You will wake up early to enjoy your delicious breakfast and start your adventures with full enthusiasm. One of the professional tour guides from the Cairo Top Tours team will come to meet you and take you on a tour of the most important archaeological sites in the world. You will start your day by visiting the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM).
The Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is one of the most important museums in Egypt and the world, especially with its modern design and advanced display techniques. Despite the opening of other major museums in Egypt, such as the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization, the GEM has quickly become the new global center for exploring Egypt’s ancient heritage.
It houses thousands of priceless artifacts, including the complete collection of King Tutankhamun, displayed to the public for the first time in history. As the largest archaeological museum in the world, the GEM offers an immersive experience that makes it an essential destination for Egyptology students and lovers of Egyptian civilization from around the globe.
You will visit the Great Pyramids of Giza, which make the smartest scientists in the world unable to explain how these giant structures were built without using modern construction tools available in our current era. The Pyramid of Khufu was designed in a wonderful geometric and astronomical way because the Egyptian scientists who designed it had extensive knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, and engineering. The Pyramid of Khufu was like a very accurate chronological clock through which the dates of the spring and autumn equinoxes and the dates of the beginning of the summer and winter seasons were determined.
You will also see the Valley Temple of King Khafre. This temple was characterized by strong earthquake-resistant construction engineering, so we see that the wall engravings are simpler compared to the temples later in the Fifth and Sixth Dynasties, which are more decorated. The main purpose of these temples was that they were used for the mummification process, or what was known as "opening the mouth," which is the ceremony of entering the "Ka" into the body of the deceased. You will also see the famous Sphinx statue that represents King Khafre in the Old Kingdom, the son of Khufu, in the form of the god Horus worshiping the god Ra—the sun god, who is worshiped inside the temple in front of the "Sphinx," known as the "Sphinx" Temple.
We will now move to visit Coptic Cairo, and you will be able to visit many valuable historical churches, such as the Hanging Church. The Hanging Church, “Qasriyat al-Rayhan,” is the Church of the Virgin Mary, known in the Old Cairo district, which is the most famous church among a group of churches within the Babylon Fortress, which was the headquarters of the ancient Roman garrison in this area. This church was built in the late fourth and early fifth centuries AD.
You will visit the Church of Saints Sergius and Bacchus, known as “Abu Serga,” which was built in the late seventh century by Athanasius—one of the most prominent men of the Umayyad state in the era of Abdul Aziz Ibn Marwan, the ruler of Egypt. Athanasius came from Syria, influenced by the story of Saint Sergius, who was martyred in this place at the same time he lost his friend, the martyr Bacchus. Athanasius built this church in memory of the two martyrs above the place of the blessed cave of the Holy Family.
You will also visit the Ben Ezra Synagogue, which was formerly a Christian church called the Church of the Candlemas and was sold by the Orthodox Church to the Jewish community when it went through financial distress due to the exorbitant taxes imposed on it at the time. The temple was named after “Ezra the Scribe,” one of the most prominent Jewish rabbis, and is sometimes called the Temple of the Palestinians or the Temple of the Levantines. The Jews say that this spot is a holy place where our master Moses, peace be upon him, stayed and used it for prayer after the plague struck the country, according to the well-known story.
You will have a delicious lunch at one of the local restaurants, then visit the Khan El-Khalili Bazaar, which is full of life, colors, local products, and beautiful handicrafts. After this exciting tour, you will return to your hotel to have some rest.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch