Welcome to Enchanting Journeys

Africa. the continent where human beings first came into existence, Customs, traditions & ancient rites tie Africans to generations & ancestors past and to the collective memory of myriad people. There are time-honored ceremonies, music that dates back to the days of Africa's golden empires & masks that tell stories of spirit worlds never lost. In many rural areas, it can feel as though the modern world might never have happened and there is nowhere like it on the planet for wildlife, wild lands & rich traditions that endure. Welcome to Old Africa & prepare to fall in love.

And Middle East is a grand epic, a cradle of civilisations & a beautiful, complicated land that is home to some of the planet's most hospitable people. History Writ Large – it is a story written on the stones that litter the region, from the flagstones of old Roman roads to the building blocks of ancient Egypt & the delicately carved Tombs & Temples from Petra to Persepolis. This is where humankind first built cities & learned to write and it was from here that Judaism, Christianity & Islam all arose. Wherever you find yourself, the past is always the ‘present’ because here, perhaps more than anywhere else on earth, history is the heart & soul of the land.

Welcome to   mystical   Egypt - with its mighty Nile & magnificent monuments, the beguiling desert & lush delta, with its long past & welcoming, story-loving people. With sand-covered Tombs, austere Pyramids & towering Pharaonic Temples, Egypt brings out the ‘student’ in all guests as they explore the Valley of the Kings in Luxor, where Tutankhamun’s Tomb was unearthed & see the glittering finds in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. And you never know - your donkey might stumble across yet another find, for that is the way many previous discoveries were made.

Arrive in the ‘eternal’ city of Cairo set on the Nile River. Romantically known as the City of a Thousand Minarets, the Egyptian Capital is a place of extremes, filled with ancient landmarks, snarling traffic, ornate mosques, & glittering modern skyscrapers.

After you exit in the Arrival Hall at Terminal? - Cairo International Airport, subsequent to Immigration & Customs, you will be welcomed by The Journeys representative (holding a placard with your Name), who will ensure your comfort & transfer you to the hotel, help you settle in and provide you with some useful tips for exploring the area as well as discuss the program for the next few days.

If, for any reason you are unable to make contact with our representative within 30 minutes of waiting, please call the local Emergency telephone # listed on your Contact List. Please follow the advice given by our 24 / 7 Duty Officer.  Please do not exit the Airport & make your own way to the hotel.

Reach the hotel & Check-in.

*Check-in time is 02.00 pm. For earlier arrivals in the morning, we will request the hotel for a complimentary early Check-in but cannot be guaranteed unless reserved & paid for ‘immediate occupancy’.

Moring at leisure.

Monumental History| Artistic Treasures| Living Life

Cairo has been the largest city in Africa & the Middle East ever since the Mongols wasted imperial Baghdad in 1258.

Filled with sights, sounds & smells, many visitors find Cairo's frenetic energy overwhelming; but for those with a sense of humor & a certain amount of patience, it harbors a treasure trove of experiences that cannot be replicated anywhere else. Cairo’s treasures abound, from ancient wonders such as the world’s oldest Pyramid to the earliest Coptic Christian monuments in the Old Town, to bustling Islamic Cairo.

From above, the distorted roar of the Muezzins' call echoes out from duelling minarets. Below, car horns bellow tuneless symphonies amid avenues of faded 19^th century grandeur while donkey carts rattle down dusty lanes lined with colossal Fatimid & Mamluk monuments.

As Egypt has been a prize for conquerors from Alexander the Great to Rommel, so Cairo has been a fulcrum of power in the Arab world from the Crusades unto the present day. Although a relatively modern capital (by Egyptian standards, at least), the city's history is linked to that of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt's Old Kingdom, dating back more than 2,000 years.

Cairo itself was founded in 969 AD to serve as the new capital of the Fatimid dynasty, eventually incorporating the older capitals of Fustat, al-Askar, & al-Qatta'i. During the 12^th century, the Fatimid dynasty fell to Saladin, the first Sultan of Egypt.

Over the following centuries, Cairo's rulership passed from the Sultans to the Mamluks, followed by the Ottomans, the French & the British. Following a period of massive expansion in the first half of the 19^th century, Cairo's residents revolted against the British in 1952 & successfully regained the city's independence.

Cairo is a vast city whose boundaries are difficult to define. More than 22 million people call the chaotic, exotic, smelly, dusty & also beautiful city, home. Many of its neighborhoods (including satellite Nasr City with its shiny shopping malls & embassy enclave Maadi) are technically outside the city limits.

The main tourist neighborhoods include Downtown, Islamic Cairo & Coptic Cairo, while affluent Heliopolis & the island of Zamalek are both known for their restaurants, nightlife & upmarket hotels.

At the heart of the chaotic Downtown designed in the mid-19^th century by a team of European architects, is the modern political landmark like Tahrir Square & the vast Egyptian Museum, a trove of antiquities including royal Mummies & gilded King Tutankhamun artifacts. Nearby, Giza is the site of the iconic Pyramids & Great Sphinx, dating to the 26^th century BC. In Gezira Island’s leafy Zamalek district, 187 metre Cairo Tower affords panoramic city views.

Dating back to the 6^th century BC, the oldest neighborhood is Coptic Cairo, the site of the Roman settlement of Babylon, famous for its historic Christian monuments. Coptic Churches, huge medieval Gates & Bazaars selling everything from motorbike parts to perfumes.

Perhaps the most interesting section is medieval (Islamic) Cairo, a warren of streets just bustling with life. Islamic Cairo represents the part of the city built by its Fatimid founders. It is a labyrinthine maze of Mosques, Souks & breathtakingly beautiful Islamic monuments, all of which echo to the sound of countless Muezzins calling the faithful to prayer. The Ulema of its 1000year old Al-Azhar Mosque (for centuries the foremost centre of Islamic intellectual life) remains the ultimate religious authority for millions of Sunni Muslims, from Jakarta to Birmingham.

Wherever Arabic is spoken, Cairo's cultural magnetism is felt. Your nerves will jangle, your snot will run black from the smog & touts will hound you at every turn. Every strand of Egyptian society knits & unravels in this febrile megalopolis, acknowledged as Umm Dunya or "Mother of the World" by medieval Arabs, & as Great Cairo by 19^th century Europeans.

Later in the afternoon at 01.00 pm, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby & proceed to visit the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities.

There are lots of Museums in Egypt & in Cairo & lots of Museums around the world with Egyptian artifacts, but no where, you would find such an extensive collection of ancient Egyptian artifacts as in this one. And perhaps more remarkably, nowhere else in the world can you get as close & intimate with Egyptian history as you can in this particular Museum.

The Museum of Egyptian Antiquities is the hub of research, storage & display of zillions of artifacts from Egypt’s ancient Kingdoms, some discovered long ago & others discovered quite recently.

Nearly all of Egypt is still an active archaeological site today & it is the only country in the world, with the exception of perhaps China, that spawn new discoveries every day, on this scale. People who live in Egypt have literally been known to cut holes in the floors of their homes & dig tunnels underneath them, in order to find artifacts to sell. Now this is highly illegal, but it is still done - the point being that there is still so much we don’t know yet & so much that is still being dug up.

So, all of the country is really a living Museum & an active archaeological site, but the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities in Cairo is the repository & display room for most of Egypt’s history & the sheer amount that you can see & in some cases touch, is simply mind-blowing. There are quite a few surviving relics from the early dynastic period. Artifacts & treasures from the Old Kingdom, the Middle Kingdom, the New Kingdom, the First Intermediate Period, the Second Intermediate Period, the Third Intermediate Period - not necessarily in that order - then the Greek Period, the Roman Period, the Ottoman Period… & all of that covers thousands of years before countries like the United States were even thought of.

Back in the 1700s & early 1800s, the Ottomans still technically ruled the area, but governance was actually decentralized & the local Pasha (Governor) managed the country.

Invaders & foreign visitors have been coming into Egypt for literally 1,000s of years & carting off its antiquities. Greek, Roman, Persian, Arab, Ottoman invaders & Rulers have also been recycling materials from ancient monuments & treasures throughout that whole period too, breaking down other Rulers’ monuments, Temples, Palaces & Tombs to use the precious materials for their own purposes. Upto 18^th century, one could see all this neat ancient stuff, just lying around.

Local Egyptians would gladly sell you ancient artifacts they dug up, or if you stumbled across any yourself you could just stuff them in your suitcase & take it back to Europe with you. No one was there to stop you and both Egyptians & foreigners availed themselves liberally of this opportune situation.

