In a Pharaohs Footsteps

The history of Egypt is presented in themes, with the bottom floor built like a pharaoh’s tomb, whilst the upper floors cover more recent periods. There are over 20 mummies in the museum, each with a history of their times and achievements.

NMEC presents the innovation of the ancient Egyptians and their contribution to mathematics, engineering, astronomy, and many other disciplines.

A World Class Museum Dedicated to Egyptian History

Since its opening in 2017, NMEC has gained an international reputation for excellence. It presents the richness, brilliance, and innovation of Egyptian society through the ages.

Its themes include the Dawn of Civilization, The Nile, Writing, State and Society, Material Culture, Beliefs and Thinking, and the Gallery of Royal Mummies.

For travellers to Egypt, it provides deep insight into the amazing society the Egyptians built from prehistoric days to the present.

The Museum is in Al Fustat, an area at the heart of Egyptian history. The Museum houses 50,000 artefacts and the ancient natural lake of Ain El-Sira.

Lunch: The tour takes lunch at a local restaurant

Saqqara & The Stepped Pyramid: King Djoser, was the first to build his tomb entirely in stone. and in a stepped arrangement.

The tour takes you inside the pyramid and the outbuildings. Later the pharaoh Sneferu would develop the design one step further. 

Aside from being home to Egypt’s oldest pyramid, Saqqara is the largest active archaeological site in the country. After Covid and a break of two years, work has once again begun on uncovering Saqqara’s secrets.

From 2021, archaeologists have made ground-breaking discoveries of a tomb carved into the rock that is over 4000 years old. Additionally, archaeologists recently found a cache of 250 ancient Egyptian mummies and the largest caches of bronze statues ever found.

The second of 5 nights at the Cairo Marriott (Nile River) 5 Star Hotel or equivalent. B L included – Dinner at Own Expense.

The 90-minute drive to Sneferu’s first foray into pyramid building gives you a glimpse of rural Egypt and sets the scene for the day.

An Obelisk or Monument that Became a Pyramid   Sneferu added to an existing and partly completed obelisk type structure with 3 layers of construction. We venture inside.  However this small space is not for the claustrophobic or faint hearted. The problems of construction and design were lessons learned and prompted Sneferu to new sites and revised pyramid designs.

Lunch:  We will enjoy our lunch at a local restaurant. The third of 5 nights at the Cairo Marriott (Nile River) 5 Star Hotel or equivalent. B L included – Dinner at Own Expense.

The Bent Pyramid was the name given to Sneferu’s second attempt. at pyramid building. It became referred to as an architectural mistake. But was it?

Cracks started to appear in the façade which likely led to reducing the inclination from 53 to 43 degrees. Regardless it was the first attempt to build a smooth sided pyramid. The Bent Pyramid is one of the oldest pyramids in the world. It has some fascinating features and we will enter its inner sanctums to explore.

Lunch: We will lunch at a local restaurant.

The Third Pyramid of Sneferu is referred to as the Red Pyramid and is located close to the Bent Pyramid in Dahshur. It is also the pyramid with the most shallow angle, so it reached only 105 meters in height. It has been described as the perfect pyramid but was it as grand as Snefru had wanted? Had Sneferu finally got the design right?

The fourth of 5 nights at the Cairo Marriott (Nile River) 5 Star Hotel or equivalent. B L D included

Night Cruise Dinner on the Nile: We will enjoy a Dinner Cruise on the Nile where belly dancing and musicians entertain.

The Pyramids of the Giza Plateau

Sneferu’s reign ended after 33 years and he was succeeded by his son Khufu. Khufu would be followed by his son Khafre and his son Menkaure.

Building pyramids had become a family affair but the reputation of Sneferu as a designer, intellectual, and master planner eclipsed them all.  Sneferu had built 3 pyramids – simply an outstanding achievement.

The Sphinx – much is still to be learned about the building of the Sphinx and what it represents.

Sphinxes were often placed at the entrance of temples to guard their mysteries. Even the name was given 2000 years after the date of its construction (during Khafre’s rule)

Sellen Hassan, an Egyptologist wrote, “Taking all things into consideration, it seems that we must give the credit of erecting this, the world’s most wonderful statue, to Khafre, but always with this reservation that there is not one single contemporary inscription which connects the Sphinx with Khafre”.  The mystery continues.

Mark Lehner, the worlds leading Egyptologist and Archaeologist was the first to ever map the Sphinx and later the Giza Plateau.  Mark has been working on the Giza Plateau for over 40 years.   He first office was between the paws of the Sphinx

Lunch: The tour takes lunch at a local restaurant.

The fifth of 5 nights at the Cairo Marriott (Nile River) 5 Star Hotel or equivalent. B L included – Dinner at Own Expense.

Breakfast at the Hotel

Enjoy breakfast before being transferred to Cairo for your onward flight.

Optional Tours

If you have a late evening departure we can organise some additional experiences for you.   Our Botanical Gardens tour combines botany and history in abundance.

Cairo Botanical Gardens

The Largest Park in Cairo

Al-Azhar Park is the largest park in Cairo and offers a 72-acre space of greenery in the midst of Old Cairo.  

Its architectural design was inspired by historic Islamic gardens.  The spine of the park is an axis with water fountains leading to a small lake, along with alleyways pointing towards the Citadel of Cairo.   

Among several honours, Azhar Park is listed as one of the world’s 60 great public spaces.  And it has a number of restaurants where you can have a wonderful lunch.

Archaeological Discoveries

Archaeological research during the parks creation revealed the remains of the first City Wall built from mud bricks in 969.

A century later, a new city wall had been built in addition to three monumental gates built in stone.  All in all, a park being constructed for the residents of Cairo also uncovered structures of great historical significant to the city.

End of Tour