0 
0 It’s Ramses last night in his Square. He is about to be moved for a nicer, less polluted location. You decide that you won’t miss it. You and your friends talk about it, and you deciude to take the Journey together.
The Bridge was awfully crowded, even though it was 12:30 am on a Friday. The reason? People have parked their cars on the bridge and stood out to watch the moving of Ramses. You contemplate doing the same thing those assholes did, but you know better, and you decide to go park the car and try to get their legitimately without messing up Cairo’s traffic.
You park the park at the Ramses Hilton parking garage, and you realize for the first time how weird it is that they named it the Ramses Hilton, when it’s a good 2 miles away from the actual square. You ignore such thoughts. You start worrying about how you are going to get there. There won’t be a single Taxi that will take you and your friend. You decide that the best way to get there is to walk it. Sure, it’s a long hike, but it would be faster than taking any car. So you get on with it.
The actual walk is very close to a religious experience. Here you are walking with a prupose, braving the heat, the humidity, the cars, the egyptian public and other unpleasantness on your little quest to say your Farewell to the Statue of the last great Pharaoh. It’s almost like a Funeral, and you are there to pay your last respects and say goodbye. There seem to be others that share your sentiments. When you ask someone if this is the way to the Ramses statue, he tell you that it is, but not for long, and urges you to hurry up and get there. And you increase your pace. You realize that You are close because people are everywhere and its getting crowded.
This is what You hear:
“Ramses is leaving. They say he doesn’t like the pollution and the dust, so he too is moving to the suburbs!”
“I don’t understand. All of this Hooplah for a false Idol? What is wrong with those people?”
” This is an Idol you Kafarah”
“Even if it’s a great statue, God is greater!”
Your Blood pressure rises, and you feel like killing some people until you find this old man crying and saying: ” For 50 years I have passed by this sqaure, and he (the statue) was there. He was Egypt to me. And now, even he is gone. I don’t know what I will do when I pass by this square tomorrow and not find him standing there”, and your heart goes out to him immedietly. But you take the mental note that this is an old man. He came from a different era. Before Wahhabism mindfucked Egyptians. The man is our past, the hateful idiots are our future.
You position Yourself in a location that allows you to snap pictures, and its hard since you have a girl with you, an unveiled one at that, and you have to make sure that the egyptian crowds don’t get to have the freedom to exercise their favorite pasttime of groping unveiled western dressed girls. The staring is bad enough as it is. And then Ramses arrives.
The People start pushing. They all want a better look. Some guys point that the foreigners were allowed to walk infront of it and take pictures, while the egyptians had to stand behind Police barracades. Others were urging the guys infront of it to not carry their children on top of their shoulders so we can see. One guy was following Ramses through my camera, and he would be like “Can you zoom a little bit? Don’t zoom out yet. This is good. Take a picture now!”. And I would. Guy had a good eye.
There were people chanting “Allahu Akbar” and waving V for Victory signs. Why? I have no idea. There was Jubilation in the air. The people sensed that they were particpating in an event. I am just not sure that they understood the significance of said event. So they acted the only way they know how to act: Cracked Jokes, chanted Allahu Akbar and flashed V signs. Was it a Victory that the Statue had to be removed cause of the pollution? Was it a Victory that the False Idol was gone? Or was it a Victory that we were actually doing this? That we were managing to actually do this on our own? Move such a Huge Statue without messing it up? You remember that this is a country surrounded by incomptence, so you understand that the people will take any victory they could get.
And Ramses finally moves away. Some Egyptian dude screams “GOOOOOOOOOOOODBYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!”, and you can’t help but smile sadly that it’s over.
You decide to take a cab on your way back, and the young cab driver decides to start a conversation with you about it, and he-word for word- echoes the same sentiments you heard earlier on that night.
CD: “Why are all of those people out here? All of this for a (Sanam) False Idol. Go back home, people!”
You: “Well, don’t call it a Sanam. It is part of our heritage, and has been a huge part of our Daily Life. And now, it’s gone. The government is moving it away.”
CD: “Well, if this country had real men, they wouldn;t have waited for the Government to remove it. They would’ve removed it years ago themselves!”
You decide to keep your mouth shut, and before you get out, he decides to give you one last pearl of wisdom.
CD: “You know, I am feeling sad. Not because they are removing the Statue, but because you are sad that they are removing the statue.”
You feel like responding that you feel sad that he is the future of your country, but you decide to nod your head and just give him his money. Some battles are just not worth fighting.
