Descending into the ancient tomb of Khnumhotep, a provincial Egyptian politician, your heartbeat quickens as you take in the sights and sounds—the flickering torches that light your path, the wall paintings depicting final judgment in the afterlife, the wind blowing through the subterranean chambers—and then come across the empty treasure chamber, long since raided by grave robbers.
No, you’re not Indiana Jones, and you’re not even in Egypt. You’re actually exploring a life-size composite replica of rock-cut tombs at the Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum in San Jose. This fascinating museum, the largest of its kind west of the Mississippi River, offers an educational passport to an ancient lost world with its vast collection of everyday and religious objects, artwork, textiles, mummies and more.
The museum was founded in 1928 by Dr. H. Spencer Lewis, president of the Rosicrucian Order, AMORC (Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis), an organization dedicated to studying natural laws in order to live in harmony with them. After Lewis urged Order members to help fund the excavations of the Egypt Explorations Society in the ancient city of Tell el Amarna in 1921, the Society donated artifacts from the digs in gratitude. When Lewis set up the Order’s headquarters in San Jose, the beginnings of a public collection came into being.
As you step onto the grounds and enter the museum, which is modeled after the temple of Amun in Karnak, Egypt, you feel as if you’re about to embark on a journey of discovery. And indeed you are: in the Afterlife Gallery, you’ll find sarcophagi, funerary objects, mummies, including one of a child, and the entrance to Khnumhotep’s replica tomb. The tomb then leads you into the Daily Life and Trade exhibit, where you’ll find an assortment of everyday objects, such as hand mirrors, playing boards for senet, the Egyptian equivalent of backgammon, and more. Upstairs is the Kingship & Religion Gallery, whose focal points are a rare Cleopatra VII statue carved from dark granite, dating from the Ptolemaic period , and a statue of the lion-headed Sekhmet, the goddess of healing.
Next is the Shrines Gallery, which reveals how Egyptians paid homage to their gods, including Sekhmet, as well as Aten, the sun god of the monotheistic religion championed by pharaoh Amenhotep IV. This gallery includes a model of the Djoser step pyramid complex in Egypt, and a Ptolemaic-era bronze Sekhmet statuette. This statuette was the first artifact to be acquired by the museum, and used to sit on Lewis’ desk.
Little did Lewis know that this statuette would kick off the collection of a museum teeming with more than 4,000 items today, and whose grounds even include a planetarium. Here, you can view the film “The Mithraic Mysteries,” (showing daily at 2pm with a second showing Sat-Sun at 3:30pm) about the Roman Mithraic mystery religion, as well as “Two Pieces of Glass,” (presented hourly, on the hour daily) about the history of the telescope and its impact on astronomy
Be sure to save enough time to explore the expansive grounds and stop by the Peace Garden, in the authentic tradition of the 18th dynasty of ancient Egypt. The sanctuary also has a reflection pool for meditation and a viewing dais, a raised platform that provides shade on hot summer days. Want to read more? Then pay a visit to the park’s extensive research library.
Kids will also love the museum’s interactive features, including a state-of-the-art virtual tour of a real Egyptian temple and fun workshops on hieroglyphs and mummy-wrapping.
One thing is for certain: After your first visit, your inner explorer will want you to return again and again to learn even more about this intriguing civilization. –Stephanie Soong
Where: 1342 Naglee Ave., San Jose
When: Mon-Fri, 9-5; Sat-Sun, 11-6. Garden open from 8-sunset.
More info: 408/947-3636; www.egyptianmuseum.org
Special event
Visit July 18-19 when the museum hosts its annual Egyptian Epagomenal Festival. The ancient calendar included 360 days, plus five additional days (called epagomenal, or “out of time”) during which gods and goddesses such as Osiris, Isis and Horus were born. Per tradition, Egyptians celebrated their birthdays with a big festival around this time. The museum invites everyone to this park-wide festival, which highlights tomb tours, fun workshops, children’s activities, special lectures and more. 11-6 both days.
