My “Return of Sinuhe” to Egypt

The original text of the Tale of Sinuhe

at London's Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology

From the age of 16, I have packed my bags and set sail to travel the world, not to return home until I have gathered the seeds of knowledge that allow me to cultivate Egypt’s fertile land. On my journey, I have gained wisdom in many realms of life. Simultaneously, the longer I’ve distanced myself from home, the more I began to yearn for my return. I find my inspiration and consolation in the Tale of Sinuhe, the ancient Egyptian whom I follow his footsteps today.

Like Sinuhe, who departed Egypt in approximately 1800 BC for Syria, following the death of Pharoah Amenemhat, I also sought to leave home to gain a global perspective. My journey has since taken me to the U.S., China, Turkey, and now the U.K. And like Sinuhe, my quest throughout all of my journeys has been to explore the universal nature of humanity and discover what it means to be Egyptian.

The Tale of Sinuhe has become more of a legendary fiction in which the protagonist goes through various struggles likened to those in the Odyssey. But at the same time, the story has various parallels with allegories in Biblical texts. The juxtapositions between freewill and divine foreordainment, good and evil, mysticism and the mundane are all themes of Sinuhe’s tale and to which I have tried to tap into during my travels.

But the one notion that really resonates within me is the thought of returning to Egypt. In the Tale, Sinuhe exclaims, “May God pity me…may he hearken to the prayer of one far away! May God have mercy on me. May I be conducted to the city of eternity!” It is this divine longing for Egypt that I have always felt, but have never been able to explain as well as the Tale of Sinuhe does. I remember reading somewhere that an Egyptian may travel the world, but nowhere will be home for him except Egypt. I guess this is part of the divine destiny Sinuhe alludes to in his tale and is part of the ancient wisdom one can take away from this story.

As I look forward to returning to Egypt this summer after completing my graduate education abroad, the sense of elation within me is similar to that of someone who has been in exile for a lifetime and has finally been granted to return home. This elation is splendidly articulated in Sinuhe’s Tale. With Egypt entering a new era, I am hopeful that I will be returning to an Egypt distinguished from what I left five years ago by freedom, justice, and egalitarianism.

I hope this account of how I can connect to Sinuhe does justice to paying a humble tribute to the magnificent work of literature and history housed in London’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archeology. And I hope, like myself, many Egyptians can be inspired by the Sinuhe’s love and devotion to his motherland.