Undiscovered Egypt
Alexandria, Amarna, and three days onboard a Dahabiya
With Professor Bob Brier and art historian, Patricia Remler
November 2 - 16, 2013
Join Far Horizons for a 15-day trip to areas of Egypt that even savvy tourists do not see – a tour truly off the beaten path. Begin in Alexandria, founded by Alexander the Great, home to Cleopatra VII (yes, that famous queen), and where the ancients entered Egypt greeted by the Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. A full day will be spent traveling by four-wheel drive vehicles through remote areas of Saqqara to view some of Egypt’s most isolated and spectacular royal mortuary temple complexes, impossible to visit until recently. Then move south along the Nile to Middle Egypt where we see Meidum, an enormous temple built by Snefu; Beni Hasan, where an important group of rock-cut tombs are carved into the high limestone cliffs; and Abydos, once the holiest site in Egypt and the burial place for the first kings of a unified Egypt. A highlight will be spending a day with the archaeologists excavating Tell el-Amarna, the city created by Egypt’s most controversial pharaoh, Akenaten, in honor of Aten, the sun disc. Near Luxor we’ll board a dahabiya, a beautifully crafted wooden private yacht, and chart our own course along the picturesque Nile. We will dock at our leisure to examine several remarkable sanctuaries, including the Temple of Horus, the falcon-headed god, at Edfu and the Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to the crocodile-god Sobek.
Enjoy this very special itinerary led by renowned study leaders Professor Bob Brier and art historian, Patricia Remler.
Itinerary
(B) breakfast, (L) lunch, (D) dinner
Day 1: Depart the USA for our overnight flight to Cairo.
Day 2: Upon arrival, transfer to a hotel next to the airport.
Day 3: This morning we drive to Alexandria, visiting Tanis enroute. Tanis served as the northern capital of Egypt in the twenty-first dynasty and is an exceptionally preserved commercial and administrative center. Once the capital of all Egypt, Tanis' royal tombs have yielded artifacts that equal those of the treasures of Tutankhamun.It also boasts the only known intact royal Pharaonic burials. Gather this evening for our welcome dinner party. Overnight in a 5-star hotel in Alexandria for two nights. (B/L/D)
Day 4: Alexandria, located strategically on the Mediterranean Sea, was the capital of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, the last dynasty of Egypt and also one of its greatest. Although much of the 2,000 year old city is covered by today’s modern infrastructure, there is still much to see. Originally designed and created by Alexander the Great, the city became the center of Hellenistic culture. Under the Ptolemies, the Library of Alexandria - the ancient world's single greatest archive of knowledge - was created, along with Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Over 30 years of excavation have uncovered many Roman remains including baths, cisterns and an elaborate system of underground water supply, and the well-preserved theatre with galleries, sections of mosaic-flooring, and marble seats for up to 800 spectators. We will visit the excavation site, the catacombs of Kom el Soqafa consisting of three levels cut into the rock, a staircase, a rotunda, the triclinium or banquet hall, a vestibule, an antechamber and the burial chamber. Our final stop will be at the modern Alexandria Library, or the Bibliotheca Alexandrina as once called in Ancient Egypt. Located on a magnificent site in the Eastern Harbor, the building’s unique, modern design represent the library’s mission as a cultural hub in Egypt, with a conference center and planetarium on complex grounds. (B/L/D)
Day 5: This morning’s further explorations of Alexandria will include the Royal Jewelry Museum, housed within an elegant palace of outstanding neo-classical architecture and containing exquisite pieces of the dynasty of Muhammad Ali and his descendants, who ruled Egypt for nearly 150 years from 1805 until the Egyptian revolution of 1952.In the afternoon, return to Cairo and overnight for two nights. Dinner is on our own. (B/L)
