Four Ways to Pharaoh Khufu (32 page)

Michael and Anna emerged from the pyramid, squinting in the sunlight. “Anna, what you see today is not how the pyramid was intended to be seen,” Michael commented as they walked away. “It had casing stones made of fine-grained sandstone, which were removed back in the fourteenth century. At that time, some French travelers wrote that they were stunned by the activity around the Great Pyramid. Workers swarmed like ants as they stripped it of its polished casing stones. The stones were sent to build the palaces of the Mamluk sultans and the mosques in Cairo.”

“I can only imagine,” said Anna sipping from a warm bottle of water.

Michael continued, “The pyramids’ white exteriors shone in the sun. Their peaks were covered with thin gold plates and probably blinded people’s eyes. Only Pharaoh Khafre’s pyramid still has a portion of its outer casing intact, near the apex.”

They stood at the southern tip of the rocky Giza Plateau, on the top of which the three biggest pyramids stretched smoothly from west to east. In the early morning hours, a serenity and tranquility had reigned here. But as the day slowly unfolded, buses filled with tourists had arrived non-stop.

The crowds stepping out from their buses encountered an army of vendors with souvenirs and camels. The vendors, including many youngsters, shoved all sorts of trinkets, such as greeting cards, key chains and ornaments with images of the elegant beauty Queen Nefertiti and sacred scarabs, in the tourists’ hands. The camel owners called out to the tourists, guiding the crowds to their camels. Once payment was made, the camels would get down on their knees and the riders would climb onto a velvet saddle. Known as the “ships of the desert” for their ability to glide across the desert sands, the camels are an iconic feature.

The pyramids looked particularly majestic: like a mirage floating in hot air. Anna could not imagine looking at them from the valley they were so immensely huge.

“In the book I read on the plane, it said that one of the researchers assumed that the Great Pyramid was not an architectural structure, but a giant sculpture, carved out of the mountain range,” Anna said.

“Well, he was not far from reality and hopefully soon we can finally shine a ray of light inside that mysterious darkness,” Michael replied.

Chapter 48

Cairo, Egypt

Tuesday, September 26

4:20 p.m.

T
he electronic, melancholy sounds of Arabic pop music drifted longingly out the taxi window as Michael and Anna wearily got into the back seat. After giving the taxi driver the name of their hotel, they settled back to watch the scenery go by their windows. The taxi driver, taking advantage of his captive audience, showed them a big smile along with a bag full of trinkets. After glimpsing the driver’s pictures of his family with six small children, Anna bought a few trinkets to help him. As she sat back in her seat, Anna could not help but think that these people were only trying to scratch out a living. To them, Americans are beyond wealthy. When the taxi driver asked Michael what kind of car he drove, he did not have the heart to tell him that most American families own at least two cars.

In the downtown area they got stuck in the famous Cairo traffic. After a while, Anna could not take it anymore and suggested they walk to their hotel. Soon they were walking along the streets of ancient Cairo with the constant honking surrounding them.

Even though Egypt is predominantly Muslim, it is a moderate country, so fundamentalist practices are not overtly evident. They observed as a man greeted another man with a kiss on the cheek, a common scene that is an expression of friendship and kindness.

They stopped at a coffee shop, a place where men traditionally go after hours to play backgammon and dominos and to smoke hookahs. One of the most wonderful smells in the world comes from
mu’assel
, which translated from Arabic means “honeyed.” Mu’assel is tobacco mixed with molasses and vegetable glycerol; it creates a syrupy mix, which is burned inside a hookah or water pipe. The smell of the burning mu’assel was so strong that later in the evening, as Michael sat in the hotel’s roof garden sipping a glass of exquisite wine, he was still getting whiffs of its unforgettable aroma, diligently making its way six floors up.

They arrived at their hotel and took the short ride up in the elevator. Anna went into the bathroom to make up a cool washcloth for her neck, as she was hot and tired from their day in the desert. She started to lie down when something occurred to her. She sat up and quickly opened up her purse. “Michael!” she exclaimed, the excitement rising in her voice. “I just remembered my father’s sketch. I think we might be able to figure out his riddle.”

