10 days/ 9 nights featuring treasures from the Pharaonic,
Greco-Roman, early Christian and Islamic periods.
Cairo is a wonderful city filled with exciting places.
This tour combines Pharaonic period treasures with
Greco-Roman, early Christian and Moslem sites, offering
visitors an in depth look at thousands of years of history.
This is a PRIVATE TOUR with only your party, a licensed
Egyptologist guide (fluent in your native language) plus
an air-conditioned vehicle with driver. Not only will you
see all the major historic sites of the area but also have
time to shop, visit the antique/art shops, furniture and
rug factories and more.
Friday: Depart New York
at 11 PM on your non-stop flight to Egypt.
Saturday: Arrive Cairo,
be met by our staff who will assist with clearing
immigration and customs and transfer you to the Mena
House.
Sunday: Free morning
then an afternoon tour of the Pyramids of Giza and the
Sphinx. Sound and Light show at the Pyramids in the
evening. (B)
Monday: Tour Memphis,
Sakkarra and Dahshur with it's fantastic Bent Pyramid and
Red Pyramid. Dahshur forms the southernmost area of the
Memphis Necropolis and contains a number of pyramid
complexes and monuments. Dahshur has only recently been
opened to the public, having been a military zone until
1996. As a result, the area is not as developed
commercially as Giza, and there is a certain peace and
tranquility to the site still. It is most noteworthy for
being the site that best demonstrates the change from the
"step" pyramid to the "true"
pyramid that occurred during the Third and Fourth
Dynasties.
Unfortunately, Sneferu's plans were curtailed. As
construction neared the halfway point, the angle of the
sides was reduced from the steep 54° to a gentler 43°.
It is thought that this was done to alleviate stresses
that had become evident in the lower part of the pyramid,
either in the foundation blocks or the ground underneath.
This resulted in a rhomboid or "bent"
silhouette, and makes Sneferu's pyramid the most distinct
structure at Dahshur. It is also distinct for another
reason: it still has much of its outer casing
intact.
No doubt dissatisfied with a pyramid that appeared to
"hesitate" on its rise to the heavens, Sneferu
began construction on a second pyramid approximately two
kilometers to the north. This is the famous "Red
Pyramid" (named for the red limestone used in its
construction), the oldest true pyramid in Egypt and the
immediate predecessor of the pyramids that would come
later. It has a slope angle of 43°, and is second in size
only to the Great Pyramid at Giza, built by Sneferu's son
Khufu. In fact, the Great Pyramid is a mere 10 meters
larger than the Red Pyramid. When completed, it must have
been an incredible sight, for its name translates to
"The Shining Pyramid." (B)
Tuesday: Tour the
Egyptian Museum, home of King Tut's treasures and the Khan
el Khalili bazaar where merchants have been bargaining
since the middle ages. (B)
Wednesday: Tour of the
Citadel of Salah el Din including the Mohammed Ali Mosque,
the Ibn Tulum Mosque and the Gayer Anderson house.
The
Gayer-Anderson Museum was founded in 1937 in two ancient
residences. They are the Beit el-Kiridiliya from 1632 and
the Beit Amna Bent Salim from 1540. The museum includes
the private collection of Major Gayer-Anderson, (a retired
English Major) who in the 1930's and 40's refurbished the
two mansions. He filled them 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 1700's. If you are a movie buff
or James Bond fan you might remember this museum from a
tryst and murder in the film "The Spy Who Loved
Me". (B)
Thursday: Tour Old
Cairo with 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) built on the spot where the Holy
Family, Joseph, Mary and the infant Christ, rested at the
end of their journey into Egypt. The Ben Ezra synagogue
named after Abraham ben Meir Ibn Ezra, (c.1089-1164). In
the evening enjoy a dinner cruise on the Nile. (B,D)
Friday: A day at Fayoum
oasis including lunch at King Farouk's hunting lodge where
he entertained Churchill and Roosevelt in WWII. Fayoum,
about 1.5 hours drive south of Cairo is where the Greeks
and Romans had their wineries and grew the grain for the
empire. It also was an important part of Pharaonic
history with ancient temples and cities. The famous
Joseph's Canal, thought to have been built by the biblical
Joseph is here plus the Pyramid of Hawara (built by
Amenemhet III) also known as the Labyrinth which was the
most visited sites of the ancient World. Herodotus (5th
century B.C.) claimed to have counted three thousand rooms
in the pyramid's funerary complex. (B, L)
Saturday: An overday
trip to Alexandria where you will enjoy seeing the famous
city of Cleopatra. You will visit the Greco-Roman
museum, the Catacombs, Pompay's Pillar and the Montazah
Palace with a wonderful lunch at St. Giovanni restaurant.
(B, L)
Sunday: Our staff will
transfer you to the airport, assist with exit formalities
and checking in for your 9AM international departure. (B)
GROUP TOURS INCLUDE:
Round trip air from JFK. All transfers by air-conditioned
vehicle relating to the tour program starting with arrival
to Cairo. Baggage handling of no more than 2 pieces of luggage
per person however baggage and personal effects are at the
owner's risk at all times during the tour. Hotels
(based on double occupancy). Meals as outlined by B for
Breakfast, L for lunch and D for dinner. Fees for visiting
antiquity sites and museums. Services of an English
speaking licensed Egyptologist. Service charges and taxes.
Tips for ground personnel except guide. Travel Insurance
for those departing from the USA or Canada.
Not included are: items of a personal nature such as tips
for guide, entry visa (available at the airport on entry
for USA and Canadian citizens. Other nationalities
should check with the nearest Egyptian consulate), phone
calls, laundry, bar bills, beverages during meals, any
items not specifically covered in the included items.
Cairo & Environs TEC -103
Group tour cost: $2145 p.p. (dbl. occ)
Single supplement: $785
Group Departures: 2001: Oct. 19, Dec. 14
2002: Jan. 11, Feb. 01, Mch. 08, Apr. 12, May 10,
Jun. 07
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