Day 6: Near Saqqara we will explore several impressive monuments that are rarely visited. By four-wheel drive vehicles we traverse travel over desert tracks to the funerary monument of Pepi I, the 2nd king in the 6th Dynasty and son of Teti. Dominated by a huge six stepped pyramid, the compound also contains a mortuary temple, a causeway that leads towards a valley temple, and recently discovered smaller temples for his daughters and wives. Then visit the tomb of Horemheb, with painted wall decorations and the tomb of Maya, Overseer of the Treasury and Overseer of Works during the reign of Tutankhamun where reliefs depict the story of his career.And finally, explore Abu Sir, the rarely-visited area of pyramids and funerary temples dating mainly from the 5th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom, and the Mastaba of the Two Brothers (Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep) containing a double chapel with stunning wall art including a scene of two siblings embracing. It is undoubtedly the most beautiful tomb in this part of Saqqara. (B/L/D)
Day 7: After an early lunch, depart for the Pyramid at Meidum, a colossal tower shaped structure almost 200 feet high believed to have been built by the 4th Dynasty King, Sneferu, as one of the first attempts at building a pyramid.Continue through the countryside through Middle Egypt to the town of Menya and the simple Horus Hotel Resort, our basic home for the next two nights.(B/L/D)
Day 8: Today we visit a number of interesting sites in the surrounding area. Carved into the hills along the east bank of the Nile are the tombs at Beni Hasan, dating from the Middle Kingdom.This necropolis was the burial place of military and regional rulers. The interior of the crypts portray colorful scenes from daily life – wine-making, acrobatics, dancing, military sports – and are well preserved. There are also scenes of making flour, baking bread, weaving cloth, and even a husband and wife on their wedding night! Time permitting, see Speos Artemidos, a rock cut temple for Pakhet, an aspect of the lioness goddess Sekhmet. It is here that the female pharaoh, Hatshepsut, made her declaration denouncing the Hyksos and telling of her mission to resuscitate the temples of Egypt.Cut from the living rock, the temple is composed of two chambers connected by a short passageway. The outer portico is rectangular and originally had eight stone columns arranged in two rows. The rock face above the external pillars of the portico is dressed and inscribed with text bearing Hatshesput's name. Upon coming to power, Seti altered the text to replace Hatshepsut's name with his own and changed representations of the Queen to depictions of himself. We also visit Tuna el-Gebel which was the necropolis of Hermopolis where we see the catacombs, a Late Period temple and one of the boundary stelae of Tell el-Amarna. (B/L/D)
Day 9: Originally stretching for nine miles along the Nile, Tell el-Amarna was created by the Pharoah Akhenaten and his Queen Nefertiti for the revolutionary religion that worshiped Aten, the disc of the sun and its life-giving force of light. Hosted by Professor Barry Kemp, the archaeologist heading the ongoing work, we will explore el-Amarna today. The tombs here contain unique decorations that are unequalled anywhere else in Egypt. Many display the activities of the royal family not in the formal attitudes of worship repeated so often in other tombs, but in intimate and vivid detail as human beings engaged in everyday domestic affairs. Today covered by a cemetery, the Great Aten Temple was roofless to allow the rays of the sun god to flow into the sanctuary. We will walk the streets of the Central City, and through the Northern Palace, reputedly built for Queen Nefertiti. And we will view at least one of the Boundary Stelae (marking the city limits), one of which is almost 25 feet high and covers a nearby cliff. In the afternoon, visit el-Ashmunein, or Hermopolis, (Khmunu for the ancient Egyptians), the main cult center of Thoth, god of wisdom and writing and patron of scribes.Continue on to Assuit and overnight in a simple hotel for one night. (B/L/D)
Day 10: Depart early this morning to Abydos, one of ancient Egypt’s most sacred ancient cities. It was the cult center of Egypt’s most beloved hero of the Osiris legend, and the lovely wall reliefs in the temples tell of this popular tale. The main monument at Abydos is the Temple of Seti I, built around 1300 BC by this pharoah and his son Ramses II. It is especially notable for its fine reliefs, considered among the best of the New Kingdom. Continue on to Esna where we board our privately-chartered dahabiya, based on designs of sailing vessels that have traversed the Nile River for centuries. Our luxurious vessel contains nine air-conditioned cabins, dining and living areas, along with an outdoor deck. We will be lulled to sleep this evening to the sound of the waters of the Nile lapping at the hull and perhaps awaken to the song of the Nile Valley Sunbird with its shimmering blue coat or the richly-colored Little Green Bee Eater as they forage for breakfast. We will spend four nights onboard our yacht, and all our meals will be served in our private dining room.(B/L/D)
