By Lubna Abdel-Aziz In all of history's pageant of fascinating women, none can rival Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Not only is she Time's foremost seductress, besides Eve, she is the epitome of all that is mystical and mystifying about womanhood. Historians have inundated the ages with fact and fiction about the alluring queen, recounting tales of her plots and counter-plots, crimes and counter-crimes, of designs and deceits, of spirit and spunk, of incest and assassinations, of sacrifice and death, and most significantly, of love and romance. Yet, despite the countless studies, narratives, poems, plays and movies, we wonder, if all has been said about the lure of Cleopatra! A brand new account of the enigmatic ruler, will soon be available at our bookstores, to answer our questions, gratify our curiosity, and modify our views about the Egyptian queen. The book, written by Pulitzer Prize winner, Stacy Schiff has received favourable reviews, and claims to bring new insight into one of history's most influential women. According to Schiff all of our previous information about Cleopatra, came from accounts by unsympathetic Romans,Tales of the wily goddess of love were spread by Octavian who used her to buff his image, and ruin hers. The book Cleopatra - A Life, promises to be a compelling read, setting the record straight about the brave young queen, who taught herself how to survive and rule, in a world dominated by ruthless men. It is no meager task for a historian to keep the past alive, but in the case of the Egyptian Queen, the task is rendered easier. The very name Cleopatra, evokes images of gilded barges, smoothly sailing down the lazy waters of the Nile, under a cloudless azure sky. A vague perfume of jasmine and lotus drifts in the air, as the enchanting queen, sparsely clad lies serene and still, luxuriating under the golden rays of the great Sun God. Palm trees lined up by the river banks swing and sway, and seem to bow their heads at the sight of their sacred queen, child of Ptolemy XII, and the goddess Isis! The land of Egypt was never more enchanting, as it was during the reign of their captivating queen. How can we separate fact from fiction? Do we even want to? How many historians, poets, authors, painters and actors have attempted to visualise history's queen of the Mediterranean? So many have tried, like Virgil, Horace, Shakespeare, Dryden, Gautier and Shaw. In their dramatisations, they put words on her lips, while paintersput features on her face, and actors including Claudette Colbert, Vivien Leigh and last but not least, Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. The legendary beauty of Ms Taylor, left us with an everlasting image of the legendary queen. But was Cleopatra really beautiful? Most experts believe she was no great beauty, but then, most experts never really saw her, and beauty does lie in the eyes of the beholder. Cleopatra lived from 69 to 30 BC. Historians are divided as to whether she was Cleopatra VI or Cleopatra VII... They all agree however, that she was the last of the Ptolemies, who ruled Egypt for 300 years. No one knows what she was like as a child. What did she play with, what stories did she enjoy? We know she was immensely intelligent, and spent many hours at the great Alexandria Library, the Bibliotheca Alexandrina built by her ancestors who accompanied the great Macedonian conqueror, Alexander. Did she browse through the many books, documents and scrolls? Did she listen to the debates of philosophers, scientists and scholars that filled the Library walls with knowledge and enlightenment? Was she curious, noisy, precocious, quiet, pensive, playful? How did she feel about her brothers? She eventually married two of them, defeated one and killed the other. What made her so cruel, so ruthless? Survival seems to be the dominant passion for all mankind. Cleopatra was unusual in every way. She knew about alchemy, astronomy, about waging wars and dispensing with her enemies, and she certainly knew about the weaknesses of the opposite sex. Did she love Caesar? Did she cry when she saw a million books burn with her beloved Library? Will these questions ever be answered. Though her story has been told innumerable times, she remains a mystery, forever alluring, enthralling and intriguing. Cleopatra became queen in 51 BC, when her father Ptolemy XI Auletes died. According to his will, her brother Ptolemy XII was to be joint ruler. Ptolemy was only 10 years old. His guardians soon seized the power for him and drove Cleopatra from the throne. When the great Julius Caesar came to Egypt in 49 BC in pursuit of his rival Pompei, Cleopatra thought of an ingenious way of reaching him. She wrapped herself in a precious carpet to be presented to Caesar as a gift. When the carpet was rolled out, so was Cleopatra. Caesar was immediately stricken. He defeated her brother and put her back on the throne, which she still had to share with another brother, Ptolemy XIII. Cleopatra followed Caesar to Rome, but the Romans did not take to her. She remained there until his death in 44BC. She returned to Alexandria and dispensed with her brother in favour of Caesarion, her son from Caesar, who would one day rule as Ptolemy the XIV...but it was not to be. Mark Antony first set eyes on Cleopatra after the battle of Tarsus in Asia Minor, 41 BC. She was dressed as Aphrodite, the Greek goddess. Antony became besotted, which indicates that she must have been a stunningly beautiful woman, like Ms Taylor, perhaps. He followed her to Alexamdria and together they planned to rule the Roman world. Octavius Caesar was hard to beat. Antony fell on his sword, was carried to Cleopatra and died in her arms. An asp was brought in to Cleopatra, hidden in a fig basket. Once placed on her arm, he bit the enchanting queen of Egypt... What a death that was, in 30 BC. But history and historians would not let her memory die. Hollywood lost no time in grabbing the rights to Schiff's new book. But who would replace Taylor as the face of Cleopatra? None other than another young beauty, as alluring, enigmatic and mystifying as the queen herself, and her name is Angelina Jolie. Egypt's legacy is forever captivating, generation after generation. Cleopatra is part of that awesome legacy. The past, like an inspired rhapsodist, fills the theatre of everlasting generations with her harmony -- Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822)
