Sinai’s Hidden Treasures

Saint Catherine Monastery, Chapel of Helena

Nothing is more mysterious or exciting than ancient discoveries that offer clues to the past. For centuries explorers have journeyed across arid desert landscapes in hope of uncovering jewels, artifacts, and ancient ways of living. For travelers with a taste for adventure St. Catherine’s Monastery, or Santa Katarina, is a unique and unforgettable experience in ancient knowledge, mystique and intrigue.
Saint Catherine’s, with ancient artifacts, jewels and mysteriously preserved texts spans a time long forgotten, in dialects no longer spoken. Its jewels and art stand as a testimony and living history to the past. Through the centuries its priests have meticulously preserved the world treasures contained in its sanctuaries, today maintaining a vast collection of fascinating iconic history.
Overlooking the small monastery are the magnificent Sinai Mountains, and Mount of Moses. Tradition holds it was here that God’s glory settled on the top of the mountain and spoke to Moses. Standing on the top of the mountain, viewing the expanse of the Red Sea in the crisp of an early morning sunrise, shining in yellow-orange brilliance across the sky, one can almost taste the salty elegance of the Red sea in the distance. Colors of rust and sandy gray mix into a hypnotic purplish dance that speak of forgotten mysteries across an unbridled desert, seemingly untouched by time. It is here, among these distant dreams that Saint Catherine’s Monastery stands, as the oldest and smallest Greek Orthodox Church in the world.
It is nestled at the foot of the mount of Moses in the Sinai desert, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site due to its many valuable treasures, and its religious significance. Though secluded in the desert, it contains one of the largest ancient text libraries in the world, second only to the Roman Catholic Vatican in Rome. It also contains more than one fourth of early Christian Byzantine art in the world, dating to early centuries. It contains exquisite jeweled chalices, including a 14th century silver and enamel pearl chalice from King Charles VI of France. The chalice is so unique that it was requested by the Louvre Museum in Paris for display. It also contains an amazing display of Arab mosaics, ornaments, paintings, reliquaries, and others, including 17th century gifts from Empress Catherine of Russia, and Czar Alexander II in the 19th century.
The monastery dates to the fifth century and was built by the orders of Express Helena, mother of Constantine the Great. The chapel was built in the third century, with the fortress built to house the many monks in the 4th century. The fortress was built by Emperor Justinian, and originally had an inner sanctuary overlain with pure gold.

It was originally built to provide the area monks with a place of worship, and to honor the site that is believed to be by both Christians and Muslims, as the site of the Old Testament burning bush where God summoned Moses, writing the Ten Commandments. It is also designated as the site where God summoned Elijah. Visitors climb the exquisite stairway of Elijah along a stone stairway, experiencing natural wonder, and amazing desert views.

St. Catherine Mosaic, Monastery Art, Sinai Desert

 

The monastery is named after Catherine the Great, a fourth century saint, virgin and martyr, a princess and scholar. Concerned about the law of worshiping idols Saint Catherine spoke her concerns to Roman Emperor Maxentius. She was then martyred, and her bones are held in the monastery. Throughout the centuries Saint Catherine’s has been a place of worship for the priests, bishops and monks who find rest and homage in its halls, but has also served as a place of service to the community Christians and Muslims. The monastery’s past also brought visiting monks to learn practices of monotheism. The monks carried religious books, texts and gifts with them, which explains its vast library.

The library contains 5,000 early printed books, 3,500 religious text manuscripts, and 2,000 scrolls in Syriac, Greek, Coptic, Armenian, Hebrew, Slavic, Syriac, Georgian and other languages. It contains New Testament Christian texts, Islamic texts, first print copies of Homer, and Plato, as well as other Hellenistic writings. These were collected as monks traveled to the small monastery through the centuries, leaving books and gifts behind.

Not only is Saint Catherine’s a jewel in the desert, containing unique and historical world treasures, but it also is the site where the oldest, and most complete manuscript of the New Testament, the Syriac Sinaiticus, was found in 1892 by Scottish Sisters, Agnes Smith Lewis, and Margaret Dunlap Gibson. The texts were later photographed and cataloged by Lewis, Gibson, and a British academic team. The photographed copies were studied and transcribed, and eventually taken to England and donated to the Westminster Foundation Library, still studied by scholars today. Portions of the New Testament texts are on display at St. Catherine’s Monastery museum under an illuminated glass case.

