Category: Egypt

This morning we sailed to the settlement of Kasr Ibrim, the last vestige of Nubian culture in is original location.  We were up at 6:15 a.m. to see the settlement, which is perched on a very small island.  We had a brief talk about this settlement and took pictures from our ship.  It…

Kom Ombo This morning we sailed to the site of the ancient trading town at Kom Ombo, which sat on the great caravan route from Nubia.  Here we toured the double temple, dedicated to both the crocodile-headed god Sobek and to the falcon-headed god Haroeris  (2,200 years old).  The two temples are exactly…

Valley of the Kings We have arrived to Luxor and the Valley of the Kings, “the world’s greatest open air museum” and a World Heritage site. This area is called the Theban Necropolis. The Valley is on the west bank of the Nile.  It was the burial place of royal figures…

Many of us started the day (at 3:45 a.m.) with a hot air balloon trip over the Valley of the Kings.  It was a nice way to end the visit to these historic sites because we could see them all from above.  It was also amazing to be one of many balloons…

Since Alexandria was not included on our tour and it was so close, I stayed an extra day to visit it as well. My guide picked me up at 8 in the morning and we began our 140 mi. drive. Our first stop in Alexandria was the Catacombs of Kom…

Today we started early to visit the Karnak Temple, the biggest temple in the world, covering 200 acres.  Actually it is a “city of temples.”  In true Tarek style, we were the first group there.  The temple was built to mark the birthplace of Amon and took 1,800 years to build. It was…

Dakka Temple Today we spent the morning in Wadi-el-Seboua (Valley of the Lions) exploring the two temples,  the Dakka temple, dedicated to Thoth, the god of wisdom and justice, and the Temple of Maharraqa.  The area is known as the Valley of the Lions because of the line of Sphinxes that approach…

This morning, we are in the heart of ancient Nubia, Egypt’s gateway to Africa.  We began with a tour of New Kalabasha, site of the Kalabasha Temple, the largest freestanding Nubian temple.  This sandstone temple dedicated to Mandulis, the Nubian god of religion, preserves Egyptian and Greek history, both languages are carved…

Today began at 1:15 a.m. when we headed for the airport and our flight to Aswan.  When we arrived, we stopped at the Soviet Friendship Monument, the Lotus Flower.  It was built to celebrate the money the Soviet Union gave to Egypt to complete the High Dam.  Then we visited the High Dam,…

Old Cairo is a part of the city that pre-dates the Islamic rule of Cairo.  There is evidence of  inhabitants as early as the 6thcentury B.C.E.    Many ruins of Roman fortifications are found in this part of the city. It is believed that the Holy Family stayed here when they were forced to…

We headed early to Giza to see the Great Pyramid of Cheops; the Second Pyramid of Kephrine, The Queen’s Pyramids “Hnout-Sin”, the third Pyramid of Mekrenas, the Solar Boat Museum, The Great Sphinx, and the Valley Temple—all about 4,500 years old.  This morning exceeded my expectations. Having read about this area for…

We arrived in Cairo after a long flight. Our base was the Nile Fairmont. Our trip included a cruise down the Nile and well as a cruise around Lake Nasser, visits to Giza and Alexandria. The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities On our first full day, we started at the Egyptian…