3ht

Jan 20th

Deir el Bahari

Thursday was really a crazy day. We thought Dr. Zahi would be at the opening of the bookstore Aboudi so after work we rushed over there to meet him. Unfortunately he was in Portugal so I was a little upset, but we did get free delicious snacks and fruit drinks even though we were dressed in our dusty dig gear and not dresses and suits like everyone else.

This snakes up the railing to the topmost tier

What better way to make up for a disappointment like that then going to see one of the sites I’ve been waiting to see  since I was little. Deir el Bahari is Hatshepsut’s temple which neatly protrudes from the side of the mountain. Hatshepsut’s reign really is quite interesting considering that she is one of the female rulers of Egypt.  She goes back and forth between masculine and feminine images and pronouns in her art, but this building and its three tiers has interested me as much as the pyramids have. I felt like I was 10 again and the excitement running through my veins was electrifying. I’m pretty sure Michael has a picture of me spinning in circles of happiness in front of the temple like a little girl.

On the first tier

Who knows if this is real, but it's an interesting idea

Marina taught me about cryptography today, my favorite image of which is Amun. Amun, which means the hidden one, can be written its proper phonetic way, but also this way. It’s quite interesting how clever the Egyptians were and how well their ideas connected together. It’s also daunting to think how much there still is to learn considering I can barely read Middle Egyptian as it is. Just as interesting to see pretty much at any tourist site but specifically here was the clothing people decide to wear. Booty shorts, bathing suit tops and see-through shirts really aren’t appropriate anywhere, never mind in a temple, and never mind in a country that leaves only the eyes to be seen. As we waited for our taxi to pick us up, the sun set in the mountains perfectly creating the hieroglyphic symbol for the word 3ht (pronounced akhet), meaning horizon. I really like seeing the inspiration for the hieroglyphs I’ve been studying since freshman year.

The djed pillar with arms holds the crypotgraphic symbol for Amun

The hieroglyph 3ht meaning horizon

 

Pretty cool, huh?