MS Farah – 5 Days Luxury Nile Cruise # 331

After breakfast we visit the West Bank: Valley of the Kings & Queens. The valley contains 63 tombs and stands on the west bank of the Nile, opposite Thebes (modern Luxor), where, for a period of nearly 500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, rock cut tombs were excavated for the Pharaohs and powerful nobles of the New Kingdom. The royal tombs are decorated with scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues as to the beliefs and funerary rituals of the period. Then on to the temple of Hatshepsut which was originally dedicated to Amun and then added to by Hatshepsut, Queen and 5th Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty. Her reign was the longest of all the female pharaohs. Her funerary temple stands as tribute to her peaceful and prosperous rule. It is considered one of the incomparable monuments of ancient Egypt. Then sail to Edfu via Esna during lunch on board. Captain’s Welcome Cocktail Party. Dinner on board. Overnight in Edfu.

Breakfast on board then visit Edfu Temple one of the best-preserved shrines in Egypt, distinguished by its huge splendid structure that blends Pharaonic and Greek architecture. The temple was built in the Ptolemaic Kingdom between 237 and 57 BC. The inscriptions on its walls provide important information on language, myth and religion during the Hellenistic period in Egypt. Sail to Kom Ombo. After lunch on board we visit Kom Ombo Temple which was constructed during the Ptolemaic dynasty, 180–47 BC. The temple is unique because it is perfectly symmetrical and was built for two sets of gods. The south temple was dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, god of fertility and creator of the world. The northern temple was dedicated to the falcon god Horus.  Sail to Aswan and dinner is followed by a Galabeya Party. Overnight in Aswan.

Visit the High Dam, the Unfinished Obelisk & the Temple of Philae. The Philae Temple (the Temple of Isis) is one of the greatest Temples in Egypt with its huge, complete, pylons and beautiful scenes. It occupies about a quarter of the island. The High dam was constructed to replace the old (1902) Aswan dam built to protect Egypt from the floods and provide irrigation and electricity across Egypt. It is 111 meters/ 364 feet high and 12, 562 feet / 3830 meters long and visitors can easily locate lake Nasser over 100 miles away. The Unfinished Obelisk developed cracks and was abandoned. It is nearly one-third larger than any ancient Egyptian obelisk ever erected. If finished it would have measured around 42 meters / 137 feet and would have weighed nearly 1,090 metric tons (1,200 tons).  In the afternoon sail on the Nile by Felucca around Kitchener’s Island Lord Kitchener was gifted the island, when he served as Consul-General in Egypt from 1911 to 1914. With the aid of the Ministry of Irrigation, Kitchener rapidly transformed the small 750 metres (2,460 ft) long island into a paradise of exotic trees, many from India, and plants in gardens with view walkways. It later passed into the property of the Egyptian government and was used as a research station is now Aswan Botanic Island. Dinner with Nubian Folkloric show.