“Let me see it again,” said Michael, stretching out comfortably on the armchair next to the table as Anna handed him the paper.

“Roughly translated from German, it says something like, ‘The General scorched the earth in the village of two flags where two great battles once were won.’”

“Hmm,” Michael thought hard. “You’ve never seen this phrase before, right?”

Anna shook her head.

“You know what, let’s use that free WI-FI the hotel offers and see what Google says. Meanwhile, I think we need to get out of this stuffy room.” Michael stood up from the chair and handed Anna the sketch. “How about we go up to the rooftop garden and relax?”

“Oh, yes! That sounds nice.”

They left the room, took the elevator to the top floor and followed the signs down the hallway. Opening the door, a slight breeze and the gentle rays of the Egyptian sun greeted them. They stepped out onto the terrace where they admired the view of Cairo’s downtown and beyond. They quickly found some cushioned chairs and pulled them away from the other tourists enjoying themselves in the glowing evening sun. After settling in and giving their wine order to the waiter, Anna retrieved her iPhone. “Should I input the whole phrase?” she asked.

“No, let’s divide it into parts first. OK, first, type in ‘scorched earth.’”

“Found it.” Anna read it out loud for him:

A scorched earth policy is a military strategy that involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an
area.

Michael held out his hand for her iPhone and Anna handed it to him. Michael scanned the page by scrolling down. He suddenly stopped, visibly surprised, and started reading out loud:

General Sherman most famously used the scorched earth method against the South in the American Civil
War.

Handing back the phone to Anna he said, “Hmm … The Sherman tank is named after a Civil War general. Can you search for ‘General Sherman’ now, please?”

Anna typed the two words in the search box and in less than a second read out loud from the screen:

William Tecumseh Sherman (February 8, 1820
–
February 14, 1891) served as a General in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–65), for which he received recognition for his outstanding command of military strategy as well as criticism for the harshness of the “scorched earth” policies that he implemented in conducting total war against the Confederate St
ates.

“OK,” said Michael, satisfied. “Now Google ‘Sherman tank.’” After a few short keystrokes, Anna started reading out loud again:

In the United Kingdom, the M4 is an American-made tank. It was named after the Union’s General William Tecumseh Sherman, following the British practice of naming their American-built tanks after famous American Civil War generals. Subsequently, the tank’s British name found its way into common use in the United St
ates.

Anna exclaimed, “Wow! You were absolutely right; it is the Sherman tank!”

“Right,” said Michael, grinning.

“But why would my father make a sketch of this tank? He wasn’t a military fanatic.”

“Hopefully … eventually, we will find the answer to this question. But for now, let’s concentrate on the tank.” Anna nodded in agreement with Michael. The waiter appeared by their side with their wine. After a bit of small talk about the scenery, one of the other guests called out to the waiter who then bowed and excused himself.

Michael continued, “OK, the Sherman tank. We know that the tank in your father’s sketch was used by the British forces because it has fenders, as I explained to you before.”

Anna nodded in agreement, taking a small sip of her delicious wine.

“So, the tank is British and it was used during World War II. Let’s find out where the British forces won two battles during World War II.” Michael chuckled, “Make your iPhone useful again.”

“How would I do the search?” asked Anna.

Michael thought for a few minutes. “Well, according to our hotel’s pamphlet, during World War II this was a British military’s officer’s club. So the British were stationed here in Egypt. Check to see if any of those battles were fought here in Egypt.”

“Well, what do you know,” Anna announced shortly. “The battle of El Alamein was fought in Egypt,” she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Really?”

“And that’s not all! Not one, but two battles were fought here in Egypt during World War II.”

