WALK LIKE AN EGYPTIAN

 Special Edition | Keelan Cashmore 

---

Over the holidays I had the pleasure of travelling to Egypt. Egypt is a country with a rich and vibrant history. Its mythologies have been the subjects of numerous adventure stories, and it has become a country that entices countless visitors.

It is easy to see why! 

The Pyramids of Giza. Photo courtesy of Keelan Cashmore.

Though I was excited to uncover the history of Egypt while being in the country, I was equally excited to see how the Egyptian Museum, and various historic sites throughout the country, differ from those in Canada.

I found six key differences in Egyptian museums and sites that I want to discuss.

1) The first difference was organization. If you visit the ROM, the curation and selection of specific artifacts and displays is evident. There is a method to the madness, and the pieces are presented in such a way that visitors know what they are seeing and why. At the Egyptian Museum, objects have also been carefully selected. However, they are of such a high volume that it can be overwhelming. Each room is packed to the brim with these objects, and because of this, it can be difficult to understand what you’re seeing. Labels do exist, but apart from the featured exhibitions they can be few and far between. 

Egyptian sandals at the Egyptian Museum. Note that there is no label or description.
Photo courtesy of Keelan Cashmore.

2) The second difference was docents. In both the Egyptian Museum and the historic sites such as temples and the pyramids, tour guides do not exist. At historic sites there are also no interpretive signs or labels. You either know what you’re seeing, or you have hired a tour guide in advance to show you around. In some temples, there were men who would point out various “areas of interest”, or who would offer to take your photo. Unlike Canadian museums, these men did this to earn money. If advice or photos were taken, many of the men expected monetary compensation. This is quite common throughout Egypt.

3) The third difference was preservation. I was shocked to see how many of the artifacts in the Egyptian Museum could be touched. This was the same with temples. It was so easy to reach out and touch hieroglyphs or statues that were thousands of years old. We were also allowed to climb on the pyramids. I would bet that if these monuments were in Canada, we would barely be allowed to breathe on them, let alone climb them. The one area where touching was restricted was the Valley of the Kings, inside the tombs of pharaohs such as Ramses II and Tutankhamun. From a tourist perspective, I loved being able to touch artifacts and hieroglyphs. The fact that I was touching real history was an indescribable experience. But from the perspective of a museum professional, it left me with a sour taste in my mouth. Wear and tear were evident in some places, and it made me sad to think it would only get worse. 

Tourists on the Pyramid of Khufu. Photo courtesy of Keelan Cashmore.

4) The fourth, and maybe most surprising difference to me, was gift shops. Museums and temples in Egypt do not have what we would consider “gift shops”. Instead, they have what we would consider markets. Essentially, on the way out of the temple or museum, the street is lined with vendors who attempt to sell you their wares. The vendors can be intimidating but are harmless. If you ignore them, they usually go away, but as a woman it can be unsettling. There was one instance where the two people I was walking with went in different directions and I was standing alone. I had four vendors surround me and promote their wares. That was one heck of an experience! 

Vendors promoting their wares at the Aswan Dam. Photo courtesy of Keelan Cashmore. 

5) The fifth difference was access to washrooms. In Egypt, public washrooms have a fee. They cost 5 Egyptian pounds per use, which is less than an American dollar. It’s not expensive, but it can be difficult to get small bills. Many of us in my tour group discussed how we did not care about the money, but how it bothered us, nonetheless. I think it’s because we are so used to public washrooms being available that we view it as a “right”. It comes along with culture shock and realizing that something as simple as access to public washrooms can vary greatly depending on your location in the world.

6) The sixth main difference I want to mention is camera tickets. In Western museums it can be common to charge a separate admission for special exhibitions. This is also true for Egypt. However, the Egyptian Museum, as well as historic sites such as the Valley of the Kings also charges extra for camera tickets. Camera tickets are what allow visitors to take photos. Of course, you can try to take sneaky photos without the tickets but doing so may result in you getting removed from the museum, or your phone being confiscated, and the photos deleted. 

Entry ticket and camera ticket for the Egyptian Museum. Photo courtesy of Keelan Cashmore.

None of the differences between Egyptian and Canadian museum practices were major, but they were prominent enough for those of us in my tour group to notice and question them. Egyptian culture in general is quite different from North American culture. It takes some getting used to, but after being there for a couple of days you adjust quickly, and these customs become the norm.

It was amazing to me how accustomed I became to these practices. For example, I went to the ROM last week and was surprised at the number of artifacts that could not be touched! I also had to remind myself that I could take photos, and someone was not going to yell at me asking if I had a camera ticket. 

Hieroglyphs in the Valley of the Kings. Photo courtesy of Keelan Cashmore.

Overall, I had a lot of fun exploring Egypt and seeing how it differs from Canada! It is certainly a place I would recommend going if you have the chance. Pictures and descriptions can only go so far – nothing beats experiencing it yourself!