EGYPT UNDISCOVERED

After breakfast, there will be an organizational meeting with your Egyptologist guide. During our first day of sightseeing, we are going to see the Islamic and Coptic monuments. We will start our tour from the oldest street in Cairo – Al Muizz Street where you will see the greatest concentration of medieval architectural treasures in the Islamic world. We will visit the 10th century Synagogue of Moses, which is one of the most important Jewish temples in Cairo.
We will continue our sightseeing with a visit to the Complexes of Qalawoon and Barqok.. We will also visit the hanging and Cavern churches.
We will have lunch in one of the finest restaurants of Old Cairo located next to Khan El-Khalili market, which is the most famous bazaar in Cairo. You will taste the delicious local cuisine and have some time to shop on the traditional Egyptian markets.

After breakfast, we will go to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of King Djoser. It was constructed 4800 years ago by the legendary architect Imhotep and was the first pyramid ever built by the Egyptians. This over 200 feet high monument is the oldest pyramid in the world! Nearby the pyramid, we will visit the tombs decorated with impressive reliefs and paintings. Our sightseeing will end at Saqqara with a visit to the Pyramid of King Teti, which boasts one of the oldest pyramid texts ever discovered. We will then go to Dashour to see two pyramids built for Pharaoh Snefru, which belong to the oldest, largest, and best preserved in Egypt, built between 2613 and 2589 BC. The Bent Pyramid answers many questions on how the Egyptian pyramids evolved. Its unusual angle makes it one of the most unique and recognizable pyramids in Egypt. During its construction, Egyptians changed its angle. Perhaps because of the awkward angles in the Bent Pyramid, Snefru ordered to build another one nearby, and so the Red Pyramid that we will have a chance to enter is the elegant precursor to the Great Pyramids at Giza

After breakfast, we will start our journey along the Nile, heading south towards the Middle Egypt. On the way, we will visit the major pyramid sites. In Meidum we will explore an enormous pyramid built by Snefru, father of Khufu who later built the Great Pyramid in Giza. In many ways, Medium is the most mysterious of all the Great Pyramids. Since a sarcophagus has not been found inside the burial chamber, there is no evidence that Snefru was ever buried in this pyramid. Located nearby is a mastaba of an unknown noble, where you will see the first example of a red granite sarcophagus known in antiquity.

We will continue to the Hawara pyramid of Amenemhet III, the sixth pharaoh of the 12th Dynasty who lived around 1850 BC. Hawara is the largest Middle Kingdom funerary complex. The Greek traveler Herodotus claimed to have counted three thousand rooms in the pyramid’s complex. Herodotus visited the pyramid during the 5th century BC and described it as follows: 12 main courts and the visitor was guided from courtyards into rooms into galleries into more rooms and from there into more courtyards.

After completing our tour of the pyramids, we will continue through the rural areas of Egypt to the town of Minya where we will stay in a hotel with a view on the Nile.

After breakfast, we will visit Tuna el-Gebel, the necropolis of Khmun. There we will see the catacombs that used to store thousands of animal mummies, a Late Period temple, one of the boundary stelae of Tel el-Amarna, and the tomb of Pet Osiris with its exquisite paintings from 300 BC.


We will continue our tour to rock-cut tombs of the nobles in Beni Hasan, carved into the high limestone cliffs, a Middle Kingdom site (2040 - 1640 BC). It gives us a rare insight into the daily life of Ancient Egyptians, their customs, and beliefs. These very well preserved scenes depict acrobatics, dancing and military sports. You can also spot the scenes of making flour, baking bread, and even a husband and wife on their wedding night

In the morning, we will visit Tel el-Amarna, one of the ancient capitals of Egypt, the city created by Egypt’s most controversial pharaoh Akhenaten. It was the place where Akhenaten pursued his vision of a society dedicated to the cult of one god – Aten – the power of the sun. We will visit the nobles’ tombs with wall reliefs unequalled anywhere else in Egypt.  The painted scenes appear as if they were alive and as if they were moving. We will also visit the Royal Palaces and the tomb built for pharaoh Akhenaten.

Tel El-Amarna should not be missed by anyone interested in Egyptology who wants to understand this great ruler, husband of Nefertiti and predecessor of Tutankhamun.

After breakfast, we will drive to Abydos to see the temple of Seti I, once the holiest site in the country and the burial place for the first kings of unified Egypt. Its construction begun in the reign of Seti I and was finished by his son Ramesses the Great. The temple was built of fine white limestone and represents an artistic revival of the Old Kingdom. Abydos in Middle Egypt is an ancient holy place and burial ground of the rulers of the late prehistoric proto-kingdom, as well as the first attested kings of the politically unified Egyptian state. Buildings constituting the settlement area in northern Abydos dating back to Predynastic times have been found around Kom es-Sultan, while recent excavators have found an Old Kingdom residential area to the south-east which contains a street of mudbrick houses with courtyards and a faience workshop with its kilns. Abydos is home to "The Cult of Osiris", the god of the dead. It is said the head of Osiris was buried at the site after he was murdered by his brother. This is a private tour allowing you to determine the amount of time spent at each of the sites during the tour.

