FRIENDS OF EGYPT | Cairo - Luxor - Aswan - Sharm El-Sheikh 13 days

FRIENDS OF EGYPT | Cairo - Luxor - Aswan - Sharm El-Sheikh 13 days

Location

DAY 1: Arrival at Cairo airport, meet and assist then transfer to the hotel for overnight.

DAY 02: Breakfast, visiting the Egyptian Museum, famous for its antiquities from Egypt’s Pharaonic period, dates back some 50 centuries, and includes the fabulous treasures of King Tut Ankh-Amon. Afternoon excursion to Old Cairo, the old Coptic churches, and the oldest Jewish Synagogue of Ben Ezra. Continue your visit to the Citadel of Salah El-Din and Mohamed Ali alabaster Mosque, followed by a visit to the medieval bazaars of Khan El Khalili, where you can bargain for your jewelry and hand –tooled leather items. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

"The Egyptian Museum, owes its existence to the Egyptian Antiquities Service, established by the Egyptian government in 1835 to limit the looting of Egypt's priceless artifacts. The museum opened in 1858 with a collection assembled by Auguste Mariette, the French archaeologist retained by Ismail Pasha. It was originally housed in an annex of the palace of Ismail Pasha in Giza, the museum moved to its present location in 1900."

"The citadel, was constructed by Salah El Din on the Moqattam hills in 1183 AD overlooking the whole city to be his defensive point against the attacks of the Crusaders. Salah El Din appointed to be the governor of Egypt after the death of the Sultan of Damascus, Noor-el-Din.

"The mosque, is situated in the Citadel of Cairo in Egypt and commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha between 1830 and 1848. Situated on the summit of the citadel, this Ottoman mosque, the largest to be built in the first half of the 19th century, is, with its animated silhouette and twin minarets, the most visible mosque in Cairo. The mosque was built in memory of Tusun Pasha, Muhammad Ali's oldest son, who died in 1816."

DAY 03: After breakfast drive to Memphis at the edge of the western desert, the capital of the ancient kingdom, and one of the most important monuments throughout the history of ancient Egypt, from here we drive to Sakkara the vast necropolis of ancient Memphis. Visit the Step Pyramid of Zoser (3rd dynasty, 2668 BC – 2649 BC). Then visit the Pyramid of Unas, in the afternoon, drive to the Pyramids of Giza. Cheops Pyramid, the largest of the three, was built in the 4th dynasty about 2690 BC, One of the seven wonders of the ancient world In front of the pyramid of Chephren, there stands the Sphinx a lion with a Pharaoh’s head thought to be a portrait of the pharaoh Chephren.

Continue our tour to the Solar Boat museum where a dismantled river barge of King Cheops was found, and has been masterfully re-assembled, Transfer back to your hotel, Later in the evening you will be met and transferred to the magnificent sound and light show at the Giza plateau. Later transfer back to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

"Memphis, was the ancient capital of Aneb-Hetch, the first nome of Lower Egypt. Its ruins are located near the town of Helwan, south of Cairo. According to legend related by Manetho, the city was founded by the pharaoh Menes around 3000 BC. Capital of Egypt during the Old Kingdom, it remained an important city throughout ancient Mediterranean history.[1][2][3] It occupied a strategic position at the mouth of the Nile delta, and was home to feverish activity. Its principal port, Peru-refer, harboured a high density of workshops, factories, and warehouses that distributed food and merchandise throughout the ancient kingdom. During its golden age, Memphis thrived as a regional centre for commerce, trade, and religion.

"Pharaoh Zosar, was the first king of the Third Dynasty. The serdab, on the northern face of the pyramid, contained his statue; this was the place of his "ka," which could see the offerings made to him. The original statue, now in the Cairo Museum, is thought to have recorded his exact features. This pyramid and the buildings comprising the funerary complex were designed by Imhotep, the first architect whose name is recorded. They were also the first major constructions in stone. Prior to this, sun-dried brick had been the usual building material. It is also the first tomb of monumental size. It was begun as a large mastaba, oriented to the points of the compass, but was enlarged twice to a final height of about 200 feet."

"Pyramids of Giza, There are no more famous ancient sites within Egypt or for that matter elsewhere in the world, than the Great Pyramids at Giza. They are, without question, the icon most associated with the Egypt. They have been both the main destination for tourists and a source of imaginative thought to the world for over three thousand years."

"Solar Boat, The Khufu ship is an intact full-size vessel from Ancient Egypt that was sealed into a pit in the Giza pyramid complex at the foot of the Great Pyramid of Giza around 2500 BC. The ship was almost certainly built for Khufu (King Cheops), the second pharaoh of the Fourth Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Egypt It is one of the oldest, largest, and best-preserved vessels from antiquity. It measures 43.6 m (143 2) long and 5.9 m (19.5 ft) wide."

DAY 04: Transfer to the airport for flight to Luxor. Arrival at Luxor then transfer to your Nile cruise, Embarkation on ship. Visit the stunning monuments of Luxor and Karnak, the greatest cities of Ancient Egypt. Overnight on the ship. All meals include.

