COMING IN OCTOBER 2023. DATES TO BE POSTED SOON

Cairo, Memphis, Alexandria, Luxor and Aswan
Led by expert guide Michael Tuchfeld

Itinerary subject to change

Egypt is one of those countries where its name is a synonym of a wonderful world. It is the largest oasis in the world and also the quarry of the oldest culture. We have an opportunity to meet the golden scarab that symbolizes life; The Sphinx – the symbol of death; And of course, the immortal pyramids, the yellow of the desert and the abundance of the green in the river valley. In the middle, the blue-blue stripe of the Nile, Cities, and fields.

The trip to Egypt is first and foremost a first-class cultural experience. This is a land that flourished a thousand years before our ancestors left the house of slaves for the land of Canaan. The Egyptians took over the secrets of the new material, erected the pyramids in Giza, and for centuries placed on the sides of the river, over more than 1,600 miles, huge stone monuments, some of the most magnificent in the whole world.

Along with architecture, Egyptian art appeared and flourished. The ancient Egyptians left behind the spectacular architectural and artistic remains on earth. The pyramids are indeed very impressive, but the remains of the temples in the Nile Valley rise above them, and the tombs whose wall frescoes glow in their colors. After the pharaohs, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Mamluks and Turks swept and passed through Egypt. These left their mark on literature and language and perpetuated their culture in impressive structures.

For Jewish tourists, Egypt is no longer a country on the world tourism map. Many chapters in the history of the people of Israel are woven into the long history of Egypt. This is a special opportunity for us to visit an Arab country that not long ago was beyond the line of confrontation, and to get to know up close what was once an enemy and is now a neighbor. It is a journey from a thousand to 5,000 years of history in which 70 million people now live in their light.

Day 1 – Cairo
Upon arrival we will make our way to our hotel for dinner and a good night’s sleep before beginning our incredible adventure.

Day 2  – Cairo
After Shacharit & breakfast at the hotel, we will head out for one of the tour’s highlights – The Pyramids at Giza and Dahshur
Visit the Pyramids of Cheops, Chefren & Mikarinus. Drive through the Pyramids Plateau with a strong smell of old history, arriving to the giant one stone Sphinx with a man’s head and a lion’s body, representing the intellectual and physical power of the old Egyptian.

Then on to visit Memphis (ancient capital of Egypt and believed to be the site visited by Abraham to address the Pharoah of Egypt), and the Step Pyramid of Sakkara (the oldest stone structure in the world).  And for those of you who choose,  enjoy a camel ride before we head back to Cairo.

This evening let’s experience a Tanoura show at the old Islamic Cairo, Wekalet El Ghory

Dinner and overnight in Cairo.

Day 3 – Drive to Alexandria (210 Km)
After an early  breakfast we will drive to Alexandria, known as the “Pearl of the Mediterranean”,  founded by Alexander the Great in 331 CE.  We will visit the Biblitheca, a re-imagining of Alexandria’s ancient Great Library. This cylindrical shaped designed cultural center contains museums as well as one of the modern world’s most ambitious libraries with more than 8 million books. it is dedicated to recapture the spirit of openness and scholarship of the original Bibliotheca Alexandrina. It is much more than a library.

Continuing on to the Qaitbay Citadel, which is considered one of the most important defensive strongholds, not only in Egypt, but also along the Mediterranean Sea coast. It formulated an important part of the fortification system of Alexandria in the 15th century CE.

Our next stop will be Eliyahu Hanavi Synagogue, One of two remaining synagogues in Alexandria, where there were once twelve. Eliyahu Hanavi is the witness of a disappearing Jewish community. The monumental synagogue—one of the largest in the Middle East—was built in its current form by an Italian architect in the 1850s, at the site of a fourteenth-century synagogue that was bombed during Napoleon’s invasion in 1798.

After a short lunch break we will continue to the Catacombs, tunneled into the bedrock during the age of the Antonine Emperors (2nd century CE) and Pompey’s Pillar, a Roman triumphal column, set up in honor of the Roman emperor Diocletian between 298–302 CE.

We will drive back to Cairo for dinner at the hotel

Day 4 – ASWAN
Today we begin with an early breakfast and check-out of our hotel and on to the airport for the flight to Aswan.

Upon arrival we will visit Elephantine Fortress, the site of the oldest diaspora community known to us. From the many papyri found there we will learn about Pesach observance at the time when the second Temple had only recently been built. Travel to the island of Philae to visit Philae Temple, unmatched in beauty and majesty.

Visit Aswan High Dam, the world’s largest embankment dam, which was built across the Nile.  between 1960 and 1970. With its ability to better control flooding, provide increased water storage for irrigation and generate hydroelectricity, the dam was seen as pivotal to Egypt’s planned industrialization. It has had a significant effect on the economy and culture of Egypt.

We will visit the Unfinished Obelisk. Had it have ever been erected, this obelisk would have been the largest one of Ancient Egypt and would have reached a stunning height of 137 feet. The work had been abandoned due to clearly visible cracks that appeared in the granite.

