Climbing was already made illegal at the time and we wanted to make sure we get to our destination undetected. We couldn’t use the main entrance since there is a police check point so we had to park the car, turn around and go through the surrounding poor village where the pyramids’ guards and the people working in the nearby horse stables live with their families.
We were crouching and tip-toeing on the ruined walls when all of a sudden some stray dogs started to bark, breaking the silence of the night. We froze as we heard some commotion and a few men came out with long sticks, probably thinking we were some thieves. But I guess that judging by our appearance and having a blonde girl with us weren’t exactly what those people feared, and just by telling them that we were here to climb the pyramid, they amiably directed us to the “easiest” way up and wished us good luck. I believe it was the Southwest corner.
Stairways To The Missing Heavens
After 45 minutes of climbing the humongous limestone blocks – estimated to be numbered 2,300,000 that weigh from 2 to30 tons each with some reaching a staggering 70 tons – I wanted to end this unusual late night exercise. The climbing itself was not what I was there for so I gave it an extra push and was finally the first to reach the summit. To my absolute surprise, I was not alone. Three young Asian men were already there on top of the only remaining structure of the 7 Wonders of the Ancient World…in the middle of the night. I remember it took me some confused moments to really grasp the unexpected sight. Of course I said hello and did my courteous part towards the nocturnal tourists while trying to appear not shocked at all, until my friends joined us and were obviously equally astonished. With a few English sentences we understood that they were Japanese and are in Egypt only to climb the Great Pyramid. Five minutes later, 3 more Japanese joined and the nine of us comfortably shared the uneven rocky space which is approximately 9 meters (30 feet) from each side. We also shared a smoke.
One simple yet astounding discovery to me was the flagpole that was there to mark the original height of the pyramid which was said to have been 146.59 meters (490 feet); now it’s around 139 meters due to erosion. Since I was a child and my father would point at the peak from below and explain what those tiny sticks were and I always thought of them as made of steel or some other metal, somehow the image fitted more in my developing mind. In reality, this 7-meter flag pole or mast is made of 4 long pieces of wood stuck together at the top in an American Indians’ tepee-style, and it was actually placed there by two astronomers in 1874 to show where the original apex would have been if the top cover was there.
The reason why the cover known as the capstone (or top-stone) is missing remains a mystery to this very day. Ironically, if it was there, none of us would have ever had this experience as it would practically be impossible to reach or stay at the summit. According to visitors’ accounts dating back to the historian Diodorus Siculus in 60 B.C, it has always been absent.
Some theorists suggest that since it was most probably highly decorated with special limestone and even gold, chances are it was the first to be looted or possibly vandalized. The only problem would be that a capstone so huge and heavy cannot be easily removed or destroyed. I think it might actually be close to impossible to do so without causing substantial apparent damage to the rest of the pyramid. It is known that at completion, the Great Pyramid was surfaced by white ‘casing stones,’ or flat-topped blocks of highly polished white limestone, adorned with drawings and hieroglyphic writings inscribed in gold. It is also known that in 1301 A.D, a massive earthquake loosened many of the outer casing stones, which were later carted away by Bahri Sultan Al-Nasir Nasir-ad-Din al-Hasan in 1356 in order to build the mosques and fortresses of old Cairo. All what visibly remains today is the underlying step-pyramid core structure.
Others claim that it was never completed just like the seven-stepped Tower of Babel before it. But I also sort of disagree with this notion because of simple logical reasoning. If you spent 30 years mastering such an immaculate, massive project with all its puzzling and flawlessly intricate details – 20 years for building the pyramid and 10 years prior to prepare the ground, the causeway, the passages and the underground chambers according to the 5th century BC Greek historian, Herodotus, – why would you willingly leave it uncovered knowing that the capstone was the last thing to be placed and was actually considered the most important part of the construction?
Moreover, since there are no hieroglyphics or writings inside the Great Pyramid other than the very few that were written later and not by the pyramid builders, then if the reason why the capstone isn’t there was due to a sudden catastrophic event for example, the later literature would have noted it. Pharaohs usually documented major historical events, and I’m sure that we would have found some clues somewhere by now especially that Khufu belonged to the 4th dynasty and was followed by 26 other dynasties in addition to the late Argead and the Ptolemaic dynasties that ended with Ptolemy XV, the three-year old infant son of Cleopatra VII who was proclaimed co-ruler with her before Rome took over in 30 BC.
