Journey to Egypt, Carrying Forward My Great-grandfather's Legacy~

Allow me to introduce you to my great-grandfather...

Dr. Joseph Morton Howell, American physician and diplomat who served as the first US Ambassador to Egypt from 1921 to 1927.  He was appointed by President Warren G Harding. He and his daughter Lorena were present with 2 other foreign representatives at the formal opening of King Tutankhamun's tomb with it's discoverer Howard Carter in 1922.  Dr. Howell played a role in facilitating archaeological work while in Egypt navigating legal challenges and strengthening US and Egypt relations. Before his diplomatic service, Dr. Howell was a prominent physician specializing in Polio and other diseases in his home state of Ohio. Dr. Howell left his position on July 6, 1927. Howell's position was considered the first full diplomatic representative of the United States to the Kingdom of Egypt~

My grandmother on the left at age 21 and me on the right at the same age.  Hazel Breslin Howell passed away when my father Robert Breslin Howell was very young.  When his own father gave him up to be raised by his grandparents...that was the moment that even decades before my birth, changed it up for me.  Because of how close my father was to his grandparents, and his living in Egypt and having so many stories from his growing up with whom he fondly called his Mother and Father Howie created in me someone to be proud of, to love on~ 

The legacy of Father Howie has been a source of fascination for me as I learned about him from my father~

J. Morton Howell would become the first foreign dignitary to enter King Tutankhamun's tomb with founder Howard Carter in November of 1922.  My interest in Father Howie began in elementary school, where I was particularly drawn to him by the wonderful things that I heard about him, this evoked a strong emotional feeling as I retraced his steps~

I had seen photos with Father Howie standing at the entrance with Howard Carter and others, even having a copy of the hardcover National Geographic book 1923 that had pages of the event and which included my great grandfather~

In 2000 I began researching Father Howie, culminating in a profound friendship with Egyptologist Peter der Manuelian whom I met online in 2005.  Peter has been a wealth of knowledge for me and has been so helpful in so many ways.  I am very happy that this coming March, I shall finally make my way to Boston and get to meet him along with his wife and see some of the highlights from places where he has shared so much with me over these many years.  Peter had introduced me to someone who would become another dear friend as well as a significant connection for me with Egyptologist Cynthia Sheikholeslami. They both have been brilliant in exploring Father Howie's life.  Cynthia's lectures and written papers have further clarified Father Howie's contributions in Egypt, culminating in a recent presentation out of Cairo for the American Research Center in Egypt February of 2025, titled " The Untold Story~" 

The lecture can currently be found on YouTube at..

https://youtu.be/Vw3RaOn3m78?si=h5rQy04zCk0moeUz

I was invited to give a brief introduction of my Great-grandfather and then present Cynthia before the lecture began.  While Cynthia was giving her lecture from Cairo, Egypt, and the magic of Zoom meetings, I gave my portion for this lecture from my home in Oldham County, Kentucky. Following the presentation there was a question-and-answer session and an audience member asked me how many times I had visited Egypt.  Due to financial constraints, I replied that I had never had the resources to go. The viewer, that I will call Cindie is a retired attorney in NY had asked the question and let Cynthia know that she wanted to make my dream come true and offered to sponsor me by facilitating a large part of the trip from JFK to Cairo and back, using some of her frequent flyer miles.  What an amazing gift and opportunity. I will be forever grateful to this blessings passed forward~

Early on I began making making careful preparations that would reconnect my great-grandfather's footsteps as a bridge from the past to the future for me.  With that thought, the visit had to include significant sites like the iconic Great Pyramids of Egypt and the Sphinx where he had visited.  I was even going to ride a camel like he had done. I had made reservations for accommodations, and my husband and family were becoming a little bit concerned on my being alone so far away.  My husband had a friend that he had met in Vietnam back in the late 1960's and asked me to call Ted Seel.  Ted had worked in security among other positions in Cairo for some 30 years.  I called him and he wanted to check on a few things and get back with me.  The next day he called me to share that he had communicated with a friend who he had known for a long time that still worked and lived in Cairo.  After engaging in correspondences with Kate Durham, and talking to my family, I decided to stay with her.  A new friend, with lots of valuable insights into Egyptian history as well as enjoying the company and of seeing the area with someone that would make sure that I was safe so that the family would not be so worried. With plans finalized and a departure date to leave Kentucky on October 31 and 7 months of planning, I was just about ready.  That is until one morning when I awoke with a thought.  I wanted to see if I could meet with the current Ambassador Herro Mustafa Garg~

