First, we entered the Great Pyramid and I showed him the entrance corridor and the shaft leading up to the Grand Gallery.  Then we walked around the east side and I explained to him about the queens’ pyramids, the boat pits, and the subsidiary pyramid that I found to the east of the Great Pyramid. Then we went to the boat museum, and I told him all about the discovery and restoration of the ancient boat on display there. After finishing we sat down and I gave him a Spanish edition of one of my books – The Realm of the Pharaohs. He looked through the book right away.

I told him that I had been very impressed by the system of education, health, culture and museums when I visited Cuba; during my visit I met the Head of Restoration and Archaeology in Havana, and I said that I would be very happy if this man would come to visit us in Egypt.

Then we rode in a car down to the sphinx, where we took many photos.  I told him that I really admire his brother Fidel Castro, and that we, in Egypt, consider him and Che Guevara heroes because of all that they achieved. I felt very close to President Castro as a friend; I hugged him twice when we had finished our time at Giza, as if I had known him my entire life.

Cuba is one of the countries supporting the election of Farouk Hosni, the Egyptian Minister of Culture, to Director General of UNESCO; I was so happy to hear this that I told the President that he had to come back to Egypt so that I could take him to visit Luxor, to see the Valley of the Kings and the tomb of Nefertari. I was also happy to see that he was accompanied by two of his sons, and his nephew who was like his right hand. The Vice President and the Prime Minister also came, it was as if the entire Cuban government had come to Egypt!

The visit to Giza took exactly two hours and I believe that it captured his heart, just as meeting him captured mine.  At the same time his visit highlighted the good relations between Egypt and Cuba. I was impressed to hear from Mona Abdel Nasser, the daughter of President Gamal Abdel Nasser, that President Castro went to visit her family; Fidel Castro was a good friend of President Nasser. As well as touring Giza during his time in Egypt, President Castro went to visit President Nasser’s tomb, the Hanging Church and Coptic Museum, and the monuments of Islamic Cairo. As a final farewell from Egypt, Farouk Hosni arranged a wonderful dinner at the Sofitel Hotel for the President. I do hope that he will come to visit us again.