"The Temple of Luxor, is among the most beautiful Temples in Egypt. It was known in the New Kingdom period as Ipt-Rsyt, which means the southern shrine. This was to differentiate between this Temple and Karnak Temple, which was the northern house of Amon Ra. Amenhotep III built Luxor Temple. The architect and overseer of the works of construction was the genius Amenhotep, son of Habu. The Temple run close and parallel to the river Nile from north to south. It was constructed on the site of a small Temple of Amon, built by kings of the 12th dynasty. At the time of Amenhotep III the Temple was only 190m in length and 55m in width. Basically, Luxor Temple was consecrated to Amon Ra in his fertility aspect."

"The Temple of Karnak, is the largest Temple in the World! The complex contains a group of Temples such as the Great Temple of Amon Ra, the Temple of Khonso, the Ipt Temple, the Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Montho and the Temple of the God Osiris. A 20m high, mud brick enclosure wall, surrounded all of these buildings.

DAY 05: Focus on west bank of the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings and Deir El-Bahari, Queen Hatshepsut’s monumental rock-cut temple. Stop for pictures at the two Clossi of Memnon guarding the valley. Drive back to the ship .Sailing to Edfu .Overnight on the ship. All meals include.

"The Valley of the Kings, was the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs and is located on the west bank at Luxor. The only entrance to this place was a long narrow winding path. This was a secret place where sentries were placed at the entrance of the Valley as well as along the top of the hills in the hopes of discouraging tomb robbers, who had in the past plundered all royal tombs, including the treasures of the Pyramids. Some thefts were probably carefully planned, but others were spur of the moment, as when an earlier tomb was accidentally discovered while cutting a new one and workmen took advantage of the opportunity."

"Hatshepsut, was one of the most interesting female figures and most capable Pharohs of Egyptian history (1490-1468 BC), so our visit to her 3,500 year old mortual temple in the Valley of Kings (Thebes West) was in many respects a quite special experience.

DAY 06: Arrival Edfu – Sailing to Kom Ombo then proceed Sailing to Aswan

Arrive Edfu to visit the temple of Horus with its menacing black stone statue of the Falcon god. Later, re-board your boat and sail to Kom Ombo to visit Sobek temple, overnight on the ship. All meals included.

DAY 07: Arrival Aswan

After breakfast, enjoy an excursion to the Old Dam and the gigantic Aswan High Dam completed in 1970.Board a motor launch to the island of Philae to visit the temple of Isis. Also stop at the ancient granite quarries to see the famous Unfinished Obelisk. Overnight on the ship. All meals included.

"The High Dam, of Aswan is a great project. In fact it was one of the most important achievements in the last century in Egypt, even for many years it was a symbol of the New Era of the Revolution of 1952. It provided Egypt with water and electricity and secured the country of the risk of the destructive inundation. The Aswan High Dam was a great project! In fact it was one of the most important achievements of the last century in Egypt, for many years symbolizing the New Era of the Revolution of 1952. It provides Egypt with water and electricity, and secures the country from the risk of the destructive inundation of the River Nile."

"Philae Island, was a rocky island in the middle of the River Nile, south of Aswan. It was called in Hieroglyphic “Apo” which means Ivory. It was also known by the Greek “Elephantine”, most probably because it was an important centre of trade, especially for ivory The Ancient Egyptians built a beautiful and magnificent Temple on this island for the Goddess Isis, but the Temple became submerged after the first Aswan dam was built in 1906, and it was not until the seventies that many nations attempted to save the Temple."

"The Unfinished Obelisk, lies in its original location, in a granite quarry in Aswan. It is 42m in length and was most probably abandoned when some cracks appeared in the rock, during its construction had this obelisk been completed, it would have been the heaviest obelisk ever cut in Ancient Egypt, weighing nearly 1100 tons! It is believed that it was constructed and abandoned during the reign of Queen Hatshepsut (18th Dynasty). During the earliest ages, the Ancient Egyptians knew the so-called “Pn-pn”, which was a pyramidal stone with a pointed top and according to their beliefs the “Pn-pn” symbolized the primeval hill from which the world first appeared. Then, in the course of time, this Pn-pn evolved to be an obelisk usually made of granite with a pyramidal shape on top."

DAY 08: Free at Leisure in Aswan – Arrival Cairo

Disembarkation at Noon time, free at Leisure in Aswan (El Souq), Late afternoon transfer to the Aswan rail-way station to get the sleeping train to Cairo (1st class), dinner on board.

DAY 09: Breakfast on board Arrive at Giza rail-way station, then transfer to St. Catherine along the Gulf of Suez visiting the Canal of Suez en route, then proceed to the lush green Oasis of Wadi Faran (Biblical Raphidim) arrive in the afternoon to St. Catherine area, dinner and over night.

DAY 10: Early morning, walk up to Mount Sinai 2285 above sea level, attain the summit named after Moses where God delivered the Ten Commandments, time on top to take in and photograph the imposing & spectacular view of the sun coming up over the hills of Sinai. Descent through the stairway carved into the mountain by St. Catherine monks.

Breakfast at the hotel, and then visit to the famed 6th century Monastery named after St. Catherine, the martyr of Alexandria. Drive to Sharm El-Sheikh visiting Ain Khoudra (associated with biblical Hazerot) en route through the desert (Wadi Ghazala), a dimension of splendor and beauty speaks for itself. Arrival at Sharm El-Sheikh, dinner and overnight.

DAY 11: Free at leisure.

DAY 12: Free at leisure.

DAY 13: Transfer to Sharm El-Sheikh airport for final departure.