Luxor is one of those rare and special places in the world where, no matter in which direction you look, the grandeur of the ancient past rises up in its magnificence to demonstrate for all of us, what great and wonderful things man can accomplish. The ancient Egyptians built monuments of such glory and achievement that they last for thousands of years; their greatness is such that adjectives fail miserably in any attempt to describe them adequately.

Here in the small city of present-day Luxor, the temples and tombs of antiquity are so vast and awe inspiring from one side of the Nile to the other, it is nearly impossible to imagine what life was like during the period when they were in their infancy. People from time immemorial have been drawn here to marvel and ponder the secrets of the past. Modern experts continue to study the life of ancient Egypt in great detail, and attempt to tell, even in some small way, the stories of the Pharaohs and their peoples.

At the same time, the life of the present day inhabitants of Luxor continues in its own and often humble way. Unlike the visitors who sometimes come and try to leave unfortunate reminders of their visit by with graffiti, scratching their names on the temples, we wanted to share the experience of the World Harmony Run in this ancient place, in a more significant place, that of people's hearts and minds. Gladly and willingly, young and old came forward to participate and to share with us their own visions of what World Harmony means to them.

On March 5 we went with some of the kids from the Barat sport club to visit the temple of Hatshepsut. It is an incredible temple built into the mountains, facing east towards the Nile. It was constructed more than 2 thousand years ago in the memory of a once-great Queen of Egypt. Busloads of visitors come each day to wander awestruck amongst its ornate hieroglyphs, statues and columns. Even in March, the heat and brightness of the Egyptian sun can make you thirsty and drain the strength from your limbs.

In this amazing setting though, the kids of the Barat club were full of energy and enthusiasm. In front of this impressive monument of the past, we present-day people held a short relay run carrying the torch. Young boys and girls, all with smiles and sweetness in their hearts, ran against a backdrop of the ancient past.

Later we would hold hands, take pictures and communicate with them with smiles and gestures. In these experiences, despite what else is happening in the world around us, it is impossible to not but see that we truly are all living in a world family. When hearts speak together, the conversation is always love and harmony.

Abdul Rheem, coach of the young athletes, was always patient and kind with us and with them. Also with us for the entire day was Ahmed Hanza Kalifa, chief of the athletic federation of Luxor. His smile and an official letter got us free admittance into all the tombs and temples that we visited in Luxor.

Everywhere he went with us, he somehow, amazingly, had close and dear friends; whether we were walking amongst the temples or in the town, he would come upon friends. With each, he held hands and exchanged warm greetings in the Egyptian way. He is one of those rare people who seems always in his heart. He is a man with whom we felt an immediate, intimate bond despite our inability to communicate with words and language. Later that night, he would even invite us into his home for tea. His kindness was so great and selfless, it was easy to know why his friendship has spread to so many.

After our World Harmony Run event, we went for lunch with the kids at a small restaurant called the Blue Sky. With the Nile flowing gently beside us, we ate local food on an open balcony. We interviewed the kids here and learned about their dreams of athletic careers and maybe a bit about what direction, even at this young age, they saw their lives might go.

The best part of the afternoon for us though, was when they sang, with surprising energy, the Luxor sport song. Once again we sang the World Harmony Run song, perhaps not with quite as much energy but at least this time, a little closer to sharing the same key.

That evening, Mr. Ahmed Hanza Kalifa took us to the Supreme Council of Luxor where we met its chief executive, Dr.Samir Faraq. He held the torch in his impressive chambers and we took pictures. He was very supportive and appreciative of the event. It is he who is responsible for entire Luxor area. A busy man who works late into the evening, he told us that he hoped that we could come again and do an even larger event and run in his area.

We who glimpsed but a fraction of the greatness of Egypt’s past here and shared special moments with its young athletes of today, cannot but hope for a future visit to the wonder that is Luxor.

Team Members:
Utpal Marshall (Canada), Mario Komak and Rasto Ulicny (Slovakia)

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