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19
Days |
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November
11-29, 2010 |
Celebrate
your life-long love of Ancient Egypt with
an Odyssey Adventure that will satisfy your
desire to really experience the pyramids,
tombs, temples and museums of Egypt in the
company of professional archaeologists.
Odyssey Adventures in Archaeology's New
Year's on the Nile is a small trip planned
for those who want to be more than tourists
in Egypt.
* The price is based on a minimum of 6
persons and will be less should the numbers
exceed that figure.
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| Day
1 |
Thursday,
November 11 |
Giza |
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| The
group will arrive at Cairo Airport where they
will be ushered through customs and passport
control and be conducted to our hotel on the
Giza Plateau. |
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| Day
2 |
Friday,
November 12 |
Giza |
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| After
breakfast we will board a bus and drive to
Giza to see the pyramids
and visit the Khufu Ship Museum.
We can enter whichever of the Great
Pyramids is open. There are
many wonderful mastabas at Giza, built by
the great men of the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth
Dynasties, and these are well worth a visit,
too. We can lunch at one of the restaurants
just east of the site, which give wonderful
views of the three pyramids and sphinx. After
lunch, we’ll visit the Great
Sphinx and explore the mortuary
temple of Khafre. We can spend the rest of
the afternoon and early evening at the Cairo
Museum where we will see the artefacts
from the tomb of King Tutankhamun, and the
Royal Mummies. |
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Giza:
The Pyramids |
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| Day
3 |
Saturday,
November 13 |
Giza |
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| We
will need to have an early start in order
to drive out to Saqqara for a full day’s
excursion. In the morning we will spend most
of our time at North Saqqara,
investigating the pyramid of Teti, the mastabas
of the Viziers Mereruka and Kagemni, the double
mastaba of Ptahhotep and Akhethotep, and walk
out to the wonderful Tomb of Ti. If permitted,
we will visit the Serapaeum. We will have
lunch off-site at the Sakkara Palm Club before
returning to see the new Museum of Imhotep.
The day will end with a leisurely investigation
of the Step Pyramid of Djoser
designed by the vizier Imhotep. |
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Saqqara.
The Step Pyramid of Djoser |
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| Day
4 |
Sunday,
November 14 |
Giza |
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| This
will be our second day at Saqqara. Today we’ll
concentrate on South Saqqara.
We will walk around the pyramid of Wenis,
and visit some of the mastabas of his queens
and sons. Then it’s up to the tombs
of the New Kingdom, built on a slight rise
to the south of the Step Pyramid. Here we’ll
find the tomb Horemheb built before he became
king. Then we’ll walk along Wenis’
causeway, visiting mastabas, including that
of Khnumhotep and Niankhkhnum. After lunch,
we’ll try to visit South Saqqara, the
site of the pyramids of Pepy I and his family. |
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| Day
5 |
Monday,
November 15 |
Giza |
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| We
will have an early start to get to the pyramids
at Dashur. Dashur was once
a busy royal cemetery, but now the third and
fourth biggest pyramids in Egypt, both built
by Sneferu, stand silent in the desert. We
can enter the North Pyramid, which has three
beautiful corbelled chambers of red granite
deep inside. Then we’ll spend some time
exploring the seldom-visited Bent Pyramid.
In the afternoon, we will visit Memphis, the
first capital of unified Egypt. As well as
the site, we will visit the Memphis
Museum. |
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Dashur:
Bent Pyramid of Sneferu |
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| Day
6 |
Tuesday,
November 16 |
Giza |
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| The
Fayuum is an ancient Oasis, and site of a
beautiful salt lake. We will drive by bus
to see the first pyramid of Sneferu, at Meidum
and Mastaba 17 is an enormous construction
of stone and mud brick, built for one of Sneferu’s
sons. We will then spend the afternoon at
Hawara and Lahun. Hawara
was the site of the famous Labyrinth, though
there is little enough of it left now. To
get to Lahun, we’ll drive through modern
villages and fields of amazing green. The
pyramid of Lahun is seldom visited, but quite
extraordinary. Much of the most beautiful
Middle Kingdom jewellery came from this site.
