Ever imagined what it would be like to explore the hidden chambers of the Great Pyramid of Giza? Join us and our co-host, Phoenix, as we take you through a riveting journey inside this ancient wonder, uncovering the mysteries of a secret room with the help of the Scan Pyramids project. We'll also demystify the legendary saga of Napoleon's expedition into the Pyramid, separating fact from fiction to bring you the real story behind the myth.
But there's more to Egypt than just pyramids. Ever tasted Hawaushi, the delicious street food that Cairo takes pride in? We delve into the origins of this Egyptian culinary delight, exploring what makes it so popular. As we navigate the intriguing history of the Great Pyramid and savor the taste of traditional Egyptian cuisine, we'll also reflect on how Napoleon's expedition profoundly influenced the study of Egyptology. So prepare to be amazed by fascinating facts, spellbinding history, and get a taste of Egypt, all from the comfort of your own home. Join us on this enthralling adventure, it's an episode you wouldn't want to miss!
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Recipe:
https://www.themediterraneandish.com/hawawshi-recipe/#wprm-recipe-container-37394
Episode Transcript
Welcome to Smarticast .
Speaker 2 (00:03):
Tales.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
History.
Alright, enough with the Echoand Fanfare.
You're here for history, right,and not that boring crack you
learned in high school.
This stuff's actuallyinteresting, like things you've
never heard about the Civil War,cleopatra, automobiles,
monopoly, the Black Plague andmore Fascinating stories,
interesting topics and somedownright weird facts from the
(00:27):
past.
It's a new twist on somestories you may know and an
interesting look at some thingsyou may have never heard.
So grab a beer, kick back andenjoy.
Here's your host, smarticus.
Speaker 2 (00:41):
Hello and welcome to this week's episode of Smarticus
Tales History.
I am your host, smarticus,accompanied by my co-host
Phoenix.
Speaker 1 (00:47):
Hello.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Today we are going to talk about a newer discovery
that myth and legend says wasactually discovered by Napoleon
in late 1700s, this discoverybeing a secret room in the Great
Pyramid of Giza.
But we can't work on an emptystomach, so first let's
introduce this episode's fooditem.
Speaker 3 (01:05):
Hawaushi.
This is a dish from Cairo,egypt, and started as a kind of
street stall food made by abutcher by the name of Ahmed
Al-Hawash in 1971.
And, by the way, if the familyis listening which I doubt they
are, but I'm sorry if I screwedup the name it became so popular
in Cairo that it quickly spreadthrough the rest of the country
(01:27):
After Al-Hawash died.
It became especially beloved inthe Nile Delta region of the
Sharkia Governorate, to thepoint that it is universally
believed that the area has thebest Hawaushi.
Speaker 2 (01:39):
I had one earlier, but I still have one here in
front of me.
They were super easy to make.
They are more or less just likehamburgers for the most part.
Speaker 3 (01:48):
Spicy hamburgers.
Hmm, well, it's got jalapeno init, so it's a little spicy, but
they're good.
Speaker 2 (01:56):
I left that out in mine.
Oh really, I bought thejalapeno and I was going to go
ahead and cut the seeds out ofit and leave the seeds out of it
, but I wouldn't have just leftit out altogether.
It's got paprika in it,coriander in it, cardamom,
cinnamon.
That's very floral.
Yeah, cinnamon, cumin, garlic.
There's like two.
I call it two cloves of garlic,one green bell pepper.
(02:19):
I put two.
I also put two because for somereason I thought it said two
and I put two in it.
Speaker 3 (02:26):
Yeah, he just blitzed the snot out of it and throw it
all together with the meat andstuff it in a pita.
Speaker 2 (02:33):
Yep, so you mix it all up in the food processor and
you take all the seasoning andstuff and mix it in.
So you mix all the vegetablesand stuff in, first any of the
meat, and get that all nice andmixed and everything, and then
you slowly add in the seasoningand stuff while you're still
mixing it.
I just mixed it by hand.
(02:55):
You probably could use ablender I'm not a blender, that
would have been overkill a mixer, I mean you probably could use
a mixer to mix it all up orwhatever.
However you wanted to mix it up.
There was a video that wasaccompanied with the recipe that
we used.
