We left home at 5:30 AM for a 7 AM departure from SFO on American Airlines for our flight to Cairo, Egypt. Unfortunately, the connection at JFK was missed due to a violent wind and rainstorm that shut down the airport. Our flight diverted to Syracuse for more fuel, finally arriving at JFK around 11 PM, 5 hours after the Egypt Air flight departed. We had to spend the night in a nearby hotel, but at least we were warm and dry and had our luggage.
We spent the day confirming the evening flight to Cairo; fortunately, we were booked by the GCT staff, and got on the flight.
Arrived this afternoon in Cairo. A GCT Representative met us and assisted with the customs and transfer to the Cairo Marriott, a former palace built in 1868 for Empress Eugenie and current 5-star hotel overlooking the Nile. Our room on the 17th floor had a view of the Nile and downtown - we could see the Egyptian Museum from our window.
We met, Nabil, our Program Director who is a trained Egyptologist, in the late afternoon. He briefed us on local customs and important information. He took us for a walk around the hotel's neighborhood, showing us the pharmacy, liquor store, restaurant, etc.
This evening, we enjoyed one of GCT's special programs, a visit with a local family in their home. They shared their evening meal with us, and told us about their life in Cairo. This was a wonderful opportunity, to experience the everyday life and hospitality of typical Egyptians.
This morning we drove to the Giza Plateau, home of Egypt's most famous attractions: the Great Pyramids, proclaimed by the Greeks to be among the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The largest among these is the Great Pyramid of Cheops (Chufu), probably built more than 2500 years BC - 4,500 years ago! Standing 450 feet tall, this is the only one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world still standing. Little is known of Cheops, as information about him was looted from the pyramid long before archaeologists explored it. He must, however have been extremely wealthy and powerful to have such a monument built as his sole tomb (his wives were probably buried in nearby much smaller pyramids). Nabil insisted all the building was done by free persons, never slaves, and certainly not extraterrestrials or gods.
We also saw the inscrutable and mysterious Sphinx (the name was given by Greeks, not the original builder). It is carved almost entirely from one piece of limestone. Fortunately, the entire statue was covered in sand for millennia, for it is made of sandstone and would have eroded long ago otherwise.
When Napoleon first set eyes on the monument, it was still covered in sand up to its neck. Today it has been excavated, revealing the paws of a resting lion and chambers at its base.
At the base of the Great Pyramid are five “boat pits” discovered in 1982. The boat (Solar Barque) is a nearly perfectly preserved funerary boat intended to ferry the pharaoh's mummy across the Nile, and then buried at the foot of the pyramid for his use in the afterlife. Held together with ropes and pegs (but no nails), the boat is on display encased in stone.
Nova has a website featuring the marvels of the Giza Plateau, including the Sphinx and the pyramids, and a tour of inside the Great Pyramid (which we didn't take).
After several hours touring Giza, we had lunch at the Hotel Meridan, another 5-star hotel with a fabulous buffet. We then went 15 miles southward to incredible Sakkara. Sakkara is part of Memphis' massive necropolis, and the burial site of most kings of the 1st and 2nd dynasties (around 3100 BC). Given its vital role in the earliest years of the Egyptian civilization, Sakkara is a focal point of Egypotological studies, and never seems to stop yielding new discoveries. The contrast between the Nile vicinity, with green vegatation and fertile soil, and Sakkara's sandy desert was remarkable. The best-known monument is the Step Pyramid. Dating to the 3rd Dynasty reign of King Djoser, it's the oldest known pyramid in all Egypt. Its designer, Imhotep, is credited as well for the first royal stone tombs. Although Imhotep's name was used in the recent Hollywood movie The Mummy, the reality is Imhotep was an architect and builder; and would never behave in the way depicted in the movie. Indeed, he is revered as a benign or favorable icon. Equally notable is the Pyramid of Unas, last king of the 5th Dynasty, who adorned his tomb with the “Pyramid Texts”–actually, spells that supposedly would help his majesty ascend to the heavens, safely pass the journey through the afterlife, and then descend to earth.
With our Egyptologist guide Nabil leading us, we spent an eye-opening afternoon exploring the necropolis. We stopped by a rug weaving school on our way back to the hotel where we were shown the ancient technique of rug making being passed down to the younger generation. A single rug can take months to complete. The students use the money they make to continue their further education, or as seed money to start a shop or business.
