian village.  We all loved offering gifts of school supplies, toys, clothes, and first aid supplies for the kids, parents and teachers.  Some of our group members from previous tours even sent gifts. We were invited to the home of the village leader to commune with him and the other village elders.  It is the African way.  We had mint tea, cool drinks and Egypt's national drink, karkady.  Though most of Egypt's citizens are multi-lingual, it was amazing to learn that Nubian, the language spoken by the Nubians, is an ancient one that has not been written down.  Only those living in the close quarters of rural Nubian villages can speak Nubian fluently.  I would say that African linguists and anthropologists have the tremendous task of documenting the Nubian language in written form. 

It would take much space and time to chronicle all of our experiences and the many sites that we visited.  Bro. Crawford gave insightful and informative lectures every evening to prepare the group for the sites to be visited the following day.  His hard work and preparation were very much appreciated.  We visited all of the major sites on our itinerary and some of us took a few exclusive optional excursions during 'down time.'  A little baksheesh (greased palms) and a genuine respect for the academy go a long way in Egypt. 

We invite people who are interested in learning about the profound accomplishments of the Africans of Kemet to join us on our next awe-inspiring and life-affirming tour.

Tour members near the Sphinx

Dr. Crawford's South Africa & Zimbabwe Tour is scheduled for Jan. 7 to Jan.16, 2006.  The Educational Tour to Egypt-2006 is scheduled for July 22nd to August 5th.  

For more information, call (718)756-8904.  E-mail: sankofawp@netscape.net

Click here to visit   Photo Album 2002  

Photo Credits:  Clinton Crawford, 2004