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Sultans
and Mamluks
With a Foray into Israel and Palestine
A
Grand 14 Day Private Touring of Egypt , Jordan, Israel & Palestine
.
Give us two weeks , and we'll show you all the best sights in Cairo
, Petra , Israel & palestine . Daily departure, year round
Compare
with Egypt & Jordan version
DAY
1 - CAIRO- Private Touring - You choose
your own arrival day.
Arrive any day - Year Round.
Our
staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Complimentary
visa issued upon arrival for American, Australian, NZ, EU & Japanese
citizens. Passports must be valid for at least 6 month at time of arrival.
Visa
will be issued upon arrival.
As you exit the gate, you
will pass through a door or two , down some stairs , then walk for 2-5
minutes , until you pass the duty free shops, at the end of a wide corridor
, you will see the security officers. There you will be met by a local
representative, who will be holding a sign with the name you prefer
to use for the sign .
Our local representative will then take your passport to obtain a stamp
from the cashier / bank window and escort you to speak with the passport
officer. He will escort you through another last check on your passport
as you exit the passport control, into customs area, he will assist
you in collecting your luggage and clearing customs . After exiting
the terminal, our local representative will escort you (private vehicle)
to the hotel
DAY 2 - CAIRO-
Private Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private
Egyptologist
(BLD)
We plunge into Cairo: the treasure-filled
Egyptian Museum, the Citadel of Saladin perched high above the city,
and Mohammed Ali's Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at a local Restaurant.
We drive to Giza to see the Pyramids, the Sphinx and the Valley Temple.
If you're physically fit, you may scramble deep within the Great Pyramid
to the king's chamber. Finally, we wander through the alleys of Khan
el-Khalili bazaar in search of magic carpets and other traditional souvenirs.
In the evening, we host you on a Nile dinner cruise complete with exotic
Egyptian entertainment.
Day
3 - Fayoum Oases - The Valley of the Whales
A True Gift from Joseph to the Mighty Pharaoh of Egypt As a token of
gratitude for taking in the Israelites escaping the drought in Palestine.
The
wilds of the desert begin right on the outskirts of Cairo, and continue
for hundreds of miles to the east and west, through sands, rock, mountains,
oases, and a surprising variety of scenery and inhabitants.
Join
us for a day ranging across the desert like modern nomads. In place
of camels, we’ll travel in comfortable, reliable four-by-four
Toyota Land Cruisers. Your guide and drivers will meet you at your hotel,
and soon you’ll leave bustling Cairo behind as you undertake the
drive toward the Oasis of El Fayoum, 150 kilometers to the southwest.
Hard as it is to believe, a great inland sea once covered these sands.
It was a holy reserve of sacred crocodiles, symbolized by the god Sobek.
We’ll
visit the temple of Kom Oshim, drive over ancient lake beds, and alongside
the waters of today’s Fayoum Lake to reach the fishermen’s
village of Chak Chouk. There we’ll stop for a lunch of fish caught
fresh that morning. There will be time to wander the village lanes and
discreetly watch the everyday activities of baking flatbread, irrigating
crops from the lake’s waters, and bringing in the catch. We’ll
also include the craft and pottery museum where the best works of local
artisans are on display.
Then
it’s into our four-by-fours again, for an off-road adventure!
We’ll head alongside and across desert washes, between dunes,
and over ancient lake beds for 35 kilometers to the Valley of the Whales.
Incredibly, these great mammals once thrived in waters surrounded by
sands. We’ll stop and gaze in amazement at their fossilized remains
alongside smaller sea creatures that remain in stone.
In
the evening, you’ll return to your hotel in Cairo.
You
will enjoy your private : Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive
Toyota Land Cruiser. Services of your own private chauffeur and private
English speaking guide .
Lunch is included today at a local seafood restaurant.
DAY
4 - AMMAN
- Private Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle (BLD)
Air fare Cairo Amman is included in economy class , tax included
. Transfer to Cairo Airport , fly to Amman , where our Jordan-based
local rep. greets you at Amman airport and escorts you to your hotel.
Complimentary visa issued upon arrival for American & Japanese citizens.