In 1798, Napoleon & the French army marched into town & kind of just hung out for about 3 years. But, their occupation turned out to be a boon for Egypt, or at least for Egyptology. A French soldier named Pierre-François Bouchard just randomly stumbled upon a piece of rock that was recycled & used as building material within an old Ottoman Fort near a town called Rosetta. He noticed that this particular piece of stone came from somewhere else & has undecipherable ancient pictorial scribblings on it, today known as hieroglyphics.

Luckily for Egypt & for all of humanity, this French officer immediately recognized the significance of the piece of debris he had stumbled across at this old Fort. He could just as easily have broken it apart or used it as part of a wall or something else & cemented over the writing. But, Bouchard saved it & it turned out to be one of the most incredible & amazing archaeological finds in all of human history.

This stone, is today known as the iconic Rosetta Stone. So why is the Rosetta so groundbreakingly important & what is it got to do with the Egyptian Museum. Well, to answer the first question, it literally unlocked nearly all of ancient Egypt. All of those funny pictorial scribblings all over Temple walls & Tombs & monuments all over Egypt that people had been looking at for thousands of years, not knowing what any of it meant… could finally be translated & read.

It took scholars in England & France & a few other places about 25 years to actually decipher the hieroglyphic script from the multilingual Rosetta Stone carvings. It wasn’t an easy task by any means, but eventually Jean-François Champollion, a French linguist, cracked the mysterious ancient code & suddenly all of Egyptian history came back to life & the new field of Egyptology was born.

No one had known for thousands of years - since the fall of the Pharaohs - what was written on all these walls & stones & papyrus manuscripts. Even though the Pyramids & other monuments were right there, the history of the civilization had been pretty much lost until this incredible moment. Scholars could now read everything & finally tell who all the Mummies were & who all the Tombs belonged to.

And the stories just started flooding out of these walls - stories of Kings & their battles & the ancient Gods & their afterlife beliefs & mummification & so much more. We literally retrieved the history of one of the greatest civilizations, that had virtually been lost in plain sight for almost 2,000 years.

And now, with this news spreading around the world & the newly formed field of Egyptology in full bloom, people were more interested in Egypt & its antiquities than ever before. And were still carting off its artifacts, left & right.

Consequently, in the late 1820s & early 1830s, Jean-François Champollion, started emphasizing on the need to begin cataloging & preserving Egypt’s treasures & to build a Museum. Unfortunately, Champollion passed on in 1832. But another French Egyptologist actually followed through & organized the 1^st Egyptian Antiquities Museum in 1863, which isn’t around anymore. The local government finally stepped up & put out a request for Proposals for a new Museum.

A French architect Marcel Dourgnon was chosen from the 73 Proposals submitted. The newly constructed internationally renowned Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, located on the edge of Tahrir Square, Cairo’s most central & most famous public Plaza, was opened to the public on November 15^th, 1902 & initially housed about 50,000 artifacts. Gradually, that number has now swelled to over 120,000 +. However, not all of these artifacts are on display. The rest are held in storage & are in varying states of preservation.

At the entrance near the outside Gate, you will pass through a light security screening. Walking to the main building entrance, there is a secondary round of security screening.

While everything inside is incredibly important from a historical & archaeological perspective, the negative is that most of the Exhibits have no labels or notations at all or just a basic heading with no descriptions. But, not relevant to you as your knowledgeable Egyptologist Tour-guide will give you a brief about the ancient Egyptian history, how it started, where was the first Capital, who was the King who could unite between upper & lower Egypt. The Guide will explain to you in detail about the old Kingdom, when it started & ended & you will learn some of the Kings & Queens.

Listen to the explanation about the Golden Pharaoh Tutankhamen & know more about the secret of Mummification. It will also be interesting for you to know that the first paper in the world was made in Egypt.

Then, you will have free time to go around on your own & meet the Tour-guide when you finish at the advised time.

The foremost Collection showcases the treasures of King Tut’s Tomb. British archaeologist Howard Carter discovered a new & nearly undisturbed Tomb in 1922 that turned out to belong to the boy Pharaoh Tutankhamen, who ruled for about 10 years & died when he was only about 19 years old.

Because he died so young & his Tomb had to be rushed, it was partly built underneath another Tomb, which was not the normal practice. As a result, archaeologists had largely overlooked the site for decades & grave robbers too, overlooked it for thousands of years before that. When Carter rediscovered it in 1922, all of Tut’s treasures & possessions from over 3300 years ago were still intact inside of the sealed Tomb. And thanks to the then emerging efforts of those French archaeologists & the fledgling local Egyptian government to start instituting preservation laws & institutions, a lot of those treasures are now on public display in this Museum, which has the biggest & best pieces.

Majority of King Tut’s treasures are located on the 2^nd floor. The exhibits illustrate interesting lifestyle artifacts like some of the board games that King Tut owned that were put in his Tomb for his continued entertainment in the afterlife. You will also see the small statues representing attendants that would come to life in the afterlife and attend to his wants & needs just like in his earthly life. See the foot stools & beds made for his relaxation in the afterlife, as well as his wooden Throne inlaid with gold.

One Sarcophagus (with many layers like in Russian dolls, proving the Egyptians evidently used the design first) is still inside of King Tut’s Tomb along with his actual mummified body down in the Valley of the Kings in Luxor.

Also displayed are some larger & more important artifacts, like the alabaster jars that contained Tut’s organs, which were taken out during mummification & buried alongside the mummy. See the huge golden boxes, almost as big as small rooms, that could fit inside the tightly packed Tomb. More personal items are on display in glass cases along the walls, like his sandals & even an ancient condom.

There is a room that houses King Tut’s finest treasures, including some of his most precious jewelry, burial ornaments & several of the consecutive layers of sarcophagi. The larger outer shells of the enormously heavy beautifully decorated sarcophagi, are made of wood but covered in gold & inlaid with precious jewels.

But the big daddy of them all was the slightly smaller inner sarcophagus, which was made of pure solid gold. Inside of that one, was laid the mummified body of the famous boy King himself, over 3300 years ago when he unexpectedly died after a fall from his chariot, as depicted in official accounts.

Pharaohs went through a lengthy mummification process during which the High Priest would perform various medical & religious functions to preserve the physical body, which worked astonishingly well as you will discover when you visit the Museum’s Royal Mummy Room. Then, the body was wrapped in layers of linen & usually inlaid with amulets & other jewelry in between the layers.

After that, a solid gold funeral mask inlaid with precious stones & jewels was placed over the head & shoulders of the dead Pharaoh before the lid was placed on the solid gold inner sarcophagus which was put inside of another & another & so on. These were then placed inside of a thick stone outer casing & sealed for eternity.

The 2^nd most visited major attraction is the modern climate controlled, especially created Royal Mummy Room with ‘special’ sensers required to preserve these royal bodies now that they are not fully mummified or buried in their sealed arid desert Tombs anymore.

The Royal Mummy Room was moved to another Museum in Giza,near the Pyramids. You do not have the time to visit. The description is just for information if amend your Program & decide to visit (Entrance Fee not included).

Here, you can see the actual bodies of some of Egypt’s greatest & most famous Pharaohs, some of whom you may have heard of & some not, but all of whom were really important in Egyptian history. The only reason their mummies are still around is because in the age of grave robbers plundering Tombs all over the country, 2 smart-thinking, dedicated & loyal priests named Pinudjem I & II took as many Pharaohs’ bodies as they could from their resting places in the Tombs & hid them in a secret location for safekeeping.

In 1881, this secret Mummy hiding place was discovered, during the beginning of the period when foreign archaeologists & local Egyptian authorities were working hard to preserve finds like this for posterity.

Some of the mummies could be identified relatively quickly because Scholars were finally starting to be able to read hieroglyphics & could discern the names on some of the objects wrapped up in the linens. But, still other mummies couldn’t be positively identified until recently through the use of DNA testing, carbon dating & other modern processes. Because of this twist of ancient & modern history, visitors can now see the actual mummies of Pharaohs like Ramses 1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd.

Ramses 2^nd is the one denoted as Ramses the Great & he is the one depicted in some of Egypt’s greatest & most famous monuments like Abu Simbel. There is Ahmose I, who, like Tut, also came to the Throne really young. He was about 10 years old too & he was the Pharaoh who later went to battle with the Hyksos & expelled them from northern Egypt to liberate that area & reunite the Kingdom.

Thutmose III is in the mummy room too. He was famous for being Hapshetsut’s stepson whom she managed to brush aside & rule herself after the death of her husband & his father. The great Queen Hapshetsut herself there in the mummy room. Remember there was a lot of inbreeding in royal houses back in those days, just like in more modern times in Europe.