Day 11: Begin the morning at Esna, one of the main centers of the Coptic faith in Egypt and home to the Temple of Khnum. We then sail for Edfu to visit the temple of Horus. The Ptolemaic temple of Edfu is the best preserved major temple in Egypt as until its excavation in the 1800s it was buried beneath the sands of the desert. The temple was built over a 180-year period from 237 BC to 57 BC.The god Horus in all of his forms is regarded as the prince of the gods and the specific patron and protector of the living ruler his avatar on earth. Overnight onboard. (B/L/D)
Day 12: En route we stop to explore Gebel Silsila, a huge quarry that provided the stone for all the great monuments like Dendera, Thebes, Karnak, Edfu and Kom Ombo.The site is scattered with private chapels—there is even one dedicated to the great pharaoh Amenhotep III. We will wander the site looking for ancient graffiti and the unfinished sphinx.Continue on to Kom Ombo to visit the Temple of Sobek. It is actually two temples in one, dedicated to Sobek the crocodile god, and Horus the falcon-headed god. Here, Dr. Brier will walk us through the temple and explain the important carved texts still visible on the walls of the sanctuary as well as clear depictions of ancient medical instruments.In ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank near here, and hundreds of mummified crocodiles were found in the vicinity. Overnight onboard. (B/L/D)
Day 13: After a leisurely morning we arrive to Aswan.In the afternoon, we go by small boat to Aswan’s west bank where we will be met by a troupe of camels that will take us on a fifteen-minute ride to Saint Simeon’s Monastery also known as Anba Hatre. Much of the monastery is in ruins but many of its main features are well-preserved and of architectural interest as an example of an oblong, domed Christian church and the earliest church of its kind in Egypt. The monastery’s kiln has revealed data regarding archaic Aswan pottery and the cemetery has been a source of over 200 early Christian tombstones exhibiting various prayer formulas. Overnight onboard. (B/L/D)
Day 14: Today we sadly depart our floating home and transfer to the Aswan airport for our flight back to Cairo. Our very special lunch will be our final meal together. The afternoon is free to rest prior to the midnight departure from the hotel to the airport for our international flight back home. (B/L)
Day 15: Early morning flight departure.
Trip Leaders - Bob Brier and Patricia Remler
Professor Bob Brier received his Ph.D from the University of North Carolina. He is not only one of the nation’s leading Egyptologists, but a brilliant lecturer and storyteller. He is professor of philosophy at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University and the author of several books including The Murder of Tutankhamen: A True Story (Berkley Books, 1998), The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians (Greenwood Press, 1999) and The Secret of the Great Pyramid: How One Man's Obsession Led to the Solution of Ancient Egypt's Greatest Mystery (Harper Collins, 2008). Professor Brier has served as director of the "Egyptology Today" program of the National Endowment for the Humanities, and as host of the Learning Channel series, The Great Egyptians. He has twice been selected as a Fulbright Scholar, and has received Long Island University’s David Newton Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of his achievements as a lecturer. He is a wonderful teacher with a special flair for evoking the distant past in ways that make it seem vividly present.
Patricia Remler is an author, photographer, and art historian. She was the Researcher for four important Learning Channel documentaries - the three-part Pyramids, Tombs, and Mummies, the six-part series The Great Egyptians, the one hour Napoleon's Obsession: The Quest for Egypt, and the three-part dseries Unwrapped, The Mysterious World of Mummies. She is the author of Egyptian Mythology A - Z.