After breakfast, we visited the world-renowned Egyptian Museum. We strolled through the dozens of halls highlighting each historical period of this ancient land. We marveled at the glittering treasures of King Tutankhamen, unparalleled in their variety, exquisite beauty, and sheer weight in gold and precious gems. It was thought-provoking, seeing this treasure of more than 1,700 fabulous items buried with a young and relatively unimportant king: who can even imagine what the tombs of great and long-lived pharaohs must have contained? We didn't want to enter the Royal Mummies room to view the “sleeping” Kings of ancient Egypt; it was just too creepy for Kiyomi. We had lunch at the museum snack shop, and browsed the gift shop, looking for ideas for souvenirs. A lot of information on the history and culture of Pharaonic Egypt is here.
This morning, we had another visit to the Egyptian Museum, this time accompanied by other group members (who had also missed the scheduled tour due to flight delays) and led by Nabil. He explained many of the things we had seen earlier, and answered many of the questions we had when we were by ourselves. He also took us to other areas we hadn't visited.
We skipped the chance to explore what may be the largest traditional shopping bazaar in the world, the Khan el-Khalili Bazaar. In the tiny alleyways, there are hundreds of shops where you can watch gold and coppersmiths, brass makers, and fortunetellers at work. Bargaining, Arab-style, is the norm there, and practiced as a national pastime; but we were reluctant to face the hordes of sellers, offering everything imaginable for sale. It was just as well - we found out later on CNN that a bomb had exploded shorly after the group we would have been with had left the area.
After dinner, we returned to Giza for a spectacular Sound & Light show. Nothing compares to seeing the Pyramids and the Sphinx illuminated at night; the visual effects as well as dramatic commentary made for an unforgettable evening.
After a 4:30 AM wake-up and early breakfast, we went to the airport and flew to Aswan (only about a one-hour flight, but with all the security and waiting in lines, it was a 5-hour process) where we would embark our Nile Cruise Ship, which would be our floating hotel for the next seven nights. Upon arrival, we began our sightseeing at the Aswan High Dam, which was built in 1960 creating Lake Nasser (the largest artificial lake at the time). It was the construction of this dam that necessitated the monumental engineering feat of moving the massive Temples of Ramses II and Nefertari to their new location in Abu Simbel in the 1960s. This extraordinary operation to save one of the world's greatest treasures took 11 years, cost millions of dollars, and the efforts of an international team of engineers and archaeologists. We were glad they did after we visited the temple at Abu Simbel the next day.
We saw the Old Dam, built by the British in 1902, and continued our drive past the lovely temple to Isis on Philae
We had lunch on board the ship, the first of many delicious meals. Traditional felucca boats with their lateen (triangular) sails ply the water in profusion here. After lunch, we sailed aboard one around Elephantine Island, enjoying views of the Mausoleum of Aga Khan, the great Ismaili Moslem leader. This fine example of Fatimid architecture dominates the skyline of Aswan's west bank. Dinner on board was a sumptuos feast. It was followed by live piano music, but we were too full and tired to do more than crawl off to bed.
We took an excursion to Abu Simbel. After a really early breakfast, we flew (approximately 40 minutes) south, and spent time exploring the magnificent monuments carved into solid rock 3,300 years ago. The massive temple was built by Egypt's great Pharaoh Ramses II (Egypt's longest-ruling king, and also oldest) as a tribute to the deities and his favorite wife Nefertari. Four colossal statues, 60 feet high and directly facing the rising sun, are of the pharaoh himself, with his queen and daughters at his feet. More tremendous statues surround you as you enter the temple. And in the very depths of the temple, Ramses sits in state flanked by the gods to whom the construction is dedicated. Originally built into the side of a mountain, the temple is now backed by an artificial mountain built to resemble the original location. The temple was constructed so that the rising sun shone between the statues of Ramses and into the inner recesses of the sanctuary on February 22nd and October 22nd. Modern engineers spent a full year calculating the new placement of the temple to reproduce this miracle. Today, as it has for millennia, the sun's rays illuminate the holy statues for 20 minutes on those dates each year.
