Kusafiri Afrika: Journey to the Center of a Civilization.

So how does one actually get to the center of a pyramid? Now this may sound like the intro to a joke, or perhaps even a riddle. But, folks, there actually is an answer. And I'm going to give it to you. But let's just stick a pin in that for a moment and backtrack a little.

I've flown into Cairo, a gritty and bustling city, even at ten in the evening. The city's warm air greets me, blowing gently against my skin. But the humid winds come with a warning, a declaration to all those that dare to enter: Welcome to my ancient world, friend. Here I will reveal to you my secrets. Yet tread lightly, traveler, for I keep a watchful eye on you, shielding those who protect my treasures. But for all others... those that disrespect my lands and my monuments, may the curse of the pharaohs befall thee.

Heeding this warning, I start off my tour the following day with Samar, pronounced Summer, my guide and very knowledgeable Egyptologist. We head past Giza to Dashur. Here we find one of the first attempts at building a pyramid. Unfortunately, the angles and math were a little off, leading them to switch the pitch midway through (Hate to be the guy that gave the Pharaoh the bad news). The result: the Bent Pyramid (Oops!), built in 2600 BC. That’s over 4600 years old!

And this is where I make my first descent into the belly of a pyramid. And one of the longest descents into any pyramid, at nearly eighty meters down. That's 240 feet, folks, all the way down!

This leads us back to our original question: How does one make his way into the center of a pyramid? Besides the obvious of, very carefully, the way you enter a pyramid is to turn around, hunch over and bend your knees, then work your way down moving backwards, using your back as a guide as it slides over the smooth granite chasm. Watch your head! And your step. Down and down you go, mopping your forehead of sweat and stopping to catch your breath. This isn't for the feint of heart. Knee problems? Back issues? Claustrophobic? Take a pass!

Once you reach the bottom, you are in the interior of the pyramid. Relax a moment, breathe in the air. Be a pharaoh! You're a true badass now! But don't rest too long. Time to climb some wooden stairs that have been built in modern times so that we can see the inner burial chamber. Up and up and up we go. The sweat is really coming down. But we are true archaeologists now, Indiana Jones'. The adventure lies ahead, so we push on.

Soon, we are nearing the top of the pyramid. We are inside the center cavity and can see all the way to the top, and can feel the toil and backbreaking work that our Egyptian brothers put into constructing this massive monument. After we reach the top we look over the side and we see the inner burial chamber. Where once, long ago, a pharaoh was entombed, before the grave robbers and treasure hunters found our very chasm, our tunnel, leading to the center of a pyramid. To the center of a civilization…