The monastery houses approximately 25 monks, who use many of the icons and other artifacts in religious services. The monastery has received as many as 1,000 visitors a day from the nearby Sharm el-Sheikh Resort who travel to the monastery for a glimpse of its rich history, artifacts and world treasured texts. Day tours and travel guides exist throughout Egypt for travelers interested in visiting Saint Catherine’s Monastery. It is a six hour drive from Cairo.

Tonyia Martin Gad is an American freelance writer working and living in Egypt. She is also writing a book entitled “Secrets From the Past” regarding Egypt’s rich history, secrets, legends, and myths.

Video: Saint Catherine Icons (Property of Getty)

Mystery of Ancient Pharoah Found in Israel

This sphinx fragment was found by archaeologists with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem during excavations at Hazor. (Amnon Ben-Tor, Sharon Zuckerman / Hebrew University Institute of Archaeology)

“Beloved by the divine manifestation that gave him eternal life.”

Those were the words that were the first clue archeologists working at a World Heritage Site, north of the sea of the Galilee in Israel, might just have found the only existing sphinx of Egyptian King Menkaure, who ruled Egypt over 4,000 years ago. The discovery was a complete surprise since there is no known relationship between Egypt and Israel during that time period. Archeologists do not believe Egypt was in a position of rule over any part of Israel, but rather, believe it was brought there later, possibly as a gift, or sign of strength. 

Menkaure is the same king that built one of the most well known Egyptian pyramids in Giza. Archeologists also believe the sphinx was originally placed in an area near Cairo, called Heliopolis, which was once home to practices of sun worship. This area, for the most part, is not a tour attraction, and was covered some time ago by modern day Cairo. It is true, however, that new discoveries are made every day in areas near this ancient city Heliopolis. Included is the sprawling discovery of pharaoh tombs, made in Ain Shams, Cairo, a few years ago. Ain Shams was once part of the ancient city of sun worship in Heliopolis.

The sphinx, which partly resembles a lion, is indicative of the type of worship known to Egypt, and other regions of the ancient world. Sun worship was a common practice, and was the subject of art work throughout India, and Greece, during that time period. Art and other artifacts often leave clues to the past behind, and tell magnificent stories.

This story of the sphinx, associated with this powerful Egyptian king, mysteriously begins at the foot of a city palace. It was at the entrance to this palace, where the hands of a sphinx still laid hold that a story began to unfold. Archeologists began to make the connection between Hazor, who ruled during the era of the Canaanites, in the 13th century B.C., and a later time when Egypt was ruled by a Canaanite people.

It is theorized the sphinx arrived in Israel during the 17th or 18th centuries, or possibly as a gift during an earlier time period. Hazor was once a city of significance and extreme importance. It was a city once fought for and conquered by the Israelites, and was rebuilt during King Solomon’s reign. It was later destroyed during the Assyrian invasion.  

King Menkaure sphinx is considered an incredible historical discovery since no other sphinx of King Menkaure exists, not even in Egypt. It also tells a story of the ancient world that if we listen closely tells of a past. A past in practices of sun worship, strength of nations, and later, their eventual fall.

 

Looted History: Egypt’s King Tutankhamun Statue Rediscovered

English: Egyptian Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

It is difficult to imagine why anyone would want to loot, and destroy their own history, especially Egyptian history. This is an important history not only to Egypt, but also to the world. This has, however, happened time and time again recently, particularly in the last few years.

An example of this is the King Tutankhmun statue stolen, along with many other items at the Egyptian Museum in 2011. It was later recovered, of all places, at a Cairo metro station in an abandoned bag. Also stolen in 2011 was a mummy, which has also been repaired and is again on display. While many of the items stolen in 2011 are still missing, approximately 25 items have been found, and today, have been repaired, again on display in Cairo museums.

For Egyptologists, and others around the world interested in these fascinating historical antiquities, this is good news, especially since not all museums have been as lucky. There was the recent burning of the irreplaceable historical and ancient religious antiquities at the Malawi Museum in Minya, in southern Egypt. In the attack more than 1,000 items were stolen, mummies burned, and limestone statues were destroyed.

This makes the restoration and display of the small Tutankhmun statues recovery and repair an even greater accomplishment. The Egyptian Museum  also houses the amazing 3,000 year old King Tut tomb, found by accident in 1922.  The museum is also launching a $675,000 project to create a replica of the tomb.

