Touring an Egyptian Pyramid

Dream or Reality?

Image thoughtfully provided by Excurio

I followed the tour guide in utter awe. It’s not every day one gets to tour a pyramid in Egypt — the famous Pyramid of Giza, no less, one of the seven wonders of the world! Yet here I was, about to enter this giant, mysterious, prism of a structure. The cool air beckoned as I walked in, my eyes adjusting to the darkness after the bright sunshine.

The guide began an introductory overview of the history of the pyramid. I could barely hear the words as I was way too busy gazing at my fascinating surroundings. We started up a steep stone path, lit with lights resembling candles to emulate days long gone by. A cat skittered up the stairs and I gasped, not expecting that. When we reached the room at the top, I bent down to try to pet the cat but couldn’t find it.

We kept climbing and climbing. We saw the Pharaoh Khufu’s chambers, then ventured out — carefully — to a patio outside the chambers. And it was there that I saw the ankh.

An ankh is an ancient and important Egyptian symbol, also called the key of life. It symbolizes the afterlife and immortality, balance among opposites, creative and cosmic energy and transformation. Pharaohs and deities carried ankhs as scepters; they were frequently featured in ancient Egyptian art.

But this ankh was a little different. It hovered in midair, its golden light dazzling. Then it headed straight at me. Unbelievably, it seemed to enter my chest, offering a sense of warmth and well-being like I have never experienced.

Our tour continued, as we boarded an Egyptian boat and sailed down the Nile River. As we exited the boat at the conclusion of the tour, the ankh sailed out of my chest and disappeared.

This amazing but bizarre encounter felt like a dream.

But it was reality.

Virtual reality.

Recently, eldest daughter gifted her father an immersive virtual reality experience called “Horizon of Khufu” for his birthday. Created by Excurio, maker of immersive experiences, and offered by Eclipso in a variety of major cities, we experienced it in Chicago. In a quick nutshell, I’ve never experienced anything like it, and yes, I’ve enjoyed a few VR experiences in recent years. We indeed climbed through the pyramid with a tour guide, enjoyed the presence of a couple of cats (one a deity), then visited the top of the pyramid to see the awe-inspiring city below. We saw a mummification ceremony and the funeral of King Khufu, all from 4500 years ago.

It was incredibly realistic, as one would want from their virtual reality experience. One didn’t dare get too close to the edge of a patio, way at the top of the pyramid, for fear of falling. One bent down to fit into small curving tunnels. And yes, I did reach out to pet the cat, and while I could see it, I sure couldn’t feel it.

At the conclusion of the experience, we took off our VR headsets and were amazed yet again. For we had been wandering through a great big empty room for 45 minutes. And watching others explore this voluminous space was entertaining as well.

For some reason, I was really entranced by the ankh. Of all the amazing things I experienced on this incredible tour, the ankh stood out. It was stunning; the creators took an elegant Egyptian amulet and through the creative use of light and color, transformed it into a symbol of the visitor’s integration into the experience. While it “exited” my body at the end of the tour, I felt like it remained inside, a warm talisman of the power of life.

Ironically, our VR experience took place shortly before my husband traveled to Egypt on a tour and visited the Great Pyramid of Khufu. He is an adventurer with a deep love of history and can cheerfully put in 12- to 16-hour days exploring historical sites. And for that reason, he is most welcome to go traveling on his own. He always returns with amazing stories of highlights and woes, usually making me even more glad that I chose to stay home and enjoy my own kind of adventures.

This trip did not disappoint. As he shared the story of visiting the pyramid, describing his tour guide and seeing a cat, I fondly remembered my own tour of the Pyramid of Khufu, which truly satisfied my soul. And he brought me back my very own ankh.