Istanbul, Cairo and Nile River Cruise -- 11 thru 26 April 2025

We arrived   in Cairo  from Luxor late this morning for our last tour to d iscover Ancient Christian Origins. We started out exploring the winding alleys of Coptic Cairo and visited the Old Quarter of the Egyptian  capital, a UNESCO Site. Then we set off to discover the Christian Quarter of Cairo.  The Coptic Quarter was  important to early Christianity and was a stronghold for the faith during the Islamic Era. The Coptic Museum, which  holds the largest collection of Christian artifacts in the world is built on the ruins of the Roman Babylon fort.  The  Ben Ezra Synagogue was believed to be where the Pharaoh’s daughter discovered baby Moses.  Then a visit to the Hanging  Church, dedicated to the Virgin Mary and built on the ruins of the two Towers of Babylon. It was the first basilica-style church  built in Egypt and houses some of the holiest icons that date back to the 8th century.  Back to our hotel for a farewell dinner an...

 We docked last night in Edfu.  We have a fairly light day today with only one temple this morning, but a temple magnificently preserved! Edfu is one of Egypt’s most complete ancient temples, buried 9 meters below street level, and preserved under  desert sands for 2,000 years.  From our ship,our motor coach took us for a scenic drive through the village streets,  catching glimpses of local life. Upon arrival at the Temple of Horus at Edfu, built between 237 and 57 BC, we instantly marveled  at the pair of black granite statues of Horus, the falcon god to whom the temple is  dedicated.  Then into the colonnaded courtyard past hieroglyphics and rows of lotus columns into two halls, whose side  chambers stored offerings to the gods.Our guide pointed out the stairway leading to the roof. During an annual New  Year’s festival, priests carried a statue of Horus to the roof so it could be revitalized by the year’s first sun. A  replica of...

After leaving Aswan, we traveled a short distance on our cruise ship and arrived for a late afternoon visit to the temple -- One Temple, Two Gods -- the fascinating dual temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to two gods, Sobek and Horus. This  remarkable temple, within walking distance of our berth, is unique for many reasons. Two temples in one, Kom Ombo is perfectly  symmetrical. One half is dedicated to Horus, the falcon god of the sky, and the other to Sobek, the crocodile god, a  protective deity thought to have created the world.  Horus to the left and Sobek on the right It is believed that the temple’s builder went to great lengths to ensure that  both halves were precisely alike, so as not to offend either god. Along the short distance  walk with our guide to the temple  and we learned about its Greco-Roman style, first built by the pharaohs of Egypt and completed by an emperor of Rome. Upon  arrival, we noted its duplicate gateways, chapels, cou...

We left our Viking cruise ship this morning and sailed down to Nile, taking in the sites and quiet sounds along the river. The house and mausoleum of Aga Khan Lawrence of Arabia?? Nubian House Nubian Village We continued to a local Nubian local village with our guide and meet a traditional  Nubian family. Learn about their lifestyle and gain insight into the traditions the Nubians have followed for thousands of years.  We visited a pre-school (4 years old) in the village and spent time listening to the children recite their number, letters and sang in Nubian, Arabic, and English.  Next, we boarded our buses and drove to the  Temples of Philae—built to honor Isis, construction began in around 690 BC. The structure was moved from its original  location on Philae Island, to its new location on Agilkia Island, after the flooding of Lake Nasser so we sailed to the island. As the waters of Lake  Nasser rose, the temple complex was relocated here. The UNESCO Nubia...