She put a glove on, just mixedit by hand.
That's what I did.
I didn't use a glove I probablyshould have, but it's just me
(03:15):
eating it anyway, so I figuredit doesn't matter, I washed the
heck out of my hands.
I'm fine, yeah, yeah, exactly.
I mean I washed them reallygood and then I just went to
town on it and just startedmixing it up.
Speaker 3 (03:29):
If you ever get the chance to have some, take that
opportunity.
Speaker 2 (03:32):
Yeah, it is.
It's really good.
It's very similar to ahamburger.
Oh yeah, it's wrapped in a pitabread.
The hamburger is stuffed insideof the pita bread and the
pocketed kind.
I guess you can probably getthe regular kind and then put a
whole out.
It would be very hard.
Speaker 3 (03:50):
I ended up running out of pita and my husband I
have a whole bunch of stuff.
I had a whole bunch of themmixture and my husband was like
we really need to, we shouldmake some more.
And I said, cool.
So I grabbed some of ourtortillas that we have and I
made more out of that.
Speaker 2 (04:05):
So I just overstuffed mine because I also had
leftover.
I had maybe a cup and a halfleft of meat, because the recipe
calls to stuff it with onethird yeah, and I felt like
those were awfully thin, so Ioverstuffed mine.
I probably put closer to half acup, maybe three quarters of a
(04:28):
cup, in mine and really fattenedthem up, and but I still had
like a cup and a half left.
So I managed to find some thatwere still kind of thin that I
didn't overstuff and I just kindof stuffed them more.
Speaker 3 (04:44):
I figured I'd save a whole bunch and stick them in
the freezer.
The recipe we had said that youcould do that.
Speaker 2 (04:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (04:51):
Usually enough, and I was like fantastic.
Speaker 2 (04:54):
And then I did, I stuffed mine with cheese.
I didn't call for cheese, but Istuffed mine with cheese, a few
of them.
Speaker 3 (04:59):
Nice and I'm over here eating mine with yogurt,
Greek yogurt.
Speaker 2 (05:03):
Yeah.
Speaker 3 (05:05):
It's very good.
Speaker 2 (05:06):
Anyways.
So that's that's the meal fortoday.
It is from, so the.
In the video, the lady alsosays it's not just from Cairo,
it's from Cairo and andAlexandria.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
That's the, the Nile Delta area.
That was.
Speaker 2 (05:22):
Cherique, governor Right, and she, she said it was.
It did mainly come from Cairoand Alexandria, and then it
eventually spread elsewhere.
But that's where it originatedfrom is Cairo and the Alexandria
area from Ahmed Ahawash.
All right, so it is delicious,but now it is time to get to
(05:43):
work.
So for centuries, the GreatPyramid has been a source of
fascination and wonder forpeople around the world, and
myself included.
I've always.
You know, I actually have anEgyptian half-sleeved tattoo on
my arm.
Oh nice, yeah, it's a new busand it's got the Egyptian gods
on it as people, but anyway.
So it was built more than 4500years ago, and the Great Pyramid
(06:06):
of Giza happens to be one ofthe seven wonders of the ancient
world and one of the mostvisited tourist sites in the
world today.
Speaker 3 (06:13):
But according to legend, it wasn't until 1798
that the pyramid would revealone of its most intriguing
secrets.
That year, Napoleon Bonaparte,the famous French general and
emperor Although he wasn't anemperor at the time, bear that
in mind he led a militaryexpedition to Egypt.
His goal was to conquer thecountry from the mumlaks,
establish a French presence inthe region and explore the
(06:35):
ancient wonders of Egypt.
Speaker 2 (06:37):
Now, before you start thinking that this was a
crusades level attack becausethe mumlaks had ruled for seven
centuries under the banner ofthe Ottoman Empire, it should be
noted that the French had nodesire to eradicate a religious
group.
In fact, after taking over theregion, many French soldiers
converted to Islam so that theycan make wives and settle down
in the region.
No, it was actually a strategyon Napoleon's part.
(06:58):
He just so happened to set hissights on this particular region
as a countermanoeuvre againstthe British India state.
France and Britain were havinga huge tiff at that time.
Speaker 3 (07:08):
Yep.
