|
Recomended Reading
available through Amazon. Click the link below to buy the book. .
An excellent book by Richard Wilkinson describing the different temple sites of Ancient Egypt.
|
Egypt Tour
Mid-Winter Solstice Celebration
An 10 day trip exploring some of the most significant sacred sites of Ancient Egypt in the Upper Nile Valley to coincide with the Mid-Winter Solstice.
led by David Furlong and run in conjunction with Eagle Travel
Monday 14 - Wednesday 23 December 2015
Many of the temple sites in the Luxor area are aligned to specific astronomical alignments including the mid-winter sunrise. This 10 day trip will explore some of these wonderful temple sites and allow you to experience the beauty of this special time of the year. The highlight of the trip will be the visit to the magnificent mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari. This temple has spectacular views across the Nile to the distant horizon and its inner chamber is aligned precisely to the rising Sun of the winter solstice. The great temple complex of Karnak, the largest of its kind in the world, is also aligned to the midwinter Sun.
We will also visit the temple of Seti I at Abydos, with its intriguing features that includes the famous "helicopter" hieroglyph and the "Flower of Life" symbol in the Osirion. It promises to be a magical experience, with plenty of time for meditation and reflection at this pivotal time of the year. The trip schedule is as follows:
|
Day 1 - 14 December |
Fly to Luxor, check into hotel. Introduction to trip and the sights we will be seeing. |
|
Day 2 - 15 December |
Early morning visit to magnificent Karnak temple dedicated to the god Amun and his consort Mut. This temple is aligned to the mid-winter sunrise and we will have the first opportunity of having a sense of this phenomenon in the 'holy of holies' in the temple. We will also visit a subsidiary temple dedicated to Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertum that houses the powerful statue of the goddess Sekhmet and the very interesting open air museum.
In the late afternoon we will visit to Luxor Museum, with its many exquisite artefacts, including the recently discovered statues known as the "cachet" of Luxor.
|
|
Day 3 - 16 December |
Overland visit where we will first visit the cult temple of Seti I at Abydos, dedicated to the god Osiris. Here in this beautiful temple there are many enigmatic scenes including the famous "helicopter" hieroglyph. We will also see the strange structure at the rear of the temple known as the Osirion, which has drawn on one of its columns the "Flower of Life Symbol".
From Abydos we will travel to visit the temple of Hathor at Denderah built in Ptolemaic times. This temple has many astronomical depictions including the famous zodiac. This was one of the great healing temples of Egypt and is aligned to the stars of Ursa Major |
|
Day 4 - 17 December |
Overland trip to Aswan. En route we will first visit the rock tombs of El Kab (Nekeb), which date to the 18th dynasty. On arrival in Aswan we will check into our hotel and then travel to visit to the temple of Isis on the island of Philae. This temple was saved from destruction when the Aswan dam was built. This is a beautiful Ptolemaic temple, which holds some of the last inscriptions of the ancient hieroglyphic language. En route back we will visit the ancient quarries of Aswan and the high dam.
|
|
Day 5 - 18 December
|
Optional early morning flight to Abu Simbel to see the magnificent rock cut temples of Ramses II and his wife Nefertari. This complex was raised from the valley floor when the Aswan High Dam was erected. Transfer to Nile Cruise boat for return trip to Luxor. |
|
Day 6 - 19 December |
Sail to Kom Ombo, to visit the Ptolemaic temple dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek and to Horus. Sail to Edfu for overnight stop. There will be opportunities for sharing and discussion as we travel by boat seeing the Nile countryside. |
|
Day 7- 20 December |
Early morning visit to the magnificent temple of Horus, the best preserved in all of Egypt. In the myths Horus was married to Hathor and every year the priests travelled with their cult statues of the god and goddess between the two temples of Edfu and Denderah, celebrating a "divine" marriage. We too can feel into the unification of the two parts of our being, the yin and the yang, the masculine and the feminine. |
|
Day 8- 21 December |
Cruise to Luxor. Disembark after lunch and check into hotel. Afternoon free for shopping.
Evening visit to beautiful Luxor Temple, built by a succession of great kings from the 18th and 19th dynasties. |
|
Day 9 - 22 December |
In order to see a solar astronomical alignment there will be an early morning visit to Deir el Bahari (Hatshepsut temple), which is one of the most magnificent temples in the whole of Egypt. We aim to arrive early to experience the alignment of the winter solstice sun, through a 'light box' into the inner sanctuary of Amun at the centre of the temple.
After this experience we will then visit the famous Valley of the Kings, with its many tombs nestled under the 'Holy Mountain' of Thebes. From the Valley of Kings we will travel a short distance to visit the mortuary temple of Seti 1 at Qurna. This small peaceful temple is aligned to the southern lunar 'standstill'. Finally after lunch we will visit the great temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu. This temple has many beautiful carved scenes and the ceiling star map.
|
|
Day 10 - 23 December |
Return flight UK. |
The cost of all of the above excursions including fully guided tours and onsite mediations is £1375 for earlybird booking
Please enquire below if you require further information.
Booking: To book your place please click here.
Click here to read about Hatshepsut's Mortuary Temple and the solstice alignment.
What people had said about the
trips
"A
fabulous and deeply meaningful trip" JT
"One of the most mystical and magical trips I have ever experienced"FS
 |
These trips are a wonderful opportunity to share in the mystery of Ancient
Egypt with like minded individuals under the guidance of David Furlong and
his many years experience in traveling into Egypt.
Group sizes vary from
between 8 to 20 people allowing for new friendships to be established.
There is plenty of opportunity for sharing experiences and bathing the
spiritual energies of this magnificent country. |
Some interesting websites to visit with complementary
information:
http://www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/digital_egypt/Welcome.html
http://www.akhet.co.uk/mainpage.htm
Does Egypt call to you? Then why not join us for this trip?
| For further information please write to: David Furlong
Myrtles, Como Road, Malvern Worcs WR14 2TH
or phone 01684-569105 or 07779789047
Email: David Furlong |
|
David has been taking groups to Egypt for more than 15 years. He has extensive knowledge on Ancient Egyptian Culture and has published his researches into the solstice alignment at Queen Hatshepsut's temple.
Egyptian group 2004
Statue of Ramses II at Luxor Temple
An early morning balloon ride over Luxor
Midwinter sunrise in the great temple of Karnak dedicated to the god Amun
One of the statues of Osiris at Hatshepsut's temple, Deir El Bahari.
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir El Bahari
Midwinter sunrise at the temple of Hatshepsut
Solstice sunrise from within the sanctuary of Amun at Hatshepsut temple
|