The project was launched due to the fact the original tomb is in need of restoration due to its age, and issues related to tourism. Creating a replica allows visitors to continue to experience the fascinating lives of the pharaohs, and experience the incomparable life tomb of King Tut. For some, this allows an aging tomb to again rest, while the mysteries surrounding the pharaohs, what they believed, and their legacy lives on.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L92iLoTS3Sg

Related articles

• Replica of Tutankhamun’s tomb aims to divert tourists from threatened site (theguardian.com)
• Egypt exhibits surviving artefacts (bbc.co.uk)
• King Tut: The Boy King – Costume SuperCenter (costumesupercenter.com)

Ancient Biblical Texts, or Heresy and Frauds?

English: Gospel of Thomas or maybe gnostic Gospel of Peter (see talk page). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The world is forever captivated by discoveries of ancient biblical texts. We are fascinated by what Jesus might have taught the apostles that never made its way into the Bible, hidden or ignored early church documents, what the apostles knew and taught their followers, and the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Never has there been a more controversial, yet ground shaking discovery than the Nag Hammadi ancient Gnostic texts. Religious scientists had presumed they existed for thousands of years, and fragments of the Gnostic texts had been randomly found.  Others believed only fragments of the texts existed as it was a well known fact the Catholic church had charged those with differing views as heretics and expelled them from the church, and had destroyed all literature associated with Gnosticism and its beliefs.

It was not until 1945 that the full manuscript of the texts were found buried in clay jars beneath the earth near the Jabil al Tarif Caves, near present day Hamra Dom that religious scientists and archeologist could study the past with clarity. They were found in the region of Nag Hammadi about three kilometers from the village of al-Qasr. The texts provided not only insight into the past, but revealed a rich, colorful and a much more diverse belief system in the early church than previously thought possible.

The story of the finding of the texts alone is a story laced in controversy and drama. According to interviews with Muhammad Ali al-Sammn, he and his brothers went out to dig for a soil they used for crops. Digging around a huge rock, they hit something hard, underneath the ground.. Muhammad thinking it might contain gold, smashed the jar. Inside were ancient papyrus books, bound in leather. He returned to his home and dumped the books and leaves on the straw piled on the ground next to the oven. Muhammad’s mother, ‘Umm-Ahmad, admits that she burned much of the papyrus in the oven along with the straw she used to kindle the fire.

Before finding the books, Muhammad’s father was murdered. A few weeks later, they repaid the murder, by taking the life of Ahmed Isma’il, the father’s killer. Fearing a police investigation would find the books, Muhammad asked a priest, al-Qummus Basiliyus Abd al-Masih, to save the books. The priest then showed them to a history teacher, who sent them to Cairo for an assessment.

They were then placed in the black market for sale. Officials in the Egyptian government bought one, studied it, and realized its worth, and then took by force ten and a half of the thirteen leather-bound books to the Coptic Museum in Cairo.

One of the codex’s had been smuggled out of the country, and was being offered for sale in the United States. This fact reached the desk of Professor Gills Quispel, a religious historian in the Netherlands. It was then purchased by the Jung Foundation in Zurich, but pages were missing. In the Spring of 1955 Quispel visited the Cairo Museum to find them.

After taking pictures he went back to his hotel room to study the texts and was beside himself when he read, “These are the secret words which the living Jesus spoke, and which the twin, Judas Thomas, wrote down.”

There had been fragments of this text found, “The book of Thomas,” some 100 years earlier, but this was the first complete text that was in existence in the world. The complete text raised not only questions surrounding Christianity, Gnosticism, the writer of the text, but also did Jesus have a twin brother, as the text suggested? Was this in fact a secret gospel never before known to the world? Why was it kept secret? Was this a secret text, or was it simply a mix of myths and tall tales of the day?

Well known to the study of Gnosticism was the fact that not all Gnostic texts were factual. Many copies of any one book were passed off as fact as different sects developed various beliefs, often mixed with other non-christian practices, such as mysticism, the occult, astrology and magic.

The Gnostic sects claimed to be Christian and also assured followers secret traditions given to the apostles by Jesus himself that no one else knew about. Jesus’ teachings were reformed to magically fit their own purposes.

Nag Hammadi texts (Photo credit: Wikipedia)it their own purposes, which in the end offered a religion that served as an alternative to Christianity, we well as a deeply conflicting theology.

