Day 1:CAIRO: Arrive Cairo airport, transfer to your hotel to overnight.
Day 2:CAIRO: Visit Egyptian Museum
The Egyptian Museum: was first built in Boulak. In 1891, it was moved to Giza Palace of "Ismail Pasha" which housed the antiquities that were later moved to the present building. The Egyptian Museum is situated at Tahrir square in Cairo. It was built during the reign of Khedive Abbass Helmi II in 1897, and opened on November 15, 1902. It has 107 halls. At the ground floor there are the huge statues. The upper floor houses small statues, jewels, Tutankhamon treasures and the mummies. Lunch included today at Arabesque restaurant. (B)
Day 3:CAIRO: Visit The Bayt Al-Suhaymi, Bayt al-Kritliyya, Gayer-Anderson Museum. (B)
The Bayt Al-Suhaymi: Is an excellent example of a private, though wealthy, Egyptian home of the 17th century, and shows most of the features which made living in Cairo's arid climate tolerable in prior ages. Not that the Bayt Al-Suhaymi is unique, but this house does provide an interesting perspective of history in general, a concept which might be brought out here more easily than in other places. The concept is two fold. First, ancient arts and wisdom are lost due to modern invention and progressions, and second, that the ancient world, because of this, was a much more pleasant place to live than many believe (at least for those with some wealth).
The house was purchased in 1796 by Sheikh Ahmed as-Suhaymi, who extended it by integrating several of the adjacent houses. There are various separate staircase entries, and about thirty chambers, or qaa, on various levels. On the street side of the house, windows including that of the women's bedrooms, have mashrabiyya screens, while in the rear screened and latticed windows and arched galleries overlook the garden courtyard. The harem reception room is particularly lovely, overlooking the garden, its floors of marble, its walls covered with the most delicate green and blue plant patterned enamel tiles.
Bayt al-Kritliyya: The House of the Cretan Woman An example of upper class medieval Cairene tastes. The house is located in the southeast corner of the Ibn Tulun Mosque in Sayeda Zainab and is now part of the Gayer Anderson House complex. The Gayer-Anderson House is actually made up of two 17th century houses stuck together. This complex is named after a British major who lived in it and restored it earlier in the 20th century. He filled the house with French, English and oriental furniture and other fixtures. The house has a large reception room with a balcony that overlooks it. The balcony is enclosed with a screen through which women of the harem could discreetly watch the male visitors below. The legends about this house are almost as intriguing as the house itself. Inhabitants of the house were said to have had the blessings of the patron saint al-Hussein who was the grandson of Muhammad. Another legend says that the well of the house gets magical and curative waters from the Great Flood. This well is said to have been the entrance to the palace of the King of the Jinn. Vast treasures are said to have been guarded by magic. Jinn is believed to be evil spirits.
Gayer-Anderson Museum: was founded in 1937 in two ancient residences, the Beit el-Kiridiliya from 1632 and the Beit Amna Bent Salim from 1540. The museum includes the private collection of Major Gayer-Anderson as well as furniture, glassware, crystal, carpets, silks and embroidered Arab costumes. The residences are reached by a private street. The Beit el-Kiridiliya has a sabil at the southwest corner and a maqaad with a monumental entrance. The Beit Amna Bent Salim has a courtyard that is small and a single-arched maqaad. There is a qaa that has an extremely high ceiling that runs the length of the house. Several of the rooms on the third floor have been reconstructed and some contain the collections.
Day 4 :CAIRO: Visit Abdeen Palace Museum Complex, Kasr (Qasr) El-Gawhara (Jewel Palace) and Al - Manyal Palace Museum. (B)
Abdeen Palace Museum: Complex Abdeen Palace was built in 1863 on a 25-feddan area by Egyptian, Italian, French and Turkish architects. In 1872 the lush and luxurious palace became the seat of the government. Abdeen Palace is one of the most famous palaces that were erected during the reign of Mohamed Ali Pasha Dynasty. It was the seat of the government as of 1872 till 1952. During such eventful period of time, Abdeen Palace witnessed unforgettable events that undoubtedly affected Egypt's modern and contemporary history.
Khedive Ismail ordered the palace be erected in 1863, and the palace was named after Abdeen Bay, one of the army commander under Mohamed Ali Basha. In 1872, Khedive Ismail moved to Abdeen Palace, leaving the castle, old seat of Egypt's government, that was built by Saladdin Al Ayoubi in 1171. And today the Abdeen Palace Museum complex stands as an evidence to Egypt's active role over times. The complex features a military museum of all arms presented as gifts to President Mubarak on different occasions, a museum of ancient weapons and a third of the medals and orders of merit bestowed on members of Egypt's formal royal family and eminent Egyptian figures.