We will return to our hotel to prepare for Shabbat.  Candle lighting at 6 pm
Shabbat dinner at the hotel Tolip Aswan

Day 5 – Shabbat– ASWAN
Enjoy coffee and cake, Shabbat services at the hotel followed by Kiddush and breakfast. We will have a lecture at midday.  Lunch/Seudat Shlishi at the hotel with time for a rest.

After Shabbat we will travel to the Nubian Island for the Nubian Show

Day 6  – Abu Simbel
After  breakfast, we will visit Abu Simbel Complex. Built by the greatest of the pharaohs, Ramesses II, who was the Pharaoh of the Exodus, these huge rock-cut temples marked the southern boundary of the Egyptian Empire with Nubia at the peak of its power during the New Kingdom. They were meant to convey the power of Egypt’s rulers to anyone who laid eyes upon them, and we will see how the Torah appropriates many of its symbols. The four statues guarding the doorway to the larger of these temples are the largest sculptures that survive from the ancient Pharaonic era.

Day 7 –  LUXOR
Today after  breakfast we hit the road towards Luxor – once an Ancient Egyptian capital.
Visit the great temples of Karnak and the temples of the god Amun. Other significant landmarks are the sacred lake, the hypostyle hall and some colossal statues.

We will visit the sites that shed light on the instructions for the construction of the Mishkan and the account of Pharaoh Shishak about his campaign of Canaan, reported in Melachim Alef and in Chronicles.

Tonight, we will visit the exquisitely lit temple at Luxor where we will see more inscriptions relating to the Exodus.  Later we can enjoy the Light Show at Karnak Temple.
Dinner at the hotel Steingenberger Nile Palace

Day 8 –  LUXOR – Valley of the Kings
For those who are interested, you can take a very early Hot Air Balloon ride over the city and the valley of the kings and see the sunrise over Luxor.

Start the day by Crossing by ferry to west bank of the Nile and the Valley of the Kings. It was there that the fabulous treasures of Tutankhamun, which dazzled the world, were discovered. Visit the Necropolis of Thebes where we will discover a series of relief paintings that depict the process of slaves making mudbricks.  Visit the Ramesseum, The memorial temple of Pharaoh Ramesses.

Dinner at the hotel Stengenberger Nile Palace in Luxor

Day 9 – Cairo
After checking out of our hotel we will transfer to Luxor airport and fly to Cairo.

Upon arrival we will visit Citadel (Mohamed Ali Mosque). The mosque, the largest such structure built during the first half of the 19th century, is more impressive at a distance than close up. It is an unparalleled contribution to the skyline of Cairo. Its great dome and towering minarets give the Citadel a romantic, oriental quality that makes up for any shortcomings in its detail.

Visit the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization is the first of its kind in Egypt and the Arab world. It presents the full range of the richness and diversity of Egyptian civilization throughout the ages, from prehistoric times to the present day by focusing on its continuity and stability as demonstrated by its tangible and intangible heritage. The museum’s exceptional collection includes the royal mummies, which are exhibited in a new interactive display using 21st century cutting-edge technology to go beneath the wrappings and reveal their secrets, in addition to shedding light on the rituals and religious beliefs surrounding mummification in ancient Egypt.

Enjoy some free time at El Chalili Market. Tonight, is our farewell dinner and overnight in Cairo.

Day 10 
Today, we will visit the famous synagogue “Shaar Hashamayim” or, as known as the Ismailia Temple.  Thereafter, we will take a nice Felucca boat ride over the Nile then visit the Sadat Memorial also known as the The Unknown Soldier Memorial which is a pyramid-shaped monument in Nasr City. Its construction was ordered by President Anwar Sadat in 1974 in honor of Egyptians and Arabs who lost their lives in the 1973 October War. It was inaugurated in October 1975.

After this visit we will make our way to the airport for our journey home.

Itineraries are subject to change

Prices are subject to change due to possible rise in port and fuel taxes

The price includes:

• 5* hotel accommodations – 3 nights in Aswan, 4 nights in Cairo, 2 night in Luxor
• Full board: Kosher breakfast + boxed sandwich lunch boxes
• kosher hot dinners (meat and fish dinner)
• Shabbat meals at the hotel
• Domestic flights: Cairo-Aswan and Luxor-Cairo
• A comfortable air-conditioned tour bus
• Porterage service at the hotels
• Entrance fees for all sightseeing in Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, Luxor and Abu Simble.
• Tours, programs, and shows according to the itinerary
• Tips for service providers
• Bottled water
• Ear Pieces/wireless receivers  (whispers)
• Led by expert guide Michael Tuchfeld
• English speaking  guides
• AACI escort
• Security guards from time of arrival to time of departure

Price Excludes:

• Airport taxes where needed
• Expenses of a personal nature
• Beverages at meals
• Travel, health and luggage insurance
• Covid tests of any kind
• Anything not specified in the “Price includes”
• Egypt entrance visa ($25)

Terms of payment:
50% payment upon registration
Final payment

Terms of cancellation:
ACCOMMODATION:
CAIRO
Ramses Hilton 5*
ASWAN
Tolip Aswan Hotel 5*
LUXOR
Steigenberger Nile Palace 5*

For further assistance please email: info@aaci.org.il