Passports must be valid for at least 6 month at time of arrival. You'll
have time to get acquainted with this city built on hills, its cafes
and shops, and its surprisingly cosmopolitan population of Bedouins,
Palestinians, and the descendants of migrants from the Caucasus. Dinner
included at the hotel
DAY
5 - PETRA
-
Private Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private
guide
(BLD)
From Amman,
we drive south along an ancient caravan route to Madaba, site of a church
containing the oldest known map of the Holy Land. At Mount Nebo, we
behold the panoramic view of the Promised Land as seen by Moses in his
last moments. We press on to the fabled Petra. We spend the entire day
at Petra, the stunning desert city hewn by the Nabateans from solid
cliffs of pink and violet sandstone. Petra was known in the bible as
Sela, and rediscovered only in 1812. You'll feel like Indiana Jones
in "Raiders of the Lost Ark" as you penetrate the city through a narrow
sandstone gorge, the Siq, and wander among the Temple of the Winged
Lion, tombs, Roman theater, and the imposing Treasury.
Day
6 - DESERT CASTLES : (BL)
We
head back north and on to tour to the Desert Castles :
Qasr Amra Bath and its Zodiac Dome, the Fortress like Qasr Karana,
and the Roman Fort , turned into residence by the Ummayds : Qasr El
Hallabat, and the black basalt Roman/Medieval fort at Azraq. After lunch
,drive back to Amman and your hotel .
DAY
7 - Petra / Jerusalem Thursday
-
Private Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle
(B)
Please keep in mind that borders are closed on the Sabath . So while
this tour is daily , you may need to adjust based on the Sabath.
After a very breakfast breakfast, our local rep. escorts you to the
border where we change cars and on to Jerusalem and your hotel
DAY
8 - JERUSALEM - ( Depending on your dates , tour in Jerusalem may
be rearranged around the Jewish Sabbath Saturday)-
Private Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private
guide (cB)
We start our explorations of Jerusalem, holy city to Christians, Jews
and Muslims, with a drive to the Mount of Olives, which offers panoramic
views. We visit the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of the Ascension
on our way to the Garden of Gethsemane. From the Garden, we enter Jerusalem's
walls to the Old City for a visit to the Western Wall and the Dome of
the Rock. We follow in Jesus' footsteps along the Via Dolorosa to the
Church of the Holy Sepulcher.
DAY
9 - JERUSALEM (cB)
Now
that you've had a tour of the city, set out on your own to discover
its charms: the narrow bazaar streets of the Old City, the cheerful
cafés of New Jerusalem, and the broad boulevards surrounding
the modern city.
DAY
10 - JERUSALEM & BETHLEHEM -
Private
Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private guide
(cB)
We
start our tour at the scale model of Jerusalem as it appeared in Herod's
time, then go on to the Shrine of the Book to see the sacred Dead Sea
Scrolls. Then it's on to Ein Kerem and Bethlehem for a visit to the
Church of the Nativity, stopping at the Shepherds' Field on the way
back to Jerusalem.
DAY
11 - BETHANY, DEAD SEA & MASADA -
Private
Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private guide
(cB)
We
drive to Bethany and the site of the Good Samaritan's inn, then continue
through the Judean Hills down to the Dead Sea, below sea level. At Qumran,
we see the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. We go on
to the verdant oasis of Ein Gedi, and to Masada, where we ascend the
natural fortress by cable car. We return to Jerusalem passing by fabled
Jericho, the oldest city in the world.
DAY
12 - GOLAN, NAZARETH & GALILEE-
Private
Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private guide
(cB)
We
drive north to Nazareth to see the Church of the Annunciation, built
to shelter the grotto where Mary received the message that she would
bear Jesus. Passing by Cana of Galilee, we reach Tiberias, on the Sea
of Galilee. We sail aboard the Lido to Tabgha, on the opposite shore,
returning to Tiberias for the night.