Farewell Ramses. May you, one day, find yourself in a country whose people will appreciate you and what you represent.
English
And how this moment of removing the statue of Ramses II , revealed the sad truth of our ignorent people and yet a big portion of this country’s income comes from the great heritage they left..Today’s egyptians know nothing about the past’s glories and we’re are heading towards dark ages. It’s really sad.
Very nice reporting BTW .
Great report. Egyptology is one of my favorite subjects. It’s sad that some people think history should be erased instead of revealed and studied.
Hathor, we may like the money that we get from our Pharonic heritage, but I don;t think the egyptian people respect it that much. For the majoirty, it’s just a source of income, no more, no less. I don;t think we care about our heritage or antiquities, and the proof lies in the egyptian museum. Have you been there lately? It’s like a huge a warehouse. all the artifacts are lumped together. No respect or significnace given to the seperate pieces. And don;t even get me started on the artifects that are not in the museum, or how they are stored in shitty warehouses without ptoper ventilation or documentation or cataloguing. Hell, if you go the second floor of the museum, the Tut ank Amoon section, there used to be a statue of Tut that was beuatiful. The statue is no more. The paper there says that its out on toor and scheduled to retrun december 2004. We are in 2006, and it’s still not back there. Rumor has it, Suzanne Mubarak gave it as a gift to the wife of a Khaliji royal. Does anyone care? If the people found out, would they say anything?
What do you think?
Thank you so very much for this, Sam; I wondered if you’d be there when I heard the reports on the radio.
And you didn’t let me down.
Those pics are fab!
I hope the old guy will be happy in his “retirement”.
Andrea (in the UK)
PS What you say about the way the antiquities are treated is disgraceful. I take it you don’t want us to camapign for “Cleopatra’s Needle” to be sent back?
I’ve been to the museum sevral times , but not lately .However I always heard that they’re planning to build a new modern meseum ….but until today I havn’t seen anything yet …although as you mentioned the actual meseum is more of a wharehouse than a real meseum and a lot of the mastepeices are in very bad condition and are deteriorating !!!!
As for the missing King Tut statue , no I wasn’t aware of that! And if the rumours prove to be true than I am even more demoralised !!!
As you said , WHO CARES !!!
Some encouragment, my friend:
Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted some two millennia, something that Christandom failed to accomplish and (inshallah) Islamidom will fail as well.
The glory and wonder that was ancient Egypt is an ancestor of us all. (even if I do have a bone to pick with ole Ramram 😉
mnuez
It is very sad to see Ramses move, he will be missed greatly. I hope his makeover won’t take long and the new museum will be a new happy home for him.
Here is the official web site for the Grand Egyptian museum
http://www.gem.gov.eg/main.htm
There’s something about this event and the way you wrote about it that made me want to cry, SM.
But here’s to a happy, healthier home for Ramses. I’m really sad for the old guy in the crowd, though. 🙁
AND here’s hoping that one day, the health of Cairo’s citizens will be thought about too!
Great post:) Thanks for going, and for sharing.
its rather heartbreaking really , to think that once upon a time the man whom this stautue represents was once worshiped and revered and is now merely scorned . time is a funny thing
Thanks for the post. Long live Ramses, our king.
[…] Here is one more guy getting a similar sendoff after 50 years of standing on a busy public square named after himself. […]
Your commentary on some in the crowd who were chanting “Allahu Akbar” and giving the V for victory sign made me laugh outloud and feel sad at the same time. Victory? What victory? Victory that their brand of Islam has made them come to see that OUR GREAT PAST should be looked at with scorn and resentment? To my knowledge no one was worshipping Ramses in the middle of the square, right? Why can’t some muslims understand the worship of idols went out with the Romans?! It’s similar to that Statue Fatwa that came out a couple of months ago. How freakin’ stupid!!
If imbecilic Egyptians believe moving Ramses, a fasle god, to a new home is a victory for Islam then I guess I can now understand how the Arab world view’s the recent war as a victory for Nasrallah…The Arab world is just starving for anything to cheer about.
Very nice post. Thank you for sharing 🙂
Thanks for this post, SM. Very moving.
Mnuez says:
Ancient Egyptian civilization lasted some two millennia, something that Christandom failed to accomplish and (inshallah) Islamidom will fail as well.
What do you mean? Are you saying Christandom is no more?
Anyways, it is sad that it is moving. Maybe I missed it, but is it going to a museum or where? Why?
Sad as it may be, at least the Wahabbis didn’t blow it up like the Taliban did to the Buddhist statues in Bamiyan. Knock on wood.