I contacted the US Embassy in Cairo and after several communications via emails and one handwritten letter sent to the ambassador, I had an invitation to meet her on November 9 at 11:00 AM.  Cynthia had planned to be in Egypt when I was, but she had to cancel due to health reasons, and I had initially requested that both Cynthia and Kate might be able to accompany me to the compound.  The ambassador gave her blessing for Kate to come with me and so we were all set.  Incredible!  I had received the date and time for the meeting, but not a confirmation that would let me know how and where the meeting would take place right up until 3 weeks before my departure.  Enter in Francis Ricciardone, former US Ambassador to Egypt who Cynthia had introduced to me via emails post lecture back in February.  Frank had contacted me at that time with a couple of emails between us.  I remembered he was very kind and easy to talk with and so I reached out to him, and he requested that I call him.  He and his wife were going to be in Egypt the week prior to my arrival, and he said that he had a couple of matters to talk to the ambassador about and would mention if I needed anything else before my arrival.  The very next day I had confirmation from the US Embassy that I would be going to the residence and to contact the embassy once I arrived in Cairo.  This was really very special for me and I was elated by the news~

My journey began on October 31, when I flew from Cincinnati to NYC and stayed the evening with a dear friend Laurene and her sons.  Then I was off to Cairo on the early evening of November 1 with a stopover at Heathrow in London both going and returning on November 12.  I arrived in Cairo on November 2 in the late afternoon.  Meeting Kate was wonderful and a sweet introduction to her cat made everything very comfortable for my stay in Maadi, a beautiful tree lined area of old Cairo~

One of the photographs that I have seen my entire life is of Father Howie on a camel with a group of people posing in front of the Sphinx and the Grand pyramid just beyond that.  I had to go!  My first morning with very little sleep, the GatTour driver picked me up and took me to meet my tour guide for the day.  My guide Marna was fabulous and spoke great English.  When we got to the Pyramids, I paused in wonder of it all and wept tears of joy.  I was in awe of such amazing structures that have stood for so many years.  We then made our way to the Sphinx and I am not sure exactly why, but the lump in my throat seemed to grow and I seemed to be releasing tears to fall down my face and Marna captured those deep emotions with my camera. The 3 Giza Pyramids were built around 4,500 years ago and they along with the Sphinx are two of the remaining original "Wonders of the World". The Great Pyramid is the largest of the 3 and stands directly behind the Sphinx.  The pyramids were built for the 3 Pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure as their eternal resting places. The Great Sphinx is a massive sculpture made from limestone that has the body of a lion and the head of a human. When Father Howie saw it, most of the body was buried in sand and only the head and shoulders could be seen. Now the entire body is visible including legs, paws and even a tail alongside the back right hip. For Peter and in memory of Father Howie, must see outside, or anything visible of Queen Hetepheres tomb.  This lies near the Great Pyramid, but my guide was not sure how to locate it, though we did try...and quite sadly for me was missed~

Father Howie on the far left in front of the Sphinx and just behind is the Great Pyramid.  You can no longer take a ride to that same position.  I am on the camel below.  I had ridden horses many years when younger, but oh my goodness when a camel gets up, or lies down, it is a bit scary~

Peter and Cynthia had wanted me to be sure to see the furniture from the tomb of Queen Hetepheres at the GEM once I got there. It was easy to get to the King Tut exhibit from her gallery as they were beside each other.  The museum is magnificent and I hated not having more time to see more of the galleries on other levels.  I feel very fortunate to have seen so much of the King Tut exhibit, however much was also missed due to the heavy crowds of people. Seeing many things that my great-grandparents had, had a rare glimpse of so long before~

One of the big events that was a must for me to attend was the Grand Egyptian Museum ... the "GEM"...the new massive museum that had been open for a while, but by November first awaited the grand opening of the King Tut exhibit where some 5,000 items would be placed in a gallery together for the first time since the removal from the tomb over a century ago. Many of the items had been housed in storage and others on exhibit at the Egyptian Museum.  The grand opening was for foreign and local dignitaries, and it was seen on TV and quite a spectacular opening it was.  I was fortunate to purchase my ticket for the first public day opening on the 4th~  

Found near the base of the Great Pyramid in 1954, this was the Khufu Solar Boat, made of cedarwood.  It is around 4,500 years old.  One hundred thirty seven feet long, it is one of the oldest, most well preserved ships around the world. Designed for King Khufu for his afterlife.

