CHAPTER 2
I HAVE COME TO THEE, GREAT TEMPLE OF THE GODS
My dreams were abruptly ended by an uncomfortable cool trickle of water on my face, and then the sudden startling outburst of laughter. My eyes sprung open to gaze upon an unpleasant bony figure with swarthy skin.
“Awake your highness or the rays of Ra will scorch your lazy hide!” It was Pasi, an infuriating, spindly peasant man whose annoying, shrieking voice would even send the hippopotamuses insane. During our seasons in Tjaru he would spend most of his free time playing imprudent jokes on the younger workers. His ill mannered nature earned him a reputation as a menace among the more respectful workers. I did not like him at all.
“To your feet, boy!” Men ordered. He had noticed the unpleasant expression on my wet face. Before long my tolerance for Pasi would shatter, releasing my aggression. Such retaliation was not in my nature although it was becoming inevitable. My anger would quickly turn to excitement. “We are at Thebes!” I scurried to my feet, nearly loosing balance, my searching eyes sharp as a hawk. There it was, more beautiful than ever - and how it had changed.
The warm glow of Ra dazzled the entire city with an array of bright colours. I could see the decorated majestic figures of Amun and Montu etched in the great temple pylons of Ipet-sut. There were so many people in festivity, dressed in their finest gowns and tunics. I wondered if the girl who remained in my dreams for so long, was among them?
I could have joined the rest of the crew on the edge of the barge admiring the grand Theban necropolis, but my heart strayed and gave me visions of my younger days, memories of that last kiss.
As we sailed past, the crowd gradually diminished and so did the quality of living. We were docking in the province of the lower class. A line of crudely worked mud brick walls enclosed the worker’s village. The barrier was slapped together with poor taste and decorated with rigid shadows and protruding strands of straw. We drifted in the direction of a flimsy fisherman’s dock that was littered with a clutter of suspending rags. We fought our way through an unorganised collection of poorly worked reed barges to find a secure pole. I was eager to place my feet on solid Theban grounds once again. Men threw the anchoring rope and leapt onto the dock. I was becoming impatient and for that reason Pasi took advantage and forcefully pushed my chest hard, sitting me down in an instant.
“Patience boy!” Again I was detecting sarcasm in his voice. “Give respect to your elders by letting them pass first!” He gave a cynical grin and turned his back. Even though I knew he was right, my blood still boiled with fury. Quite often I had dreamt of watching Pasi being gnawed to death by a river beast. It was one of the many things I wished to see in this life! But no matter how much I wished for his riddance, I would have given up all my obscene desires just to glimpse at Tawri once again. I had dreamt of that very moment so many times, our eyes meeting again. If I found that perfect moment, regardless of the circumstances, I knew it would last forever.
“Itef, is there something so stimulating in that water?” Men called out. I glanced up at him from my daze and smiled.
“Of course not, Uncle.” I sprung to my feet and jumped onto the dock next to him. He patted me affectionately on the back.
“I thought you were about to let me be.” He spoke with a strong friendly voice.
“Oh no, Uncle,” I said, enthused. “I can’t have you enjoying the festival by yourself.”
He paused for a moment. “You are glad to be back Itef, are you not?”
I looked towards the north of the city where the roar of many jubilant people echoed across the river.
“Yes Uncle, I am most glad to be back home.” The stirring dust around our feet seemed to follow Men and I up the narrow alleys of the workers’ village. The web of roughly assembled mud brick walls obstructed the commoners’ everyday lives from the nobles’ pristine view. Within the jagged enclosure nestled the labourers’ discreet and somewhat confined quarters, barely large enough to house their wives and children. The array of poorly designed mud brick huts gave such a sandy monotone impression that any new arrivals would surely go astray within the labyrinth of indistinguishable walls. Open space appeared to be defined by the gap required to complete a designated journey, thus animals and villagers alike seemed to improvise in the cramped environment. Further our feet carried us into the village. I could not help but notice the strengthening stench of animal odour. We courteously stepped aside to allow a herd of agitated goats and their impatient shepherd to pass. I covered my nose and mouth with my hand as we carried on through the cloud of dust and lingering foul air. It was said that a new workers’ village was being planned on the west bank. Such an under privileged society, I pitied them. Even though we had no quarters at Tjaru, our circumstances were far more favourable than for these unfortunate people.
Suddenly the scenery changed like night into day and the world of Thebes opened up to us displaying its prominence. I removed my hands and began to breathe again. My eyes grew with awe as we gazed out to a wide, open, stony kingdom. The flamboyancy of the festive crowd broke the gleam of the rising sun god Ra against the immense stone structures. His reflection would have otherwise been unbearable. The foundations of this great city stretched beyond the shores of the Nile. It made it possible for the upper class to stroll above the waters on a series of carefully worked stony platforms and admire the river inhabitants at their leisure. Along the northeast stood the forum, a rectangular collection of gigantic limestone pillars etched with inscriptions to our gods and our king Ahmose. An assembly of multiple-level terraces surrounded them - their walls rendered with white plaster and their stone slab roofs laid supine in total perfection. What a remarkable change in quality and lifestyle! A swarm of bystanders were amused by the performance of exotic dancers and sounds of elegant music. There were nobles and commoners dressed in their finest outfits. No matter how varied the crowd, workers and peasants were easily picked among the well-fed and wealthy upper class. The commoners’ swarthy completion was a result of the day-to-day exposure to the powerful might of Ra. They wore wrap around kilts and plain garments made of cheap fiber. Those slightly better off than others could afford more fancy clothing, like features of lotus lilies or colourful symmetrical arrangements. Most villagers, men, women and children alike were shaved to prevent lice infestation. The distinguished nobles on the other hand were dressed in the finest linen gold could buy. Most high class men wore lengthy, flared kilts with bagged tunics held in place by a sash. Their women, like fine jewels were to be admired. Their delicate, pale skins were clustered with precious stones and elaborate costumes - glamorous garments, sheath and diaphanous dresses with woven decorations of water flowers and exotic plants. Their artificial facial tones and sweet scent they carried made even the most unattractive women pleasant to gaze upon. The division between a single race was so apparent. Yet that day, our pitiful differences were set aside and for a finite moment everyone forgot their place within society.
Our feet no longer carried the loose particles of dust that surrounded the workers’ village. We were walking on a hard compacted surface coated with a fine layer of white gravel. For a moment I stared at the marble-like ground before me. Many great Theban rulers had once walked where I stood then. Our great ancestors, were they present in such a time of splendor? I closed my eyes and ignored the sounds of a thousand people. “Ha ur uru, di uj ankh, udia, seneb - Oh great ones, give me life, prosperity and health.” As my inner self uttered these words I knew that my voice had traveled beyond his world. Yes, they were indeed among us. I raised my head, feeling the most exhilarating sensation. Maybe it was the presence of our predecessors, or perhaps the wonderful vibrations radiating from the festive crowd that gave me such an ambitious sense of reason. It felt as if my life was about to change for the better.
Beyond the great forum rose the majestic pylons of Ipet-sut, the grand temple complex of Amun and Montu. It was where our feet were taking us.
The new king of Kemet had undertaken a grand building project. Thebes was growing by the day. As we gradually made our way through