But these are just some of the mummies of the Pharaohs of ancient Egypt. You can get up close & personal with them too. There is only a thin layer of glass separating you from the mummified faces of these great ancient rulers. Their bodies are mostly covered because modern Egyptians believe in modesty of dress & consider it highly improper & disrespectful to show someone’s uncovered body, even if they have been dead for 4000 years. But even in just their faces, you can see how well preserved their skin is, although of course it is a bit dried out. You can also see their hair, fingernails & sometimes even their eyelashes & you will likely notice too the slightly deformed & elongated shape of some of their heads.

Moving on, there is an animal Mummy Room, too, if you are interested in seeing 4000 year old cats, baboons & alligators that the Egyptians revered enough to mummify.

There are many more things to see (you can easily spend 2 full days here) but time constraints force us to conclude (4 hours will suffice to see the main artifacts) & you are transferred back to the hotel by 05.00 pm. But the day is not over yet.

Meet The Journeys Rep in the Lobby at 06.00 pm & embark on another exciting experience.

You will be transferred to the Pier for Dinner in an elegant restaurant aboard a fascinating Boat, sailing down the world's longest waterway, taking in the wonderful views & discovering the beauty of the ancient Egyptian city illuminated by the glaring city lights.

You can expect first-class service as you savor the Chef's menu along with a selection of delicious Egyptian favorites, made with the freshest ingredients.

The Buffet dinner is accompanied by the rhythm of the traditional Egyptian songs - Arabic as well as Western & Sufi & Tanoura music, while watching a terrific oriental Belly Dance show. The Folklore Show may include even acrobatic performances.

The unforgettable evening of stargazing along the Nile banks on the 2 hour cruise comes to an end & you are transferred back to the hotel by 10.00 pm.

Morning, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 08.00 am & proceed for a 8 hour excursion to marvel at the Pyramids. Witness the wonders of the Western Sahara in the ancient Egyptian civilization's most renowned sites.

You will drive to Cairo's most popular attraction, Giza Plateau (also called the Giza Necropolis), site of the Pyramids & the Great Sphinx, whose grandeur remains unsurpassed more than 4,500 years after they were erected.

All were built during the 4^th Dynasty of the Old Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, at the edges of the Western Desert, approximately 9 km west of the Nile River in the city of Giza, & about 13 km southwest of the city centre of Cairo.

The Pyramids of Giza, along with their associated Pyramid Complexes & the Great Sphinx, are some of the most famous manmade objects in the world, since ancient times, drawing thousands of visitors every year.

The Great Pyramid of Khufu & the Pyramid of Khafre are the largest in ancient Egypt & and have historically been referred as emblems of ancient Egypt in the Western imagination. They were popularised in Hellenistic times, when the Great Pyramid was listed by Antipater of Sidon as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

As one of the original Seven Wonders of the World, these Pyramids have stood the test of time, ‘some’ remaining intact for roughly 4,500 years. The 3 main & primary Pyramids are the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), the 4^th Dynasty Pharaoh is buried there. Khafre, Khufu's son, lies entombed in the nearby Pyramid of Khafre. The 3^rd structure, the Pyramid of Menkaure, constructed by Khafre's successor to the throne, Menkaure, is the smallest of the Pyramids of Giza.

In fact, the Pyramid of Khufu is by far the oldest & the only "Wonder of the Ancient World" that still survives. Khufu's Complex consists of a valley Temple, now buried beneath the village of Nazlet el-Samman; diabase paving & nummulitic limestone walls have been found but the site has not been excavated. The Temple was connected to a causeway which was largely destroyed when the village was constructed.

Khafre's Pyramid Complex consists of a valley Temple, the Sphinx Temple, a causeway, a Mortuary & the Pyramid. The valley Temple yielded several statues of Khafre in a well in the floor of the Temple in 1860. Others were found during successive excavations in 1909 -10.

Menkaure's Complex also consists of a valley Temple, a causeway, a Mortuary which yielded a few statues of the Pharoah, & the Pyramid. The Temple also once contained several statues of Menkaure. During the 5^th Dynasty, a smaller ante-Temple was added on to the valley Temple.

The oldest known monumental sculpture, commonly believed to have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of the Khafre (c. 2558 - 2532 BC), the Great Sphinx of Giza, commonly referred to as just the Sphinx, is a limestone statue of a reclining Sphinx, a mythical creature with the body of a lion & the head of a human. The face is generally believed to represent the Pharaoh Khafre. It measures 73 metres long from paw to tail, 20 metres high from the base to the top of the head & 19 metres wide at its rear haunches. Facing directly from West to East, it stands on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile. Cut from the bedrock, the original shape of the Sphinx has been restored with layers of blocks.

Although most people associate Egypt with the Pyramids of Giza, there are known to be at least 118 ancient Pyramids in Egypt, including at least 8 more at Giza (2 belonging to Kings & 6 to Queens), the majority of these spread out along the desert between the Giza Plateau & the semi-oasis of Al-Fayoum. More are being discovered every few years or so.

You have some free time to explore inside one of the Pyramids independently (optional - additional cost & the Tour-guide is not permitted inside). You can also enjoy a camel ride here (optional - additional cost) & absorb the sweeping views over central Cairo. 

Discover plenty of photo opportunities & after spending 3 hours walking around different Pyramids, each with their own history, hop on the vehicle for the short drive to Memphis, the Capital of the ancient Kingdom. Much of Memphis' splendor has been destroyed, but the 18^th Dynasty Alabaster Sphinx still remains.

There are also a number of Pyramids in & around Dashur that are important because they show the evolution, including the failures & the first success of the builders, as they tried to build the first true, smooth sided Pyramid. Other later versions are less spectacular, sometimes made of mudbrick & therefore not as well preserved today, but still important, because they are the first to be decorated with inscriptions & various scenes. For example, the ruined Pyramids of Unas at Sakkara was the first one that we know of to be inscribed with the 128 magical spells of the Pyramid text.

Covering a 7 km stretch of the Western Desert, Saqqara, the huge Cemetery of ancient Memphis, was an active burial ground for more than 3500 years & is Egypt’s largest archaeological site. The Necropolis is situated high above the Nile Valley’s cultivation area & is the final resting place for deceased Pharaohs & their Families, Administrators, Generals & sacred animals. The name Saqqara is most likely derived from Sokar, the Memphite, God of the Dead.

Old Kingdom Pharaohs were buried within Saqqara’s 11 major Pyramids, while their subjects were buried in the hundreds of smaller Tombs. Most of Saqqara was buried in sand until the mid-19^th century, when the renowned French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette uncovered the Serapeum. Since then, it has been a gradual process of rediscovery: the Step Pyramid’s massive funerary complex was not exposed until 1924 & it is in a constant state of restoration. There has been a string of new discoveries, including a whole slew of Mummies & even a new Pyramid.

Start with a quick visit to the Imhotep Museum, to get the lay of the land. Head for the Funerary Complex, entering through the Hypostyle Hall & gaze on the Step Pyramid of Djoser, 1^st Pyramid built in Egypt & the world's oldest free standing stone structure, considered an important part of the process of the Pyramid evolution.  

Drive to the Pyramid of Teti to see some of the famous Texts inside. Pop into the nearby Tomb of Kagemni before ending with the most wonderful Tomb of all, the Mastaba of Ti, with its fascinating reliefs of daily life.

If time (& Tour-guide) permits, you might want to take the opportunity for an Optional (direct payment) visit to the Solar Boat Museum, home to the reconstructed Funeral Barge of Khufu, the Pharaoh for whom the largest Giza Pyramid was built. Gaze in awe at the wooden boat & learn how its remnants were discovered & reassembled by archaeologists.


Finally, the tour ends & you are transferred back to the hotel by 05.00 pm.

Balance of the day free to relax or for optional activities (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make the arrangements).

Morning, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 09.00 am & embark on a full day excursion to discover Islamic Cairo.

Islamic Cairo is the historic core of the city. When the Fatimid dynasty originating from present-day Tunisia, conquered Egypt in 969 AD & ruled until 1171, they constructed a new walled city Al-Qahira (meaning The Vanquisher in English), north of the existing city to serve as their administrative center.

The Fatimids were Shi’a Muslims, seeking to expand the influence of their interpretation of Islam over the lands of the Sunni Abbasid Caliphate & they built Al-Qahira to rival the prestige of the Abbasid Capital, Baghdad, laying the foundations for modern Cairo. They installed their Shi’a Islamic ideology as the religion of the state.

Although Al-Qahira was filled with Palaces & administrative buildings when it was first constructed, the people of Cairo moved into the walled city during a 12^th century siege & they never left. Despite its crumbling architecture & aging infrastructure, Islamic Cairo remains one of the most populous areas of the city, its many monuments weaved into the everyday lives of millions of Egyptians.