“Let me see it,” said Michael, setting down his glass and taking her iPhone. He started reading to her:

There were two battles of El Alamein in Egypt during World War II. The El Alamein Battlefield was the site of a major victory by the Allied forces. The site is in and around the area named after a railway stop called El Alamein. Known as the First and the Second Battle of El-Alamein, both were fought in 1942 to prevent Germans from capturing Alexandria and the Suez Canal. The First Battle of El Alamein saw the Allies stall the progress of Italian and German armies. However, it was the Second Battle of El Alamein that changed the fortunes of the Allies as it forced the Axis out of Egypt and safeguarded the vital route of the Suez Canal. The victory at the El Alamein Battlefield was a vital turning point for the Allies. Winston Churchill summarized it succinctly by saying, “It may almost be said, before Alamein we never had a victory, and after Alamein we never had a de
feat.

Michael handed the iPhone back to Anna exclaiming, “Excellent!” Anna smiled and nodded at him. He instructed, “Now Google ‘El Alamein.’”

Anna quickly found it and started reading:

El Alamein, Arabic: literally, ‘the two f
lags.’

“Wow! Michael, here are the two flags from my father’s riddle.”

“You are absolutely right! Congratulations.”

“For what? We solved the riddle, but didn’t actually solve anything. What does this El Alamein have to do with anything? I’m completely lost.”

“OK, you’re still in Egypt, still in this marvelous hotel and still sitting in the roof garden having drinks with me.”

“That’s not funny,” Anna replied, pretending to pout as she took a sip.

“I apologize,” Michael grinned at her. “On a serious note now, check and see if El Alamein has some kind of World War II museum.”

“First, let me finish what it said about El Alamein.” Anna continued with her reading:

El Alamein is a town in the northern Matrouh Governorate of Egypt. Located on the Mediterranean Sea, it lies sixty-six miles west of Alexandria and 149 miles northwest of C
airo.

Anna paused, “OK, let’s see if there is a World War II museum there.” She concentrated on her iPhone. Looking up, she smiled, saying, “Oh, you bet they do.”

But Michael was ignoring her. His eyes were closed as the sun caressed his face, the mu’assel drifted into his brain and the wine warmed his insides. “Just read it to me, lady.”

Anna laughed and started reading to him:

The El Alamein Military Museum houses a series of exhibitions about the Battles of El Alamein, a crucial Allied victory during World War II in which the Italian and German armies were forced out of Egypt. Housing a collection of uniforms, armed vehicles and weaponry, the El Alamein War Museum provides an insight into the 1942 battle which has since been labeled a turning point in the war. The museum is located close to the main El Alamein Battlef
ield.

“Hey! Armed vehicles?” Michael opened his eyes and sat up, looking excited. “Inspector Suliman mentioned that the hotel surveillance video showed your father with the stele leaving the hotel in Alexandria at midnight and returning early in the morning, right?”

“Yes.”

“And since El Alamein is a mere sixty-six miles away from Alexandria, then he had plenty of time to drive all the way to El Alamein and stash that stele somewhere in that area.”

“My God, Michael,” Anna sighed deeply. “How are we going to find that stele in El Alamein? It’s a huge museum filled with military artifacts! It’s like looking for a needle in a haystack.”

Michael concentrated his thoughts for a moment. His mind traveled back to his Rockland Community College economics class, when his wise professor gave the class an explanation of the whole concept of a needle-in-a-haystack dilemma.

“A needle in a haystack,” the professor had lectured, “presents difficulty when the correct answer is almost impossible to figure out in advance. But it’s easy to recognize if someone points it out to you. Faced with a big haystack, it’s hard to find the needle; but if someone points out where the needle is located, it’s easy to verify that they’re right.”

“So, what’s the best solution when you are faced with one of those needle-in-a-haystack problems?” Michael had asked, mesmerized, as if he had foreseen that he would ever face this type of task.

“It’s rather simple,” the professor had replied mischievously. “Maximize the size of the needle or reduce the size of the haystack.”

“So, Michael, how are we going to find this needle in the haystack?” Anna asked impatiently.

“Reduce the size of the haystack.”

“Huh?” she asked, puzzled.

“There is only one way to find out,” Michael said mysteriously. “So, first thing tomorrow morning we’re heading there.”