Your Own Forum on Egypt and Jordan

A Monthly Roundtable on Middle East History,
Politics, Economics and Beliefs Egypt and Jordan in 14 Days

Space is limited to a maximum of 6 guests in each departure

You couldn't squeeze more adventure into a 14 -day journey: Cairo, Fayoum Oases , Luxor and a trek to the mysterious ruins of Petra in Jordan. Tour starts monthly in Cairo .
Add Syria Magic of the Arabian Empire : Syria, Jordan & Egypt . Compare with the Alexandria version : 9 Days ?

DAY 1 - CAIRO - Sunday :
Monthly arrival. Tour starts on the First Sunday of each month except : June, July and Aug
Our staff meets you at the airport and escorts you to your hotel. Transfers are always in a private air-conditioned vehicle, private chauffeur.

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 : Cairo Grand Hyatt or Cairo Conrad Hotel

DAY 2 - CAIRO (BLD) - Monday
We start with the best of Cairo: the Egyptian Museum, including the Mummies room and King Tut's gold treasure room , Citadel of Saladin and its Alabaster Mosque. After lunch at Hadaik El-Azhar or Naguib Mahfouz restaurant, your guide will point out two of the most important mosques on the local and regional Islamic scene : Al-Azhar Mosque / University as well as Al-Hussein Mosque.
We wander through the alleys of Khan el-Khalili bazaar in search of souvenirs before we head back to the hotel . Dinner is included at La Bodega restaurant.

DAY 3 - CAIRO (BLD) - Islam in Egypt - The Coptic Church in Egypt - Home Hosted Dinner - Tuesday
After breakfast we had to one of the local universities to attend an open forum on Islam in Egypt , as Top local professors including some who will be from Al-Azhar University will be on hand to answer any of your questions.
You will get to meet the local under-graduates who will participate as well in this open forum.
The speakers will be invited to join us for lunch at a charming local Restaurant

Head back to the hotel for a brief siesta. The afternoon seminar will be at one of the local churches , as we learn about the history of the Egyptian Coptic Church . Return to the hotel early evening . After a brief rest off to
Meet the locals: you may wish to bring token gifts to exchange with the host family ( T shirt , small souvenirs of your home town):
This evening we'll venture where few ordinary visitors ever tread . . . right into the homes of some of the people of Cairo l! You'll be invited to a family dinner, and while you enjoy wholesome home-cooked specialties, you'll learn about and appreciate the outlook, aspirations, and way of life of your hosts.
Be assured, as curious as you may be about your new friends, they're sure to have questions about your own background. Once the ice is broken, you'll enjoy a lively afternoon , and find that you have more in common than you ever suspected. This is a people to people event , not a tourist trap as some have inquired . The whole point is for you to get to meet real Arabs, real Egyptians, not the ones that are stereotyped on the media.

DAY 4 - CAIRO (BL) - Wednesday
After breakfast we drive to where it all began: the old Roman fort at Babylon, the site where it is said that " Baby Moses " was found by the Pharaoh' s wife. We walk the narrow streets of Old Cairo, once a Roman quarter , later the Jewish Quarter, then becoming the Coptic Christian Quarter. We visit the Coptic churches of Abu Serghius and Al Molaka, the Coptic Museum, and Ben Ezra synagogue.

DAY 5 - CAIRO- Thursday (BLD)
In the morning, we visit the majestic pyramids of Giza, the Valley Temple and the timeless Sphinx.

Those who are fit and adventurous enough may wish to penetrate into the heart of the Great Pyramid, to the King's Chamber your ticket is included with our compliments (or the interior of Kephren Pyramid). Taking a camel ride (Included) is entirely your own choice!

After lunch at the Mena House Oberoi or Meridien Pyramids , we drive to Dahshour, , the newly-opened pyramid field south of Cairo. We visit the great pyramid of Senfru, father of Cheops, and other structure:

The "Discovery" of Dahshour : For almost half a century, the great field of huge pyramids near the desert village of Dahshour, 25 miles south of Cairo, has been off limits to the public. Confined within the perimeter of a military base were many pyramids, including the great 4500-year-old pyramid built by Senfru, father of Cheops. Senfru's pyramid, the largest in Egypt until his son built Giza's Great Pyramid, is rhomboidal in shape: it tapers more distinctly on its upper half. All the pyramids were coated in thick plaster at one time. Most have lost these protective, decorative sheaths, but Senfru's--miraculously--is still in place.

Diner cruise with folk show on the Hyatt cruise or similar.

DAY 6 - LUXOR- Friday (B)
Very early morning breakfast before we head for the airport and fly to Luxor . Upon arrival, we proceed to cross the Nile by ferry to visit the Valley of the Kings , Queen Hatshepsut, Medinet Habu , the Ramesseum, and the Colossi of Memnon.
In the afternoon , we visit one of the local high schools ( if closed due to a holiday then , we will visit one of the local charities.

We will then enjoy a horse drawn carriage ride through the local souks of Luxor . Please take note of the mosque at the street level , built on top of the Luxor Amon -Ra Temple, we will discuss later today , Egypt change of religions . After you return to your hotel, we will have a round table discussion with your guides(s) on the Ancient Egyptian beliefs , particularly Isis and the impact of such beliefs on Egypt as well as the rest of the world.

DAY 7 - LUXOR - CAIRO - Saturday (BLD)
Today morning we tour the Great Temple of Amon at Karnak, and visit the Sacred Lake and red granite quarries with their unfinished obelisk. We tour the great temple of Amon Ra at Luxor before we head for the airport for our flight back to Cairo, and our hotel. The J. W. Marriott or Sonesta Hotel . Dinner is included at the hotel

DAY 8 - Cairo- Fayoum Oases - A Gift from Joseph to the Pharaoh ?? - Sunday (BL)
Whales in the Egyptian Desert !!!