The Nag Hammadi texts were never viewed as a contender in the biblical theology because they differed so greatly from

what the apostles had taught and testified to concerning the teachings of Jesus. Secret teachings were also not reflective of the type of religion Jesus taught the apostles. He had come to spread the word. Nothing had been done in secret.

For these, and other reasons, the Nag Hammadi texts were considered heresy by the early church. They were considered not God inspired, and to have been written by those who sought to disrupt and annhiliate the early Christian Church. This was especially true since some of the texts had gathered a following to include a growing number of Christian monks. Some theologies between the monks became so separated that monasteries who worshipped in a more Gnostic format had monasteries built separately, in efforts to quill argument and discord.

Finally, the Western and Eastern Churches made it clear to all within their quarters that the very possession of Gnostic or secret text materials was considered heresy. All such documents found by bishops were to be unquestionably destroyed. It is thought it was in this environment of heresy and tension that monks from one of the many Pachomian monasteries probably buried the Nag Hammadi texts near the year 367 AD thinking they would be later found. This did not happen for nearly 2,000 years.

It is interesting to consider that the same theologies that labeled some monks and bishops as heretics and excommunicated them from the church are the very same documents we study today with epic enthusiasm. In a modern

Coptic Museum (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

world rich with diversity it has never been more important to unearth our rich and colorful Christian past.

Since 1975 the complete Nag Hammadi texts have been available in their entirety at the Coptic Museum in Old Cairo. You can also read them online at the Gnostic Library.

Related articles

• Was Jesus a Gnostic? (neosocrates.wordpress.com)
• The Gnostic Gospels (gnosticwarrior.com)

Clues To The Past In Monastery Art

A Coptic Christian Orthodox Monastery in Lower Egypt (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Throughout the world is an amazing display of some of the most amazing artwork known to the ancient and modern world. Displays painted by the master Michael Angelo and Leonardo Da Vinci still hang in the Roman Catholic Vatican, dating to the 14th and 15th centuries.

Also displayed throughout the world is an exquisite array of early Christian art, originating in Egypt and Syria, dating from 200-1100 AD. Though much of this art has been lost due to decay and destruction, much of it can still be seen mysteriously lining monastery walls and adorning Egypt’s tombs.

Artwork from this period is said to have been painted by biblical Luke, Pope Marcius, and Pope Gabriel III. Luke is said to have painted pictures of the virgin Mary, specifically the “Black Madonna of Czestochowa” or “Our Lady of Vladimir,” and of Peter and Paul. Saint Thomas Christians in India claim to have one of the drawings of Mary, hanging in a church there, brought to them by Thomas. Such drawings can also be seen in monasteries and churches in Egypt, Africa and throughout the world.

The paintings in Egypt which line monastery walls, inner sanctuaries and desert tombs tell Christian stories to allowing observers to understand the bible.  They can be seen by visiting the many monasteries scattered throughout the desert.

One of the most famous monasteries is Wadi El Natroun’s El Sourian (The Syrian) monastery, where an amazing display of ancient art, preserved monotheistic caves, and hidden Christian history can be found. The artwork contained in the Saint Mary Church within the monastery compound has been studied by Holland. Artwork can also be seen in Bagawat, in the Al Karga Oasis in the western desert, and several other key locations throughout Egypt.

English: Frescos from the Syrians monastery of Wadi Natrun in Egypt. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Most of the monasteries do allow for pictures, however, there may be some restrictions, such as no flash on cameras. If you plan to take pictures, take a high quality camera. As you might imagine monasteries were not built with modern technologies in mind. Monasteries have high ceilings, few windows, and a shadowy, mid-evil, cave like feel to them. Even given the dark rooms and high ceilings, you’ll end up with amazing photos of early Christian biblical history retold and a truly authentic, unforgettable experience. You’ll observe biblical history in art and rediscover the early church in a way few others ever will.

Also keep in mind monks still live on monastery grounds and learn the value of prayer and monotheistic lifestyles. Visitors are not allowed in areas where priests, monks and bishops live, no matter how tempted you are to investigate the beautiful scenery, and forest like paths.

You’ll also find a mysteriously built compound, often behind high walls and steel doors. You’ll find stairs that seem to lead to other stairs, covered holy of holy rooms,  tunnels of doors whose use seems to have been abandoned, and at El Sourian, a draw bridge used to hide part of the church if under attack. Unique bell towers, Syrian wall inscriptions to Roman Emperor Constantine, and written prayers surrounding holy relics and timeless artifacts can also be observed, which is a tradition of the Coptic people. The practice of placing handwritten notes at holy sites is a centuries old tradition throughout the middle east.

