Egypt Is a Murder Mystery—and I’m Hooked

People often think of Egypt as a destination.
A checklist.
A collection of monuments frozen in time.

But the deeper I go, the clearer it becomes: Egypt isn’t a postcard. It’s a crime scene.

And once you step into it with open eyes, you stop being a tourist. You become a detective.

The Scene of the Crime

Ancient Egypt doesn’t present itself neatly. It doesn’t hand you a single, clean narrative. Instead, it gives you fragments—walls chipped away, names erased, statues broken and buried, entire chapters missing.

That’s not decay.
That’s evidence.

Every temple wall is a witness statement.
Every tomb is a sealed room.
Every omission asks the same question:

What happened here?

Learning to Read Clues Instead of Dates

When people begin studying Egypt, they’re often taught to memorize dynasties, kings, and timelines. But Egypt doesn’t reveal itself through memorization—it reveals itself through investigation.

You start noticing things that feel… off.

Why was this name carefully removed while the image remained?
Why was this tomb rushed, its walls unfinished?
Why were statues reused, reinscribed, or buried face-down?
Why does one god suddenly rise to prominence after a moment of political chaos?

In Egypt, absence speaks as loudly as presence.

Silence is never neutral.
Damage is never random.
And perfection is almost always intentional.

Cold Cases That Refuse to Stay Cold

Egypt is filled with unresolved stories—historical cold cases waiting for someone curious enough to look closely.

A ruler erased from memory.
A queen who ruled in plain sight but was later hidden.
A burial that contradicts everything we expect.
A symbol that appears centuries earlier than it “should.”

These aren’t academic footnotes. They’re clues left behind by real people who were navigating power, fear, belief, and survival.

And the walls remember—even when the records don’t.

The Moment It Clicks

There’s a moment that every Egyptology detective lives for.

It’s quiet.
It’s internal.
And it’s electric.

It’s when a symbol suddenly makes sense in context.
When a theory aligns with what’s physically in front of you.
When the damage on a wall stops being damage and starts being testimony.

When evidence becomes understanding, it’s absolutely invigorating.

Not because you’re “right”—
but because you’re suddenly connected to a human decision made thousands of years ago.

That moment is intoxicating.

Why I Can’t Walk Away

This is why Egypt grabbed me and never let go.

Because Egypt doesn’t reward certainty—it rewards curiosity.
It demands patience, humility, and the willingness to say, “I don’t know yet.”

I’m not interested in solving Egypt once and for all.
I’m interested in continuing the investigation.

I want to spend the rest of my life piecing together stories from fragments, following evidence across centuries, and standing in places where decisions were made that still echo today.

Some people collect facts.
I collect clues.

And Egypt keeps handing them to me.

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If you enjoyed this entry, please bookmark and share it with friends who love history, mystery, and the thrill of discovery. You can see my artwork at www.RickLongArt.com, and follow my ongoing journey through Egypt, history, and wonder at The Yellow Shoe Diaries: https://www.ricklongart.com/the-yellow-shoe-diaries