This morning was one of the most extraordinary experiences of my entire journey: the day I met Dr. Mark Lehner at the Ancient Egyptian Research Associates (AERA) complex in Giza. I have admired his work for years—learning so much from his documentaries, his lectures, and his books—and I often thought of him as one of my teachers in my life, even though he never knew I was his student. Before my trip, I wrote to him, saying thank you and asking about the operations at AERA. To my astonishment, he invited me, on one day of my newly extended stay in Cairo, to fifteen minutes over a cup of tea.

I arrived early, taking an Uber straight to the AERA compound—just two blocks from the pyramids—and stepped inside to what felt like the pages of an Agatha Christie novel. The courtyard was charming and quietly dignified, with a sense of history and purpose humming beneath everything. I sat waiting, nervous and excited, until Dr. Lehner appeared, walking down the stairs in a shirt nearly identical to mine (just a different color) and a Nike cap. Something about that simple moment put me completely at ease. He greeted me warmly, introduced me to his team, and invited me to sit with him. I get nervous when I meet people I admire so, being the nerd I am, I had hand-written five questions I had prepared, and his answers were everything I hoped they would be—honest, thoughtful, insightful, and delivered with a kind of gentle grace that is rare in this world.

I then offered my gift, a portrait of him which I had created and brought with me from America. He looked so pleased and shared the piece with each person who walked into our conversation, so I felt very good to be able to literally bring something to this incredible table I found myself sitting at.

What was meant to be a quick visit turned into a full two-hour tour as he took me upstairs to show me his offices, his research rooms, the dining area and even the server that stores fifty years of his archaeological work. He told me proudly that there is one person whose entire job is to maintain that server so that nothing he’s collected across decades of digging, mapping, and studying will ever be lost. He introduced me to several colleagues whose names I recognized from documentaries, Manami Yahata, Sayed Salah Abd el-Hakim, and Daniel Jones and then he walked me around the gardens and fountains outside. We even talked about the possibility of my returning someday to witness or possibly participate in an actual excavation at the Lost City site south of Menkaure’s Pyramid on the Giza Plateau. I’ll keep you posted! If you are interested in Egyptology or Archeology please consider joining us at AERA, where memberships allow continued expansion of educational endeavors!!

AERA Membership Link BELOW!

It was, without question, one of the most meaningful mornings of my 11 days in Egypt. Dr. Lehner was generous with his time, gracious with his knowledge, and kind in a way that I will never forget. I went there hoping for five minutes. He gave me two hours. Two hours I will never forget and I will always be grateful.

https://aeraweb.org/about/our-team/mark-lehner/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Lehner

https://aeraweb.org/support/

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