The “City of a Thousand Minarets”, is not considered by Muslims to be as holy a city as Mecca, Medina or Jerusalem.  Its streets & alleyways do however conceal treasures of Islamic art, many of which, although crumbling, offer a dazzling sight to anyone who knows how and where to look.

While this area is no longer the center, the historic districts of Islamic Cairo remain a living reminder of the city’s past. Most of the old city’s walls have long crumbled, but there are hundreds of monuments & beautiful Mosques still lining the historic arteries of Al-Qahira & it is it is still very much a living part of the city.

The greatest concentration of Islamic monuments anywhere in the world, is on Al-Muizz Al-Deen Street named after the first Fatimid Caliph in Egypt, built as the main thoroughfare lined up with Mausoleums & Palaces in Fatimid’s grand city. The northern section of the street (between Bab El-Fotouh & Al-Azhar Street) was recently restored & is one of the most picturesque parts of Cairo.

While much of the Fatimid Capital was destroyed when subsequent Sunni Caliphates regained control of the city, Muizz Street retained its importance. Many of the Palaces, Mosques & monuments of the Ayyubid, Mamluk & Ottoman rulers that controlled Egypt after the Fatimids continued to be built along this street through the center of the city. The Qala’un Complex here is one of the impressive in the city.

Exploring Islamic Cairo can be a daunting task as it is quite a large area, encompassing the old Fatimid city as well as the districts reaching south to Saladin’s Citadel & Ibn Tulun Mosque. There are literally hundreds of sites of varying size & importance packed in along these narrow streets in the busy commercial & residential area. One could spend several weeks simply getting lost in these ancient streets without running out of new sights & experiences.

Get off the vehicle & accompanied by the Tour-guide, embark on your discovery of the monuments you want to see.

First stop will be Mosque & Mausoleum of Sayyidna Al Hussain originally built in 1154 & later reconstructed in 1874 (this is one of the few Mosques where non-Muslims can't enter).

Named after Prophet Muhammed's grandson, Hussain ibn Ali, it is considered to be one of the most sacred Islamic sites in Egypt. Some Shia Muslims believe that Hussain's head is buried on the grounds of the Mosque where the Mausoleum is located today. It has to be said that the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus also claims Hussein's head is buried there, even though both Mosques were established by Sunnis.

Hussein was killed in Karbala, in today’s Iraq in 680 by the Umayyads, who had earlier been recognized as Muhammed’s successors against the claims of his son-in-law, Ali, Hussein’s father.

This generational power struggle over the Caliphate caused an enduring schism within Islam. The Muslim world’s Sunni (‘followers of the way’) majority not only recognized the Umayyads Caliphate but forbade the office to anyone of Ali’s line. The killing of Hussein cemented the rift between the Sunni & Shiite branches of Islam.

Conversely, the Shia (‘partisans of Ali’) minority refused to accept any leader but a descendant of Ali & revered Hussein as a martyr. In Egypt, whose Muslim population is almost completely Sunni, Hussein is nevertheless regarded as a popular Saint, ranked beside Saiyida Zainab, the Prophet’s granddaughter.

The Mosque is famously known for housing the oldest complete manuscript of the Holy Qu’ran & is often frequented by dignitaries praying there on special occasions.

Most of the Gothic Revival, Ottoman, Fatimid architecture dates from about 1870, except for the beautiful 14^th century stucco panels on the Minaret. Another interesting visual addition in the front, are the huge ornate giant Teflon umbrellas placed there to protect worshippers praying outside the Mosque on intensely hot summer days & also as a shelter when the seasons occasionally produce heavy rainfall. These elegant retractable canopies are operated electronically & are said to based on the design from many Mosques in Saudi Arabia.

Continue on to Al Saiyida Zainab Mosque, one of the most important & biggest mosques in Egypt. Named in honor of Saiyida Zainab bint Ali, sister of the 2 Imams Al Hassan & Al Hussain & the youngest daughter of Al Saiyida Fatima, the Prophet's daughter & his cousin Ali Ibn Abi Taleb, 4^th Caliph & 1^st Shia Imam.

Some historians believe that Saiyida Zainab was exiled to Egypt few months after the Battle of Karbala & she settled here for 9 months before her death & was buried on this site.

As such, the location is considered one of the most notable places of Islamic history & a sacred Tomb to visit by among Sunnis & Isma'ilis. However, the Shias believe that Saiyida Zainab was actually buried in Damascus, Syria, where there is also a Saiyida Zainab Mosque.

When she first arrived at the small village of Al Abassah of Al Sharkia governorate, east of Delta the Umayyad Waly (Governor) - Maslama Ibn Makhlid Al Ansary had been among the group of well-wishers to welcome her. She later settled down at Al Fustat city (1^st Islamic Capital of Egypt) where she became the guest of Governor.

According to her Will, she was buried in the same place where she had lived. The Mosque & Mausoleum was supposedly built on top of the grave, close to the northern flank of Maslama residence, overlooking the River Nile bay near Al Saiyida Zainab Square one of the most important in Cairo.

In the course of time, Maslama's residence & the adjacent buildings crumbled away, with the exception of the Mausoleum, which remained intact due to continuous repairs by Rulers & religious leaders.

There is no accurate record of when the Mosque was built & no historical references are currently available except for Ottoman Ruler Ali Pasha's order for renovation in 1547. Since then, there were other renovations.

In 1946 A.D, King Farouk, the last Monarch in Mohamed Ali's dynasty, ordered that both the Mosque & Mausoleum be repaired. After the 23rd July Revolution & during the era of President Gamal Abdul Nasser, the Mosque was expanded to cover an area of 4,000 meters.

It was again expanded during President Hosni Mubarak’s time to cover 18,000 meters with a capacity of 15,000 worshippers.

The main facade of the Mosque looks over the famous Al Saiyida Square, with 3 gateways leading directly to the Mosque. In the western façade, there is a special gate for women leading to the Mausoleum.

The inside ceiling covering the entire Mosque is erected on columns made of white marble. A light shaft stands over the section located in front of the old niche. The Mausoleum, west of the Mosque, surrounded by a compartment gilded yellow golden copper & topped with a tall dome, features inscriptions of Arabic calligraphy.

Next stop will be Al-Azhar Mosque. 'The Resplendent Congregational Mosque', known simply as Al-Azhar, is the 1^st Mosque established in Islamic Cairo, by Al-Mu'izz li-Din Allah of the Fatimid dynasty as the centrepiece of the newly created Capital city in 970 AD.

While there are hundreds of old Mosques in Cairo, there is none that can compete with Al-Azhar in standing & importance to the history of Islam.

It is dedicated to both worship & learning & over the centuries, evolved into the most important center of Islamic theology in the world.  A Madrassa was established here in AD 988, growing into a University that is the world’s 2^nd oldest educational institution (after the University of Al Kairaouine in Fez, Morocco).

 
Over a thousand years since its founding, Al-Azhar Mosque & the University that bears its name, was one of the world’s pre-eminent centres of learning, drawing students from Europe & all over the Islamic empire to learn about the history of Islam & the different schools of thought that govern the interpretation of the Koran. The large modern Campus is still the most prestigious place to study Sunni Theology.

From its founding, Al-Azhar University was an institution that reveled in pluralism. Founded by the Ismaili Shi’i Fatimid dynasty, it became a Sunni University under subsequent dynasties in Egypt, but, in spite of tension between these different theologies, Sunni & Shi’i scholars have worked, taught & debated alongside one another at Al-Azhar for most of its history.

Today, it is regarded with respect throughout the world as an influential moderating & regulating Authority for Islamic Theology. Its Sheikh (Rector) is considered the highest theological authority for Egyptian Muslims.

The building is a harmonious blend of architectural styles, the result of numerous enlargements over more than 1,000 years. The Tomb chamber, located through a doorway on the left just inside the entrance, has a beautiful mihrab (a niche indicating the direction of Mecca) & should not be missed.

The Mosque itself has been renovated & expanded many times over, surviving more than a thousand years of shifting politics & changes in government. The different architectural styles of its 5 Minarets bear witness to the different dynasties that controlled Al-Azhar.

In addition to the beautiful, white marble central Court, which dates back to the Mosque’s original construction, the building includes a large covered prayer area & 2 Madrassas (religious schools). Before Al-Azhar University expanded & moved to a 2^nd Campus in the north of the city, students used to meet with instructors in the main Courtyard for lessons in Arabic & Koranic interpretation.