Still, nothing of importance about the missing capstone has been mentioned during all this time, and until today no one knows what happened to it. Some, including myself, believe that the full power of the pyramid would only be completed with its capstone, and that the true story of the Great Pyramid might never unfold as long as it’s missing.
There is a mainstream conviction that little is known about Khufu or The Pyramid because the tomb has been robbed before it was entered during the Arab reign by Caliph Al Mamoun in the ninth century. He was the first to break through the masonry since its original closing and the only thing he found was in the King’s chamber, and it was a stone box and not a regular sarcophagus, but rude, unfinished, without a lid and without any inscription. Why and how leave an unfinished box, steal a 10-ton cover, take it out through the narrow passages of the pyramid and then close the 20-ton swivel door? Definitely not some ‘robbers.’ However, the gap here is by the thousands of years, could it be some later dynasties that stole or destroyed all the remains? But what would be their motif? And if really stolen, then where are they?
I often wonder if some secrets were not concealed during the time of Khufu himself as I also wonder if they possessed certain profound knowledge of pivotal importance that we still haven’t found. I think they did.
With all the different theories and beliefs, the question if the pyramid did truly belong to Khufu is often raised and is definitely worth reflecting upon. What we know is very little and the fact that all the found writings originate from a much different script and language than ours that have been unspoken and dead for over 2500 years, makes deciphering quite an elusive task while leaving us questioning its accuracy.
We also have to consider that these scripts have gone through major transformations throughout the ages to get to how we understand them today; from Hieroglyphic to Hieratic, then from Demotic to the Greek-alphabet Coptic. In fact, according to the enlightened scientist and author Dr. Moustafa Mahmoud in his educational documentary The Amazing Pyramid, the word “Khufu” itself translates “God Almighty” which might not necessarily be the name of the buried Pharaoh, but could very possibly be a spell or an oath of protection. If the word God is written on my tomb, it certainly does not mean that God himself is in the tomb, no?
Again, all the centuries made it impossible to reach any assertion. I really hope that one day during my lifetime this enigmatic riddle would be resolved.
The Energy at the Top of the World
Back to our little story…it was slightly windy that night and we spent about an hour and a half overlooking the breathtaking view from atop, entranced by a true sublime beauty. I will always remember that magical moment when I laid down with my eyes closed and traveled back in time while thinking of all the people who once stood there, and who they were and how different was life then. I also wondered about the mysteries, discovered and still undiscovered, in all the darkened chambers and the puzzling secret passages below us, as well as in the areas around the other found 137 pyramids throughout the country that we still have a lot to learn about. Most importantly, I was really curious to know how such an expansive, gigantic construction was built and how on earth could they move a 70-ton stone like the one covering the King’s chamber without any machinery or trucks then accurately fit it with this extreme high precision and with meticulously calculated angles. Quantum anti-matter anti-gravity supernatural mind powers maybe?
Remembering that this inspiring and majestic colossal pyramid survived more than 5 thousand years– maybe even more according to some theories, – I was overwhelmed by a great sense of awe and admiration to those mighty Pharaohs. When I opened my eyes and gazed at the stars they knew so much about, I couldn’t help but question the source of all the great knowledge they must have possessed. Other than the skillful construction, they pioneered in many fields like medicine, agriculture and astrology, and what they left us represent the cornerstone foundations of most of the sciences we know of today.
Sitting on the old-age, uneven rocks for some time and touching it with my hands, I felt an unusual ‘energy’ emanating from the area. At the time, younger me was overwhelmed by the whole experience and didn’t think much about it, but I sure knew there was something different about this intriguing place. Soon after, I started my interest in researching pyramidology and educated myself on various subjects. One of them was the peculiar, unexplained correlation of the 3 pyramids of Giza with the Orion belt constellation. Along with four more pyramids found in Dahshour and nearby the Giza area, all 7 pyramids fit the exact mirror image of Orion which was associated with the Egyptian god Osiris. Not only that, but with the same scaled proportions, the Nile river and how it was located back then matches our own Milky Way galaxy in the sky.
