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Please
Note That the below Itinerary is only a sample Itinarery.
It can be tailored, changed or order reversed depending on the
requested package and / or Nile Cruise Chain.
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Cairo (6 Days), Nile Cruise (4 Days) |
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| Day 1 |
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| Arrive Cairo where you will be met by our representative, who will help you with your arrival formalities, then you will be escorted to your hotel for an overnight. |
| Areas |
Cairo |
Meals |
N/A |
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| Day 2 |
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Breakfast. Departure from hotel towards some of Egypt's earliest and greatest monuments. We will begin with the Pyramids of Giza, where we'll be awed by their timeless splendor as we watch the light shine on the Great Pyramids of Cheops and Chephren, guarded by the eternal enigmatic visage of the Great Sphinx. There you can have an optional camel ride to the nearby the Great Sphinx that is carved out of a single massive outcrop of limestone. You Can also have an optional visit to Solar Boat Museum, which houses a royal barge built to carry the pharaoh's soul on its afterlife journey.
Also you can have an optional Tour to the necropolis of the capital of the ancient kingdom the city of Memphis & The Step Pyramids of Sakkara, once the greatest city of ancient Egypt. Here we see the Serapeum, an underground complex designed as the resting place for sacred bulls of Apis, and may be able to enter the tombs of the nobles, noted for the unmatched quality of the bas-reliefs sculpted into their walls. After Memphis, we continue our tour to Sakkara, the city of the dead to see the 14 surviving pyramids include the amazing Step Pyramid of Pharaoh Zoser the world's oldest stone building, built in 2686 BC - a ziggurat-like structure.
If you are very concerned about Egypt History you can have an optional tour to Dahshur where you can see the fantastic Bent Pyramid and the Red Pyramid which is the oldest true pyramid in Egypt and the immediate predecessor of the pyramids that would come later. It is second in size only to the Great Pyramid at Giza. Dahshur forms the southernmost area of the Memphis Necropolis and contains a number of pyramid complexes and monuments. Overnight at hotel. |
| Areas |
Cairo |
Meals |
B |
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| Day 3 |
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Breakfast. Departure from hotel to begin our tour with the Egyptian Museum. The greatest collection of Egyptian antiquities is, without doubt, that of the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. It is a place of true discovery and, even after many visits, you will continue to make new and delightful discoveries every time you venture into its many galleries.
After your tour in the Egyptian museum you can have an optional tour to Cairo Citadel which a very intersting place to visit and contain many monuments such as The Mohammed Ali (alabaster) Mosque. The mosque was built in the Ottoman style by Mohammed Ali Pasha, ruler of Egypt, and founder of the country''s last dynasty of Khedives and Kings. The mosque is the Tomb of Mohammed Ali and is also known as the alabaster Mosque because of the extensive use of this fine material from Beni Suef.
After the Citadel you can have an optional visit The Khan El-Khalili Bazaars Where you can test your bargain ability. Khan El Khalili Market was built in 1382 by the Emir Djaharks El-Khalili in the heart of the Fatimid City. Together with the al-Muski market to the west, they comprise one of Cairo''s most important shopping areas. But more than that, they represent the market tradition which established Cairo as a major center of trade, and at the Khan, one will still find foreign merchants. Egyptian buyers generally shop in the area north of al-Badistan and to the west, where prices may be lower. Better deals for gold and silver are to be found west of the Khan along the "street of the goldsellers", and further on one will find the Brass and Coppersmith Markets. You can enjoy bargaing with the sellers and collect some intersting souvenirs. Overnight at hotel. |
| Areas |
Cairo |
Meals |
B |
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| Day 4 |
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Breakfast. Departure from hotel towards The Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo). The Old Cairo is so named because it is the oldest part of Cairo, and in fact, predates what is now Cairo. The Old Cairo that is known by its famous churches, synagogues and mosques including the Hanging Church (El Muallaqa, Sitt Mariam, St Mary) which derives its name from its location on top of the southern tower gate of the old Babylon fortress with its nave suspended above the passage.