From the Courtyard, you can see its 3 largest Minarets dating from the 14th, 15^th & 16^th centuries. Sultan Al-Ghuri, whose Mosque & Mausoleum stand nearby, is responsible for the 1510 minaret, identifiable by its twin spires. He also built the Wikala Al-Ghuri & Al-Ghouriyya Complex nearby.

After spending an hour here, walk to the famous souk, Khan el-Khalili located in the famous historic center.

Jewellery, items made from copper, marquetry boxes, imitations of Pharaonic objects, semi-precious stones, rugs, blown-glass dishes & other souvenirs are bought & sold in the shops grouped by trades along the narrow streets. It is a place to meander, bargain & lose one’s way…but not miss out on a cup of tea or karkade.

With thousands of stands of local art, shoes, clothes & restaurants, a visit to the Bazaar is like a walk back in time.

Loud, crowded, colorful & exciting - full of all kinds of goods & shiny baubles, you can find the typical tourist trinkets here, but don’t let them distract you from the genuinely fine shopping to be found here, too.

There is a spice market where you can buy fresh spices of any variety. The perfume market is awash with countless mixing scents of essential oils. Deeper into the market, there are gold vendors & antique shops full of interesting pieces. There are fabric shops & carpet vendors & sellers of just about anything you might desire.

Even if you are not looking to buy, taking a walk through the winding alleys of this labyrinthine district, you are sure to find something that will catch your eye.

The Market dates back to the 14^th century when Emir Dajaharks el-Khalili built a large Market complex on the site of the Za’afran Tomb, which had been the burial place of the Fatimid Rulers of Egypt. This construction was part of the process of rebuilding started under Sultan Barquq (ruled 1382-1399) to help the city recover from the ravages of the Black Death throughout the 13^th & 14^th centuries.

Running the length of Islamic Cairo’s central core, from Bab Al-Futuh in the north to Bab Zuweila in the south, it is one of the most important places in Egypt’s Islamic history. In addition to the impressive monuments scattered along its length, it also hosts a bustling neighborhood, home to thousands of Craftsmen making wares to be sold in Khan el-Khalili.

Today, the Market has been modernized significantly, but there are still portions that display the original Mamluk style architecture, which featured great archways & vaulted ceilings. There are several restaurants & Cafes spread throughout.

Al Fishawy is the oldest Cafe in Cairo, decorated with large mirrors & old furniture, used to be frequented by author Naguib Mahfouz, the Egyptian Nobel laureate.

Continue walking to see the medieval Citadel of Salah el-Din, containing within its walls the Ottoman-style alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali. The 2 monumental gateways Bab el-Futuh (Gate of Conquests) & Bab el-Nasr (Gate of Victory) mark the northern edge of Fatimid Cairo. Between the 2. lie the remains of the fortified wall which once encircled the city & which still gives the impression of invulnerability.

Beside the Gate of Victory stands the El-Hakim Mosque, built during the first years following 1,000 AD. A place of worship for a mainly Indian Shiite sect, it was extensively restored with concrete & marble in 1980 losing much of its restrained beauty in the process.

Then, hop on the vehicle & proceed to see the other nearby places you want to see.

And finally, the day ends & you return to the hotel.

Balance of the evening free to relax or for optional activities (we would be happy to offer suggestions & make the arrangements).

Morning, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 06.00 am & depart for Alexandria.

Where Cairo is steeped in tradition, Alexandria (Al Iskendariyya) is shaped by Mediterranean values. Alexandria is laid-back, Cairo is bustling. While Cairo is nearly impossible to compete with in terms of historic architecture & monuments, Alexandria may actually be one of the few cities in the world that has a more storied history.

Nicknamed the Pearl of the Mediterranean & affectionately referred to as Alex by locals, Alexandria is a port city of 6 million people, 2^nd largest in Egypt, located on the Mediterranean coast at the western edge of the Nile Delta.

When 25 year old Alexander the Great took control of Egypt in 331 BC, he decided to build a new Capital of Egypt that would link the Nile Valley to the sea & his native Greece. The city that he built & personally laid out was given his name & became the seat of power in Egypt until the Arab conquest in 642 AD.

Alexandria is the stuff of legend. It immediately benefitted from the influence of Greek culture & its strategic geographic position. Within 100 years of its founding, Alexandria was 2^nd only to Rome in terms of population & it emerged as a center of economic & cultural influence. Nearly 1400 years older than Cairo, it quickly evolved into one of the wealthiest, largest & most cultured cities in the world.

Alexandria’s significance was not only to be found in its architecture & wealth. It was the setting for the stormy love story between Julius Caesar, Cleopatra & Marc Antony. A diverse city, it was home to large populations of Greeks, other ethnicities & nearly 100,000 Jews, one of the largest concentrations.

The Septuagint, the only Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible that has survived to the present day. The city also became important to Egyptian Christians as the political & cultural center of Egypt during the rise of Christianity. The seat of the Coptic Orthodox Papacy is still located in Alexandria to this day.

Natural disasters, repeated conquests & sieges & the fact that the city has been repeatedly rebuilt overtop of itself have removed much of ancient & historic Alexandria from view. Part of the ancient city disappeared under the sea & part under the modern city.

Today, Alexandria has relatively little to show for its iconic past. Much of the city’s archeological wealth is buried under the very streets that people use today & construction projects consistently reveal new finds. But with some patience, you can still find evidence of the ancient Pharaohs, the Greeks, the Romans, the royals & the early 20^th century intellectuals, sitting alongside high-rise concrete apartment blocks, office buildings, modern hotels & traffic-filled streets.

Most recently much of the city’s core was destroyed in 1882 during a 3 day bombardment that marked the British seizure of power in Egypt. The city recovered though & the 19^th century kick-started a cosmopolitan makeover & renaissance when Alexandria became a thriving & cosmopolitan port & one of the Mediterranean's key commercial hubs. This revival was cut short in the 1950s by President Nasser's nationalism. This chapter in Alexandria’s history came to a close, however, with the Nationalist & Socialist revolution of the Free Officers in 1952. This new Government, banned non-Egyptians from owning property or businesses & the influence of Arab nationalism, led to the exodus of Alexandria’s large Jewish & international communities consequently dismantling the multi-cultural society that thrived there for centuries.

Alexandria is no longer the cosmopolitan cultural hub it once was but it remains a beautiful & enchanting city with immediate access to the beautiful beaches of the Mediterranean.

Reach the city & embark on a sightseeing tour of the enchanted city.

Begin with 30 meters tall Pompey's Pillar, the largest Roman triumphal Column outside Rome or Constantinople, constructed to commemorate the victory of Roman Emperor Diocletian in ending a revolt in Alexandria. Made out of a single piece of Aswan granite along with a base & Corinthian capital. It is one of the largest ancient monoliths ever constructed. Around the Memorial Column, you will also find a number of Statues, Artifacts & the remains of Serapium, a Temple to the deity Serapis, once a magnificent structure rivalling the Soma & the Caesarean.

The Column was mis-attributed during the Middle Ages, but was actually built around 297 A.D & its name is misleading. This single Column standing on a rocky hilltop in the middle of Alexandria has nothing to do with the Roman Consul & General Gaius Pompeius Magnus (Pompey) who was Julius Caesar’s rival in a Civil War who was killed by a Ptolomaic Pharaoh in 48 BC when he fled to Alexandria. The legend was started by the Crusaders, who thought the red Aswan granite Pillar marked the burial site of Emperor Diocletian.

In the first centuries AD, Christianity was introduced to Egypt & Alexandria developed into its stronghold. Gradually, Christianity became the dominant religion in Egypt, relegating adherents of the ancient traditions & pagan Gods an irrelevant minority that became increasingly unpopular. The Serapeum, dedicated to Alexandria’s patron God, Serapis, was a symbol of this ancient tradition, which conflicted with the increasingly popular ideas of Christianity.

In 391 AD, patriarch Theophilus, leader of the Church of Alexandria, led a Christian mob to destroy the Serapeum & other symbols of paganism in the city. Some accounts even blame this mob for the destruction of the Great Library of Alexandria too, although this is disputed.

Today, this Column marks the site of what was once a huge & elaborate Temple, which was constructed of marble & decorated with precious metals on the interior. Some of the tunnels around the complex remain open for tourists to explore & some of the artifacts stolen from the Temple have been recovered. A life-size black basalt bull from the Temple & a golden plaque marking the foundation of the Serapis are on display in the Greco-Roman Museum.

Walk from here to explore the nearby 2^nd century AD Catacombs of Kom el Shoqafa which are the largest Roman Necropolis (Cemetery) consisting of 3 levels of Tombs & Chambers cut into the bedrock to a depth of 35 meters (the bottom level is flooded & inaccessible).