This will all lend to thoughts of knights, moving walls and secret rooms, dancing upon the imagination and will add to the charm of an authentic historical experience. Tempting as it may be to climb monastery stairs to investigate, keep in mind often these lead to restricted areas. You may find yourself being shooed away from dwellings of bishops.

The early eastern Catholic church in Egypt and Africa was  founded by biblical Saint Mark, whose Egyptian church history is richly ingrained into the oral stories, and traditions of the Coptic people. This history was lost to most of the world when western and eastern Catholic churches split centuries ago.

Today the eastern church is the Coptic Orthodox Christian Church. The worship practices observed in the Coptic churches date to the time of Christ himself, and are virtually unchanged even today. You’ll find a people that have sacredly observed, solemnly practiced, and painstakingly preserved not only Christian artwork, but also prayers, style of worship, and historical relevance of the church itself.

 

 

 

 

Holy Virgin Mary El Sourian

Tour of El Sourian (The Syrian) artwork and artifacts

Cairo Living Over History

Picture from http://guardians.net/hawass/news/excavation_in_ain_shams_ancient.htm

It can be said of living in Cairo that each day is a new discovery, and one never knows what you may find. As much as you plan for something it can easily, sporadically and unexpectedly change. You may find yourself sitting in traffic for 30 minutes blocked on all sides, as horns blare and men argue about who needs to move, due to Cairo’s infamous traffic jams. You might also buy a piece of land and find there is an ancient tomb just beneath the surface, delaying the building of your home, which is exactly what happened in 2011.

It seemed to just be a normal day to the digging crew that had been hired to lay the foundation to a residential house. But as they dug on  Mansheyet Al-Tahrir Street in Ain Shams, Cairo to lay the foundations of a residential house, they kept hitting something. Little did they know at the time they had stumbled upon a huge archeological find.

Soon a committee from the Supreme Council of Antiquities were inspecting a wall and determined it was a 26^th Dynasty tomb.  Excavation continued to inspect the whole area, and were supposed to move the tomb so the land owner could continue to build.

This type of sudden, and unexpected find is not uncommon at all in Cairo, and has led to some of the greatest finds in Egyptian archeological history.  Some of these include finds outside of Cairo, such as King Tutankhamen’s tomb on Luxor’s west bank and the golden funerary treasure of King Khufu’s mother Queen Hetepheres on the Giza plateau. King Tut is currently housed in Cairo’s antiquities museum, along with some of the ancient and most magical pieces of art known to the ancient world.

It should be noted that this was not the only find of its kind in Ain Shams, and it also makes sense there are probably many undiscovered and overlooked antiquities when you consider that Ain Shams is a very well known, as well as as a very historical part of the city, dating back to the ancient world.

In 2011 excavators found Ain Shams ancient past traces a history whose people worshiped the sun god Ra. This kingdom is believed to have been active until the end of  Egyptian history, or prior to being conquered by foreign powers. A number of important remains were found at the site, including Djoser Netjerikhet from the 3^rd Dynasty, and an obelisk of the 6^th Dynasty king Tet. An open air museum has been built to display statues found there.

This is also the same area where Ramses II built of the 19^th Dynasty built an enormous temple for Re. This is the largest temple of Ramses II ever found.

Also found at the excavation site were the remains of one pylon, bearing inscriptions of this king. They also found magazines for the storage of wheat, a kiln for making amulets, part of a large statue, the head of which weighs 5 tons and would have stood 6 meters tall, and another head of granite, weighing 2 tons. Also found was a statue of Ramses II in the leopard skin of a priest, showing that he built this temple as the high priest of Re. This was an important discovery, giving Egyptian archeologists and antiquities missions important information about the cult of Re.

Many other archeological discoveries were also located throughout 2011 and 2012 and continue today. To learn more about Egypt’s important history or to interact visit us on facebook.

 

 

Climbing the Egyptian Pyramids

Photos via Photo via Gawker: http://gaw.kr/14syOOD Photos  by a small group of Russian photographers who climbed the pyramids in Giza, Egypt and took these amazing photos.

