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Please see Kevins details for more info on the source of this document. I have transcibed it as it was written- no editing with regard to grammar etc. Where I have been unable to read a word, I have inserted a '*'.
Impressions etc. EGYPT, Luxor, Libya.
Commenced Feb. ‘43

In Cairo, boys will at midday buy back your paper for ½ akker & sell again for one akker. At Luxor, a smartly dressed (European dress) young Egyptian walked beside me in the Bazzar & asked me if I wanted a Bint. He had three young beautiful white Egyptian Bints. 10 akkers for a quick ---------, 50 for several hours, 150 for all night. He said he was the only one with Bints in town- doubt it. In Luxor temperature 60F in shade Feb 24th very nice, just nice and warm. All the services wear K.D shorts except in the evenings, when it is quite cold. In train from Cairo to Aswan very cold during the night; feet frozen. 2nd Class- leather upholstered seats, separate coaches & corridor- equivalent to our 3rd Class. Sitting in open vestibule of Luxor Hotel writing this after lunch, quite warm enough to sit down outside. Egyptian 3rd Class wooden seat in long coaches- no head rest. The second Class coaches are pretty dirty & w.c very dirty. The day I went down to Aswan was dullish & windy & wind blew sand & made carriages filthy. Padre (N.Z.0 CHATTED TO IN TRAIN FROM Aswan to Luxor said he paid a porter 20 akkers. Was put in 1st Class, only two in coach & door locked.
Dynasty- Family. Cobra- sign of Royalty. Lotus flower- Upper Egypt. Papyrus Flower- Lower Egypt. At Aswan quarries- they made holes in red granite & pushed in pieces of sycamore tree which was wetted & swelling of tree split & broke the stone. Nilometer at Aswan- Flight of steps with the measurements up the wall- niches width of a finger & same width in between the niches. If the Nile rises above a certain niche full taxes will not be taken from felahen because some of his land will be flooded. The reverse also applies if flood is small & some land not watered. The Felahen will watch the Nilometer & see what the flood will be before he sows. He gets 4 crops off the same land of Maize & other kinds (2 Maize, 2 other) but only one of sugar, cotton. Tropic of Cancer until recently was said to pass through Aswan- Nr. Nilometer on Elephantine Island, but actually it has been found that it is 30 miles to the South. South of Aswan is Nubia- the Sudan. The railway ends at Aswan or rather Shallal a few miles south. Here one takes boat for 2-3 days trip down Nile to reach the Northern terminus of the Sudan railway. Recently a Military Road was built to connect two railways. Formerly however the river route was the only one.
Aswan Dam- Really Marvellous structure- but little disappointed in Aswan. Expect my visit 2 ½ hrs was too rushed & I would have enjoyed it more if I had had more time. It was not beautiful, but after say Cairo it is certainly pleasant & quiet- fair bit of green. Pharoah- means Great. Most of Temples built of limestone- some red granite. Pillars & gateways. The Nile is in flood about 40 days- Aug 15th peak point. Great celebrations in Cairo & villages also. Mohamed (sic) Aboude- represented Egyptian press & visited Tut-Ank-Amon’s (living on edge of Ammon) 15 days after discovery. Could only stay in Tomb ½ hr at a time owing to air after being enclosed for 3500yrs. The season after this find Luxor crowded out with visitors. All bathrooms of Hotels used as bedrooms & tents erected on sand to accommodate all the tourists. Immediately a King came to the throne he started building his tomb. Therefore if he reigned a long time he made a wonderful finished tomb, but if his reign was short like Tut-Ank-Amon’s (married at 14yrs, King 16, died 22yrs), he had only a partially finished tomb. In Tut-Ank-Amon’s tomb hardly any wall hieroglyphics & they were not very good. The wonder of the tomb is that it was discovered intact & the marvellous treasures inside. He was not of Royal Blood, his father was a chief Priest, but he married a Princess. He, incited by his father, restored to Egypt the worship of Amon Ra & for this the Priests, nobles & Princesses heaped on him marvellous & precious gifts which were found in his tomb. Of the 50 or 60? Tombs of Kings (some yet to be found) only 14 intact, others robbed by various tomb robbers down the ages. Often the beautiful coloured walls are disfigured by the tools of the robbers sounding for hollow chambers. Lord Canarvon, Howard Carter worked 6 winters 1916-22 before finding the tomb. One day some of the workers heard hollow sound under feet & so the tomb was found. It is under another one & had been walked on by tourists for years. Tons & tons of rubble were moved during the six winters- by basket & manual labour. When the workers