Stacey’s Mini-Extravaganza to the Middle East

The most frequent question I’m fielding about this trip is “What are you going to do there?” so I thought I’d offer a little preview of the planned itinerary.  Below are the planned highlights of the next 3 weeks.

 Pyramids of Giza

Cairo

• Pyramids of Giza, Saqqara, Dahshur
• Coptic Cairo – Christian section of the city of Cairo
• Islamic Cairo – Islamic quarter containing important historical mosques and monuments
• Khan El-Khalili – ancient market dating to 1382
• Egyptian Museum – largest collection of Egyptian antiquities in the world

Feluccas on the Nile

Aswan

• Abu Simbel – twin temples located near the shores of Lake Nasser
• Felucca sailing on the Nile -Egyptian sailboat trip on the river Nile and around Elephantine Island
• Elephantine Island -Nubian villages, nilometer, Aswan Museum

View of the Nile and Luxor Temple

Luxor

• Valley of the Kings/Queens – valley containing 500 years worth of Egyptian kings, queens and other notable figures
• Karnak Temple – largest pharaonic monument outside of the Giza pyramids
• Luxor Temple – temple complex from 1400 BC located on the east bank of the Nile
• Hot-air balloon ride – if the wind cooperates, a flight over the temples of Luxor

Beach at the Red Sea in Dahab

Dahab

• SCUBA Diving – Various reefs and sea critters in the Red Sea
• Mt. Sinai – Allegedly the location that Moses waited to receive the Ten Commandments
• RELAXING – they tell me Dahab is the best place in the world to relax, read, smoke shisha and watch the world go by

“The Monastery” at Petra

Petra

• Roaming buildings and streets of the historic and archaeological city of Petra.  Readers may also recognize Petra as the site of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

The desert of Wadi Rum

Wadi Rum

• Overnight trip through the Bedouin “Valley of the Moon.”  Known for its trekking, rock-climbing, camel and horseback riding, camping under the stars.

Madaba and environs

• Madaba – small city known for its mosaic making and in particular, the large map of the Holy Land
• Dead Sea – lowest elevation on Earth’s surface, this sea boasts a salinity of 33.7% (8.6 times more salty than the ocean)
• Mt. Nebo – Moses again makes an appearance on the mini-Extravaganza as the site where he was allegedly given a view of the promised land that God was giving to the Israelites.
• Hammamat Ma’in – hot springs.  Time-permitting I may find myself here for an afternoon or so.