So if you're ever watching anyperiod pieces during the
Edwardian period, you know,think Jane Austen and Arlic
Bridgerton.
They're fighting with Napoleonat that particular point.
Oh, yeah, I did not know that.
Yeah, I only recently, like itclicked in my head and I was
going oh, that makes sense.
(07:30):
Yeah, Napoleon's expedition wasa major turning point in the
study of Egyptology.
During his time in Egypt,Napoleon established the
Institute de Egypt, anorganization that was dedicated
to the study of Egyptian history, language and culture.
For the first time, Europeanscholars had access to the
(07:51):
ancient sites and monuments ofEgypt, and they were able to
study them in detail.
Of course, this also broughtabout multiple stories that
quickly turned into myth.
One of the most famous is hisexpedition into the Great
Pyramid of Giza.
There are three versions of thesame myth.
The gist is that Napoleon wentinto the Great Pyramid and
inside he saw the secret depthsof the Great Structure.
(08:12):
Where he went in?
Because of a red specter, ameeting with the Cairo Imams, or
it was just morbid curiosity?
Legend is quite unclear.
Speaker 2 (08:23):
So what really happened?
Did Napoleon really discover asecret room in the Great Pyramid
of Giza?
No, no, he did not.
The people who were withBonaparte recorded no such thing
.
In fact, there is proof fromthe diary of his personal
secretary, luis Antoine Feveulede Bourian, that clears things
(08:44):
up very nicely.
A direct quote On the 14th ofJuly, bonaparte left Cairo for
the pyramids.
He intended spending three orfour days in examining the ruins
of the ancient necropolis ofMemphis, but he was suddenly
obliged to alter his plan.
This journey to the pyramids,occasioned by the course of war,
has given an opportunity forthe invention of a little piece
(09:05):
of romance.
Some ingenious people haverelated that Bonaparte gave
audiences to the Mufti andUlamas and that, and entering
one of the Great Pyramids, hecried out Glory to Allah, god
only is God and Muhammad is hisprophet.
Now, the fact is that Bonapartenever even entered the Great
Pyramid.
He never had any thought ofentering it.
I certainly should haveaccompanied him had he done so,
(09:28):
for I never quitted his side asingle moment.
In the desert, he caused somepersons to enter into one of the
Great Pyramids, while heremained outside and received
from them, on their return, anaccount of what they had seen.
In other words, they informedhim there was nothing to be seen
.
Speaker 3 (09:44):
Now, one of the things I liked when I was
researching this was, like Isaid, there were three different
myths about what had happened.
One of them said that a ghostlyred specter called him in
towards the, into the pyramid.
And then, I guess, when he leftthe red specter after having
his meeting with this personage,he came out just looking white
(10:06):
as a sheet and he was justterrified.
So funny, the stuff that peoplemake up.
Kind of liking how Borene waxeda little poetic when making fun
of the people who made themyths.
So it makes you wonder whatsuddenly happened to oblige the
French general to alter hisplans.
At least he had the opportunityto get close and look at the
large structure.
(10:27):
Sadly, that's where we leave,monsieur General Bonaparte, and
dive into the Pyramid of Gizaitself.
The pyramid has long beensuspected of being built during
the reign of Pharaoh Khufu bymany historians going all the
way back to Herodotus to presentday.
However, during the medievaltimes it was briefly considered
the granaries of Joseph ofbiblical fame by Christian
(10:48):
pilgrims.
Officially, thanks to all thegraffiti inside the various
chambers, Khufu is generallyconsidered the man who made them
.
Speaker 2 (10:57):
Khufu, named after Canum, the God of creation and
growth, ruled Egypt from 2520 to2494 BC.
It is largely believed that thepyramid was built as a tomb for
Khufu and it is the largest ofthe three pyramids that make up
the Giza Pyramid complex.
The Great Pyramid is a marvelof engineering and construction.
It is made up of more than 2.3million blocks of limestone and
(11:18):
granite weighing up to 80 tons.
The pyramid initially stood ata height of 146.6 meters, that's
481 feet.
It has lost almost all of itswhite limestone coverstones to
pillaging.
Now it stands in its morediminished stature of 138.5
meters, or 454.4 feet, and has abase of more than 230.3 meters,
(11:42):
755.6 feet square on each side.
