Educational: Egypt -Total Solar Eclipse 2027 (8 Days)

Cairo: Civilisation, Engineering and the Cosmos

Visit the Giza Plateau, the Sphinx, and Saqqara.

Learning emphasis: scale, geometry, ancient engineering, and sky observation in early civilizations.

The Pyramids of Giza, the ultimate act of devotion. Today, we start with perhaps the greatest monuments to Egyptian faith, ingenuity and achievement of any civilisation – the pyramids of Giza.

The pharaohs Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure were the builders of the Giza Pyramids which have stood for over 4500 years.  They are a  testament to ancient Egyptians’ engineering skills and also to their grandfather, Sneferu .   Sneferu had built 3 pyramids in his lifetime and without him, the Giza Pyramids would not have been built.  But many mysteries remain.

Similarly, the Sphinx has many mysteries as their are no inscriptions which identify the builder and its purpose.   It’s an amazing edifice which we know little about.

Saqqara – The Saqqara area is the most researched archaeological site in Egypt with recent excavations uncovering new tombs previously unknown.

The Stepped Pyramid was the first stone building in all of history and the tallest construction in the world up until the mid 19th century.  Beneath it are 4 miles of tunnels and over 400 chambers.

Grand Egyptian Museum and Khan El Khalil Bazaar

The Museum displays around 100,000 ancient artifacts spanning 7,000 years of Egyptian history. The main galleries are divided into four eras: predynastic and Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, New Kingdom, and Greco-Roman.

The main attraction is the full tomb collection of King Tutankhamun. The collection includes about 5,000 items and was relocated from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.

In August 2021, the reconstructed Khufu ship, a solar barque, was relocated to the Grand Egyptian Museum from the Giza Solar Boat Museum beside the Great Pyramid.

The Statue of Ramesses II occupies the largest central atrium in the museum. In 2006, the 3,200–year–old Statue of Ramesses II was relocated from Ramses Square in Cairo to the Museum. It was moved to the atrium of the museum in January 2018. and weighs 83 tons.

The Khan El Khalili Bazaar has been open 24 hours a day and has been since the 1400’s.

With hundreds of store holders within its precincts, the winding alleys reveal something around each corner. It attracts a cross section of Egyptians and is a truly incredible cultural experience.  It was formerly the precinct of the Fatimid ruling family.

Fly to Luxor

Travel to Upper Egypt and begin the Luxor field-study programme.

Afternoon orientation on the Nile, temple landscapes, and eclipse-day logistics.

Karnak and Luxor Temples

Explore the ceremonial heart of ancient Thebes.

Learning emphasis: solar symbolism, sacred architecture, inscriptions, and how civilizations used monuments to express cosmic order.

The Temple of Karnak

The Temple of Karnak was believed to be the spot where creation began. They also believed it was a point of interaction between the god Amun-Ra and Egyptians. It is important to Egypt’s cultural history because it was a place of worship and provides clues about the ancient Egyptian religion.

The Temple of Luxor

The Temple of Luxor has always been used as a place of worship, and evidence of various groups is present even today.

Construction began around 1400 BCE during the New Kingdom, with Amenhotep III starting the core of the temple and later additions by Tutankhamun, Horemheb, and Ramesses II.

The Luxor Temple served as a significant religious center, particularly for the Opet Festival, where the cult images of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu were taken from Karnak Temple to Luxor Temple.

West Bank of Luxor

Visit the Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut Temple, and selected sites on the West Bank.

Students compare landscape, belief, kingship, and the westward journey of the sun.

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings refers to  where the bodies of the pharaohs were laid to rest in tombs cut deep into the rock. These tombs range in size from single chamber burials to massive complexes spanning several thousand square meters.

The Valley of the Workers Deir el-Medina, also known as the Valley of the Workers, was an ancient Egyptian workmen’s village.

Located on the west bank of the Nile River in Egypt, it was home to the artisans who worked on the tombs in the nearby Valley of the Kings during the New Kingdom period (1550-1070 BCE)2.

The Temple of Hatshebut

Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s temple is an engineering marvel and is  important because it offers insight into her rule. Hatshepsut was largely written out of history, but the stories told on the colonnades in the temple shed a lot of light on the two decades of her reign.

Eclipse Day, 2 August 2027

Transfer early to the selected viewing site.

Observe the partial phases, totality, temperature and light changes, shadows, and the solar corona. After totality, students complete field notes and share first reflections.

Reflection and Departure or Extension

Closing seminar, student presentations, and return travel to Cairo for onward flights, or continue with a Nile cruise or Red Sea extension.