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Day 1 – London/Cairo
Fly London to Cairo with EgyptAir and check-in to the famous Mena House Oberoi for eight nights on room and breakfast basis. Nestling at the foot of the Giza Plateau and steeped in history this is the ideal base for our tour.
Day 2 – Giza
We start with a very full day at Giza during which John Romer will begin to articulate the scholarship and intuition on which his book is based. First to Heit el Gurob for an informative view of the whole plateau. We will enter the Great Pyramid of Khufu and then study the exterior with the design fi eld as discussed in the book. We study the remains of the ramps, the IV Dynasty tombs and the remains of the Valley Temple. As well as looking at the pyramids themselves we will visit many outlying sites on the plateau which never fail to stir both the intellect and the imagination. (B)
Day 3 – Sakkara
A very full day at the Sakkara Necropolis. We start with the lovely new Imhotep Museum before moving on to the Step Pyramid Complex, Unas Causeway and surrounding temples and tombs. No matter how many times one has been to Sakkara there is always more to see. (B)
Day 4 – Cairo Museum
We will drive to downtown Cairo for a visit to that great warehouse of treasures the Cairo Museum. Our learned guide will provide an interesting itinerary through many of the main rooms of the museum before giving plentiful free time for you to explore further. This evening John will give an informal talk on the theories expounded in his book. (B)
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Day 5 – Southern Pyramids
Today will be an exciting departure from the normal style of tour as we head out of the city visiting the remote pyramid fi elds. We start with the wonderful pyramid and mastaba at Meidum both of which we enter. Then to the little known small four step pyramid site at Seila possibly inspired by the Sakkara Step Pyramid. Lastly we visit the splendid Red and Bent Pyramids at Dashur. (B)
Day 6 – Cairo
Today is somewhat different as we explore the Geology Museum and take a boat trip on the River Nile to remind ourselves that the river was, is and always will be the life blood of Egypt. Another informal meeting this evening when John will give us more information on the relevance of the sites to be visited over the next couple of days. (B) | |
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DEPARTURE DATE 12th April 2008
TOUR CODE Z8112
Basic Holiday Price: £1,599
Single Supplement: £196
Pyramid view room from £160 per person
 Book tour
Download PDF Dossier
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Day 7 – The Faiyum
A most unusual visit to the Faiyum in four wheel drive vehicles as we head well off the beaten track to explore the enigmatic Middle Kingdom Temple of Qasr el Sagha in its remote desert vastness. We will explore the truly fascinating gypsum quarries of Umm el Sawan and the basalt quarry of Widan al Faras to see evidence of work carried out by Khufu’s quarrymen. A full and exciting day studying ‘ancient lives’ before returning to the modern comforts of the Mena House. (B)
Day 8 – Tura
Another extraordinary day as we venture to the rarely visited site of the quarries of Tura where we will see evidence of the pyramid-makers’ method of cutting the stone. The limestone of Tura, being much finer than that found at Giza, was perfect not only for the facing of Khufu’s Pyramid but also in construction of the vast vaults. (B)
Day 9 – Cairo/London
After breakfast we transfer to the airport and fly EgyptAir to London arriving later the same day. (B)
Expert: John Romer is an internationally acclaimed Egyptologist, author and television presenter and a leading figure in the interpretation of archaeology today. |