Inside there are three chambersthe Subterranean, the Queens
and the Kings, each bigger thanthe last, not to forget the
various passages to and fromeach chamber and the
self-explanatory named Robert'sTunnel.
Speaker 3 (12:00):
While these rooms have been gone over and
mysterious shafts from the Kingsand Queens chambers
investigated as much as waspossible without destroying
anything.
It is interesting to note thatthe 90s saw a lot more
discoveries outside of thepyramid in the major complex
than inside.
In recent years, newtechnologies such as ground
penetrating radar and infrared Ialmost said it again
(12:23):
Thermography, thermography,infrared thermography.
In recent years, newtechnologies such as ground
penetrating radar and infraredthermography have been used to
scan the pyramid and search forpossible hidden chambers.
It wouldn't be the first timethat tunnels to new chambers
have been hidden away by thebuilders and time.
Speaker 2 (12:42):
In 2017, the Scan Pyramids project announced that
they had discovered a large voidwithin the Great Pyramid.
Scan Pyramids is an Egyptianinternational project instituted
by the Cairo University inpartnership with I hope you find
this as humorous as us theFrench Heritage Innovation
Preservation.
It seems Napoleon's presence isstill felt in no small fashion.
The void that the projectrevealed is located above the
(13:05):
Grand Gallery that precedes theKing's chamber.
According to the scans, thevoid is about 30 meters or 90
feet long.
Speaker 3 (13:14):
While the discovery of the void is exciting, it is
important to note that it's nota secret room or hidden chamber
in the traditional sense.
The entrance is narrow and justabove the north-facing Chevron
entrance, using moulins, whichwere heavy relative electrons
that can penetrate through solidmaterial, the researchers of
Scan Pyramids found a 9 meterlong corridor, about 2 meters
(13:36):
tall and 2 meters wide, which is29 and a half feet long and 6
and a half feet tall and wide.
Using an endoscope, so as notto disturb anything structurally
, the researchers gave the newlydiscovered space a sort of
colonoscopy.
Speaker 2 (13:50):
A pyramid of Moschemia maybe.
Speaker 3 (13:52):
Yes, I like it.
Speaker 2 (13:54):
Unfortunately, what the pyramidoscopy revealed was
that void just beyond was, incase, in stone, making it
impossible to reach.
I want to clarify pyramidoscopyis not a real thing.
No no no, it's our thing.
Yeah, it's our thing.
Just somebody's out there Iknow they are Pyramidoscopy
googling it.
What is a pyramidoscopy?
How does one?
Speaker 3 (14:15):
go about such things.
Speaker 2 (14:17):
Well, we just told you there, those Scan Pyramids
has used nuclear emulsion films,scintillator hodoscopes and gas
detector.
There is no way of knowing whatis beyond the stone.
They know that it is at least98 feet long and as wide as a
grand gallery that leads to theKing's Chamber, which is 6.9
feet.
That is all that they have beenable to establish as of 2023.
Speaker 3 (14:38):
Yes, funny enough, the Japanese research team that
is working with Scan Pyramidssays that, according to their
scans, the void is entirelyunlike others from earlier
identified construction spacesin the complex.
I'm sure you guys are askingthe same thing that we are
asking why the heck can't theydo a little problem solving and
open it?
Surely we can do better nowthan what they used to do, which
(15:02):
was using battering rams to getin and explosives.
That's how we ended up with therobber's tunnel, by the way.
Yeah Well, it seems that thechamber is central to the
structure and disturbing itwithout understanding it as a
whole could cause damage thatwould truly harm the pyramid,
and there's no way that theEgyptian government would allow
something like that aftereverything their country has
(15:23):
been through.
With all the availabletechnology, there is no current
knowing what is inside the bigvoid, let alone if or when they
will be able to find out.
Speaker 2 (15:33):
For now, we're going to have to wait for Scan Pyramid
and its affiliated researchersto figure out what to do next.
Until the next discovery, we'llbe awaiting with excitement for
the next reveal and whateverthe new myths will crop up along
the way.
That is it for today's episodeof Smarticus Tells History.
Join us next time as we uncovermore secrets from the past.
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