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. Land transportation in air-conditioned four-wheel-drive Toyota Land Cruiser with the services of driver and English-speaking driver. Lunch is included

DAY 9 - CAIRO - A Very Full day on the Middle East - Monday (BL)

Breakfast roundtable: Women in Egypt, Women in Islam
MEET AMERICAN & EUROPEAN WOMEN IN CAIRO
In the morning, and as we enjoy a late breakfast , we'll have a group discussion , that will include an American and /or a European woman /women who settled in Cairo to share their own insight on/about the Egyptian Society and Egyptian Women.

After a short break, we resume , we continue with our next topic, with the possible participation of local Egyptian diplomats, professors in political science , and others : How The Middle East Was Lost ... by the West !

This is not an in-depth presentation, there is no way to do it in such short time:
We will try to offer a very brief intro to topics such as :

• Napoleon's invasion of Egypt , and how England had to chase him out of it to protect her routes to India.
  
• The collapse of the Ottoman Empire and how Egypt fits in the big jigsaw of the Middle East during WWI and WWII
  
• The Egyptian revolution of 1952 . And how Israel reacted to it with fear , attacking Egypt in Gaza in 1954, forcing Egypt to seek modern weapons, which the West was never willing now to sell to Egypt.
  
• How Egypt was forced to go to the Soviets, for weapons and help building the High Dam.
  
• How the Soviets were only glad to oblige, and how this lead to a chain reaction that placed Egypt at the heart of the cold war between the Soviets and the West , this resulted in 1956 as well as 1976 wars
  
• American Policy in the Middle East , particularly in Egypt and Saudia Arabia.
  
• Why the Dubai economic model is impossible to replicate in the Middle East even in Israel , in our life time.
  
• "Peace Dividends" : A Mirage that will never be seen on a dry hot day by the majority of the Middle East inhabitants.

We break for lunch :Our panelist will join us for lunch

After lunch , you will be meeting Egyptian women , both moslems and coptic in another roundtable , where you will participate in a " Q & A " presentation on "Women in Islam " as well as "Women in Egypt"

DAY 10 - Cairo / Amman (BD)
Our staff escorts you to the airport for your flight to Amman. Air fare is included in business class , tax included . Upon arrival, our local rep. will assist with your visa ( visa fee is included for a limited number of nationalities, such as USA , Canadians, Australian, NZ, EU, Japanese etc )
Amman : Capital of the Kingdom of Jordan. You'll learn about this surprisingly cosmopolitan city of Palestinians, Bedouins, and descendants of migrants from the Caucasus.
Round table meeting with local professors at your hotel or at one of the local universities with the topic covering " Peace Dividends " and the impact on the economic fortune of the region should there be peace between Israel and the Arabs as a whole.
Your hotel : Hyatt or Sheraton . Dinner and folk show is included tonight .

DAY 11 - JERASH - Thursday- Private Guide Escorting your from Amman (BL)
Breakfast. . We drive to Jerash, among the best-preserved Roman cities in the world, to tour its temples, theaters, churches and colonnaded streets. Lunch is included at a charming local restaurant, back to Amman and your hotel . Remainder of the day at leisure.

DAY 12 - MADABA, KERAK & Petra- Friday (BLD)
Your guide escorts the tour at all times from Amman . We drive south along the King's Highway, an ancient caravan route, to Madaba to visit the church containing the oldest known map of the Holy Land. Continuing to Mount Nebo, we enjoy the panoramic view of the Promised Land the way Moses saw it for the first time. Farther on, at Kerak, we tour the ruins of its romantic Crusaders' castle of Renaud de Chatillon, one of a line which stretched from Aqaba to Turkey. Lunch is included enroute at a local restaurant . Finally, we arrive in Petra, and settle in at our hotel, where and comfortable beds await you .

In the evening we will call on you for a unique experience :
Dine as a local : The Petra Kitchen is a delightful way to round out your Jordan travel experiences. Like any home kitchen, The Petra Kitchen is a relaxed, informal atmosphere where you’ll gather to prepare an evening meal, working alongside local women under the supervision of our chef.

Each evening meal includes soup, cold and hot mezza ( appetizers ) and salads, and a main course—all typical Jordanian dishes. You will have get an inside glimpse of the secrets behind the famous regional cuisine of the Levant.

The Petra Kitchen offers an evening of learning, fun and a very special dining experience, with each dish gaining the special flavor of a reward well-earned. Great care has been taken to make The Petra Kitchen a truly Jordanian experience—right down to the furnishings, all crafted in Jordan, the tableware, all produced by the Iraq al Amir Women’s Co-operative, and the aprons and table linens, all hand-embroidered by the Jordan River Foundation.

Tour experience tonight includes the cuisine course, meal and all non-alcoholic beverages as well as take-home recipes for all dishes prepared that evening.

DAY 13 - PETRA - Amman - Saturday (B)
We'll 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 into 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 , late afternoon we drive back to Amman and your hotel .

DAY 14 - DEPARTURE FOR HOME (aB)
Our local rep. escorts you to the airport of Amman . Departure tax is included. Bon Voyage

RATES are per person in USD $

• All transfers in Egypt and Jordan.
  
• Deluxe Hotel accommodation, as listed including tax.
  
• Meals as listed: ab:American or Buffet breakfast. L/D: pre set menu lunch/dinner.
  
• Guided sightseeing as indicated including all entrance fees.
  
• Domestic air within Egypt in business class.
  
• One way : Air ticket Cairo / Amman. Business class . Tax included
  

• Beverages.
• Insurance
• International air fare from/to your home country .
• Tips