Discovered accidentally in 1900, when a donkey fell down & disappeared through the ground, these Catacombs make up the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt & one of the last major works of construction dedicated to the religion of ancient Egypt.

The Arabic name translates to English as “the mound of potshards”, referring to the broken dishes & plates that marked the area before the Tombs were discovered below.

Demonstrating Alexandria’s hallmark fusion of Pharaonic & Greek styles, the architects used a Graeco-Roman approach & the impressively decorated Tombs are considered as one of the “Seven Wonders of the Middle Ages”.

The Tombs are thought to have originally belonged to a single wealthy Roman family that began using it for burials around the 2^nd century AD; however, the Complex was significantly expanded & was in use till 4^th century AD.

When the Catacombs were originally constructed, probably as a family crypt, the rotunda would have led only to the triclinium & principal Tomb Chamber. But over the 300 years that the Tomb was in use, more Chambers were hacked out until it had developed into a hive that could accommodate more than 300 corpses.

The Catacombs contain a large number of graves, including a mass grave of animal & human remains that is attributed to a mass execution carried out in Alexandria by the Roman Emperor Caracalla in 215 AD.

In the early centuries AD, the Roman Empire was in control of Egypt, but the influences of ancient Egypt & Greek culture, due to the legacy of Alexander & the Ptolomies, were still strong. So, the figures carved into the walls often combine the forms of ancient Egyptian Gods & Pharaonic symbols with Roman & Greek dress or mythological creatures. Consequently, they display an unusual fusion of Greek, Roman & Egyptian funerary iconography.

Visitors descend via a narrow spiral staircase that leads down through several levels & find a series of Tombs, Statues, Reliefs & objects show an interesting merging of the Pharaonic funeral cult with Hellenistic & Roman influences.

The staircase leads off to a rotunda with a central well piercing down into the gloom of the flooded lower level. The bodies of the dead would have been lowered on ropes down the center of this circular shaft.

The Tombs are organized around the staircase & underground passages lead to a pillared Lobby, a Roman triclinium which was a Banquet Hall where grieving relatives paid their last respects to the dead during a funeral feast, main Tomb area & the Hall of Caracalla. Mourners, who returned to feast after 40 days & again on each anniversary, reclined on the raised benches around a low table, at the center of the room. Some of the passages are very narrow & confined, so probably not advisable for those who are claustrophobic.

Head down the stairs to the principal Tomb, the centerpiece of the Catacombs. Here, an antechamber with columns & pediment leads through to an inner sanctum. The doorway is flanked by figures representing Anubis, the Egyptian God of the Dead, but he is dressed as a Roman legionary & sports a serpent’s tail representative of Agathos Daimon, a Greek divinity.

From the antechamber, a couple of short passages lead to a large U-shaped Chamber lined with loculi - the holes in which the bodies were placed. After the body (or bodies, as many of the loculi held more than one) had been placed inside, the small Chamber was sealed with a plaster slab.

Back up in the rotunda, 4 other passageways lead off to small clusters of Tombs. One of these new passageways was hacked by industrious Tomb Robbers & gives access to an entirely different complex, known as the Hall of Caracalla which had its own staircase access (long-since caved in).

Beside the hole in the wall, a painting shows the mummification of Osiris & the kidnapping of Persephone by Hades, illustrating ancient Egyptian & Greek funerary myths. However, most of the walls are unadorned & nearly all the paintings having faded to invisibility.

After spending an hour here, drive on to the famous Bibliotheca Alexandria, believed to have been one of the largest & most significant Libraries & an important place of scholarship, considered to be the archive of ancient knowledge.

After the death of Alexander the Great & the founding of the Ptolemaic Dynasty in Egypt, the Bibliotheca Alexandria was created in the new Capitol & evolved into the single greatest repository of knowledge in the world, collected up to that point in history. At its zenith, the Library’s collection of ancient scrolls may have numbered in the hundreds of thousands & ranging in subjects from Philosophy to Physics & Astronomy to Biology & Medicine & much more.

The ancient Library served as much more than just housing for a giant collection of books & Papyrus scrolls. Many of the world’s most famous ancient Thinkers & Researchers & Scientists came here to study & learned men gave lectures to students at Mouseion, the larger Institution of Learning of which the Library was a part, in order to pass on the acquired wisdom & knowledge of the time. It is considered one of the greatest accomplishments in the legacy of ancient Alexandria & is credited with preserving most of the knowledge of the ancient world.

Centuries later, one of history’s greatest losses of ancient knowledge occurred when the great Bibliotheca Alexandria & the Mouseion were destroyed by fire. It is not known when exactly but the date is placed sometime around the beginning of the Roman Era in Egypt (31 BC). Historical sources differ on whether there was one great fire or multiple fires over time that eventually destroyed the entire Complex. But what is indisputable is that the Library’s invaluable collections did indeed go up in flames & are sadly now lost forever. No one knows how much ancient knowledge was lost.

In 2002, a new Bibliotheca Alexandria & a Cultural Center was officially opened amidst the faded remnants of the once grand seafront Corniche believed to be exact spot where the original was located, as a commemoration of Alexandria’s legacy as an ancient center of world learning & culture and the latest re-incarnation as Egypt's cultural Capital.

While the new version will never be a replacement for its ancient namesake, it is still a beautiful reminder of how glorious & advanced ancient Egypt was and also serves as a center of modern scholarship.

The Complex seeks to rekindle the intellectual light that once flowed from Alexandria. The Library boasts a huge & visually stunning main Reading Room & space for storage of nearly 9 million books in 3 main languages - Arabic, French & English. The Complex also houses several smaller specialized Museums, a Conference Center, Art Galleries for both permanent & temporary exhibitions & a Planetarium.

One of the most modern public buildings in Egypt (& one of the most costly). The interesting exterior made of Aswan granite, decorated with the characters of 120 different written languages as a reference to the wealth of knowledge from around the world once housed in the Great Library.

After enjoying a brief look inside, proceed to the next point - Alexandria National Museum.

Enroute, pass by the 15^th century Qayetbay Citadel, built atop the foundations of the collapsed ancient Pharos (Lighthouse), on a peninsula jutting out from the corniche on the southeast corner of Island of Pharos in the city of Alexandria on the north coast.

Started in the 3^rd century BC by Ptolemy I Soter & finished by his son Ptolemy II Philadelphus over a period of 12 years. Built from large blocks of light-colored stone, the Tower was made of 3 tapering tiers. The 1^st was a lower square section with a central core; the middle octagonal section & at the top, a circular section.

The 138 meters Pharos towering over the city’s busy harbor, was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World during the Hellenistic period. It was constructed of stone, probably white-washed limestone (although some say marble) & light was produced at the top by a furnace to guide ships safely into Alexandria harbor.

Historians affirm that it was used, like the sun by day & fire by night, to make sure that sailors crossing the Mediterranean Sea could safely navigate the dangerous waters & return safely. For Architects, it meant, even more as it was the tallest structure in the world as the only taller man-made structures at the time would have been the Pyramids of Giza, until the Eiffel Tower was erected in 1889. And for Scientists, it was a fascinating & intriguing mystery.

The Lighthouse is no longer standing, destroyed by a powerful earthquake in 1323 AD, though it did exist for almost 1,500 years, surviving many Egyptian regimes & conflicts, even the one that resulted in the destruction of the Library of Alexandria.

The last remnants disappeared in 1480 when the Sultan of Egypt, Qayetbay, ordered the construction of a medieval Fort, using the remaining stones of the Tower, on the same spot where the Lighthouse once stood, to bolster his coastal defenses.

Much of the information about the construction of the Lighthouse is still just speculation. In 1968 during an archeological expedition sponsored by UNESCO, led by Honor Frost, some remnants of the Lighthouse of Alexandria were discovered underwater in the Mediterranean Sea. Some more submerged remains of the former Lighthouse have been discovered relatively recently in the Alexandria Harbor & can be seen by divers. There are plans to get UNESCO protection for these remains & also to open up an Underwater Museum so more visitors can view them.

The picturesque Citadel of Qayetbay, built atop the foundations of the collapsed ancient Pharos (Lighthouse), one of the most important defensive strongholds for Egypt along the Mediterranean Sea, was built in 1480 AD by the Mamluk Sultan al-Ashraf Qayetbay, to defend Alexandria from the advances of the Ottoman Empire. His efforts were in vain since the Ottomans took control of Egypt in 1512, but the Fortress has remained, strategically located on a thin arm of land that extends out into Alexandria’s harbor from the corniche.