After breakfast, we stopped by the Papyrus Institute and learned about the millenia-old technique of creating paper from papyrus–the material we can thank for recording so much of Egypt's ancient history. We bought some souvenir scrolls with Egyptian symbols and our names in hieroglyphs. We continued on for a visit to the Temple of Aset (Isis), perched majestically on Philae Island. The temple complex dates from the 26th Dynasty, with additions through the Roman period when the Emperor Hadrian built a pavilion at the water's edge. Pilgrims would come from all over the Mediterranean to worship Isis here. It was one of the last places where the ancient Egyptian religions flourished (well into the sixth century when Justinian finally closed it in A.D. 550).
This exquisite temple complex spent periods of time underwater after the Old Dam was first built, and the building of the High Dam threatened it permanently, as the rising waters of Lake Nasser completely submerged the original Philae Island. A coffer was built around the island, water was pumped out, and the temple was painstakingly dismantled and reassembled on Agilika Island.
This afternoon, after a short 30-mile cruise down the Nile, it was off to the Temple of Kom Ombo, set dramatically on a hill overlooking a bend in the Nile. This Greco-Roman style temple (actually two temples) is unique, as it is Egypt's only double temple–dedicated to both Sobek, the crocodile god, and Haroeris, the great, winged solar disk. Everything here is doubled and perfectly symmetrical along a central axis–twin entrances, twin courts, and twin colonnades. On the way back to the ship, Kiyomi went shopping for Galabeyas (the traditional Egyptian clothes) for the party tonight, and found some good bargains. By the way, there are dozens of Gods and Goddesses in the Egyptian pantheon - this link is a good resource for investigating their reputed powers, and the various creation myths of ancient Egypt.
Tonight we had a savory Egyptian dinner buffet, followed by a festive Galabeya Party, where the other guests, Kiyomi and I modeled our Galabeyas.
Edfu's Temple of Horus, Egypt's best-preserved temple, but also fairly new, built over a 180-year period from 237 BC to 57 BC. Dedicated to Horus, the god of the sun and planets, the falcon (Horus' symbol) is prominent in the vivid hieroglyphs and bas-reliefs of the temple. Thirty-eight columns surround the court, and a fine statue of Horus stands guard over the entry. Every available surface is carved with hieroglyphs describing offerings to the god. The large, sunny courtyard is a Chapel of the New Year, a sun court similar to the one we'll later see at Dendera. Paintings on the ceiling depict a solar barque sailing through the twelve hours of the day–the goddess Nut is depicted overseeing and controlling the journey —Ancient Egyptians believed that in the evenings, Nut would swallow Ra, the sun god, and in the mornings give birth to him. Each year during the Festival of the New Year, the statue of Horus would be carried from here to the terrace on the roof to be recharged by the sun.
We spent the rest of the day cruising down the Nile, enjoying the peaceful and beautiful scenery, and negotiating the locks at Esna.
Tonight, after another delicious dinner, we enjoyed a colorful fashion show. Kiyomi was "volunteered" to model the belly dancer costume - the video is not to be missed! It was actually educational and informative, because many of the typical Egyptian roles were explained and the traditional clothing modeled.
After an early breakfast, we rode to the west bank of the Nile, the hilly area that was the Necropolis of Thebes. We visited the Valley of the Kings, with its many tombs chiseled deep into the cliffsides.
On the way to the fabled valley, we stopped at the pair of massive statues of Amenhophis, known as the Colossi of Memnon. These statues are the only remnant of a temple dedicated to Amenhotep III–later, the Greeks decided that the statues represented their hero, Memnon. The temple was probably destroyed by earthquake, and the resulting cracks in the statues caused them to “sing” when the wind blew. To hear the sound meant the gods favored you, and people (including the emperor Hadrian in A.D. 130) came from near and far to hear the music. The statues were “repaired” in A.D. 199, and now they no longer sing ("if it ain't broke…).
