The Pharaoh's Shadow
Author | : Anthony Sattin |
Publisher | : Phoenix |
Total Pages | : 234 |
Release | : 2000 |
ISBN-10 | : 0575402784 |
ISBN-13 | : 9780575402782 |
Rating | : 4/5 (84 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: In a ruined temple along the Nile, Anthony Sattin came across a woman praying to the gods of ancient Egypt to bless her with a child. Later the same day, a policeman stopped his taxi to ask if he had a mobile phone - he wanted to call his mother. These encounters encapsulated the Egyptian experience: while undoubtedly forward-looking, Egyptians are obsessed with their long and well-documented past. Europeans, Turks, Mamelukes, Arabs, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Jews, Christians and Muslims have all left their mark; but older than them all are the surviving customs of Ancient Egypt, from fertility rituals and funerary rites to the cult of saints, snake-charmers and magicians.