After breakfast we will travel to Dendera to see the temple dedicated to the goddess Hathor, with its huge columns and spectacular ceilings with the most vibrant and colorful paintings dating from antiquity. It is one of the best-preserved temples in Egypt. The whole complex extends to around 430 000 square feet. Dendera itself was a site for chapels and shrines from the beginning of ancient Egypt’s history. After the sightseeing in Dendera we will drive to Luxor to check in at our luxurious 5-star hotel.

After breakfast, we will visit the Ramesseum, the memorial temple of pharaoh Ramesses the Great, located in Luxor. The temple, famous for its 57-foot seated statue of Ramesses, was dedicated to the god Amon and the deceased king. The walls of the Ramesseum are decorated with reliefs that include well-preserved paintings of battle scenes and the triumphs of wars with Asians.
We will also visit the most iconic site of Luxor – The Valley of the Kings. It was the royal cemetery for 62 Pharaohs. In the Valley, we will have access to some of the well-known tombs. It is undeniably one of Egypt's most important treasures.

We will continue with a visit to the Luxor Museum. The highlights of the collection include masterpieces of pharaonic art as well as examples of everyday objects.
 

In the morning of that day, we will visit the famous Karnak temple. It is the largest temple in the world. Located on the east bank of the Nile, in the neighborhood of a sacred lake, Karnak was not a single temple but a complex of temples, halls, enclosures and obelisks. For over two thousand years from Middle Kingdom (ca. 2040–1780 BC) to Greco-Roman times (ca. 332 BC to 400 AD) it was continuously modified, expanded, and rebuilt.

Next, we will visit Luxor temple.The temple is one of the most beautiful Ancient Egyptian temples located on the east bank of the Nile. The city known today as Luxor (ancient Thebes) was founded in 1400 BC. For centuries, Thebes was the capital of Ancient Egypt.

We will take a flight from Luxor to Cairo. We will arrive to our 5-star hotel to rest and in the afternoon enjoy the hotel amenities or choose one of our optional activities

In the morning, when the entire Giza Plateau remains closed to all other tourists, YourEgypt tours’ guests will have an exclusive access to this iconic site. Thanks to a special permission from the Ministry of Antiquities, you will see both the three Great Pyramids and the Great Sphinx privately. These monuments were built around 2500 BC by the pharaohs of the Old Kingdom.

 Other tourists can see the Sphinx from an observation terrace from a distance, but our special permission will let us enter the Sphinx enclosure, which is always closed, to the public. Your Egyptologist guide will tell us about his research on the Great Sphinx and the mystery of the Pyramids. We will also have a chance to learn about the newest project on scanning the Great Pyramids in search for hidden chambers, and the visit to the valley temple.

Next, we will have private access inside the Great Pyramid of Khufu, the only one of the seven wonders of the ancient world that is still standing today

In the morning, we will drive to Alexandria for 3 hours. We will visit the highlights of Alexandria. Being the second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern and is famous for its Roman remains. Alexandria was founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC and was the capital of Greco-Roman Egypt. We will visit all the major sites there, including Alexandria Library, the catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa, the fort of Qaitbay where the famous Pharos Lighthouse was standing. It was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In the evening, we will return to our 5-star hotel in Cairo.

After breakfast, we will start the sightseeing of Cairo, the capital of Egypt. We will visit the Egyptian Museum in Cairo - one of the most important museums in the world. It contains the world’s largest collection of pharaonic antiquities. We will see the famous Tutankhamun exhibition with the golden mask of the boy king. During a visit to the Egyptian Museum,Your Egypt Tours will provide you with a camera permit that will allow you to take your own photos inside the museum!

After lunch, we will drive to the Saladin Citadel and Mosque of Muhammad Ali. The Saladin Citadel, which dates back to the twelfth century, is an Islamic fortress built to unite the city and protect it from Christian crusaders. The Mosque of Muhammad Ali was built on the summit of the citadel in the first half of the nineteenth century.

In the evening, during our farewell dinner, we will celebrate the two weeks of our exciting adventure

It is the last day of our tour and time to say goodbye to Egypt. After breakfast, we will transfer you to the Cairo International Airport. You will leave Egypt with new experiences, memories and beautiful photographs. Your Egypt Tours will do everything to ensure that its guests will have an experience of a lifetime.