Having lived in Cairo in the 1970s and stood or walked through Sharia Ramses many times, taking friends to the train station, etc. I cannot but feel this a monumental event.
Thank you, Sandmonkey, for blogging on this and taking your time to attend. I appreciate your commentary.
Regards,
RA
Great post SM, I really enjoy your blog.
Unfortunately it doesn’t leave me feeling hopeful for the future of Egypt, with people worked up about “false idols” rather than be awestruck about such an awesome, ancient symbol of your countries history.
If an American Indian archeology site is uncovered in the US, not even the most devout American Christian would think to discount it’s importantce simply because they practiced a different religion. That many in your country would is a disturbing indication on which direction your country is headed.
Some say we are already fighting World War 3, with Islam against the world. I don’t believe that’s yet true, but posts like this make me fear that such a day may come all too soon.
I don’t see what the problem is… The statue is just being moved to a better place; somewhere where it won’t be as exposed to the corrosion etc. of modern society…
Do egyptians still think of it as an idol or have they accepted the fact that it’s just an important part of their past, no matter what religion it may represent? For your sake (annd everyone elses!) I hope so…!
In short: don’t feel bad about the old guy – he still looks great but he’s not what he used to be…! 😉
This is a monumental day for Egypt’s antiquities and its heritage. Honestly, I think most people there were genuinely proud of Ramses and happy that the Egyptian authorities were able to pull off moving him to a new location. There is no question he needed it. The pollution that comes with being located along one of cairo’s busiest streets is worth moving him to the outlying suburbs, where he can be in the clean desert air on the outskirts of the future Grand Museum which will hopefully reverse all our doubts about Egypt’s consideration of its antiquites. HOwever, that some consider him a false god is disgusting and repulsive. It paints a horrid picture of what Egypt has become. We must respect our heritage!
[…] Move On Now Sandmonkey reports on the big move in Cairo right now, where the statue of RAmses II that has been at the center of the aptly named Ramses Square for 50 years is being moved by the Egyptian authorities to the desert outskirts of Cairo where it will be stored for a few years and then resurrected in front of the Grand Egyptian Museum when it is completed. […]
SM:
Great post. It leaves me sad for Egypt, though.
Dick
I found the whole event very intriguing, especially since the Egyptian satellite channel was broadcasting the whole thing live. I didn’t realize how important of an event it was until I saw my mom watching it all night and all the reporting they did about it. Unfortunately we will always have ignorant people who do not understand the significance of such history.
It’s sad, exceptionally sad, not because some statue is being moved from the square which bares its name. Sad because while being hauled away, almost shamefully, the squaking idiots in the crowd displayed their ignorance and showed us, this is the future of Egypt. It seems as though there is no turning back either. As far as Egypts antiquities, let me tell you how much respect Egyptians have for them, Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egypts Minister of Antiquities, is the worlds biggest thief and smuggler of Egyptian Artifacts. Bastards!
Thanks SM. I felt like I was there watching as I read your words, and that last pic is awesome.
Well your observations are completly true but they are based on a biased sample, most of the people crowding the streets were the members of the lower classes, naturally you’d get such comments from people who hardly got any education and most of them never ever opened a book…what do you expect from such people.
Badr,
I have to agree with your comment, I think that the post of SM doesn’t represent ALL Egyptians and this is where I always disagree with his posts, it only picks of the point that agrees with his views and it ends up to be generalization of us.
Many Egyptians are proud of their history and they do care.
D.B.
“As far as Egypts antiquities, let me tell you how much respect Egyptians have for them, Dr. Zahi Hawass, Egypts Minister of Antiquities, is the worlds biggest thief and smuggler of Egyptian Artifacts. Bastards!”
That is a big accusation, what is your evidence? can you give me links please?
Great post SM, excellent pictures.
Don’t be sad, I know that a lot of Egyptians do appreciate the “Sanam”.
(also, never take cab drivers too seriously, its a recipe for constant depression)
Hmm interesting pics and story….I picked up your site on http://www.Gnoos.com.au
CNN was showing the move of the statue live, and I thought to myself “I wonder if the Sandmonkey was there?” Moral of the story: I should never have doubted the Sandmonkey.
How do you stop Islamist ideology? I don’t have any good ideas. George W. Bush tried a pretty darn bold approach — taking out Saddam and holding elections in Iraq. Appears that didn’t work. What next?