From the 18th to the 20th Dynasty, the Memphis area and pyramid-style tombs (near Cairo) were abandoned in favor of the West Bank of the Nile in Thebes (Luxor). Several great leaders as well as many less important rulers are buried here, and more tombs are being discovered even today. This is where Howard Carter discovered the treasures of Tutankhamen and was struck “dumb with amazement” when he beheld its “wonderful things” in 1922. The tomb is empty–all the contents are on display at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
The ancient Egyptians believed that “to speak the name of the dead is to make him live again.” Each tomb has the king's formal name and title inscribed on it, and each is decorated with his images and statues. We explored several of the tombs, containing some of the best-preserved and most colorful hieroglyphs with scenes from the reigns of Amenhophis III and Akhneten, including that of Ramses II.
The Grand Circle Foundation has donated generously to help preserve this vast necropolis. The Valley of the Kings is listed as one of the “100 Most Endangered Sites” by the World Monuments Watch, a program that focuses action and attention on the fragile condition of endangered sites around the world.
After visiting the Valley of the Kings, we also visited the nearby Valley of the Queens, where many of the famous queens' tombs are located. Although not as large as the kings' tombs, they were fascinating and beautiful in their own right.
After lunch, we relaxed on the ship's Sun Deck and enjoyed the riverside scenes. Though we saw signs of modern life while cruising the Nile, we also saw a rural countryside, dotted with agricultural villages. We enjoyed the timeless and peaceful natural beauty as we watched villagers doing their laundry at the river's edge and heard the cries of children running along the shore and waving to us as the ship passed by. Time seems to have stood still in many places along this fertile strip, which is no more than nine miles wide at any point, and often seemed quite narrow - a mere stone's throw to either bank. Old wooden water wheels still draw water from the river for the fields on either side. Small rowboats with pairs of traditional fishermen are a common sight, as are donkeys laden with goods and life-giving water .
We decided to take a half-day visit to the Temple of Dendera built by Romans and Greeks and dedicated to Hathor–goddess of maternal and family love. The temple complex contains birth houses, a Coptic (Egyptian Christian) church, the Hathor Temple, and a Hypostyle Hall. One of the celebrated features of the temple is an astronomical ceiling beautifully decorated with vultures, winged disks, and the union between Hathor and Horus. Paintings on the ceiling also represent the two halves of the sky with its northern and southern constellations, the hours of day and night, the sun and moon, and the symbols of the zodiac. We returned to the ship for lunch, and the ship began cruising back to Luxor. Once again we enjoyed the passing vistas of everyday Nile River life. This evening's dinner was followed by a Folkloric Show, with a fantastic “whirling dervish”.
This morning, we we guided through Karnak's huge complex of shrines, built and enlarged over a period of 1,300 years. The ancient Egyptians called the enormous temple complex of Karnak “the most perfect of places,” and today it is one of the most fascinating sites in Egypt. For Kiyomi, it was the high point of the trip, the reality matched and exceeded her vision of Egypt.
The huge Hypostyle Hall, with its outer walls decorated with battle scenes, is a grand architectural marvel large enough to enclose the Cathedral of Notre Dame. We walked through the breathtaking Hall of Pillars, and see the tallest (nearly 100 feet high) obelisk in Egypt–raised by Queen Hatshepsut in honor of Amun the god of fertility and growth. One of the obelisks was taken to Paris, and stands in the Place de Concorde, which we saw last year during our trip to France.
Luxor is located on the site of ancient Thebes, which was called the Hundred-Gated City by the great Greek historian, Homer. Later the Arabs, impressed by its many beautiful palaces and imposing edifices, called it Luxor, meaning “City of Palaces.” The modern town of Luxor, along with its ancient temples where the priests prayed to their gods, lies along the east bank of the Nile (the City of the Living, where the life-giving sun rises). On the west bank of the river (the City of the Dead, where the sun bids farewell to life), are the tombs of the pharaohs and their funerary temples.
We visited the Temple of Luxor, built by the two pharaohs, Amenhotep III and Ramses II. Ancient Thebes was a center of festivals, and the Temple of Luxor was the setting for the most important–the festival of Opet, designed to merge the ruler's human and divine aspects. The temple was dedicated to Amun-Ra, whose marriage to Mut was celebrated annually, when the sacred procession moved by boat from Karnak to Luxor Temple.
After breakfast, an early flight took us back to Cairo. After checking into our hotel and taking a walk around the area, we joined our companions and Program Director to toast our discoveries with a Farewell Cocktail. Afterwards, we went with another couple to a nearby Egyptian restaurant that we had tried before. This time, we sampled many of the appetizers and desserts, and enjoyed the Egyptian beer.