The Church of Abu Serga (St. Sergius) is another 4th-century church, dedicated to two early martyrs and supposedly built on the spot where the Holy Family, Joseph, Mary and the infant Christ, rested at the end of their journey into Egypt. They may have lived here while Joseph worked at the fortress. However, the church is dedicated to Sergius and Bacchus, who were soldier-saints martyred during the 4th century in Syria by Maximilan. The main attraction, situated directly under the choir, is the crypt. This crypt contains the remains of the original church where tradition says the Holy Family lived. Originally this crypt was the sanctuary, but became the crypt after the larger church was built.
We will also visit the Synagogue of Ben Izra. Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra, (c.1089-1164), was a Spanish-Jewish scholar. His Bible commentaries combined traditional Jewish interpretation with a critical method of exegesis and emphasis on grammar; his philosophical work followed the Neoplatonic tendency (see neoplatinism) in medieval thought. Ibn Ezra translated an astronomical work from the Arabic into Hebrew, creating a Hebrew prose style for scientific purposes. Liturgic poetry fascinated him; many of his hymns were included in the prayer book of the synagogue. Ibn Ezra traveled widely throughout his life and won many admirers. He was probably the model for Robert Browning''s poem Rabbi Ben Ezra. The remaind of the day is free. Overnight at hotel. |
| Areas |
Cairo |
Meals |
B |
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| Day 5 |
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Today is free at leasure. After Breakfast You can have an Optional tour to Islamic Cairo. Where we can begin our tour by visiting El Nasir Mohamed Mosque. Just across from the Mohammed Ali Mosque, the An-Nasir Mohammed Mosque is the best preserved Mameluke building and was once the principle mosque within the Citadel. Constructed in 1335 by Sultan an-Nasir Mohammed as a congregational mosque, it has two unique minarets topped in a pincushion design with glazed faience decoration and is all that remains of the Sultan''s massive building program within the Citadel. The restored qiblah has a large dome, and the wooden ceiling and stalactites make this mosque well worth a visit.
Continue our tour to Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque which was Built by Ahmed Ibn Tulun in 879, the Ibn Tulun Mosque in the Sayyedah Zeinab district has an atmosphere of tranquillity unlike that of any other mosque in the city. It is the oldest original mosque and the largest in Egypt. It incorporates a number of unique features, such as the external spiral staircase of the unusual minaret (the only one of its type in Egypt) which is similar to the famous Samarra Mosque in Mesopotamia.
In Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque we will visit The Gayer-Anderson Museum. It was founded in 1937 in two ancient residences. The museum includes the private collection of Major Gayer-Anderson, who in the 1930s and 40s filled the two mansions with his collection of Orientalist furniture, glassware, crystal, carpets, silks and embroidered Arab costumes. It presents an excellent example of what life was like for wealthy merchants in Egypt in the 1700s. If you are a movie buff or James Bond fan you might remember this museum from a tryst and murder in the film.
Juste in front of Ahmed Ibn Tulun Mosque, we will visit the Royal Family Tombs which are located in El Refay Mosque. Here we will visit also the tombe of Mohammed Reza Bahlawy the last king of Iran. The remaind of the day is free. Overnight at hotel. |
| Areas |
Cairo |
Meals |
B |
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| Day 6 |
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Our representative will escort you to Cairo airport to take your internal flight to luxor. Arriving Luxor, embarkation. Lunch. Introduction to your guide. Visit The Temple of Karnak. It is a city of temples built over 2000 years and dedicated to the Theben triad of Amon, Mut and Khonsu. For the largely uneducated ancient Egyptian population this could only have been the place of the gods. It is the mother of all religious buildings, the largest ever made and a place of pilgrimage for nearly 4,000 years.
We continue our tour by visiting The Temple of Luxor which is close to the Nile and parallel with the riverbank. King Amenhotep III who reigned 1390-53 BC built this beautiful temple and dedicated it to Amon-Re, king of the gods, his consort Mut, and their son Khons.
