EGYPT'S PAST GLORIES

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 05, Issue 74, 6 July 1942, Page 5

EGYPT'S PAST GLORIES

MANY HISTORIC RUINS

LOCAL MAN'S TOUR

All Whakatane will remember Bert Norman, who ligured lor so many years on the local football field as a popular rcferee-4 Bert who was one of those captured at Bardia is known to his mates as ''the man the Itos could not kill.'" He was so seriously ill at Bardia that the Italians left him behind to' die while they took most of the other men off to Italian prison camps. However Bert made a good recovery and after Bardia was retaken spent some time in a base hospital and was then released for special leave.

He chose to visit some of the ancient ruins that arc all that remain of Egypt's past glories. His trip is told in his own words.

There were four of us in the party three Aussie Air Force chaps and myself making a real good little party. The three Aussies proved to be real good sports not tough but happy and full of beans. We were taken down to the station in a taxi by our Cairo guide who put us on the train in a compartment to ourselves at ten to eight. After quite a good trip in a fast train Ave arrived at Luxor the next morning at 7 a.m., where we were met by the Luxor guide Avho took us to our hotel in a garry (native cab) where our rooms had been booked. After a shave, a howser and a general clean up we had an excellent breakfast. I 1 might mention that this hotel is quite a posh place where you dine at eight at night have linger bowls. A native behind your chair and a little black boy to brush the dust oft' your boots when you come in off the street.

By the way the whole trip only cost us £6 10s for everything that is rail, guide fees, taxies., accommodation etc. this being especially for troops. In peace time tourists pay as much as £50 for exactly the same trip. After breakfast we were taken by our guide in a gharry to the an-i cient Temple of Karnak. This temple is somewhere in the vicinity of 4000 years old and was only uncovered about 50 or 60 years ago. Of course it is in parts well ruined but covers a huge area. There we saw the famous avenue of sphinxs being about a hundred yards long and lined on each side with dozens of small sphinxlike limestone figures. These statues are about twice the size of a man, and each is set up on a huge base. We saw the great court of columns, each coloum is over 80 feet high and 12 feet in diameter and hewn out of a solid piece of limestone. There are dozens of them and each is engraved from top to [bottom with ancient figures anil writings. We also saw the Hypostyle Hall which is a huge place with enoimous coloums. Hypostyle means covered in and part of the roof still remains. The icof consists of huge slabs of limestone supported by the coloums. Then on to the Obelisks of Kuecns Temple which is out of black granite and beautifully polished and en-, graved with figures. These are like the photos j'ou have seen of Gleopatria's needle. From the Oblisks! we walked through the ruined temple of Anion and Mat to the sacred lake. This is a huge place, being built of limestone slabs down in the ground about 30 feet and in a perfect state of preservation. The whole of this area that I have been writing about is enclosed in a crumbling mud brick wall which was also discovered when they excavated the Temple. After seeing a bit more we returned to the hotel by gharry for lunchmarvelling how the Egyptians did the stupendous work with the implements they had then.