Qayetbay built the Fortress here to take advantage of the existing foundation of the legendary Pharos which had been destroyed by that time. The largest stones of the Citadel, forming the lintel & doorway of its entrance, as well as the red granite columns in the Mosque within the walls, are probably also salvaged from the ancient Lighthouse that once stood here.

The Fortress’ current form is not the original. It was maintained by subsequent Rulers due to its strategic importance. It was heavily damaged during the British bombardment of Alexandria during the Urabi Uprising & fell into neglect & ruin until King Farouk turned it into a royal Palace in 1904.

The Citadel has long since given up any Military function. Today, it houses a small Naval Museum. If time permits, it might be worth a visit to explore the inside of the Fortress & visualize the huge original structure.

After spending 30 minutes here, proceed to Alexandria National Museum (also called Greco-Roman Museum).

The city’s location between the Mediterranean & the Nile wetlands behind means that it has literally been built on top of itself several times over to fit into this confined space. Add to this the devastation of repeated conquests, sieges & bombardments throughout its history, it is easy to understand that very little of ancient Alexandria is visible today & little to show for its storied history.

It can be difficult to imagine the importance of this city as a hub of trade & culture since its founding in 331 BC. But, a visit to the Greco-Roman Museum, housed in a beautifully restored Italian Villa, may help overcome the confusion.

This small but excellent Museum sets a high benchmark with its summary of Alexandria’s past & its thoughtfully selected & well-labelled Collection does a sterling job of relating the city’s history from antiquity until the modern period.

It features artifacts from a fascinating period in Egyptian history when Greek, Roman & ancient Egyptian civilization all interacted here, resulting in an interesting fusion of traditions. Here, you will come in contact with several legendary figures from world history, all of who spent important parts of their lives in the city. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Marc Antony, & Cleopatra are all represented here. You can also see the only existing replica of the Pharos Lighthouse that used to mark Alexandria’s harbor.

The ground floor is dedicated to Graeco-Roman times & highlights include a Sphinx & other sculptures found during underwater excavations at Aboukir. Look for the small statue of the Greek God Harpocrates with a finger to his lips (representing silence); he was morphed from the original Egyptian God Horus & is also connected to Eros. Also check out the beautiful statue of a Ptolemaic Queen, with Egyptian looks & a Hellenistic body. Especially beautiful are the tanagra - terracotta statues of Greek women & the discoveries found underwater in the Mediterranean.

The basement covers the Pharaonic period with finds from all over Egypt. Note the false doors, which were the link between the living & the dead and the reserve heads that were placed near the corpse as a substitute for the head in the afterlife.

The top floor displays artefacts from the Byzantine, Islamic & modern periods, including coins, Ottoman weapons & jewels. Don’t miss the exquisite silver shield. Early co-existence of Alexandria’s major religions is represented by a carved Wooden Cross encircled by a Crescent.

Just outside the Museum is Kom Al-Dikka (Arabic  translation - “mound of rubble”). This is one of a handful of sites where archeologists have uncovered a huge part of the ancient city. The ongoing digging has revealed a well-preserved Roman Amphitheater, the only one of many that are supposed to have adorned the ancient city. The site has also revealed a Roman Bathhouse & a Villa with mosaic decorations still intact.

Now, drive on to Montazah Palace & Gardens.

Alexandria was traditionally the place where wealthy Cairenes went to escape the summer heat since the Mediterranean city’s climate is significantly milder. This included the ruling family of Egypt & Sudan. Khedive Abbas II, who ruled from 1892 to 1914 & built Montazah Palace along the Alexandrian coastline as a summer residence.

Montaza is the name of a distinguished neighborhood within the city, where the Royals used to live. Some of the many Palaces & royal residences still exist.

Built at the beginning of the 20^th century, the Palace set amidst extensive Gardens, overlooking a truly beautiful stretch of coast, combining Ottoman & Florentine architecture. The central Tower was inspired by the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence.

In fact, there were 2 Palaces. The first one, Al Salamlik, was built in 1892 as a hunting lodge for Khedive & his friends. This Palace was transformed into a Museum until it became part of the Presidential Palace Complex that is now used to house the President’s visitors.

When Abbas II died, the royal family continued to take care of the Montazah area, until Farouk, the last King of Egypt, died.

The Free Officers Revolution of 1952 removed the ruling family from power & the Gardens & the Palace became property of the Government & the well-maintained Gardens & an attractive, seaside Park were opened to the public.

The 3,000 meters Palace Gardens are covered with all kinds of trees & tropical plants, as well as some particular types of rare palms, difficult to find elsewhere. It is a pleasant place to relax & stroll along the palm tree lined walkways of the beautiful Gardens, a green setting bordered by fine sand beaches. Visitors can explore several Greenhouses, home to an impressive variety of exotic plants.

The Palace was renovated during the 1970’s & for a while served as an official Presidential residence during the summer months before the Government decided to build a Presidential residence at Sharm El Shiekh during the 1990’s. The Palace has now been converted into a luxury hotel.

Drive on to the last stop will be at Imam Al Busiri Mosque.

Although the religious sites in Alexandria are perhaps not as grand as some of those in Cairo but, with its important seaport Alexandria has long been an important place for trade & a cosmopolitan city, having residents of all faiths & religions.

Sharaf Al-Din Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Saeed Hammad bin Mohsen, nicknamed “Al-Busiri” (1213 AD - 1295) was an Islamic Sufi Poet. Different biographers present slightly different versions of Imam Al Busiri’s life.

Little is known about Imam Al Busiri’s childhood. Sometime during his youth, he made his way to Cairo where he pursued his studies & was exposed to the important Islamic sciences - Arabic language & linguistics & literature, history & the biography of Prophet Muammad.

As a young man, Imam Al Busiri began to compose Poetry which was not of a religious nature. In 1240, at the age of 30, he composed a Poem to petition King Najm Al Din Al Ayyubi. An accomplished Poet, he would often recite his Poetry & give lessons at Mosques in Cairo & many young Poets studied under him. Based on his Poetry, one can map out his spiritual development. He records his experiences in life, interactions with people, complaints & insights. His later Poetry consists mainly of panegyric Poems praising Prophet Muhammad.

Imam Al Busiri lived in various locations in Cairo & in the Delta region. He was skilled in Accounts but worked primarily as a Scribe & Manuscript copyist for the local Rulers. At one time, a Ruler offered him the position of a Muhtasib (market inspector), in Cairo but he rejected it. From this job offer, we can discern that Imam Al Busiri had a thorough knowledge of Islamic Law & Jurisprudence.

Imam Al Busiri was interested in religious polemics. He read the Hebrew Bible, New Testament & religious history of Judaism & Christianity & was known to engage in fiery debates with his Jewish & Christian colleagues. In addition to being a Poet, Imam Al Busiri was also a fine Calligrapher as well as a composer of Prose. It is said he made a living designing the engravings for Tombstones.

It not known when exactly Imam Al Busiri became a disciple of Al Mursi Abu Al Abbas. It can be assumed that this happened later, some years before the death of al-Mursi in 1287 AC. He studied Sufi thought & practice under Mursi & this background would have a strong influence on his later poetry.

Imam Al Busiri Mosque, adjacent to Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi Mosque, was constructed in Ottoman style in 1863 under the order of Mohamed Said Pasha, the son of Egypt’s renowned Muhammed Ali Pasha. The Mosque has a parchment manuscript containing 94 verses of the Burda poem inscribed with commentaries & Quranic verses, painted white on a blue ground. He wrote Poems full of praise of al-Shadhili & al-Mursi. Perhaps after becoming a Sufi disciple, he underwent a spiritual awakening.

Although buried in his official Tomb Alexandria, it is not known if Imam Al Busiri spent his last years in Cairo or Alexandria. Al-Maqrizi recorded that he died in al-Mansuri Hospital in Cairo.

Spend an hour in the Mosque before departing for Cairo.

Arrive at the hotel by 09.00 pm.

Morning, meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 06.00 am & depart for a full day excursion to Al Bahnasa.

The small town of al-Bahnasa in the governorate of el-Minya, is situated on the west bank of the Nile, to the west of the road between Maghagha & Beni Mazar and out towards the edge of the cultivation. Al-Bahnasa is the location for the destroyed site of the Capital of the 19^th Upper Egyptian nome & occupies part of a major archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered.

Little is known of the Pharaonic history of the town except that a species of mormyrus fish was worshipped there by a local cult. The ‘sharp-nosed fish’ is reputed to have been one of the 3 species of Nile fish which, according to legend, ate the phallus of Osiris when the God’s body was cut into pieces by his brother Seth.