Afternoon Tea. Dinner. After Dinner Dancing. Overnight at hotel. |
| Areas |
Cairo,Luxor |
Meals |
B,L,D |
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| Day 7 |
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Breakfast. Visit the West Bank to see Valley of the Kings. The Valley of the Kings actually has two components - the East Valley and the West Valley. It is the East Valley which most tourists visit and in which most of the tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs can be found.
We continue our tour by visiting The Valley of the Queens. There are between 75 and 80 tombs in the Valley of the Queens, or Biban al-Harim. These belong to Queens of the 18th, 19th and 20th Dynasties.
We end our day tour by visiting the Temple of Hatshepsut. This is one of the most beautiful of the royal mortuary temples. The terraces were different then, with gardens of frankincense trees and other rare plantings brought from Punt, a place that appears in painted reliefs decorating the walls of one of the colonnades. This temple was built by Queen Hatshepsut, stepmother of pharaoh Thutmose III, who became regent for the adolescent Thutmose III when Thutmose II, her brother died. As the first known female monarch, she ruled for about two decades, thus delaying the kingship of Thutmose III.
Lunch. Sail to Esna, cross the Lock and sail to Edfu. Afternoon Tea. Oriental Dinner. Galabiya and Costume Party. Overnight in Edfu. |
| Areas |
Edfu,Luxor |
Meals |
B,L,D |
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| Day 8 |
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Breakfast. Visit the Temple of Horus in Edfu. This major Ptolemaic temple of Edfu is the best preserved major temple in Egypt. The temple is dedicated to the falcon god Horus and was built over a 180-year period from 237 BC to 57 BC. Sail to Komombo. Lunch. Visit the Temple of Komombo which is the home to an unusual double temple built during the Ptolemaic and Roman periods. The temple is dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and the falcon god Haroeris (Horus the Elder). Despite being badly damaged, the temple is a beautiful sight as one approaches from either direction on the river, particularly as sunset nears and the colours change.
Sail to Aswan. Afternoon Tea. Video Presentation on Upper Egypt. Dinner. Disco Party. Overnight in Aswan. |
| Areas |
Aswan,Edfu,Komombo |
Meals |
B,L,D |
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| Day 9 |
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Breakfast. Disembarkation. Visit the High Dam. We continue our tour to Philae Temple which was dismantled and reassembled (on Agilika Island about 550 meters from its original home on Philae Island) in the wake of the High Dam. The temple, dedicated to the goddess Isis, is in a beautiful setting which has been landscaped to match its original site. It's various shrines and sanctuaries, which include The Vestibule of Nectanebos I which is used as the entrance to the island, the Temple of the Emperor Hadrian, a Temple of Hathor, Trajan's Kiosk (Pharaohs Bed), a birth house and two pylons celebrate all the deities involved in the Isis and Osiris myth. The Victorian world fell in love with the romance of the Temple. But at night you can also visit the Sound and Light Show, a magical experience as floodlit buildings are silhouetted against the volcanic rocks and water surrounding them. So today, Philae is more fun then every before.
We end our tour by visiting the unfinished obelisk. The Unfinished Obelisk located in the Northern Quarry still lies where a crack was discovered as it was being hewn from the rock. Possibly intended as a companion to the Lateran Obelisk, originally at Karnak but now in Rome, it would have weighed over 2.3 million pounds and would have been the worlds largest piece of stone ever handled. However, a crack in the stone occurred, which caused it to be abandoned. Tools left by it's builders have given us much insight into how such work was performed. The site has recently been renovated and equipped with tourist facilities. Nearby is the Fatimid Cemetery. Transfer to Aswan Airport to take your flight back to Cairo. Arrive Cairo you will be escorted to your hotel and overnight. |
| Areas |
Aswan,Cairo |
Meals |
B |
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| Day 10 |
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| End of program. Our representative will escort you to Cairo International Airport to take your flight back to your home country. |
| Areas |
Cairo |
Meals |
B |
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8.203125E-02
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