DAY
13 - ACRE, HAIFA, TEL AVIV & JAFFA - Private
Touring - Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private guide
(cB)
Acre, the medieval fortress-city, was visited by Caesar, Richard the
Lion-Hearted, and Napoleon. We follow in their footsteps along its ancient
streets. Continuing our journey, we seethe Baha'i Shrine and its Persian
Gardens in Haifa, and the Roman amphitheater and Crusaders' fortress
in Caesarea. Then traveling along Tel Aviv's bustling streets, we make
our way to Jaffa (Joppa) to see its ancient port and the artists' colony
which has grown up around it. We spend the night in Tel Aviv.
DAY
14 - TEL AVIV -Departure
- Private Air-Conditioned Vehicle - Private guide
(cB)
Our local rep. escorts you to Ben Gurion airport
for your flight.
RATES
per person in USD $
|
|
Deluxe
Hotels |
First
Class |
Tourist
Class |
|
Triple |
US$
4510 |
US$
4190 |
US$
3890 |
|
Double |
US$
4670 |
US$
4320 |
US$
3970 |
|
Single |
US$
5755 |
US$
5495 |
US$
4975 |
Rate
includes :
-
Visas
for Egypt & Jordan issued upon arrival at Cairo & Amman
Airport, valid for American, Australian, NZ, Canadian , Mexican
, EU & Japanese citizens. Passports must be valid and in order
- All
transfers always on a private basis, meet & greet
- Hotel
accommodation including tax , service charge and Continental breakfast
daily
- Guided
sightseeing as per itinerary including all entrance fees all with
an English speaking guide .
- Airfare
is included between CAIRO / AMMAN. in economy class, tax included
.
- Preset
menu as listed : B= Continental Breakfast , L/D = Preset menu lunch
/Dinner
Combine
either of these tours with any of our tours to Turkey,
Greece, or Kenya
for an even more memorable journey. Please ask us for details.
Not
Included
:
Jacquie
Kennedy & Abu Simbel:
All Americans alive during the 1960s remember President John F Kennedy
and First Lady Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy. Most Americans from that
time also remember Abu Simbel, the dramatic, ancient pharaonic temple
threatened by the rising waters blocked by the new Aswan High Dam.
It’s
worth remembering that it was Jacquie Kennedy who provided crucial
support for the mammoth rescue project. Without her help, Abu Simbel
might have been lost.
No
one questioned that the temple must be saved. UNESCO developed a marvelous
plan to cut the huge monument into 1,423 stone blocks and move it
200 meters (219 yards) north and 63 meters (207 feet) higher, just
above the estimated level of Lake Nasser, the vast inland sea that
would be created by the new dam.
But
who would pay? As a developing country, Egypt could not shoulder the
burden alone. Other countries could contribute, but only one country--the
United States of America--truly had the resources for this
monumental rescue effort.
No
matter how much wealth there is, it is never enough. Many legitimate,
worthwhile projects compete for funds. What Abu Simbel needed was
an advocate, someone who recognized the temple for the irreplaceable
world art treasure that it was.
First
Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, already famous for her grace, refinement,
and sensitivity to the arts, saw the need to work for the salvation
of Abu Simbel. It was she who urged Congress to allocate $10 million
for the rescue effort (a sum roughly equivalent to $100 million today).
It was an enormous amount of money, but she saw that America
must step up to the challenge of saving this treasure of worldwide
importance for all time.
The
rescue funds were approved by Congress and the temple was saved.
In
appreciation for her efforts, Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser
presented the First Lady and the president with a 4000-year-old Egyptian
statue (which is now preserved in the John F Kennedy Library &
Museum in Boston). (http://www.jfklibrary.org/visit_museum-14.html)
President
Nasser wanted also to give a gift of thanks to the people of the United
States for their valuable support. He asked Mrs Kennedy to choose
an appropriate monument. She suggested the small Temple of
Dendur (c. 15 BC), and the gift was readily approved. The temple was
brought to the United States in 1965 and installed at New York’s
Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1967.
(http://www.metmuseum.org/collections/ view1.asp?dep=10&full=0&item=68%2E154)
Times
change, leaders come and go, but some acts of support and generosity
are remembered through the decades.
First
Lady Jacqueline Kennedy loved Egypt, and Egypt still loves her.
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