“I knew Bob Brier was a great communicator of the history of Egypt but when you add Pat Remler and Mohamed to the mix plus Egypt itself, you have a combination that makes this a once in a lifetime trip that I will remember always.” - Rebecca Parlette-Edwards
Other Bob Brier tours
The Majesty of Egypt with Bob Brier
The Oases of Egypt with Bob Brier
Egypt and Rome in England with Bob Brier
Undiscovered Egypt with Bob Brier
Trip Dates
November 2 - 16, 2013
Trip Cost
$10,995.00 (per person, double occupancy) includes round trip airfare from New York’s JFK to Cairo, Egypt and the Egyptian internal flights; all hotels; most meals (as listed in the itinerary); ground transportation; and entry fees.
Single Supplement: $995.00. Should a roommate be requested and one not be available, the single supplement must be charged. NOTE: Single supplements, although available for most of the trip, are extremely limited for the four nights onboard the dahabiya and singles may have to room together for these nights.
Cost Does Not Include: A separate donation check for $150.00 to “Cambridge in America Foundation”; passport or visa fees; airport taxes; beverages or food not included on regular menus; laundry; excess baggage charges; personal tips; alcoholic drinks; telephone and fax charges; or other items of a personal nature.
Fuel Surcharges: Far Horizons must pass on price increases when additional fuel charges are levied.
Donation Checks: Cost of the trip does not include the separate donation check for $150.00 to "Cambridge in America." Please make sure to note in the memo line that the donation goes toward 'The Amarna Trust' for the excavations at el-Armana. As a tour company that benefits from the historical, cultural and natural riches of our destinations, we have a policy of donating to scholars, archaeological and cultural projects, and museums in each of our destinations. This has created a bond with the academic community that allows you to gain an 'insider's view' of the work being done in each country. Please see information on the The Amarna Trust’s website: http://www.amarnatrust.com/.
Registration
A deposit of $500.00 along with a separate check for $150.00 to “Cambridge in America,” is required along with your registration form. Final payment is due 75 days before departure. Upon receipt of your deposit and completed registration form, you will be sent a reading list and a tour bulletin containing travel information. Prior to the trip, we will send links to various websites of pertinent interest to the trip.
Cancellation and Refunds
Cancellations received in writing at least 75 days before departure will result in an administrative fee of $250.00. Cancellations received less than 75 days before departure will not receive a refund. If for any reason you are unable to complete the trip, FAR HORIZONS will not reimburse any fees. It is strongly advised that you purchase travel protection that includes trip cancellation upon registering for the trip. Click here to download our Registration Form.
Air Ticketing
If you do not fly on the group flight, you are responsible for all flight arrangements and transportation (including airport transfers) to join the group. If Far Horizons must change the trip dates or cancel the trip for any reason, Far Horizons is not responsible for any air ticket you may have purchased.
Private Tours of Archaeological Sites
The private tours of archaeological sites and talks by specialists are scheduled in advance and include a donation to each. Specialists working at these sites are excited about showing their work to interested enthusiasts. However, please be aware that there may be times when the director or a member of the staff may not be onsite when our groups arrive due to other commitments.
Travel in Middle Egypt
This trip is for the hardy! This tour is designed for flexible, energetic people who like to be active and have a spirit of adventure and a positive attitude. Part of the itinerary has us traveling for three days into remote areas of Middle Egypt where the hotels are the best available but are basic and will not be up to the standard of the hotels along the Nile. Most will not have bell staff, and you may have to carry your own luggage. Meals will not be haute cuisine and several lunches will be picnics or box lunches. During the day that we explore the remote, recently-opened sites of Saqqara, we travel in 4-wheel drive vehicles that may not be air-conditioned or new, and we will walk over uneven terrain for a mile or more. A flexible attitude, team spirit and a good sense of humor are helpful! If you have questions about your ability to handle this sort of challenge, please call us.
Limited to 16 Participants
