EYE ON THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION | Cairo - Luxor - Aswan 09 days

EYE ON THE EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION | Cairo - Luxor - Aswan 09 days

DAY 01: Arrival at Cairo International airport, meets and assists through formalities, then transfer to your hotel for overnight.

DAY 02: After Breakfast, 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

"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"

Afternoon excursion to Old Cairo, the old Coptic churches and the oldest Jewish Synagogue of Ben Ezra. Continue your visit to 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. Later transfer back 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."

DAY 03: Leaving Cairo behind, we start a 350 km to Baharya Oasis. Upon arrival visit the temple of Alexander the great built during Alexander's lifetime and dedicated to Amun and Horus, in the afternoon, we explore the oasis which is surrounded by black hills made up of ferruginous quartzite and dolorite. Overnight in Baharya.

"The Bahareya Oasis, is the northernmost oasis of Egypt. This oasis has particular historical significance as it was an important transit point for the Caravan tracks and the Nile Valley. This is besides being the theatre of great and important archeological finds in modern times.

DAY 04: Visit Tombs of the nobles where Hundreds of mummies have already been excavated, and there are believed to be perhaps 10,000 in all, including nobles and kings. The cemetery dates to the Greco-Roman era, and is located very near Bawiti at the Bahariya Oasis, Some of the mummies found so far wore golden masks and had magnificent designs of ancient Egyptian gods on their chests indicate a mix of classic Roman and Egyptian styles. Then continue our tour to visit the English mountain located on a flat hill top near Bawiti is a fortification built by one Captain Williams during WW I in order to keep up with comings and goings of Libyan Senussi tribesmen.

DAY 05: 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 06: 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 07: Board horse-drawn carriages for a drive through Edfu to 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, then proceed sailing to Aswan. Overnight on the ship. All meals included.

DAY 08: 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 Temple, 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 09: Disembarkation at Noon time, free at Leisure in Aswan, Late afternoon transfer to your hotel in Aswan Afternoon to airport for the final departure via Cairo.

Optional excursion to Abu Simbel.

"The Temples of Abu Simbel, are amongst the most interesting Pharaonic Temples. Located close to the southern border with the Sudan, it is 280 km south of Aswan and consists of two, rock-cut Temples, which both date back to the reign of King Ramses II (1290- 1223 BC). Unfortunately these unique Temples suffered from the raising water of Lake Nasser while the High Dam was being built. Other countries, with the help of UNESCO, assisted Egypt to help save them the two Temples were cut in to many pieces, and then they were reconstructed again on a site 65m higher than the original location, and 200m back inland, to escape the rising water level. This great rescue operation began in June 1964 and finished in September 1968."