More thorough information about this specific topic is covered in Robert Bauval’s bestseller, The Orion Mystery, as well as in the BBC documentary, The Great Pyramid: Gateway to the Stars, both from 1994.
It was further discussed in the more recent 5-episode documentary, The Pyramid Code, which explores the pyramid fields and the ancient temples in Egypt as well as ancient megalithic sites around the world looking for clues to matriarchal consciousness, ancient knowledge and sophisticated technology.
Another subject that has always interested me that had also come to mind was the Curse of the Pharaohs. I believe that my curiosity started as far back as my childhood when I first read Tintin et Les Cigares du Pharaons as a young boy.
I learned later that the belief in those curses were brought to many people’s attention in 1922 when Archaeologist and Egyptologist Howard Carter first opened the tomb of Tutankhamun that was discovered in the Valley of The Kings in modern day Luxor. It was the most intact Pharaonic tomb ever to be found which had lain nearly undisturbed for more than 3 thousand years. Inexplicably, the excavations were soon followed by the death of eight of Carter’s team members including his own employer, Lord Carnarvon, who died due to an infection from a mosquito bite in his cheek. At the exact moment of his death, all the lights in Cairo mysteriously went out, and at two in the morning that same night, Lord Carnavron’s own dog howled and dropped dead. Carter’s canary was also attacked in its cage and died in the mouth of a cobra – the symbol of the Egyptian Monarchy.
‘Death Shall Come on Swift Wings To Him Who Disturbs the Peace of the King’ was engraved on the exterior of King Tutankhamen’s Tomb.
However, since the mid-twentieth century, many authors and documentaries have argued that curses are ‘real’ in the sense of being caused by scientifically explicable causes such as bacteria or radiation. As usual with the Pharaohs, the mystery remained unraveled but the correlations were too ‘real’ not to think about them, and even too eccentric to be considered coincidences.
Amusingly, I recently found that Carter was referenced in Hergé’s Tintin et Les Sept Boules de cristal published in 1944. He was also honored by Google just a few months ago by a “tomb-doodle.”
Back to Reality
Back again…we decided to leave right after the morning prayers that could be heard through the city’s 1000 minarets. Going down for another 45 minutes with our backs to the pyramid was a little harder than the way up. To remain focus, I had to remind myself that this was not a Nintendo game and that I only had one life to spare. The sun started to rise as the darkness faded, uncovering our camouflage. Halfway through, a lonesome policeman at the bottom spotted us and shouted something. Of course there were no other options but to keep descending while brainstorming on what to say. Once down, he wanted to take us to the police station. Our averagely-clever alibi was to pretend that my friend was a tour guide and that his girlfriend and I were French tourists. To play the role well, we started speaking French while the “tour guide” was trying to convince him of our victimless crime. Five minutes and the policeman was still arguing, even refusing a small bribe, so I had to interfere and spoke out in Arabic: “Listen man, I’m Egyptian like you and if you want to get people down, there are 6 Japanese men up there, go get them.” The poor guy froze for a second and left mumbling, grumpy and bribe-less.
Interestingly, years later with the widespread of the internet, I found that young Japanese men wrote a guide on how to climb the Great Pyramid based on personal accounts and advices from successful nocturnal climbers written both in Japanese and English. Their motto to overcome the climb is “Never Give Up”. I wonder if our guests have anything to do with it.
It was 6 a.m. already and I went home to find my caring mother waiting by the door, drinking her too-early Nescafe and looking like she’s been worried sick. Of course this was still the peaceful pre-mobile phone era, and yes, I’m not that young. I was all white and dusty from the climbing and all I could say before heading to the shower was that we went horseback-riding at the pyramids. One year later, I proudly confessed to both of my parents which was of course met with: ‘My son has lost his mind’ and ‘you could have easily killed yourself.’ They are both true somehow, but I believe that a life without adrenaline-fueled adventures or trying new things is not really a life worth living. My motto is “Never give up, and you will reach your destination.”
I only wish I had a camera to document and commemorate this uncommon happening, and our craziness too of course. A picture from the top would have been a stunning, surreal Kodak moment, the photographer in me keeps reminiscing, even to the extent of considering the possibility of re-doing it someday armed with a camera. Writing this piece is the only proof I’m leaving for our descendants, along with my friends’ testimonies, but who’s physically immortal?