After the conquest of Egypt by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, the city was re-established as a prosperous regional Hellenistic town called Oxyrhynchus (or Oxyrhynchonpolis). Plutarch tells of a dispute which broke out between this town & its neighbour, Cynopolis, who worshipped a dog - each community being accused of killing & eating each other’s sacred emblems.

The town began to gain in importance during Ptolemaic times when it became a prosperous regional Capital & under the Greeks & Romans, became the 3^rd city of Egypt. Oxyrhynchus was a large & sophisticated town during Roman times, with access to the camel-routes between the Nile Valley & the western oasis & it is thought to have housed as many as 6,000 people during its prominence.

After Egypt was Christianized, it became famous for its many Churches & Monasteries. A few structures have been revealed from this period, including part of a colonnade & a substantial Roman theatre. There is evidence of a gymnasium, public baths & about twenty Temples. The site had long been quarried for its stone & brick, destroying some structures.

It was Archeologists Arthur Hunt & Bernard Grenfell from Oxford who were to make the Oxyrhynchus famous. In 1896, they had been excavating for papyri for the newly-formed Graeco-Roman branch of the Egypt Exploration Fund Project.

In the town’s rubbish mounds, they discovered a large quantity of papyri scrolls ranging from the Roman conquest to the early Islamic period. Between 1896 & 1906, Oxyrhynchus yielded an impressive collection of texts, mostly written in Greek but also in Latin, Coptic & Arabic. Literary works included Plays & Poetry, several previously lost classical works, as well as known texts of Plato.

Fragmentary Christian texts were also found, including a collection of Logia (or sayings of Christ), some of which do not appear in the gospels. Other discarded manuscripts found in the rubbish dumps consisted of letters & texts which shed an important light on daily life in Roman Egypt. Details of political, financial & religious concerns have been revealed in this excavation - one of the largest & most important finds of Papyri in Egypt.

Together, Grenfell & Hunt went on to edit & publish many volumes of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri for the Egypt Exploration Fund.

Since the late 19^th century, the area has yielded an enormous collection of papyrus texts dating from the Ptolemaic Kingdom & Roman Egypt. They also include a few vellum manuscripts & more recently, Arabic manuscripts on paper.

Oxyrhynchus remained a prominent, though gradually declining, town in the Roman & Byzantine periods. From 619 to 629, during the brief period of Sasanian Egypt, 3 Greek papyri found here, include references to large sums of gold that were to be sent to the Emperor.

During the era of Rashidun Caliphate, Oxyrhynchus was invaded & conquered by Rashidun army. At first, Rashidun sent emissary to negotiate with the garrison commander of the city but as the negotiation ended badly, his forces attacked.

At that point, the town's name was changed to Al-Bahnasa & it subsequently contained a Cemetery of 5,000 Companions of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad who had participated in the conquest of Oxyrhynchus. After the Muslim conquest of Egypt in 641, the canal system on which the town depended fell into disrepair & the city was abandoned.

Before it was renamed as "al-Bahnasa", Oxyrynchus was renamed by Maqrizi as "Al-Qays", or "town of Martyrs" in honor to one of the Muslim Commander that participated in the conquest. Ali Pasha Mubarak mentioned in the compromise plans that it was a flat city that had great fame & encompassed about 1,000 acres & its territory included 120 villages, other than the Plantations & Hamlets.

The northern side is Kandous, the western is the mountain, the tribal is Touma, and the eastern is the sea. Each city gate had 3 Towers & there were 40 Ribats, Palaces & Mosques. At its western end, there is a famous monument known as the "Dome of Seven Maidens".

Today, al Bahnasa occupies part of the ancient site. The Arabs called the city as "Al-Baqi of Egypt" as 5,000 Sahaba were buried here. The large numbers of fallen Muslim soldiers buried in this city due to major battles against the Roman army & their fortifications in this area.

It is recorded by various early Islam chroniclers, such as Al-Waqidi in his F̣utuh al-Bahnasa & Muhammad ibn Muhammad al-Mu"izz in “The Conquest of Bahnasa”. Muslim armies under Khalid ibn al-Walid besieged the town for months before they can subdue the 50,000 Byzantine & Beja Sudanese garrison defenders. The Muslim army settled in & used the town as their base for 3 years, while launching occasional raids on the coasts.

Among the most notable Tombs that allegedly belong to the Muslim martyrs were the Tombs of the children of Aqil bin Ali bin Abi Talib (brother of Ali, 4^th Rashidun Caliph), Ziyad bin Abi Sufyan bin Abdul Muttalib (son of Abu Sufyan ibn Harb), Aban ibn Uthman bin Affan, Muhammad ibn Abi Abd al-Rahman bin Abi Bakr al-Siddiq (grandson of Abu Bakar) & Hassan al-Salih ibn Zayn al-Abidin bin al-Hussein (great grandson of Ali).

There is the Mosque of Al-Hassan bin Saleh bin Ali Zain Al-Abidin bin Al-Hussein bin Ali bin Abi Talib which was built in honor for the venerated Muslim who had participated in the conquest of Bahnasa. It is the only mosque in Egypt that has 2 qiblas.

There was also a particular Mosque called Dome of 7 Maidens, which was built to honor 7 Oxyrhynchus coptic girls who defected & helped the Muslim armies under Amr ibn al-As & are now venerated for their effort in the conquest of the city.

There are other existing structures erected by locals, in honor of the Muslim personalities regarded as heroes - Sidi Fath al-Bab Tomb & Sidi Ali al-Jamam Mosque. The locals were very proud that their town contained so many landmarks of early Muslim heroes, including 600 persons who participated in the battles of Islam since the time of Muhammad.

Since the days of Grenfell & Hunt, the focus of attention at Oxyrhynchus has shifted. Modern archaeologists are interested in learning about the social, economic & political life of the ancient world & this shift in emphasis had made the city even more important. Many works on Egyptian & Roman social & economic history & on the history of Christianity rely heavily on documents from Oxyrhynchus.

And now, it is time to return home to Cairo.

Reach the hotel by 10.00 pm.

Morning, Check-out & meet the Tour-guide in the Lobby at 07.00 am & embark on some more exploration of ‘Islamic’ sites, depending on the available time.

Proceed to Mosque of Ibn Tulun, the city’s oldest intact, functioning Islamic monument, identified by its high walls topped with neat crenulations that resemble a string of paper dolls.

The first Mosques were modelled on the Prophet Muhammad's house: there is the open sahn (courtyard), the arcaded riwaq (portico) & the covered, often domed, sahat al salah (prayer hall). A vaulted niche in the wall is called the mihrab serves to indicate the qibla, or direction of Mecca, towards which Muslims must face when they pray. The minbar (or pulpit), is traditionally reached by 3 Steps. The Prophet is said to have preached from the 3^rd Step. Abu Bakr, his successor, used the 2^nd Step.

It was built between AD 876 & 879 by Ahmad Ibn Tulun, who was sent to rule the outpost of Al Fustat in the 9^th century by the Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad.

The Mosque is one of the most beloved in Egypt & is commemorated on the back of the Egyptian 5 Pound currency note. It could be seen as a symbol of triumph in the face of adversity, as it was built by the son of a Turkish slave who rose to become Governor of Egypt.

According to local legend, the Mosque is built on the site that Noah’s Ark was grounded after a historic flood & even the Mosque’s Minarets & architecture are surrounded by many local myths.

Ibn Tulun drew inspiration from his homeland, particularly the ancient Mosque of Samarra (Iraq), on which the spiral Minaret is modelled, as well as the use of brick. He also added some innovations of his own. According to architectural historians, this is the first structure to use the pointed Arch, a good 200 years before the European Gothic Arch.

Covering 2.5 hectares, large enough for the whole community of Al Fustat to assemble for Friday prayers, it has an outer moatlike courtyard, originally created to keep the secular city at a distance, once filled with shops & stalls. Its geometric simplicity is part of its beauty, best appreciated from the top of the Minaret. accessed from the moat

Move on to other sites, if time permits.

In time, you will be transferred to Terminal? - Cairo International Airport for your onward journey. 

Alas, like all good things, the wonderful experience comes to an end. Time to say good-bye to mystical Egypt & go home. But, we sure hope that you may want to discover a little bit more of this enchanting country on your next visit.

In Cairo, your nerves will jangle, your snot will run black from the smog & touts will hound you at every turn, but it is a small price to pay to tap into the energy of the place Egyptians call Umm Ad Dunya - the Mother of the World. Blow your nose, crack a joke & look through the dirt to see the city's true colours. If you love Cairo, it will definitely love you back & welcome you back.

 “Travel is like knowledge. The more you see the more you know you have not seen” - Mark Hertsgaard

 .

  ***      End of Services      ***