I think our problem as egyptians is that we love to ( Ne7’let eL deen beL darwasha ) and try to prove how religious we are by uneducated opinions like this one ( Ramses statue is an idol ) !!!!!! I have stood next to that statue for years – to catch the bus – and I don’t recall seeing anyone bowing in front of the statue or offering sacrifices. The only thing I remember is the distinct odor of you-know-what, from all the people who used the poor statue as a urinal ( excuse my language) at night.
felfela, that kind of behavior displays Egyptian disrespect. To urinate on a 5000 piece of Egyptian history that is envied all over the world? To urinate on a statue of probably the greatest leader in Egyptian history? Can you imagine an American pissing on the Statue of LIberty? A Parisian on the Tour Eiffel? A Greek on the Acropolis? Give me a break…
DB- I don’t think Zahi Hawass is a thief. I think he genuinely has Egypt’s best interests in mind, despite a somewhat over inflated ego. He was named one of TIME’s 100 Most Influential People
Despite being “one of times most influential people” and being somewhat of a grandfatherly character. He’s a thief, he controls Egypts antiquities and he has used his authority to steal and smuggle artifacts under the veil of protecting Egyptian artifacts from foriegn archaeologists. Its not that much of a secret, I’m surprised you’ve never heard that. You think if Suzanne Mubarak has the balls to just give away artifacts as gifts under the pretext they are on tour and soon to return, you dont think Dr. Hawass would steal just because he is a nice guy. come on. Here is an article which plays devils advocate towards Hawass’ activities but gives information on how he bullies and controls the antiquities industry. check it out.
http://listserv.tamu.edu/cgi/wa?A2=ind0506&L=arch-l&T=0&P=3303
Hawass has been accused numerous times, he has evaded the law because he is out there “chasing down thievies” so “how could he be a thief” right? Guys this is Egypt, everyone in power gets a cut, all the big dogs are living rich on dirty money.
[…] Today, I read Sandmonkey’s account of the statue of Ramses II being moved from its place in Cairo. It’s moving because it may be damaged by pollution, I guess. […]
Do we really want such a generation to rule? This is what happens when people are brainwashed with religion, the definition of a “Sanam” would be a statue people worship. When was the last time we saw some stopping by the square to worship Ram… bahh.. I love the piccies SM…
OK D.B. so he is a prick and a control freak who wants all the attention to himself. But your article says nothing of him stealing antiquities, and I’ve never heard that allegation thrown around, even though I’m very familiar with most complaints against Hawass and his abrasive personality.
Interesting points you make. I was not aware that so many people were unaware or ignorant of past history and great civilisations….
Reminds me of a rather short converstaion i had with an iraqi girl you immigrated to my country, new zealand, who had explained to me very excitedly about having visited istanbul; i immediatley responded because of my interest in byzantium and the beatiful museums and history in the city– e I wanted to know whether she had seen the roman mozaics and the elegnat arechiture of the anceit world still surviving all over the city…. her only response sadly and patheticly was that she saw an old garment from one of muhammeds first follows, stil surviving in tact– a thing very intersing and important in itself– but i found it horrible and disguting that she was unawre of the vast and famous history of a city and civilisation that changed the world and that there where ample places in istanbul to observe it— she was surprised by my look of dispair….this reaction was picked up by shiite poet mate who grimaced accordingly….anyway my only complaint is that as a muslim who must know of istanbul as the famous city where the east and west meet her knowledge of its history is sadly based only on the narrow experience of its muslimi inheritors– great in themselves but small in the sceem of things, etc, etc
[…] Anyway, the Sandmonkey watch the procession and writes about it with pictures. The Arabist has pictures here as well. Posted by BP at 9:07 am […]
OK, so the statue cant handle the pollution and they moved the bloody thing to the pyramids. What about the unfortunate dumb fucks who live in this pollution? Anybody thought of moving them or saving them from being slowly poisoned? I dont think so. Nobody gives a monkey’s about them
Micrograms of “particulate matter” per cubic meter of air, 2002:
New Delhi: 177
Cairo: 159
Calcutta: 145
Tianjin: 139
Chongqing: 137
…
World urban average: 60
…
Los Angeles: 36
New York: 22
…
Melbourne: 13
Perth: 13
Paris: 12
Thanks for the stats Original.Jeff. Its nice to know that we are above average in something even if it is fucking pollution, but that’s OK, as long as we’re taking care of our statues.
“CD: “Well, if this country had real men, they wouldn;t have waited for the Government to remove it. They would’ve removed it years ago themselves!”