I felt exceptionally fortunate to share this rare encounter with my friend, knowing that not too many people had the chance to do it. Actually we were the only ones in our circle of friends who reached that summit. It affected me in a truly profound way and left me feeling alive, exhilarated, rejuvenated and with an ever-increasing curiosity to know more about this intriguing golden civilization.
Post-Climb Mania
Very soon after and with my growing interest in the endless mysterious tales surrounding the majestic Pharaohs, my friend introduced me to a cool American researcher named Larry Dean Hunter. He was then hired by Richard Hoagland’s Enterprise mission – a space research institute that covers NASA, Cydonia, the Face on Mars, space anomalies, and unusual activities at the pyramids. While feeding his own passion, Larry stimulated our sense of wonder and curiosity and was the first to open our eyes on many things the average young Egyptian didn’t know much about, especially when the internet was still taking its first steps. He always told us that the youth needed to know more about the Pharaohs since it is the direct ancestral link to our own historical heritage. He also told us that not everything is known to the public and that there are some secrets still kept unrevealed.
For 3 years my friend and I met Larry in the surrounding areas of the pyramids when he would come for research visits every few months and stay with local friends. I remember enjoying many eye-opening, interesting conversations as we would go horseback-riding between the Giza plateau and Sakkara in the full moon. We even climbed the third pyramid of Menkaure (or Mykerinus) together another night sometime late in 1997, but that was a much easier task. It is known that the top of the second Pyramid of Khafre (or Chefren) cannot be reached as it’s the steepest of the 3 pyramids.
Slowly but surely, we realized that what we were taught at schools about the pyramids being burial complexes for the dead was too conventional and lacked any sort of reflective imagination. And since no mummies were ever found inside, some contemporary theorists refuted this idea, not believing that this was their sole function.
As the language and scripts changed multiple times over the different ages, it is very plausible that what is known today has been misinterpreted a long time ago. It is also known of Pharaohs who deliberately destroyed everything the previous dynasty has built or achieved, most probably conceal any found knowledge to use it for their own advantages such as controlling the people for example. Again, we’re talking about thousands of years here and it’s practically impossible to know everything, but we can sure keep trying.
During this time, we got to personally know a 50-year old man who lived and worked in the area who told us that 15 years earlier, a prominent official who was then the head of antiquities in Egypt and an American scientist friend took him to a nearby site in the area of Abusir where there was an excavation project led by a foreign research expedition, and ordered him to dig in a specific spot. After some brief effort, 3 sarcophagi were found and removed, yet only one made it to the public. It looks like the official and his friend kept two of the sarcophagi while looking like international heroes who made an unraveling discovery. The man was given 500 L.E (around $85 in today’s rates) to keep his mouth shut.
As my old friend reminded me lately, such reoccurring incidents distort our true understanding of history. According to the man, the 3 found sarcophagi belonged to a king, a queen and a child, and by revealing only part of the truth, the discovery’s recorded data will be missing and consequently misinterpreted, while the factual evidence remains lost forever.
Unfortunately, stories like these have been happening for a long time and there is an enormous global black market for Pharaohs’ tombs, relics and artifacts – found or stolen. Our missing capstone has very similar effect as it only leaves us with a mirage of interpretations to the incomplete puzzle.
Some Bizarre Facts
I was sure that whatever I had felt back then when connecting with the Great Pyramid must have been real, but at the time I had no tangible explanation. I heard that being the historical place that it is and being geometrically shaped as a pyramid were the causes explained that there was/is indeed some energy that we may not know of. But I needed evidence and I needed facts, and my healthy curiosity led me to read several publications and watch documentaries. What I found was truly astounding.
I learned that the design of the pyramid encodes mathematical information about many forms and functions of the universe. Some of those mystifying measurement facts were for example is that The Great Pyramid is located at the exact center of the land mass of the earth, and with it corners aligned with the four cardinal compass point, it is the most accurately aligned structure in existence facing true north with only 3/60th of a degree of error. The position of the North Pole moves over time and the pyramid was probably exactly aligned at one time.
