DAY 1: Depart for Cairo, Egypt

 

DAY 2: Arrive in Cairo

Upon arrival, we will be met by our tour manager who will meet and assist us through airport arrival formalities including visa handling, passport control, luggage gathering, and customs control.  We will then be transferred by coach to our hotel for dinner and overnight. (D)

 

DAY 3: The Pyramids of Giza, The Sphinx and The Grand Egyptian Museum

Constructed by the Pharaohs of the 3rd and 4thDynasties of the Old Kingdom (c. 2700-2500 BC) as monuments to their rule and to their life after death, the Pyramids of Giza stood in all of their glory for a thousand years before biblical history began. We then visit the Great Sphinx of Giza, the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and one of the most recognizable statues in the world. The archaeological evidence suggests that it was created by ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the reign of Khafre (c. 2558–2532 BC). After lunch at a local restaurant, we're off  the incomparable Grand Egyptian Museum where we will see the great artifacts of ancient Egypt.  Dinner at local restaurant. (B, L, D)

 

 

 

DAY 4: The Coptic Church in Egypt

Tracing its beginning to the Apostle Mark in AD 64, the Coptic Orthodox Church goes back to the very origins of Christianity.  In the morning, we’ll visit Saint Mark’s Coptic Cathedral, the Seat of the Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II, and learn about the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt. After lunch, we visit Old Coptic Cairo, sit in the pews and smell the incense in some of Egypt’s oldest churches, including the Hanging Church and the Abou Serge church that date back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. Time permitting, we will visit nearby shops for Christian symbols, icons, etc.  Dinner at the hotel. (B, L, D)

 

DAY 5: The Evangelical Theological Seminary and the Protestant Church

Begun as a mission of the United Presbyterian Church of North America in the late nineteenth century, the Evangelical Church of Egypt (Synod of the Nile) became independent in 1958 and flourishes throughout Egypt. We’ll pay an extended visit to its seminary, the Evangelical Theological Seminary in Cairo, the country’s oldest Protestant seminary, to speak with its faculty, students, and future church leaders, and to learn about the mission and work of the Protestant church in Egypt today.  After lunch at the Seminary, the afternoon is free to enjoy shopping in Cairo.  Back to the hotel for dinner. (B, L, D)

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DAY 6: Islam in Egypt

For fifteen centuries the church has lived in Egypt under Muslim rule and in a Muslim culture. This morning we visit Mohamed Ali Mosque and Citadel of Saladin.  After lunch at a local restaurant,  we visit with a scholar from Al Azhar University, the world’s second oldest degree granting university and the most prestigious university for Islamic learning. The rest of  the afternoon will be spent exploring and shopping in Cairo’s great traditional outdoor market, the Khan el-Khalili. Get ready to bargain! Dinner at the hotel. (B, L, D)

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DAY 7: The Holy Family in Egypt and the National Museum

This morning we worship in a local church before visiting the Virgin Mary Church in Mostorod, one of the many sites where tradition tells us the Holy Family stayed during its flight to Egypt. After lunch at a local restaurant, we continue on to the National Museum in Tahrir Square, which houses some of Egypt’s most important artifacts of Egypt’s history.  Dinner in a local restaurant before returning to the hotel.  (B, L, D)

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DAY 8: St Macarius Monastery and Alexandria

Today we check out of our hotel in Cairo and journey to Alexandria. Along the way we’ll stop in the desert at Wadi El Natrun to experience life inside the St Macarius Monastery. Established by the Desert Fathers during the 4th to the 7th centuries, it is still thriving as monastic community today. Before checking into our hotel in Alexandria, we’ll stop to see the magnificent remains of the ancient city and amphitheater from the time Rome ruled the Mediterranean world.  Check-in at hotel before dinner at a local restaurant on the Mediterranean Sea. (B, L, D)

 

 

DAY 9: Bibliotheca Alexandria and Luxor

This morning, we’ll visit the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a magnificent modern library completed in 2001, paying tribute to the ancient library of Alexandria, one of the ancient world’s greatest research centers. Alexandria was an intellectual powerhouse, home to scholars such as Euclid, Archimedes, and the great early Christian theologians Clement and Origin.  After lunch at a local restaurant we return to the Cairo airport for our short flight to Luxor.  Check-in at the hotel, dinner and overnight. (B, L, D)

 

 

DAY 10: The West Bank of the Nile

The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom built their tombs and mortuary temples on the Nile’s West Bank, the direction of the setting sun and the gateway to the kingdom of the west where Osiris admitted them to the day of judgment and renewal of life. We’ll descend into the dark tombs in the Valley of the Kings, walk up the broad ascent to the Temple of Hatshepsut—one of the world’s most perfect architectural achievements, explore Medinet Habu with its reliefs of the ancient Philistines, and stop to see the original site of the Merenptah Stele at Merenptah’s mortuary temple.  Lunch at local restaurant on the West Bank, before we enjoy a relaxing Felucca boat ride back to our hotel.  Dinner and overnight at the hotel.  (B, L, D)

 

 

 

DAY 11: The Great Temples on the Nile’s East Bank

In the morning we’ll visit the Luxor Temple, where we will meet a member of from the Epigraphic Survey of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures of the University of Chicago.  We will learn about the work the University of Chicago is doing to preserver the temple and record its inscriptions.  After lunch, we visit the Karnak Temple, Egypt’s largest temple.  Dr Ted Hiebert will discuss two inscriptions at the Karnak Temple of particular importance for biblical history.  Dinner at a local restaurant.  (B, L, D)

 

 

DAY 12: Luxor to Cairo

Our flight back to Cairo in the morning gives us time in the afternoon to relax, debrief our pilgrimage and to end our trip with an evening Farewell Dinner.  We return to the hotel for shower, refreshment and preparation for our late evening departure to the airport. (B, D)

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DAY 13: Cairo to USA