In celebration of the audio release of Mr. Impossible, I offer an earlier post about one source of inspiration for the book. Sarah Belzoni is a great example of the resourceful women who visited and explored Egypt in the 19th century.
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Here’s a glimpse of what Sarah Belzoni dealt with in Egypt, traveling with her explorer husband (and sometimes on her own) in the early 1800s. The excerpt is from Mrs. Belzoni’s Account of the Women of Egypt, Nubia, and Syria, which was appended to Belzoni’s
Narrative of the operations and recent discoveries within the pyramids,
temples, tombs, and excavations, in Egypt and Nubia (originally published in England in 1820).
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After waiting two months in Cairo, and understanding it might be some time before Mr. B. could return, I determined on a third voyage to Thebes, taking the Mameluke
before mentioned. I went to Boolak, and engaged a canja with two small
cabins; one held my luggage, and the other my mattress, for which I paid
125 piastres. I left Cairo on November 27th, and arrived at Ackmeim on
the 11th December, at night. A heavy rain, accompanied with thunder and
lightning, commenced an hour after sunset, and continued the whole of
the night: it pourred in torrents. My mattress and coverings were wet
through, and were so for some days; and though the rain had ceased, yet
it came pouring from the mountains through the lands into the Nile on
each side for several days after. I arrived at Luxor on the 16th, and was informed Mr. B. was gone to the Isle of Philœ: I crossed the Nile, and took up my residence at Beban el Malook. The men left to guard the tomb in Mr. B.'s absence informed me of the heavy rain they had experienced on the night I mentioned, and, in spite of all their efforts, they could not prevent the water entering the tomb; it had carried in a great deal of mud, and, on account of the great heat, and the steam arising from the damp, made some of the walls crack, and some pieces had fallen. On
hearing
this I went into the tomb, and the only thing we could do was to order a
number of boys to take the damp earth away, for while any damp remained
the walls would still go on cracking. Mr. B. arrived two days before
Christmas, and on St. Stephen's day he crossed to Carnak
to review the various spots of earth he had to excavate, when an
attempt was made to assassinate him. I had then a violent bilious fever,
which, added to this fright, flung me into the yellow jaundice. Having
sent a man to procure me some medicine from a doctor at Ackmeim, he
returned after five days with about half an ounce of cream of tartar,
and two teaspoonsful of rhubarb. Fortunately for me, two English
gentlemen happened to arrive, on their return from Nubia for Cairo, and
gave me some calomel, which was of great service to me, and which I
remember with much gratitude.~~~
Above left: Vue general de Louqsor.
Below right: Karnak. Temple de Ramessés IV, deux Pylônes.
Both by Maison Bonfils (Beirut, Lebanon), photographer, and courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
One of us -- 