I also learned that the numbers Pi (3.14) and Phi (1.618 or the Golden Ratio) are repeatedly expressed in all the fundamental proportions and measurements of the construction. For example, twice the length of one side of the Great Pyramid divided by its height equals Pi, and the height to base ratio is 0.636, which indicates that it is indeed a Golden Triangle, at least to within three significant decimal places of accuracy.
The Great pyramid is the only pyramid to have been built with its four faces slightly concave, and with the centers of the four sides intended with an extraordinary degree of precision, it’s the only 8-sided pyramid in the world. The Effect is not visible from the ground or from a distance but only from the air, and only under proper lighting conditions. This was only accidentally discovered by a British pilot in the 1940’s who took the now-famous picture from above.
The cornerstone foundations of the structure have ball and socket capabilities for dealing with heat expansion and earthquakes. No wonder it’s still intact after all those thousands of years.
Due to the large amount of stone mass, the interior temperature is constant and equals the average temperature of the earth, 20 Degrees Celsius (68 Degrees Fahrenheit).
In addition to being one of the 7 pyramids that correlate with the Orion constellation, another perplexing fact is how the southern shaft in the King’s Chamber pointed to the star Al Nitak (Zeta Orionis) in the constellation Orion while the southern shaft in the Queen’s Chamber pointed to the star Sirius, circa 2450 BC; Sirius was associated with the Egyptian goddess Isis. The Descending Passage pointed to the pole star Alpha Draconis, circa 2170-2144 BCE. This was the North Star at that point in time, and no other star has aligned with the passage since then.
The height of the pyramid times 10**9 equals average distance to sun, and the length of the Jubilee passage times 7 times 10**7 is the mean distance to the moon. And the curvature designed into the faces of the pyramid exactly matches the radius of the earth.
Also, as elaborately illustrated in the documentary The revelation of the Pyramid, If 2 circles are drawn, one around the Great Pyramid’s outside base and one on the inside, and the smaller circle length is subtracted from the larger circle length, it would give us a figure that is exactly equivalent to the speed of light (299, 792, 45
!
The above scrupulous, utterly mind-blowing facts are only a tiny portion of what I could fit in this paper, and there is an endless number of documentaries and publications exposing the same information all over the internet.
Many mainstream scientists ignore this evidence, blindly insisting that they are mere coincidences. How could the numbers and calculations be all coincidences? How could they not mean something?
We have to rationalize that all the precise mathematical, geophysical and astronomical measurements cannot solely exist for such a purpose as a burial site of a dead Pharaoh. Not even one mummy was found inside the pyramid. Why would they bother so much about the extra complex, flawless precisions? What did they know about the universe that made them synchronize with such correlations? And what was the pyramid’s true reason for being? Science has no explanations yet.
While gateways to the stars and spiritual portals to other transcendental dimensions may only seem like Hollywood’s science-fiction mythical fantasy productions to some, they are still more plausible to us believers. We always have to remember that our Milky Way galaxy that consists of all the planets, the solar system, and the billions of stars is just one of an estimate of 100 billion other galaxies that we know of in the universe, and they also knew much of but 5 millennia ago, leaving us with limitless possibilities that can only tickle the imagination; for imagination coupled with curiosity are humankind’s gateway to brilliance, and without them we wouldn’t have achieved much. And with all the knowledge those advanced true believers of spiritual immortality, the underworld and the after-life once possessed, skeptics should keep an open mind while thriving to find more believable answers.
Secret Societies and Science
What I found quite interesting as well is how Freemasonry and the occults have always been rooted in Egyptian and Babylonian mysticism, and the glorious Great Pyramid of course. Free Masons hold seasonal, semi-secretive gatherings at the pyramid because they believe in its power, while the Illuminati’s symbol is the singular eye in a pyramid’s capstone which symbolizes the enlightened few, i.e. The Illuminati. The same eye can be seen on every dollar bill where, the 13-stepped pyramid supposedly represents the incomplete mankind and the “all-knowing” eye in the above detached capstone represents those who reign in power over the world and control its masses through occultism. When 1% of the population owns 40% of our planet’s wealth, I have to ask if that’s not exactly what’s happening in the world today? How did it get to that?