Egypt is an amazing place, full of history and mysterious secrets to the past, such as the phenomenal pyramids. It is a lifelong dream for many travelers and explorers to investigate the pyramids, feeling the past come to life among the dusty landscapes, just beyond Cairo’s city lights.

Such was the case for Vadim Makhorov and Vitaliy Raskalov, two photographers among a group of Russians who climbed the pyramids and took breathtaking shots from the top of the pyramid. The fact they climbed the pyramids to take the shots, was the subject of much controversy in Egypt since they had disregarded regulations that those visiting the pyramids are strictly forbidden from climbing the pyramids. The photos also quickly went viral on the Internet due to breathtaking scenes of a landscape few could ever forget.

The controversy surrounded the pictures, who many said were illegal to release to the public, especially for free, since the group had climbed the pyramids illegally and felt they should be subject to Egyptian law, which could have included a hefty fine or possible jail time. Many on social network boards such as Twitter and CNN sited this was especially true since they waited until they were outside the view of the pyramid guards, and climbed the pyramids without being noticed. Others felt the crew did nothing wrong and should not be subject to punishment.

In response to  illegally climbing the pyramids Vadim Makhorov formally apologized in an email to CNN. Following is an exerpt of that letter.

In an email to CNN, Makhorov now explains his reasons for flouting the regulations, and issues an apology to Egypt and the world.

Vadim Makhorov’s email to CNN

“I’ve always been drawn to Egypt. For as long as I can remember my dream was to get to the top of the Great Pyramid of Giza. When my friends and I arrived in Cairo the first thing we decided to do was to go and see the pyramids. We got there in the evening, just in time to witness the laser show. No words can express the fascination I felt when seeing my childhood dream come alive. Probably this very feeling made us climb onto the top of the Pyramid and see the the panorama of the whole complex, the desert and Cairo itself.

It took us around 20 minutes to get to the top. We were taken breathless by the view.  What we saw from up there was the seventh wonder of the world. We tried to capture the beauty of the scenery in the photos, so that the others could also see this magnificent panorama. That’s why I would like to apologize for this ascension. We didn’t want to insult anyone. We were just following the dream.”

The Issues

On one hand I feel I need to caution you that climbing the pyramids is prohibited and visitors to the pyramids should keep in mind there are fines and fees that can be applied to those who disregard this regulation.

At the same time I am breathless and thankful that I too was able to climb the pyramids and sit among the souls of old, feel time stand still, and feel a oneness with the past, so distant, yet so real.  I am thankful that for one moment in time, though reckless and irresponsible to some, spontaneous and adventurous to others, that two photographers in their exuberance of youth quickly climbed the pyramids, snapped the shots, and allowed the rest of us to take the journey with them. We were able, through pictures, to be fascinated, and have an awesomely unforgettable experience with them.

The experience, however, is not the issue. The issue also, as I see it, is not about the group climbing the pyramids illegally. Guards have routinely looked the way as visitors traveled through restricted areas, especially given a bit of extra side cash. And as Makhorov explained to CNN, once on top of the pyramid there were carvings of many languages, written undoubtedly by those who had climbed the pyramids before his group.

The issue is the massive loss of tourism dollars in recent years due to Egypt’s continued political turmoil and lack of security that resulted in a massive loss of income for pyramid vendors, as well as Egypt’s tourism industry as a whole. Many vendors feed their families by offering to provide pictures to those visiting the pyramids, or by selling gifts to foreign travelers. Because the Russians took the pictures on their own, without approval, and without making sure the vendors had a bit of side cash, the controversy developed.

But, the vendor view is only one side to this story. There is another side the vendors and Egypt as a whole should be looking at. Although they may not be completely pleased that the Russians violated regulations at the pyramids, they should be at least thankful to the Russians for visiting Egypt and proving to the world these awesome tourism experiences are still possible, even in the midst of transitional political times.

The Russians not only provided timeless landscapes of wonder to the world, but also allowed the world to see a piece of  Egypt, for at least that moment in time, that stood outside the turmoil, void of the problems. The world saw the breathless beauty of Egypt, whose historical relevance and powerful draw  lives on. For that, Egypt should be thankful and hopeful that what the Russians did will have an impact, and a following, resulting in increased tourism dollars and in due time financial recovery for Egypt. It is worth believing that the sun will continue to set and rise just beyond the pyramids. If the pyramids represent anything to the world it is that as they have survived, as a testament of a strong and able people. Egypt too will survive, weathering any storm.

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