Kasr (Qasr) El-Gawhara (Jewel Palace): Here, Muhammad Ali waited while his forces trapped, and put an end to the Mamluk beys by massacring most of their leaders as they were leaving the Citadel. The Kasr (Qasr) El-Gawhara or Jewel Palace, originally Mohammad Ali Pasha's headquarters, is now open to the public as an example of the best early 19th century Ottoman decoration and architecture. Its collection includes 19th century royal portraits, costumes and furnishings. Constructed in 1814, it includes a small garden leading to a mosque with one of the more interesting eccentricities being the Watch Hall where the shape of a watch has been used to decorate the walls.
Al - Manyal Palace Museum: The museum was set up by Prince " Mohammad Ali Tawfiq " in 1899 in the middle of a thirty - feddan garden. The garden has a group of rare trees which the Prince had brought from various parts of the world. The palace's architecture, interior decorations and furniture are all modeled on the Arabesque style. The museum's collection is the most complete representative set of the " Ottoman " art. In addition, the museum contains early Islamic manuscripts and rare collections of embroidered textiles, carpets, crystal vessels and candelabra.
The Palace was built to commemorate and eternalize Islamic Art. It is considered amongst the most important and historic museums since it represents a crucial period in modern Egyptian history and portrays in detail the life of the Royal Family. The architectural designs distinguish it from other museums because of its Modern Islamic art carrying the essence of Moroccan, Persian and Syrian styles.
Day 5:CAIRO: Visit The Gezira Center for Modern Art, Mukhtar Museum, Mohamed Nagy and Museum of Mohamed Khalil. (B)
The Gezira Center for Modern Art: The idea of establishing a museum to exhibit modern Egyptian art masterpieces was first introduced in 1925 by Mohammed Mahmoud Khalil, a famous Egyptian fine art fan. Khalil, the founder and chairman of the Egyptian Fine Arts Lovers Association, decided to display the art works in a large room at the association's headquarters.
This headquarters was built in 1936 and designed by renowned architect Moustafa Bey Fahmi. It took the government five years of extensive work to prepare the building for displaying the rare collections of the museum. The building is now contributing to the development of the fine art movement in Cairo and the region. The Egyptian Museum of Modern Art now displays more than 10,000 paintings and sculptures that represent the development of the Egyptian art movement from the pioneers of the early 20th century to the contemporary art trends.
Mukhtar Museum: was built to house the sculptures of Mahmud Mukhtar who is considered to be one of the greatest Egyptian sculptures. The building was designed by Ramesses Wissa Wassef and houses eighty-five bronze, stone, basalt, marble, granite and plaster works. One building contains a Planetarium, the Gezira Museum and the Museum of Egyptian Civilization. The Gezira Museum contains objects that were collected by the royal family.
Mohamed Nagy: founder of modern Egyptian photography art: Mohamed Nagy, the great artist, is one of the staunch artists who contributed much to laying down the foundations of the modern Egyptian photography art. He produced an array of terrific paintings some of which go back to 1907, as he was just a 19-year-old boy. He was the first Egyptian to study the academic art in the Italian capital of art, Florence. The most striking evidence to Nagy's unique style is that his paintings were displayed side by side with that of most renowned French artists in 1920. In 1922, he met Madam Joliet Adam, the spiritual mother of the great leader Mostafa Kamel, and he depicted her with his delicate brush, presenting many wonderful paintings. His painting "Egyptian Revival" was displayed at Paris Salon, for which he was awarded the golden medal that was also granted to celebrated sculptor Mahmoud Mokhtar for his wonderful "Egyptian Revival" sculpture. In appreciation of his peculiar color of art, the state honored Nagy, as it turned his atelier to a museum housing all masterpieces he made. Born on January 17, 1888 in Alexandria, and raised in rich family, Mohamed Nagy was fascinated with all colors of art while a little boy. He, as it were, found nothing in world exciting more than art. He mastered playing the "Aued", as his talent surfaced at early age. Then he pursued the avenue of art, as he made great contributions to enhancing the modern Egyptian photography art.