We had this morning free, so we visited the nearby Gezira Art Center and Islamic Ceramic Museum we had walked by the day before. The impressive Islamic architecture of the palace of Prince Amru Ibrahim, which was built in 1343 Hijra year, significantly adds to the beauty and splendour of the Islamic ceramics on display. It also had some interesting fine art, very nice sculptures and ceramics, but the paintings were weird. The main part of the museum had been a palace, and was beautiful inside. The pottery and ceramics, mainly Islamic, from the Byzantine (Ottoman) Empire days, were displayed.
In the early evening, we transfered to the airport for our flight to Amman, Jordan. On arrival in Jordan, a Grand Circle Representative met us and transfered us to our hotel.
Following breakfast, our guide Anas Bani Hani took us around this ancient (the east side) and contemporary (the west side) city by bus. According to him, Amman was been besieged and captured by King David and later, the Egyptian King Ptolemy, and was occupied by the Byzantine Empire and Christian Crusaders. Today, it is a thriving modern metropolis that has taken great care to preserve its historical heritage, and is the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom. We went up to Citadel Hill for views across the Old City, with its Roman amphitheater (which was built during the reign of Antonius Pius (138-161 CE), is cut into the northern side of a hill that once served as a necropolis) and lovely Abu Darwish Mosque.. The Citadel is the site of ancient Rabbath-Ammon, and excavations have revealed numerous Roman, Byzantine and early Islamic remains. The most impressive building of the Citadel, known simply as al-Qasr ("the Palace"), dates back to the Islamic Umayyad period. It includes a monumental gateway, an audience hall and four vaulted chambers. A colonnaded street also runs through the complex. To the north and northeast are the ruins of Umayyad palace grounds.
Close to al-Qasr lie the remains of a small Byzantine basilica. Corinthian columns mark the site of the church, which is thought to date from the sixth or seventh century AD. There is also a temple of Hercules, today also known as the Great Temple of Amman. The temple was built in the reign of the emperor Marcus Aurelius (161-180 AD), and is under restoration. We spent some time in the Jordan Archeological Museum. This small museum houses an amazing collection of antiquities ranging from prehistoric times (some from ~10,000 BC) to the 15th century. There was an exhibit of the Dead Sea Scrolls, a copy of the Mesha Stele, and four rare Iron Age sarcophagi. It was intersting that some of the older items looked newer than some of the newer items.
After lunch, we set off for Petra along the Kings Highway, an international trade route for the last 5,000 years. The route is scenic, and dotted with picturesque villages and historic sites mentioned in the Bible. En route, we visited Madaba, known for its striking Byzantine mosaics, including the earliest surviving map of the Holy Land. Madaba's most famous mosaic is located in the Church of St. George in the middle of town. Set in a mosaic floor, the map dates to about the sixth century. The Mosaic Map of Palestine represents the Holy Land and its surrounding regions. Clearly visible on the map are al-Quds (Jerusalem) and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the Dead Sea, the Jordan River, Nablus, al-Khalil (Hebron), Ariha (Jericho), Egypt and the Nile River, Turkey and Lebanon. The mosaic was made around 560 AD, originally composed of over 2.3 million pieces, and measured a staggering 25 by 5 meters. We had a delicious lunch at the Dana Restaurant.
We traveled through the hilly district of Mt. Nebo (known as Pisgah in the Bible), commanding spectacular vistas across the Jordan Valley and Dead Sea, with a view that includes the Dead Sea, the West Bank of Israel, the Jordan River, and even Bethlehem and Jerusalem. It is said that the tomb of Moses lies here. We travelled through incredible scenery of the Mujib Valley (the Biblical Arnon Valley) to the fortress town of Kerak, the ancient capital of the Moabite Kingdom. We stopped to take pictures of the majestic castle built by Crusaders in the first half of the twelfth century to protect the approach to Jerusalem. Arabs took over and enlarged the castle in 1263. Today it is still an imposing fortress, set high on a hill and dominating the skyline over the town.
