“Why do you know so much about our history?” asked my elderly guide for the Karnak and Luxor Temples.
“I don’t! There’s so much I don’t know yet that’s why you have to tell me more.”
“Well, you know more than anyone I’ve ever guided. When I ask you something you are able to answer.”
“Maybe it’s Naguib Mahfouz. He made different layers of Egypt’s history come alive for me — from the Pharaonic times up to the revolution.”
“Mahfouz?! You read Naguib Mahfouz?! This is my first time as a guide that I have met someone who reads Naguib Mahfouz! You know there’s a museum and a coffee shop in Cairo…” He trailed off when he saw me nodding, shook his head, and smiled in disbelief.
And there I was thinking how he’d be in for a pleasant surprise if he meets my friends and my book club!
After a brief silence, “Are you sure history is not part of your work?”
“It should be part of everyone’s work.”
“I think you are a genius.”
And just like that, friends. I have been promoted to genius status. I love Egypt. 
I did get one answer wrong, and the correct answer fascinates me as a musician. When he asked what the gigantic columns in the Hypostle Halls of the Karnak and Luxor Temples were for, I answered, “Ego.” Haha!
Apparently it’s for sound! The priests used it as amplifiers for their chants so that their voices would resonate far and beyond the temples!
I stand corrected. Now I know that the columns are for sound… and ego. Haha! But shhh… don’t tell him.
The Book-Butterfly 
This story made me laugh. Genius!! 🤣🤣🤣
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