In the prophecy of Ezekiel 30:17, “the young men of Heliopolis (also known as Aven or On) and Bubastis (Pi-beseth or Tel Basta in the eastern Nile Delta) will fall by the sword and the cities themselves will go into captivity.” Ezekiel did not predict the destruction of Luxor in Upper Egypt in the far south, so its temples are still standing today. But the ruins of Heliopolis are underneath modern Cairo, never to be seen again apart from some excavations that have revealed an obelisk and a bust that was first identified as Rameses II then later as Pismatic I. And the utter devastation of Bubastis is unmistakable when observing the massive amounts of quartzite stone column pieces that were once imported from nearly 600 miles in Aswan but are now strewn about like messy mounds of legos. With Heliopolis, Bubastis is in complete ruins though its imposing broken monuments reveal a once magnificent city. Even the seven cobras carved as guardians from granite could not protect it, but they are preserved today as a reminder of the city’s former strength. Speaking of guardians, this archaeological site is so far off the beaten path that most foreigners never visit, and I had to be escorted by a security detail.

“The guy on the far left shadowed me for two days like my personal John Reese (Jim Caviezel from Person of Interest).”