Day 01
Memphis, Saqqara, and the Giza Pyramids
- Meet your tour guide upon arrival and begin your guided tour with a visit to Memphis, the city and capital of ancient Egypt. Today, the city itself no longer exists apart from mud-brick ruins in the countryside. According to a commonly accepted tradition, Memphis was founded around 2925 BCE by Menes. The original name of the city was "the white walls." There are still some remarkable monuments that once decorated the cult temple of Memphis, dedicated to God Ptah and his holy family.
- Continue to Saqqara, the necropolis and sacred center of the great city of Memphis. It was founded around 3000 BC and contains hundreds of tombs designed to preserve bodies and keep their possessions in the hope of resurrection on Judgment Day. It consists of a huge underground complex and includes the Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed and built by Imhotep.
- Proceed to the Pyramids in Giza.
- En route, enjoy a local Egyptian lunch at a local restaurant.
- After lunch, arrive at the Pyramids of Giza. About 15 km north of Saqqara lies a high plateau overlooking the river, now known as the Giza Plateau. On this plateau, you will be amazed by one of the wonders of the world: the three main pyramids - the Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops), the father; the Pyramid of Khafre (Chephren), the son; and the Pyramid of Menkaure (Mycerinus), the grandson. These pyramids were built to preserve their mummies and possessions for the journey through the underworld. You will also see the minor pyramids of their wives and daughters, hundreds of mastaba tombs for high officials and family members, and the famous Sphinx, sculpted near the river valley to protect the area, with the body of a lion and the head of a philosopher-king.
- You will be transferred back to the hotel at the end of the tour.