Some of the well preserved artifacts from King Tut's tomb.  The tomb has been almost completely empty for a very long time.  With over 5,000 pieces now on exhibit in their new home at the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza, for years many were on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo and also secured in large storage locations.  Now under on roof, it is quite exciting~ 

I had hired a driver and guide Moamen for the entire day who was friends of Cynthia, Kate and a man by the name of Greg Olsen who had recognized my name on a site that I had been pursuing information about Father Howie from around the year of 2000~

We visited Islamic Cairo one day. The Citadel and the Alabaster Mosque is a major landmark that was built in 1830-1848.  Muhammad Ali Pasha is buried  just as you enter the mosque on the right. Made almost entirely of alabaster which is mined from nearby Luxor, it was such a wise choice for me.  It was stunning and the entire Citadel area was really interesting.  Moamen was very knowledgeable with the history of his country.  His two children had taught him to speak English and he was excellent with communication~ 

After we left the Citadel, we drove to Visit Al-Azhar Park, I had chosen this site, because of it's beautiful location for photography. It covers 72 acres of green space in Old Cairo one of the world's top 60 great public spaces.  Cats, oh my the cats and I fell in love with one.  If I could have placed it in my pocket and carried it home, it would be here now. Even when Peter saw the picture of it, he said "Mary, you need to go back and get that one~"

The next day Moamen picked me up early and we first had to get my usual Mocha Café and his Turkish coffee. He would before I left nickname me Miss Mocha ;) We did my pick of the Coptic Cairo on that day, because I had three full days and needed a shorter one in preparation for a 3:30 pick up on Friday to transport me to the airport and catch my flight to Luxor~

The first church we went to was the Hanging Church built over a Roman gatehouse, it is a major Coptic church.

Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus (Abu Serga)  preserves the cave where the Holy Family is believed to have stayed.

Church of St Barbara is another ancient church in the Coptic area.

Church of St. George is a Greek Orthodox church.

 

The alarm went off and I readied myself for a 3:30AM pick-up to the airport. I was ready for Luxor after a very nice flight from Cairo early morning on November 7th.  I met my GatTour guide Mohammad and he was very nice and quite knowledgeable on the history of so many things on our agenda.  He spent nearly an hour explaining what we would see~

We crossed the West Bank, we visited the Thebes Necropolis, the Valley of the Queens and Valley of the Kings and three royal tombs...

King Tut Ankh tomb ( King Tut) this ended up leading to another deeply emotional experience upon visiting the places and feeling so close to what my great-grandfather had observed over 100 years before~

King Ramesses 9... is an unfinished tomb...if after48 days the tomb is not completed with adornments by family and priests, it is called an unfinished tomb. This tomb is huge, but was never completed and so it stands as is, though still very beautiful!

Just an interesting side note...In death the linen cloth is wrapped 7 times around the bodies of men and 3 times around the bodies of women.

My favorite Queen Nefertiti's tomb is closed for now. That was a disappointment as it is significantly stunning inside.

King Ramesses 111 tomb was very large compared to the much smaller tomb of King Tut~

The Temple Complex of Karnak, is the worlds largest religious site globally!  The site covers 247 acres which is famous for it's colossal statues, several obelisks and Hypostyle Hall that has 134 massive columns.  It was a crucial place of worship~

Mohammad just like my guide Marna had done in Giza used my phone camera to snap photos of and for me as I walked around these beautiful places. It is part of what they do to give lasting memories to bring home for their guests~ 

Howard Carter, a British archaeologist was known to have been the person who discovered King Tuts tomb. That however is not exactly the entire story... a young 12 year old boy named Hussein Abdul-Rasoul was carrying water for the workers at the site where Howard Carter was working with his crew when he uncovered a stone which was the first of a number of steps that lead to the entrance of the tomb! I visited the Howard Carter Museum where my Father Howie, more than likely had shared afternoon tea with Mr. Carter.  After this I enjoyed a lovely lunch in Luxor which was very nice~

The visit to the Sofitel Old Winter Palace where Father Howie visited a few times. 

YAY the 3 Hoopoe birds...my number one target bird to see were found there. 

The Egyptian people call them "Hud Huds" from one of the voice sounds they make~

                      I had a glass of delicious Hibiscus juice here~

Can you see the Great Pyramids ;) ;) 

The day before we had our appointment with the Ambassador, I had chosen to visit Garbage City... One of the world's most efficient recycling operations and generations of families who earn their living through garbage...not a single thing goes to waste... I was seeing the Egyptian people on many levels and I was thankful that I had made that decision~

Mokattam Mountainside: There are two churches carved directly into the side of the stone cave site, one is the massive Saint Simon the Tanner Monastery, also known as the Cave Church.  It is the largest church in the Middle East.  There is also a smaller one in the same vicinity. The largest one can seat up to 20,000 people and the smaller one around 2,000.  These churches are a powerful symbol of Coptic Christianity in Egypt~

In the days in between these tours Kate would get back from work and we would take walks around Maadi and have a meal together.  We enjoyed sitting out on the balcony, chatting and also enjoying Shira her sweet elderly cat and having discussions as well as the nightly explorations that we went on.  She made it so much fun and I am forever grateful! 

