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This trip is designed primarily for the traveler who wants to learn more about the ancient Egyptian language while exploring Egypt's classic monuments. It will include a rather intensive two week course in understanding Hieroglyphic inscriptions, presented by Dr. Bill Petty (beginning course) and Kevin Johnson, ABD, University of Memphis, (intermediate course, tentative), much of it on site. There will be practical exercises, classroom instruction and private study. There will also be time for fun.

It is clearly not possible to become fluent in any foreign language in just two weeks, however at the end of the beginning course you should have a good understanding of the hieroglyphic script as well as the ability to obtain a good general understanding of many of the inscriptions you may encounter. By the end of the intermediate course you should understand many of the rules of grammar and be able to do reasonable translations of many of the inscriptions you might encounter.

The course work is based primarily on the works of Alan Gardiner, Karl-Theodor Zauzich, Mark Collier and Bill Manley.

Because of the instructional nature of this program, total participation in the program is strictly limited to 20 participants. Yet for all this the tour cost is being kept quite low.

You may register by sending us an e-mail with your request, including your name, address and phone number. We will then hold space for you without obligation for 10 days. Make sure you include the tour name in your email.

Can you translate the following inscription? It is part of the autobiography of Amose, son of Ibana, which we will be translating when we visit El Kab on day 9 of the tour.

Day 0, Jan 8, Saturday
If you arrange your international air travel through us, you will travel to New York on our own and join the group for an overnight flight from New York to Cairo on Egypt Air, departing JFK airport at 6:30 pm.

Day 1, Jan 9, Sunday
Upon your arrival in Cairo you will be met by a Museum Tours representative, who will assist with your checked luggage. Our private bus will then take us through Cairo and across the Nile river to the five-star hotel, The Sofitel Sphinx , located near the pyramids. There will be a one hour orientation at 5:00 pm.
Hotel - Sofitel Sphinx

Day 2, Jan 10, Monday
This morning there will be a three hours of classroom instruction. After lunch we will head for the ancient capital of Memphis with its magnificent and beautiful Colossus of Ramses as well as other inscribed monuments. After two hours on site we will return to the hotel for one hour of class.
Hotel, B - Sofitel Sphinx

Day 3, Jan 11, Tuesday
After breakfast we will head to the Giza Plateau where we will spend the entire day. Of course we will visit the Pyramid of Khufu, and the ageless Sphinx of Khafra with its valley temple. But our study will involve visits a number of private tombs, including the Tombs Qar and Idu, where we will study the inscriptions. This evening there will be a one hour class.
Hotel, B - Sofitel Sphinx

Day 4, Jan 12, Wednesday
We will visit the ancient necropolis at Saqqara for the entire morning. Sites include: the Step Pyramid of Djoser (the world's first pyramid), causeway of the Pyramid of Unas, and the Mastaba tombs of Meruka and Khagemwy. After lunch we will return to the hotel for a two hour class. From here we will drive to the airport to catch our evening flight to Luxor, where we will transfer to the deluxe and historic, five-star Winter Palace Hotel.
Hotel - Winter Pavillon, B - Sofitel Sphinx

Day 5, Jan 13, Thursday
There will a three hour class at the hotel in the morning. We will spend the afternoon at Karnak Temple, the world's largest temple complex, studying and translating the inscriptions. We will concentrate primarily on the 19th dynasty inscriptions in the large columned hall.
Hotel, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 6, Jan 14, Friday
We will spend the morning at Luxor temple studying the 18th and 19th dynasty inscriptions. In the afternoon we will have a three hour class back at the hotel. The evening will be spent at the Luxor Museum studying and translating some of the many inscriptions it contains.
Hotel, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 7, Jan 15, Saturday
Today we will drive to the West bank to visit the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Rameses II, or the temple of Hatshepsut at Dier el Bahri, where we will study the ceremonial and some historical inscriptions. Finally, we will stop for a brief visit at the Colossi of Memnon, the giant statues of Amenhotep III, before we return to our hotel for our three hour afternoon class.
Hotel, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 8, Jan 16, Sunday
We will return to the West Bank to visit Medinet Habu, the best preserved of the New Kingdom temples where we will study ceremonial as well as historical inscriptions. There will be a three hour class back at the hotel.
Hotel, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 9, Jan 17, Monday
Today we board our bus for a visit to El Kab, site of many early New Kingdom tombs. Here we will explore the famous Tomb of Amose, son of Ebana, and translate the historical inscriptions it contains. We may also visit other tombs from this period. There will be a one hour class in the evening.
Hotel, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 10, Jan 18, Tuesday
We will return to Karnak Temple for the entire day, with an emphasis on translating the historical inscription contained in the Annals of Thutmose III. There will be a one hour class at the hotel in the evening.
Hotel, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 11, Jan 19, Wednesday
We will recross the Nile to visit the Valley of the Kings, where we will visit several of the most interesting tombs open to the public. The decision as to which tombs we will visit will be based on small crowds and appropriate inscriptions. The remainder of the morning will be spent visiting several of the Nobles' Tombs on the West Bank. We will have a three hour class in the afternoon.
Hotel, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 12, Jan 20, Thursday
This morning we will transfer to the airport and fly back to Cairo where we will check into the Rameses Hilton. The remainder of the day will be spent at the Egyptian Museum with the Treasures of Tutankhamen. There will be a one hour class in the evening.
Hotel - Rameses Hilton, B - Winter Pavillon

Day 13, Jan 21, Friday
Our last day is Egypt will be spent in the Egyptian Museum studying and translating inscriptions of your choice.
Hotel, B - Rameses Hilton

Day 14, Jan 22, Saturday
You will be transferred to the Cairo airport for your flight home.
B - Rameses Hilton

NOTES: B = Breakfast
The right is reserved to substitute carriers or hotels should it be deemed necessary or desirable to do so. Items in the itinerary are subject to schedule changes. Specific activities are subject to availability at the time of the tour and we cannot be held responsible for monuments that are closed or otherwise unavailable. In this case, substitute activities will be made available whenever possible.