We can also read “Novus Ordo Seclorum” on the dollar bill which translates as “New Order Of The Ages” and synonymous with The “New World Order” George Bush Sr. first mentioned publicly in 1990 in his speech before a joint session of Congress, and again on March 6th, 1991 following the expulsion of Iraqi forces from Kuwait. It is well known that The Bush family are active members of the secret society Skull And Bone, and along with The Rockefeller, The Rothschild and several more Illuminati bloodlines, they are the ones who dominate over the world today. Which reminds me of the quote: “If my sons did not want wars, there would be none” by Gutle Schnaper, Mayer Amschel Rothschild’s wife. And that was before her death in1849!
Is it yet another coincidence that the pyramid is linked to the secret societies who, in fact, do reign over the world? They control the oil, the wars, the media, all major corporations, the drugs, the global monetary system and the banks. It’s actually quite absurd when thinking about how they are the ones who have been deciding the fate of humanity for quite some time. It was thought-provoking to learn from David Rothkopf, the U.S author who wrote the controversial book Superclass, that there are only 6,000 people (approximately) or one individual in every million who is a member of this “Superclass” that runs our world.
It is also well known that these societies believe in opening portals between dimensions and practice ancient occultist rituals to reach the New World Order, of course with them as its leaders. Could the knowledge they must possess or the ‘energy’ they must control be related to our missing capstone and the ancient Pharaohs, whom for thousands of years did also rule over the world.
I personally believe that there must be some forbidden knowledge granting them this substantial power and superiority and making them control the world in such an obviously-unjust way. It also appears that it must have started a long time ago, leaving my desire to know much more increase day by day. To get a clearer understanding, I wanted to know what science has to say.
While doing some research before writing this humble exposé, I came across a German-born British inventor by the name of Sir William Siemens (1823-1883) who once climbed to the top of the Great Pyramid when one of his local guides noticed that when raising his hands with outspread fingers, he could hear an acute ringing noise. Siemens raised his forefinger and felt a distinctive pickling sensation. Then when he tried to take a sip from a bottle of wine he had bought with him, he received an electric shock. Being a scientist, he moistened a newspaper and wrapped it around the wine bottle to convert it into a Leyden jar, or a device that ‘stores’ static electricity between two electrodes on the inside and outside of a glass jar – an early form of capacitor. When he held it above his head, sparks were emitted from the bottle and one of the guides got frightened and thought Siemens was up to some witchcraft, and attempted to seize his companion. Siemens then pointed the bottle towards the guide which gave him such a shock that it knocked him to the ground, almost rendering him unconscious.
The energy I felt must have been real.
As demonstrated by Dr. Moustafa Mahmoud in the Amazing Pyramid, studies showed that meat, milk or fruits kept in the King’s chamber of the Great Pyramid will not rot, as well as seeds planted inside will grow faster than if they were outside.
Pyramid Power was first discussed by a French occultist, Antoine Bovis, in the 1930’s and later by a Czechoslovakian radio engineer named Karel Drbal who made a small model with the same proportions of the Great Pyramid and proved that with the right alignment to the North, a razor blade placed in the upper third area will keep its sharpness much more than a regular blade. He explained that without any mechanical, thermal, chemical or electrical energy, the pyramid shape draws the electro-magnetic field of the earth which maintains the sharpness of the blade, and stops the food from rotting. It is reported that Drbal shaved with one blade 200 times. He also obtained a patent for the invention even though the whole concept of his breakthrough discovery was openly borrowed from the Pharaohs.
A little skeptic, Dr. Mahmoud repeated the experiment himself with a red apple, and found that instead of the usual 1 week, it remained intact for 3 months, not fresh but still red and definitely not rotten. He also repeated it with milk which was transformed to yoghurt with time and never went bad.
More extensive researches were done by the Architect and Egyptologist Dr. Sayed Karim, and later by his son, Dr. Ibrahim Karim, who proved that the subtle energy caused by the geometrical figure is what stops the replication of the bacteria since it has preservation properties and hence, the food doesn’t rot. He is also the founder of BioGeometry, which is the science dealing with the energy of shape. Both scientists have many publications about this new yet ancient interesting field, with the latest being a book by Dr. Ibrahim called BioGeometry: Back To a Future For Mankind.
Just like the case with any matters that come from outside our norm and are not fully understood, some conventional scholars still consider pyramidology to be pseudo-scientific speculations based on sensational and inaccurate hypotheses. Maybe not many of them have climbed the Great Pyramid or have tried to “connect” with it first to be so sure.