worked in Tomb (some 150-180ft underground) highly polished Bronze mirrors were used to reflect light inside the tomb. Saw how this worked with glass mirrors in one of the tombs of the Queens. When King died, work stopped on his tomb & the 60 days during embalming of body was used arranging tomb- furniture, food, games etc. etc. The succeeding King- Master of funeral rites was always represented on wall in tomb. The colourings are wonderful & still as bright & fresh as when first painted. This is one of the mysteries of ancient Egypt. How did they make such bright & lasting colours? Another mystery is how did they manage to last- in other words what were the active material used? After the burial the tomb was sealed up with wall & rubble & made to look like natural cliffs to hide from the tomb robbers. In one or two cases the Kings arranged with priests that after death a deep shaft would be dug immediately in front of the tomb so as to mislead the robbers. In one case this was successful & in another it was not. The Queens, nobles and princesses had tombs but mostly bare small ones with no mural painting or decoration. Hieroglyphics- see cut in rock- others more wonderful. Rock cut away so they are raised & not dented. Most of the work done on plaster- *** *** very wonderful. All hieroglyphics & painted on actual rock. The work done to smooth the rock was immense. The treasures from Tut-Ank-Amon’s tomb were carefully packed by H. Carter & taken by steamer up Nile to museum well guarded. The guards telephoned government each day progress of boat & treasures. Rameses III? Gives his whole history of his reign in hieroglyphics on walls of temples he built. One Egyptologist spent 14yrs deciphering these & so wrote the history of his reign. If any natives refuse to go to quarries- hands cut off. Saw some ruined houses of priests & kapas of one temple which was built 3500yrs ago. Mud baked bricks, some with straw, some without straw, like children of Israel made. They are still as hard as iron. Some of the ruined buildings were granaries, on which arched roofs were put by Romans. As Sakkarra was burial town or city of Ancient capital of Memphis so Thebes (Valley of the Kings, Queens etc.) 14 miles wide was burial city of the capital of Karnack (this name given by the French- it is town in Brittany) A line of Sphinx’s lead down from the temple of Karnack to Nile & Valley of Kings is exactly opposite the other bank of the Nile. Rameses II greatest King- reigned 65yrs & built most of temple. Was vain & had erected numerous statues of himself all over Egypt. He oppresses slaves pretty badly. The conquered people imported as slaves together with Egyptians did the quarrying & building of temples etc. at Luxor went in grounds in back of house belonging to Queen Malika’s sister. Nice grounds. Many flowers, passions etc. etc. bloom- lovely to see them in Feb. At Aswan slaves were sold- Nubian & Sudanese until General Gordon stopped this practice. Eunuch most expensive- to guard your wife.
Football Match at Alex. Racket of tickets- no turnstiles- printed tickets sold by wogs outside- scramble & on 12 akker ticket wog expected backshish 1 akker. & if you had not right change- had a job to get ticket without paying backshish.
Delta Dam First one not successful & as far as I can see a second has been built. Had interesting chat with engineering student in train coming back from the Barrage station. It was Friday- Mohammedan Sunday & so a holiday from university & a party of them had been down to study & hear a lecture on the dam. The two I chatted to were Coptic Christians. The fist dam (they told me) only held 2 metres of water, but the 2nd one six metres. They spoke only a little English & so conversation was a bit difficult. At the high schools, nine lessons are given per week in English only 2 or 3 in French. There were about 30-40 of these students on the platform & they were in high spirits- singing- larking about — laughing- walking across the line etc. etc. people are the same the whole world over. The two I chatted with were nice young fellows about 18 years old. On platform was beggar with deformed hand- afraid he got little or no sympathy or money from students. I saw another in Cairo, no legs, dragging himself along on a piece of sacking. Occasionally you see these beggars. They look absolutely wretched; filthy in rags & altogether a horrible sight- poor things- the state ought to provide a home & occupational training for them. I asked the students why with their engineering knowledge why tractors were not introduced for ploughing etc. they informed me much to my surprise, (because never seen any but ancient hand plough) that on large farms they are used. I think these must be very few & far between.

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