Emily Thompson
Sept. 29, 2024, 2:30 a.m.An absolutely breathtaking experience! The three-day tour from Marsa Alam to Luxor, Aswan, and Abu Simbel was perfectly organized. Our guide was knowledgeable and made the history come alive. Visiting the Valley of the Kings was like stepping back in time. Highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting Egypt.
1) Day 1- Luxor
Early morning, we will pick you up from your hotel in Marsa Alam by a private A.C. Car to be transferred to Luxor for a trip to Luxor from Marsa Alam . Upon arrival you will meet your private tour guide who will join you to visit: Karnak : No site in Egypt is more impressive than Karnak. It is the largest temple complex ever built by man and represents the combined achievement of many generations of ancient builders and pharaohs. The Temple of Karnakis actually three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and several outer temples situated on 247 acres of land. Luxor Temple: The Temple of Luxor was the center of the most important festival, the festival of Opet. Built largely by Amenhotep III and Rameses II, the temple's purpose was as a setting for the rituals of the festival. The festival was to reconcile the human aspect of the ruler with the divine office. Lunch will be served in a local restaurant in Luxor with a Nile view. Valley of the Kings: The final resting place of Egypt's rulers from the 18th to 20th dynasty, it is home to tombs including the great pharaoh Ramses II and boy pharaoh Tutankhamen. The tombs were well stocked with all the material goods a ruler might need in the next world. Most of the decoration inside the tombs is still well preserved. Hatshepsut Temple: It is one of the most beautiful & best preserved of all of the temples of Ancient Egypt. The temple was built on three levels with two wide ramps in a central position joining the levels together. Colossi of Memnon: Two massive stone statues of king Amenhotep III are the only remains of a complete mortuary temple. The statues are made from blocks of quartzite sandstone which exist in Cairo then moved 700 KM to Luxor Then you will transfer to Aswan and overnight there Meals: breakfast-lunch
2) Day 2-Aswan-Abu Simbel
Early Visit Abu Simbel from Aswan by Private Car Abu Simbel temples The two temples of Ramses the second and the Queen Nefertari were carved out of the Mountain on the west bank of the Nile between 1284 and 1244 B.c, The Great Temple was dedicated to Ramses the second, Ra-Harakhty, Amun Ra, and Ptah, with 4 Colossal statues, The second temple was dedicated to The Queen Nefertari and Goddess Hathor, the two temples were dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt on higher ground, The preservation of the two temples of Abu Simbel must Rank as the greatest Achievement of the Unesco Back to Aswan by the afternoon, Lunch will be served in Aswan Phiala temple Built to honor the goddess Isis, this was the last temple built in the classical Egyptian style. Construction began around 690 BC, and it was one of the last outposts where the goddess was worshipped. The High Dam Aswan High Dam is a rock-fill dam located at the northern border between Egypt and Sudan. The dam is fed by the River Nile and the reservoir forms Lake Nasser. Construction for the project began in 1960 and was completed in 1968. It was officially inaugurated in 1981. The Unfinished Obelisk
Aswan was the source of ancient Egypt’s finest granite, used to make statues and embellish temples, pyramids, and obelisks. The large unfinished obelisk in the Northern Quarries has provided valuable insight into how these monuments were created, although the full construction process is still not entirely clear. Three sides of the shaft, nearly 42m long, were completed except for the inscriptions. At 1168 tonnes, the completed obelisk would have been the single heaviest piece of stone the Egyptians ever fashioned. Transfer to Luxor and overnight there Meals: Breakfast- Lunch
3) Day 3-Dendera and Abydos
Pick up from your hotel in Luxor and drive to Dendera temple Dendera temple : The Temple of Hathor was largely constructed during the Late Ptolemaic period, specifically during the reign of Ptolemy XII and Cleopatra VII. Later additions were made during the Roman period. Although built by a dynasty of rulers who were not native Egyptians themselves, the design of this temple has been found to be in accordance to that of other classical Egyptian temples, with the exception of the front of the hypostyle hall, which, according to an inscription above the entrance, was constructed by Emperor Tiberius. Apart from these, there are also scenes in the temple complex portraying the Ptolemaic rulers. For example, carved onto the external face of one of the temple walls is a huge relief of Cleopatra VII and her son by Julius Caesar and co-ruler, Ptolemy XV (better known as Caesarion). The two Ptolemaic rulers are shown dressed in Egyptian garb, and offering sacrifices. Hathor was also regarded as a goddess of healing, and this is evident in the presence of a sanatorium in the temple complex. Here, pilgrims would come to be cured by the goddess. Sacred water (which was made holy by having it poured onto statues inscribed with sacred texts) was used for bathing, unguents were dispensed by the priests of Hathor, and sleeping quarters were provided for those hoping that the goddess would appear in their dreams, and so aid them. Drive to Abydos temple from Dendera temple Abydos temple: Considered one of the most important archaeological sites of Ancient Egypt, the sacred city of Abydos was the site of many ancient temples, including Umm el-Qa'ab, a royal necropolis where early pharaohs were entombed. These tombs began to be seen as extremely significant burials and in later times it became desirable to be buried in the area, leading to the growth of the town's importance as a cult site. Today, Abydos is notable for the memorial temple of Seti I, which contains an inscription from the nineteenth dynasty known to the modern world as the Abydos King List. It is a chronological list showing cartouches of most dynastic pharaohs of Egypt from Menes until Ramesses I, Seti's father. The Great Temple and most of the ancient town are buried under the modern buildings to the north of the Seti temple. Many of the original structures and the artifacts within them are considered irretrievable and lost; many may have been destroyed by the new construction. Abydos temple Located about 2.5 hours by car north of Luxor , Abydos was one of the most important religious sites to ancient Egyptians. Much like modern Muslims hope to complete a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime, ancient Egyptians would have hopes to visit Abydos, which for them was strongly associated with the entrance into the afterlife. Although there were several temples constructed here, the largest and most significant is known as the Temple of Seti I. Seti I was the father of the great Ramesses II, who actually completed the construction of most of the temple after his father’s death.
Coming to power only 30 years after the upheaval associated with Akhenaten’s heretical rule, known as the Amarna Period, Seti I was concerned with reestablishing faith in the pantheon of Pre-Amarna gods that Akhenaten had sought to destroy. As a result, the temple he built contains small chapels dedicated to each of the major gods: Ptah, Re-Harakhte, Amun-Re, Osiris, Isis, Horus, and also one to Seti himself. Much of the temple complex is no longer present, including the pylon and the first two courtyards so visitors to enter through a doorway into the hypostyle hall. Many of the wall reliefs inside are well preserved and the reliefs toward the back of the temple, completed during Seti’s reign, are considered to be among the finest in any temple throughout Egypt. Drive to your hotel in Marsa Alam Meals: Breakfast-Lunch