Pyramids, Sphinx and Egyptian Museum

Visit The Pyramids of Giza, the greatest of the wonders of the world dominates the horizon! Drive around the three Pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinus. Continue to The Sphinx, the largest single block sculpture of all time and visit the funerary Valley Temple to which the Sphinx stands guard. The Sphinx was carved from one solid piece of limestone, and measures 164 feet in length and 72 feet in height. Next is the famous Egyptian Museum; see the unique and only collection of Pharaonic art, starting with the Old Kingdom Collection, the Middle and New Kingdom galleries and Greco-Roman periods. See the famous Tutankhamen treasures.

Old Cairo, Churches and Bazaars

On the site of a Roman-Byzantine fortress town, Coptic Cairo (or Old Cairo) is a fascinating place to visit. Descend the short stairway into the quarter and explore the quaint, modest alleyways are small, modest homes. Walk the cobblestone streets and stop at a few of the churches. Hanging Church, dating to the late 4^th and early 5^th Century, is a basilica named "Al-Mu'allaqah" because it was built on top of the south gate of the Fortress of Babylon. Continue to the Church of St. Sergius, dating back to the beginning of the 5th Century, this basilica is built on the cave in which the Holy Family stayed and is regarded by visitors as a source of blessing. See the recently restored Synagogue of Ben Ezra – the oldest Jewish synagogue in Egypt. Despite the 45 Jewish families that remain in Cairo, the synagogue is no longer operational. Drive to Mokattam Hill on which stands the 12^th century fortress constructed by Saladin to protect Cairo from Mongol threat. Within the Citadel walls visit the magnificent Alabaster Mosque built by Mohamed Ali. Head to the Khan El Khalili, North Africa’s most famous bazaar and enjoy the busy atmosphere and watch skilled craftsmen working with gold, silver and brass.

Memphis, Sakkara and Dahshur

Drive through the Egyptian countryside to the site of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt in Pharaonic times and the chosen city of the God Ptah. View the ruins of this once mighty city, including the Alabaster Sphinx and the Collossus of Ramses II. Proceed to Sakkara and see the famous Step Pyramid of Zoser, considered the first tall building known to mankind. Continue to Serapium, an underground tomb for Sacred Bulls, it spreads for almost two acres under the ground. Travel to Dahshur and discover the first true Pyramids in the history of Egypt, built during the reign of Snerferu, who was the father of Cheops, in honor of whom the Great Pyramids of Giza were built. Both pyramids date from the 4^th dynasty. Learn more about the “riddle of the Pyramids” while exploring the imposing Red Pyramid, with its tint of reddish limestone blocks and the Bent Pyramid, probably the best example of the transition from step to straight pyramid.

National Museum, Catacombs and Pompey’s Pillar

Visit the New National Museum, which contains statues, bas reliefs, pottery, jewelry, marble pieces and other artifacts, all of which provide an insight into the grandeur of Alexandria in its Greek and Roman days. See the Roman Amphitheater, which is the only known Amphitheater from the Roman Era in Egypt. Continue to the Catacombs of Kom-El-Shouqafa, these tombs are renowned for their unusual mixture of art styles, sculpture, and reliefs containing images of Egyptian gods. Visit Pompey’s Pillar, a column 98 feet high and 7 feet thick, made of Aswan rose granite and erected in 297 A.D. Enjoy lunch at a local restaurant.

Palaces, Forts and Alexandria Library

Explore the old and gracious Montazah Palace; built on a low plateau east of Alexandria, it overlooks a beautiful beach and is set amongst gardens and woods. The palace comprises a number of buildings, the most significant are Al-Haramlek and Al-Salamlek, the summer residence of the former royal family. Continue to the Fort of Qaitbay. Erected on the northern tip of the Eastern Port on the site of the ancient Pharos of Alexandria, the fort design is influenced by both medieval architecture and by the lighthouse original layout. Walk through the newly opened Alexandria Library.

Dams, Quarries and Temples

Visit the Old Dam now dwarfed by the New High Dam built to control the flooding of the Nile. At the southern end of Aswan is one of the granite quarries that supplied the stone for temples and colossi in ancient times. In one section of the quarry lies a gigantic unfinished obelisk that had been hewn from the bedrock but later abandoned after a flaw was detected. Had this obelisk been finished it would have weighed 1168 tons and stood at a height of nearly 42 meters. This unfinished obelisk illustrates the magnitude of the ancient Egyptian skill. Continue to the Temple of Philae; dedicated to the Goddess Isis, it also represents three great civilizations – Egyptian, Greek and Roman. Built by the Ptolemaic Pharaohs, this temple had to be dismantled and painstakingly reassembled on the Eglika Island in the '60s when the Aswan Dam was constructed.

Felucca Ride to Botanical Gardens

The feluccas and Aswan are inseparable. The Nile's timeless beauty is best experienced on a lateen-sailed felucca. These indigenous boats offer an unforgettable and uniquely Egyptian event. Take a short ride on a felucca to the Botanical Gardens on Kitchner's Island and spend an afternoon on the island admiring exotic flora from as far as India and Malaysia.

Valley of the Kings and Queens                     

The Valley of the Kings is famous for its royal tombs. These beautifully painted tombs have been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. For over a thousand years, the kings, queens and nobles of the New Kingdom (1500-1070 BC.) were buried in this valley making it the world's most magnificent burial ground.

The most famous tomb (KV No.62) belongs to the boy king Tutankhamun. It was discovered on November 22, 1922 by the English archaeologist Howard Carter. The tombs were cut into the limestone rock in a remote wadi (a dried up river valley) on the west bank of the Nile, opposite the present day city of Karnak. Their walls were painted and sculpted with magnificent murals depicting scenes of daily life and the land of the gods. The chambers were filled with treasures,       everything from furniture to food, statues, boats and jewels, which a person may need to sustain life into eternity. The royals and their courtiers hoped to find refuge from robbers and their enemies, who had pillaged the pyramid tombs of their predecessors.

The Valley of the Queens is a misnomer for it also houses the tombs of high officials and royal children along with the various queens and concubines. The valley contains 80 tombs, most of which are not inscribed and simple in plan although the murals in these can rival those in the Valley of the Kings. The reopening of the tomb of Nefertari in 1995 has given the Valley of the Queens an extra fillip.

Karnak and Luxor Temples

Located at the northern end of town, Karnak Temple has three main sacred areas that honor three gods: Montu, an ancient local warrior god; Amun, the chief god of Thebes; and the goddess Mut, wife of Amun. Amun, Mut and their son, Khonsu, were members of the sacred family known as the Theban Triad. The construction of Karnak Temple began in the Middle Kingdom and was completed during the New Kingdom, some 1,600 years later. Every successive king of this era added to the temple, which covers two hectares of land. It is a complicated site with four courtyards, ten pylons, a sacred lake and several buildings.

Then explore the famous Luxor Temple in the heart of the city, rediscovered less than a century ago. The Luxor Temple is a remarkably delicate work of architecture, originally built by Pharaoh Amenophis, and added to by various rulers over the aeons, including Alexander the Great.

Temple of Madinat Habu

The entire Temple of Ramesses III, palace and town is enclosed within a defensive wall. Entry is through the Highgate, (or Migdol), which, in appearance resembles an Asiatic fort. Just inside the Highgate, to the south, are the chapels of Amenirdis I, Shepenwepet II and Nitoket, wives of the god Amun. To the north side is the chapel of Amun. These chapels were a later addition dating to the 18th Dynasties, by Hatshepsut and Tutmoses II. Later the Ptolemaic kings of the XXV Dynasty made renovations.

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