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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), 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, participation in each course is being strictly limited to 15 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.

Day 1, Jan 10, Saturday
We will each travel to New York on our own and join the group for an overnight flight from New York to Cairo. Or travel on your own to Egypt and meet the group there on Sunday.

Day 2, Jan 11, Sunday
Upon our arrival in Cairo we will be met by a Museum Tours representative, who will assist with checked luggage, passport control and customs. Our private bus will then take us through Cairo and across the Nile river to the five-star hotel, The Mena House , located at the base of the pyramids. There will be a one hour orientation at 5:00 pm.

Hotel - Mena House

Day 3, Jan 12, 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 - Mena House

Day 4, Jan 13, 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 - Mena House

Day 5, Jan 14, 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 - New Winter Palace, B - Mena House

Day 6, Jan 15, 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 - New Winter Palace

Day 7, Jan 16, 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 the inscriptions it contains.

Hotel, B - New Winter Palace

Day 8, Jan 17, 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 - New Winter Palace

Day 9, Jan 18, 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 - New Winter Palace

Day 10, Jan 19, 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 - New Winter Palace

Day 11, Jan 20, 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 - New Winter Palace

Day 12, Jan 21, 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 - New Winter Palace

Day 13, Jan 22, Thursday
This morning we will transfer to the airport and fly back to Cairo where we will check into the Nile Hilton. The remainder of the day will be spent at the Egyptian Museum with the Treasures of Tutankhamen and the Royal Mummy Room . There will be a one hour class in the evening.

Hotel - Nile Hilton, B - New Winter Palace

Day 14, Jan 23, Friday
Our last day is Egypt will be spent in the Egyptian Museum studying and translating inscriptions of your choice.

Hotel, B - Nile Hilton

Day 15, Jan 24, Saturday

We leave Cairo and return to New York and then home.

B - Nile 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.