Opinion: President Obama tours the Pyramids and other cultural sites

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Many is the tourist who has enjoyed Egypt’s star attraction: the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx of Giza, one of the marvels of man-made architecture called the Seven Wonders of the World.

So after delivering a historic speech in Cairo, President Obama shed his business suit for a shirt and slacks and headed for the Pyramids, getting a personal tour by Egyptian antiquities expert Zahi Hawass.

Hawass told reporters that two things distinguished the American president’s visit.

First, he said, Obama visited only after ‘unprecedented preparations and security arrangements.’

And, said the tour guide, he and his team stayed longer than most official parties do, asking questions, appreciating the history, soaking in the sights.

During the tour, Obama spotted a hieroglyphic that showed the face of a man with big ears.

‘That looks like me!’ he said. ‘Look at those ears!’

Hawass explained to Obama and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs that they were standing in front of the tomb of Kar — a priest, scholar and judge.

A few moments later, when aides Rahm Emanuel, Valerie Jarrett, David Axelrod and Reggie Love followed into the tomb, Obama back-tracked to show them the big-eared image.

Much laughter.

But the visit had more import than that of a lighthearted tourist trek. President Bush was often criticized for not honoring local cultures by taking in the sights in foreign countries. And Team Obama, which, as the Ticket reported earlier, translated his speech into 13 languages, also used the sightseeing tour as another way to open what Obama called ‘a new beginning’ with the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims.

One sign of success: the Obama tour of the Pyramids was broadcast live on Egyptian TV.

— Johanna Neuman

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