Museum of Mohamed Khalil: was one of the public figures who significantly affected the fine arts movement during the second quarter of the 20 th century. He was born in 1877 and died in 1953. In 1901, he went to France to study the Law at the Sorbone university. In 1903, he married Ms. Emiline Lock, who was studying music in Paris's Conservatory. She shared his interests in fine arts, especially painting. In 1937, he supervised the Egyptian pavilion in the International Exhibition of Paris. From 1938-1940, he was the chairman of the Egyptian Senate Council. Mr. Khalil and Prince Youssef Kamal co-established the Society of Fine Arts Lovers, and Mr. Khalil became the chairman of the society from 1942 to 1952. In 1960 , his wife died after donating the palace and its contents of masterpieces and rare artifacts to the State to become a museum, carrying the name of Mahmoud Mohamed Khalil and his wife .
Mohamed Mahmoud Khalil's palace was constructed in Giza around 1920, on the French style (Ardico), which was well known in France at that time. The eastern side of the palace, overlooking the Nile, carries some features of the (Arnoveau) Style that appeared in France in 1875, as evident from the metal and glass skeleton above the entrance of the palace. The surface area of the palace is 1400 squared meters, and the palace has four levels. The palace was inaugurated for the first time as a museum on July 23rd,1962. The museum was moved to the Prince Amr Ibrahim's palace in Zamalek, Cairo, in July 1971. After remodeling, the museum was moved back to Mr. Khalil's palace in September 1995.
Day 6:CAIRO: Visit Coptic Museum and The Museum of Islamic art
Coptic Museum: The Coptic Museum in Cairo is a life-like record of one of Egypt's periods all fraught with various antiques and monuments reflecting the different civilizations that graced the land of Egypt starting by the Ancient Egyptian civilization, passing by the Greek, the Roman, the Coptic, and lastly the Islamic.
The Coptic Museum lies behind the walls of the famous Roman Fortress of Babylon in the ancient district of Cairo (Misr Al-Qadima). The area surrounding the museum abounds in lively monuments of open museums that depict with the Coptic Museum the history of the Coptic Period in Egypt.
The museum was built in an artchitectural style using wood in ceilings and oriels (arabesque and lattice glass). Some biblical verses are written against them ornamented with Coptic embellishments like plants, especially grapevines, birds such as eagles, ostriches and peacock which all imply a certain philosophy and a specific significance in the Christian creed. Marble pillars and fountains ornamented with mosaic are more than present under the roof.
The Museum of Islamic art: The museum of Islamic art is truly a wonderful reservoir of Islamic antiquities. It has a vast supplement of about 10200 artifacts that one cannot explore in a single day. The museum displays arts from the different Islamic eras that Egypt passed through including the Fatimid, Turkish and Persian periods. From the Fatimid Period, one can find a fine collection of wooden panels, which are the only surviving pieces of the Western Palace of Al Kahira Palace. And people love the craftsmanship of the Mihrabs of the tombs of Sayeda Ruqayya and Sayeda Nafeesa From the Ayyoubid Period one may find the beautifully carved wooden tabut (casket) of Al Hussein in addition to fine inlaid brass candlesticks. From the Mamluk period there is a collection of enameled mosque lamps as well as inlays of metal, wood and marble on pieces of furniture and various objects. And the Tatar El Higaziya provides us the minbar from their Madrasa (Mausoleum). The boxes of the Quran that once belonged to Sultan Shaaban are real pieces of art representing meticulous crafting. The beautiful Iranian and Turkish carpets are simply eye catching. The courtyard area contains a lovely nineteenth century Fountain obtained from the Monasterli Palace on Rhoda Island.
Day 7:Alexandria: Drive to Alexandria, visit The Royal Jewelry Museum and The Graeco-Roman Museum. (B/L)
The Royal Jewelry Museum: The museum is located in the Zizinia neighborhood. It was once the palace of Fatma el-Zahara and is an architectural masterpiece. Its halls contain many rare paintings, statues and decorations. An inestimable collection of jewels of the Mohamed Ali Dynasty (19th century) is also exhibited.
The Graeco-Roman Museum: The museum was first built in 1892 as a small building located on Horreya Road. In 1895 it was transferred to the present site near Gamal Abdul Nasser Road. It started with eleven galleries, and has been gradually enlarged in later renovation stages. The 25th gallery was inaugurated in 1984. It contains a very big variety of coins from different countries, chronologically arranged, and dating back from 630 BC to the Ottoman period in the 19th century. The collection, which covers the period from the 3rd century BC to the 7th century AD, is a fascinating record of civilization in the process of change as religions merged and society evolved.
Day 8:CAIRO: Breakfast, free at leisure to enjoy the city of Cairo.
Day 9:CAIRO/HOME: Breakfast, then transfer to Cairo airport for your flight back home. (B)
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