When facing the skeptics, I like to remember another quote by the genius inventor, physicist, and futurist Nikola Tesla: “If you want to find the secrets of the universe, think in terms of energy, frequency and vibration.” The energy was indeed real, but how did the Pharaohs know about it thousands of years ago makes it all seem unreal.
Later Repercussions
Being the raconteur that I am, of course this story became one of my favorites and I have told it many times throughout the past while. 15 long years have passed and I had just joined a Multinational company when on my 4th day, the CEO calls me to his office to tell me that there are people from our head office in Canada with their clients and they would like to see me talk for 10 minutes in English and French about whatever subject I may chose because they are hunting for a bi-lingual trainer for their new project launch in Canada. I said OK and went on Google and Wikipedia trying to think of any worthwhile idea and prepare myself for the presentation. A colleague mentioned talking about “driving in Egypt” as an experience but this story just instinctively popped into my head, and I knew I could tell it well.
As soon as I went into the meeting room, I introduced myself to the audience, drew a pyramid on the board and asked them what it was. When someone mentioned a triangle, I replied with a smile that since we’re in Egypt the guess could be a little more accurate. Then I heard ‘a pyramid.’ I already grabbed their attention and successfully crushed the ice, and was ready to share my story with a mix of both languages. It all ended in a little more than 10 minutes, they clapped and were all smiles before I greeted them and excused myself, chin up and very satisfied with my performance.
It was a different true story, and definitely not the kind they would hear in an average business interview. Also probably the natural way it was presented, along with my good command of the languages are what sold it, and myself with it.
Two days later, it was the weekend and I received a call from the CEO’s assistant: “We need your passport. You’re going to Canada on Monday for one month.”
As I said, I had just been in the company for 4 days in total, and to make it even more bizarre, I was going to Toronto while the company has offices in 60 something other cities spread around 48 countries, and I was heading to where my partner works and lives in an all-paid for business trip. It was actually exactly where I wanted to be for a whole year before but I couldn’t just leave.
The trip was a success and I fell in love with the city which made me return 6 months later for a vacation. Another 6 months and I decided to leave Egypt for Toronto. The odds make me wonder if it was one of The Great Pyramid’s blessed curse.
The Open End
Pyramids have fascinated people for thousands of years and are considered the most remarkable historical structures known to man. They have always represented the advancement and greatness of all those ancient civilizations that have captured the imagination of scientists, explorers, occultists, adventurers and curious enthusiasts alike; from history and scientific discoveries in many fields to cultic symbolism and numerology to popular culture, and to personal experiences.
While Mesopotamian’s ziggurats, and the pyramids of Mexico, Peru, Nubia and China each tell the story of their builders, the Great Pyramid of Khufu and its missing capstone remains the most audacious, august and mysterious of all.
The more we learn about the mystifying Pharaohs, the more our curiosity and bewilderment increase. And even in today’s world of science and technology, we still do not know much about them. In fact, we have more unanswered questions now than we did a century ago.
The pyramids are of pivotal importance for tourism in Egypt as they represent a main source of national income and I really hope that they are all well taken care of. Be it new supervised excavations, further scientific research or routine restoration work, the chief focus should be finding more clues and explanations. As well as for the sake of preserving the historical monuments that were the cornerstone of this mighty civilization. They did survive for more than 5 thousand years, and I believe it’s only our duty towards humanity – our one and only World Order – and towards the generations to come to make sure they remain as intact and as mesmerizing to the whole world. Will we ever decipher the codes, reveal the secrets, and unravel the mysteries of this great long-lasting civilization that reigned over the ancient world? I sure hope so.
I’m sûr et certain more discoveries will follow in the next decades while it appears that the subject will always remain shadowed by mystical tales and unproven theories. Captivated by its obscure yet charming secrets, some people give their whole lives to studying the pyramids, and I can definitely relate. And since it would be impossible to cover this broad, rich topic in a single piece or even a single book, I’ll end it with some wise words the same friend who lives in Mexico now had just sent me for my birthday:
“Keep that fire going on, for you will always reach your pyramid, there is one everywhere you go awaiting for you to climb it.”