Tuesday, January 19. Saqqara

The day starts with a visit to the new(ish) Imhotep museum at Saqqara. I think the staff were a bit surprised to see anyone there before the usual opening time; they were still mopping the floors when we arrived. It's a fine museum with five galleries and a good assortment of items from the area. I've decided that I really do like these smaller museums; there's enough to satisfy your curiosity, but not so much that you become overwhelmed.

Saqqara is the site of the oldest stone building in the world, Djoser's Step Pyramid. So here's the thing: The Supreme Council for Antiquities is in the process of adding new facing stones to the pyramid. And they've started on the south-east corner where one could previously clearly see that the pyramid started as a mastaba, then was added to a number of times to form the current structure. So now this is covered up with new facing blocks. It is a curious thing to do, but not unprecedented in the very long history of Egyptology. Even the ancient Egyptians occasionally went back and fixed up their old monuments (e.g. the pyramid of Wenis at Saqqara). But why do this work to the Step Pyramid? It's mysterious.

We had a chance to visit a couple of tombs near the Wenis causeway: Irukaptah and Neferhernptah. The tomb of Nyankhra, a doctor and rather important fellow judging from his titles, is nearby. The tomb is currently buried in sand, but a lintel is exposed with fine hieroglyphs.

We take lunch off-site at the Saqqara Palm Club – a buffet with BBQ under palm trees by a swimming pool. It's a relaxing meal with a good selection of dishes. The pumpkin-mango-apricot (?) dessert is a big hit with the foodies who try to suss out its ingredients with moderate success. (45 LE for the buffet, 5 LE for a bottle of water).

At the Pyramid of Teti, dark clouds blow in, and it starts to spit rain. We are also dogged by a large group of Korean tourists who move slowly in and out of tombs. We're exactly the same, but that doesn't make us any happier about it. Why are these other people here at all? Isn't this our site?

Tomb of Kagemeni – Lovely reliefs, some with colour. Karlene tells us about the scene which depicts a man force feeding a basengi. It's also been described as a man feeding a piglet, but if you know dogs, it's clearly a basengi.

Tomb of Ti – some excellent reliefs of boats, offerings, and (by now) the usual tomb stuff. It's the end of the day, so even the most wonderful tomb can come off as a bit ho-hum.

During the tromp back to the bus, it starts to rain. Only Norma has dressed appropriately. The rest of us get wet.

The day ends with a special dinner arranged by our tour company. We dine at a a very ritzy looking club which had a magnificent view of the Cairo citadel. It recalls the glory days of old Cairo – high ceilings, wooden lattice, and fountain in the entrance way. A cool breeze sends us gently on our way back to the hotel.