Kate had taken a day off and we went to Khan Al Khalili (the bazaar).  What a delightful day we had too! I enjoyed all of the history on some of the buildings and mosques that Kate shared with me on our long, leisurely walk.  It was a wonderful day, but not over yet~

In the early evening we took a two hour felucca ride on the Nile River with several invited guests who are good friends of my friends Peter, Cynthia and Kate.  Along for the ride were some great people who had wanted to meet this woman who had come so far to see what she had heard about her entire life...Egypt~  

We ended the evening with a Mediterranean feast at a very fine restaurant.

My new friend Kate on the left was a delight~

Greg Olsen and his friend Mary were very kind. Greg is friend to a few of mine and it was so nice visiting with him.  Mary is a lifelong birder and we conversed a bit about the love of birds~

A few of the lovely new acquaintances made on the felucca ride.  This was a very special and memorable evening~

On the day that we were to meet with the Ambassador, I was so happy that Kate would be there to experience it with me.  Arriving by Uber and passing through security, we entered the compound where the residence, embassy and other offices including security reside.  We received a very warm greeting from the women I had met through several correspondences. Meeting Ambassador Garg was so special and her gracious welcome was greatly appreciated. The meeting, initially planned for a possible 20 minutes, extended to an hour and a half, during which I presented the ambassador with a vintage photo album with prints of my Father Howie and his family during the years he spent serving the Egyptians.  Ambassador Garg also had me sign the book that I got for her, written by Father Howie, titled "Egypt's Past, Present and Future." The ambassador gifted me with her precious time, and a challenge coin with a white Lotus flower on one side and the US Embassy in Egypt emblem on the other side.  

A surprise  for me was when one of the ambassadors associates handed me a portrait of Father Howie...one I had never seen before.  The ambassador had it taken down from the wall where all of the former Ministers, Consuls and Ambassadors hang in the embassy.  Photos were taken of me holding this handsome portrait by the official photographer and before we left, we walked from the residence over to the embassy building.  Once we had a brief tour we went into a large room with two rows of portraits on the wall.  There was a nail with a missing framed portrait.  The Ambassador had the portrait removed just long enough for me to be able to rehang it in honor of my Great grandfather. This was particularly moving for me and I was so deeply moved by such a thoughtful gesture. Mrs. Garg was a beautiful, brilliant, genuine, empathetic and kind woman who served the people with utmost care.  Egypt has been very fortunate for having her in their corner. That visit was the absolute highlight of my journey.  It gave me the completed bridge of my Father Howie's legacy linked with my own in learning so much more about him and the people of the land that he had loved and served so faithfully~

*Sadly the beginning of this month of January 2026 the US leader has had Ambassador Garg and 29 other Ambassadors removed from their positions.  They have that right, but it was sad when I learned that she would be leaving her distinguished position~

In the afternoon Kate and I took a walk to one of the oldest bookstores in Cairo and then caught an Uber over to Zamalek to visit the Marriott Hotel in Zamalek (Zamalek Island) where the old Ambassadors residence had once been long ago.

Greg Olsen and a friend of his Margot met for a leisurely visit before having a most delicious lunch in the garden of the Gezira Sporting Club~

Father Howie had visited with Prince Lutfallah here, as he had been good friends with the Lutfallah family while he was in Egypt. This is part of the original building where they lived~ 

On my last full day in Egypt I had Moamen pick me up early so that we could visit the shopping area on Zamalek Island, a rather exclusive part of Cairo, near Garden City where the Embassy is located.  Thankfully I was able to get some pretty Egyptian linens to present to Kate as one of my thank yous when I told Moamen that I was not feeling well and had to return to Kate's. Once she got home from work I had to tell her and we had to cancel my last evening plans and my second felucca ride. This time we were going to glide along the Nile through her town of Maadi.  I was disappointed, but thankful that I had stayed well for my entire journey up to that point. Many had worried that I had made myself a very heavy itinerary and I guess that I did.  I will not have this kind of opportunity ever again and I wanted to make the most of it and I cherish all of it, and I will be forever grateful to all who made it possible~

After a lifetime of hearing about my great-grandfather and his love for the Egyptian people, my journey was coming to an end. I could see why Father Howie had enjoyed his first years there and why serving these people of this wonderful country had been very gratifying~

Mary Howell Cromer