Shakes head. But isn’t that just what Islam tells you? That before Islam, there was jahaliyya? He’s just being a good Muslim.
Original,
#42
Interesting info. Where did you get that from?
“In addition, the 2002 National Morbidity, Mortality, and Air Pollution Study showed that mortality rates rise as the air concentrations of solid particulate matter increase. This study funded by the Health Effects Institute analyzed data on air pollution, weather, and mortality in 90 U.S. cities between 1987 and 1994. It found that for every additional 10 micrograms of particulate matter per cubic meter of air, the rate of mortality increased by 0.2 percent”
Source: http://www.sspc.org/regnews/EPA/PMhealth.html
Cairo Population: 11,146,000 (Source: UN Population Estimate Revision 2003)
“The crude birth rate is 30.6 per 1000 people, and the crude death rate is 7.3 per 1000 people.” Source: http://www.cairotourist.com/cairostatistics.htm
Crunching some numbers yields around 2600 excess deaths evey year in Cairo due to its air pollution.
Wow.
Fine post. Thanks for sharing this event with us.
I think the comments from the crowd, and especially the cab driver, are a fair indicator of what’s being preached in the local mosques. People do tend to repeat that kind of thing as a kind of conversation opener, and often think they believe it, until they start to think it over. Your cab driver obviously does not assume that you are a worshiper of Ramses — he really does not believe the statue is an idol.
SM, I know to what extent you must be depressed bro. All the pharaonic sites in northern Sudan are messed up ruins. No care is given at all. Only recently the government started thinking of making use of them for money and tourism. I say the hell with money and tourism if people can’t acknolwedge our Sudanese Nubian heritage and the Nile civilization that we gave rise to. We’ve got the same dumb attitude in Sudan. And this is our heritage. Afterall the ancient Egyptians in the south and the northern Nubian Sudanese were one people. We were both one people and at one time the same king ruled us.
This post really depresses me and reminds me of the sad situation in Sudan.
Sounds like more Egyptian antiquities should be stored in western museums, where they would be safer.
I will be completely honest. I have been following Jihad Watch and several other blogs of the same kind for more than a year, and I have learned a great deal about Islam. In the beginning I didn’t want to believe what I was reading, and I refused to accept that more than a miniscule minority was intolerant. Those early notions of mine were proved wrong again and again and again. Your post is just another drop in an ocean of evidence: Muslims have no respect whatsoever for anything non-islamic, especially historical antiquities that are pagan. We’ve seen this with the Bamyan buddha, we’ve seen this when the Palestinians desecrated the Church of Nativity with excrements and condoms (!) and used the bible as toilet paper, and we saw this when Palestinians destroyed Joseph’s tomb.
As you said it yourself, you had to watch out for your female friend who wasn’t covered from head to toe, because to a (sex-crazed) Muslim if a woman is not covered from head to toe she must be a whore, thus she is fair game to be groped or much worse (and in case the later happens it is also her fault for “enticing” men).
I was brought up to be a gentleman, to be respectful towards women and elders, to protect those in need of protection when necessary, and to respect my ancestors and my culture. This may sound really lame, foney, old-fashioned or whatever (I don’t give a shit), but this was how I was educated, I am proud of the man I am and I try to follow those rules every single day of my life and that is why your post first made me angry, then glad, and for last kind of happy.
Angry for obvious reasons. Glad that in my country the level of insanity and ignorance is still within tolerable levels. Happy that sane and educated people like you – who I now believe to be a diminute minority – still exist in the middle of all those insane robots that limit their brain acitivity to repeating the same tape filled with hatred and intolerance over and over again.
I feel sorry for you, Sandmonkey. It must be horrible to be faced with this reality on a daily basis. Please don’t leave your country. You are a drop of cologne in a cesspool of shit. Everytime I feel like saying “Those guys are all the same” I think of people like you and a few others.
Lastly, I just wanted to say that I was always nuts about ancient Egypt since I was 7 or 8. I have never visited your country and I refuse to visit Egypt, just as I refuse to visit/spend a dime of my money in any country… that looks the other way when terror or hatred is being freely preached and applauded in the mosque down the street. Maybe one day I will visit North Africa or Turkey but I seriosuly doubt I ever will. My money will not fund hatred and ignorance.
very interesting brooklynjon. I wish we could do something about pollution, but nowadays it seems like developing countries have to make a choice between industrialization and saving the environment. Most, understandable, go with promoting economic development through industrialization.