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Middle
Kingdom Jewellery from Lahun |
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| Day
7 |
Wednesday,
November 17 |
Luxor |
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| We’ll
take the early morning flight to Luxor, check
into our hotel, and spend the afternoon exploring
this lovely town. We can walk along the corniche,
visit the Mummification Museum, the Luxor
Museum, or wander through Luxor Temple. Many
people prefer, however, to leave the temple
until after dark, when it is beautifully lit,
and very mysterious and romantic. |
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Luxor
Temple from the Nile |
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| Day
8 |
Thursday,
November 18 |
Luxor |
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| We
will spend the entire morning at the Temple
of Karnak. Karnak is the home temple
of the god Amun-Re, and was enlarged by almost
every Egyptian ruler. There are monuments
still standing from the Middle Kingdom to
the Roman period. It is the largest religious
establishment ever built. We will tour the
huge complex before it gets too busy, and
visit the Outdoor Museum. The afternoon will
be our first trip to the West Bank. We will
spend the entire afternoon in the Valley
of the Kings when the rest of the
tourists have gone. We will see a number of
New Kingdom royal tombs, with options to see
King Tut’s Tomb and additional tombs.
After dinner, those who are interested may
visit the Mummification Museum or Luxor Museum..
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Karnak:
Hypostyle Hall |
Valley
of the Kings |
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| Day
9 |
Friday,
November 19 |
Luxor |
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| Day
2 on the West Bank. We will drive to the workers’
village at Deir el-Medina
and visit some of the worker’s tombs
and visit the Ptolemaic temple. Then we can
walk the hill trails that the workers used
and see their little shrines to the goddess
Hathor. After lunch at one of the restaurants
on the West Bank we will visit the very well
preserved Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III
at Medinet Habu. Among the
many fascinating buildings at this site are
the tombs of the Divine Adoratrices, the Nubian
princesses who ruled Thebes. On our way back
to the East Bank, we will stop to admire the
Colossi of Memnon. |
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Medinet
Habu: Mortuary Temple of Ramesses III |
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| Day
10 |
Saturday,
November 20 |
Luxor |
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| Day
3 on the West Bank: In the morning, we will
visit Hatshepsut’s Mortuary Temple at
Deir el-Bahri, which is situated
so dramatically below the cliffs. Then we
will visit the Ramesseum,
the mortuary temple of Ramesses II and admire
the fallen statue of the king. After lunch
at a West Bank restaurant, we will spend the
afternoon touring the Mortuary Temples
of Seti I and Merenptah. We can also
go to the Hill of Gurna, and explore the small
but exquisite Tombs of the Nobles.
Many of the famous images of ‘daily
life’ in Ancient Egypt come from the
tombs of Menna, Nakht, and Sennefer. In the
tomb of Amenhotep III’s vizier Ramose,
we can watch the changes in art and society
as the beautiful, formal style of the Eighteenth
Dynasty gave way to the Amarna Revolution.
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Deir
el-Bahri: Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut |
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| Day
11 |
Sunday,
November 21 |
Luxor |
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| We
will board a bus and drive to Abydos
for a full day excursion by private convoy
to see the most sacred city of Ancient Egypt.
We’ll visit the temple of Seti I, which
has the most beautiful reliefs in all of Egypt,
the bright and cheerful temple of his son,
Ramesses II, and the mysterious, watery Osireion.
We will return by way of Dendera
where we will explore the Temple of Hathor,
climbing to the roof and down into the crypts
and strolling through the Sacred Lake. We
will return to Luxor in the late afternoon.
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Abydos:
Temple of Ramesses II |
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| Day
12 |
Monday,
November 22 |
Luxor |
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| We
will check out of the hotel in the morning
and drive to Aswan, visiting sites along the
way. The first is Esna, a
temple to the Creator Goddess Neith. We’ll
walk through the textile souk to reach the
remains of the temple, which are now deep
below street level. Next along the road is
the temple of Horus at Edfu,
the most completely preserved temple in Egypt,
built in part by Cleopatra’s father,
Ptolemy XII. Further along the highway we’ll
visit the ancient city of El Kab
and enter the beautifully preserved and seldom-visited
tomb of Ahmose son of Ibana, a hero of the
Wars of Liberation against the Hyksos. The
final stop of the day is at the riverside
temple of Horus and Sobek at Kom Ombo.