We crossed eastward to the Desert Highway, where the arid reddish brown desert was sharp contrast to the verdant green of west Jordan. We saw Bedouin tents surrounded by goats and sheep, where life goes on as it has for centuries, with the exception of the "Japanese" camels - Toyota trucks that have replaced the "ship of the desert" camels.
We finally arrived in Petra in time for a delicious and sumptuous dinner at our Petra Marriott Hotel.
Today was devoted to one of the most beautiful of all ancient ruins–the fabled red Nabatean City of Petra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Reached through a 1.25 mile long narrow, 200-meter-deep gorge, the city is carved into solid red sandstone cliffs.
For more than 2,000 years, the name Petra was just a mysterious sound, a name in dusty documents. Only the local Bedouin people knew of its existence, because they lived in its caves. In fact, this area has been inhabited since prehistoric times, and reached its peak sometime between 700 and 100 BC. After the Roman conquest and diversion of the "silk road", the city went into a decline, reaching a nadir around 700 AD when an earthquake drove out the few remaining. Not until Swiss traveler Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, converted to Islam and disguised as an Arab, found the lost city in 1812 did it arise from obscurity. We recognized Petra from the film Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. It's a massive complex of caves carved and shaped into rooms, ornate temples, churches, and tombs. It was believed that Petra's massive “Treasury”, with its portico and pillars, was the storeroom for the Queen of Sheba's gifts to Solomon. But that was found to be false by papyrus records recently found that indicate it was a temple used to prepare the dead for burial. We had lunch at the Basin Restaurant in Petra during our tour, and had time to explore on our own, when we climbed up to get a close look of the “Royal Tombs”. The fantastic colors and patterns of the ceilings amazed us.
This morning, we began our ride back to Amman. En route, we stopped at the shore of the Dead Sea. At 1,360 feet below sea level, this is the lowest point on earth. As its name implies, there is no life in the Dead Sea because of high concentrations of salt and minerals - would you believe 30% salt! These minerals, ironically, are the source of the putative curative powers of the water and its mud–powers first recognized by King Herod the Great. We went for a swim, and lathered ourselves with the mud. Actually, we bobbed around like corks, the water is so buoyant we could not sink. We returned to Amman and stayed in the Regency Palace Hotel
Today, we explored Jerash to the north of Amman, the world's best preserved and most complete Greco-Roman city, and part of the Decapolis (the ten big Roman cities of the East). First established as a town in the year A.D. 70, it's a sprawling, open-air museum of monumental temples to Zeus and Artemis, baths (Nymphaeum), theaters, and lovely Byzantine churches. We entered through the triple-arched gateway built to honor the arrival of the Emperor Hadrian in the year A.D. 129. Next to Hadrian's Arch stands the massive hippodrome, partially reconstructed, where we were serenaded by a bagpipe band. Apparently, bagpipes were invented by the Sumerians or Mesopotamians, and only recently adopted by the Scottish. We wandered through this amazing site and marveled at the splendid avenues and plazas lined with graceful colonnades.
We had lunch in Jerash, and then drove through fertile green hills lined with olive groves to Ajloun–famous for its imposing castle. Built in the late twelfth century by the nephew of Saladin, it is known as Qalat ar-Rabad and dominates the skyline for some miles. Interestingly, it was not in anywhere near as good condition as the much-older Jerash.
This evening, we enjoyed dinner and folkloric dancing at Kan Zaman Village. The village, originally a 19th-century settlement founded by two merchant brothers, once supported as many as 200 families working in stables and storage areas. Eventually it also comprised a guesthouse that catered to travelers and their horses. It has been restored and today houses shops selling and demonstrating local crafts, a simulated Bedouin tent, as well as the very fine restaurant.
After a late breakfast, we had the morning and early afternoon at leisure. Some people visited the site on the River Jordan where Christ was baptized by John the Baptist. But we used the time to recuperate and prepare for the long trip home tomorrow. Late in the afternoon we transfered to the airport for our flight back to Cairo, arriving late in the evening to —a rainstorm! This was the first rain we'd seen since the storm that delayed us in New York.
After a 4:30 wake-up and early breakfast, we transfered to the airport for our flight home. It was a really long flight with a plane change at JFK, and we finally arrived at SFO about 10:30 PM, where Alan met us and took us home.
If you have comments or suggestions, or just want to chat,