“nowadays it seems like developing countries have to make a choice between industrialization and saving the environment”
Why can’t countries like Egypt develp solar power??
http://www.businesstodayegypt.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=4990
I think the only false idols are those stupid pics of Mubarak all over the country! If they were removed, I wonder what my fellow egyptians will think? I am happy Ramses is being taken care of…I agree that the 11 million caironians should also be taken care of as well.
Thanks SM for this post. It definitely proved to me that the Egypt I went to (6 years ago) is much different than today.I am a little scared to go back, honestly. I went to the Museum and never thought of it as a warehouse at all…but this was 6 years ago.
Also, my mother mentioned that Al-Qaeda was targetting the Taj Mahal..apparently it was a false report. Some guy has written threatening letters but he isn’t linked to Al-qaeda. Anyways…this led her to imagine what if the ( as she calls them) the al-q boys targetted the pyramids? Like the Buddhas in Afghanistan? The flase idols….crap…etc? The pyramids seem like a prime target for the Al-Q boys….what would Egypt think then if they are destroyed?
Wish we had more old men around.
“Sad as it may be, at least the Wahabbis didn’t blow it up like the Taliban”
Now that to me would be something worth going to war over. Fucking ignorant freaks that do things like that deserve to die.
The day the Egyptians stop thinking of themselves as Arabs 1st and Egyptian last is the day I have hope for your country AND it’s past. Till then may the fine museums of the world hold off on returning anything to Egypt.
I think this fairly sums up what you’ve said.
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/38627096/
Oh one more thing!
Ramses moved right in front of my house.
Fantastic. When I was 5, my mom decided to buy an apartment in that area so that when we come back to Egypt, for good or for vacations, we’d have a place to live that has less pollution and is quieter.
Soon, I will be living downtown.
Fan. Tas. Tic.
Nice reporting…I enjoy reading your blog. It’s such a sad thing, I’ve been in our beloved egy for almost a year now and not ONCE have i got a good look at the statue, call me apathetic or ignorant, but it’s just a bit hard to look upon things like “beauty” or “the sense of ancient egypt” when you’ve just come out from the subway with 10 million hardworking(?) egyptians who can’t seem to have enough time to roll a deodorant on for just a minute, or when you’re out of a microbus(our very own rollocoaster) with an equal possbility of fliping over, driving right into to the nile, or actually get’s you where you want! And I got shocked that people said Ramses is an idol, okay, it is. So that’s how you treat your gods? you fuckin pee on’em? How many god-bridge/wall would egypt have then…eh, who cares…
Thanks Sandmonkey- had tears in my eyes as I read your post. I was back in Egypt in June and July after a 13 year absence and one of the things I always love about going home is the history. I’m proud to be Egyptian. Proud to have such a rich heritage. Proud of what the Egyptians have accomplished and proud that I have a connection (however small that may be) to a once great civilisation. But everytime I go back to Egypt I come back a little bit sadder at how the Egyptian people seem to have forgotten what it means to have a history.
I live in Perth- it’s the most isolated city in the world and probably one of the youngest. The streets here are clean and shiny and new. The buildings are clean and shiny and new. When I walk through the city here, there is no sense of a world gone by- no sense of history- no sense of where everything came from- it all looks like it was built yesterday. All their history (about 200 years) is housed in a tiny, little Museum tucked away behind the big, new, shiny Perth Library.
So when I go back to Egypt I love the streets that look like they’ve been there for thousands of years and seen revolutions, wars, victories, life and death. I love the buildings that look like toothless old men. I love that Midan El Tahrir looked exactly the same as it did when I was a student at the AUC in 1990 (OK a McDonald’s and a KFC restaurant here and there but basically still the same).
I hope that it’s not too late for Egyptians to regain some of their pride in their history and to cherish that and realise how important it is.
Your report made me laugh more than a couple of times, till I realized that this is as many times as we’ll be thinking about the subject.
I was in Agami at the time of the move, and didn’t even catch it on TV. If it’s a european cup final, hundreds of people in the street would be surprised you’re not watching the game. However, nobody even thought of asking about Ramses’ final journey; a statue that’s been there for generations. Now that I thought of it, I haven’t really got a good look at him.. Now that’s a problem right there.. In other countries, these sites should be VERY attractive and eye-catching. You should spot it a couple of miles away.. not in Egypt though..
Well anyways, I’m not waiting for a revolution or anything, Egyptians will stay Egyptians.. I quote SM “Some battles aren’t worth fighting..” Let’s just hope our time comes under reasonable states of lifestyle..