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Edfu:
Temple of Horus |
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| Day
13 |
Tuesday,
November 23 |
Aswan |
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| We’ll
start the day with a felucca ride to visit
Elephantine Island, once
the Head of the South, where expeditions set
out four thousand years ago to explore Nubia,
seeking gold and trade routes. We will visit
the small site museums and then wander through
the archaeological area packed with temples
and stratified mud brick structures. The two
great Nilometers on Elephantine are the ones
you read about in grade school. This site
also holds one of the smaller pyramids of
Sneferu. The afternoon is free to enjoy the
town or visit the beautiful Nubian Museum.
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Aswan.
Tomb of the Aga Khan |
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| Day
14 |
Wednesday,
November 24 |
Aswan |
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| We
will drive out to the quay of Philae
and take a boat out to the site situated between
the Aswan Dam and the High Aswan Dam and have
a long walk around the extensive ruins of
the Temple of Isis. This is one of the most
beautiful places in Egypt, where legend has
it that Cleopatra and Julius Caesar honeymooned.
Then we’ll cross the High Dam, stop
for a look, then take a boat out onto the
vast Lake behind. On Lake Nasser, will visit
the island of New Kalabsha
and see the exquisite temples and rock art
moved from Kalabsha, Beit al-Walid and other
sites that were inundated when the High Dam
was built. The afternoon is free to visit
the Unfinished Obelisk, or explore the town.
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Philae.
The Temple of Isis |
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| Day
15 |
Thursday,
November 25 |
Aswan |
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| We
will rise early to travel by private bus and
convoy for an excursion to Abu Simbel
to see the famous Temples of Ra-Horakhty and
Hathor built by Ramesses II. We will have
plenty of time to explore these remarkable
monuments. On the return journey we may have
the possibility of visiting the sites at Wadi
es-Sebua and Amada before returning to Aswan.
This day involves a long bus ride but the
journey through the Nubian desert is unforgettable!
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Abu
Simbel: Temple of Ra-Horakhty |
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| Day
16 |
Friday,
November 26 |
Aswan |
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| In
the morning we will take a felucca over to
the west bank and spend the morning exploring
either the ruins of the monastery of San Simeon,
or the Tombs of the Governor Explorers at
Qubbet el Hawa (Tomb of the Wind). Choosing
the San Simeon option will be your best opportunity
for a camel ride in the desert. We will then
sail to Kitchener’s Island
for a walk though the Botanical Garden. This
is a wonderful setting for a picnic lunch.
The afternoon will be free to visit the Coptic
Cathedral or the Souk, or to take a motor
launch down to the island of Sehel. This island,
just south of the Old Dam, was the look-out
where Egyptians kept watch on Nubians entering
the country. Now, the island is home to Nubian
villages. |
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Qubbet
el-Hawa. Tomb of Serenput II |
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| Day
17 |
Saturday,
November 27 |
Cairo |
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| We’ll
check out of our hotel in Aswan, and take
a plane to Cairo. We can spend the rest of
the afternoon and early evening at the Cairo
Museum where we will see the artefacts from
the tomb of King Tutankhamun, and the Royal
Mummies. |
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| Day
18 |
Sunday,
November 28 |
Cairo |
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| We’ll
check out of our hotel in Aswan, and take
a plane to Cairo. The afternoon in Cairo will
be free to visit the Coptic Museum, take a
tour of the Citadel, or wander in the Khan
el Khalili. |
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| Day
19 |
Monday,
November 29 |
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| Tour
ends. |
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Note:
The
price of the trip includes:
- hotel
taxes and gratuities
- accommodation
based on double occupancy
- overland
transportation ; all internal
flights within Egypt
- all
visits and sightseeing as
per itinerary
- the
services of your tour guide,
Meg Morden
The
price of the trip does NOT
include:
- gratuities
for individual services
- meals,
apart from breakfasts provided
by the hotel
- all
items and expenses of a
purely personal nature
- travel
to and from Egypt
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Ramesses
I in Life & Death
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