CHRISTIE S ART JOURNEYS: Pharaohs and Feluccas

Transcription

1 CHRISTIE S ART JOURNEYS: Pharaohs and Feluccas 9 Days: 9th 17th October Join Abercrombie & Kent and Christie s in the Land of the Pharaohs as we reveal the secrets of Giza s monolithic pyramids, the treasures housed in the Museum of Antiquities and The Valley of the Kings, as well as iconic temples that stretch along the Nile from Luxor to Aswan. A&K s expert Egyptologists will bring the ancient civilisation back to life, with exclusive insider access to private tombs, temple openings and current excavations.

2 SIGNATURE MOMENTS An exclusive invitation to Christie s London, prior to the tour, for a champagne reception to meet the Head of Sale for Antiquities, including a private viewing The ultimate insider access: private opening of Queen Nefertari s tomb in the Valley of the Queens, normally closed to the general public Enjoy a special opening of the great pyramid of Cheops and private entry to the pyramids before opening Exclusive charter of the Sun Boat III, the Nile s most luxurious river cruise. Guiding throughout with two of Egypt s leading, published Egyptologists 2 CHRISTIE S TRAVEL ABERCROMBIE & KENT

3 YOUR EXPERT A&K GUIDES MOHAMED OSSAMA & AHMED ABU ELLA Each one of A&K Egypt s expert guides is a qualified Egyptologist and fluent in at least one foreign language. Carefully selected through years of customer feedback, A&K s Egyptologists form an elite group who bring both ancient and modern Egypt to life, and swiftly become both mentors and trusted friends to our guests. Our expert Egyptologists will be Mohamed Ossama and Ahmed Abu Ella. Mohamed has been with A&K since 1999 and Ahmed since 1996, and both have a passion for their country and its culture. Although claiming not to have a favourite place, Mohamed particularly enjoys showing guests around the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities as it encompasses the entire scope of Ancient Egyptian history, up through the Greco-Roman era. Ahmed s guiding specialties include the Egyptian temples and ancient Egyptian religion and its links to modern faiths. His favourite temples are Abydos for its fine intricate work and Denderah for its somewhat mysterious and magical atmosphere; of course, his knowledge on both is unrivalled. YOUR CHRISTIE S EXPERT LAETITIA DELALOYE Laetitia Delaloye joined Christies in With a family history strongly linked to that of Egypt, it was natural for Laetitia to study Egyptology. During her tenure she has worked on the bi-annual sales of the London Antiquities department focusing on Egyptian artefacts, as well as on single owner collections such as Yves Saint-Laurent in Paris, and the Groppi Collection in London. CHRISTIE S TRAVEL ABERCROMBIE & KENT 3

4 SATURDAY 26TH SEPTEMBER Before the trip commences you are invited to a champagne reception at Christie s to meet Laetitia Delaloye, Head of Sale for Antiquities. Laetitia will guide you on an exclusive private viewing of the upcoming Antiquities sale taking place on September 30th at Christie s King Street. Not only will Laetitia present you some of the highlights of the sale, she will also talk to you about the historical importance and the cultural heritage of the region you are about to visit. FRIDAY 9TH OCTOBER A member of the A&K team will meet you at Cairo airport and drive you to the chic Four Seasons First Residence, located on the Nile and overlooking the Pyramids. Cairo is a city of contrasts: honking horns, children playing in the streets and merchants selling their wares mix with ancient temples, tombs, Christian churches and magnificent Muslim monuments. You ll have the rest of the day free to explore the buzzing city or simply relax at your hotel. SATURDAY 10TH OCTOBER Many visitors to Egypt will have seen the pyramids. On our tour we ll not only get to visit these ancient wonders, but also have the opportunity to look around them outside of normal opening hours giving us the chance to experience them without the crowds. Early in the morning the Great Pyramid of Giza, also known as the Pyramid of Cheops, will be specially opened just for our group. As we head inside we ll learn about how these huge structures were built, the mathematical precision involved and the treasures once contained within the three burial chambers. As the sun starts to climb we ll head across to the Valley Temple and the Great Sphinx. With the body of a lion and head of a human, the image of the Sphinx set against the backdrop of the Pyramids is the emblem of Egypt. Visitors are not usually allowed near the monument and are restricted to a viewing area some distance away, however, we have arranged for special access to the Sphinx s paws. After exploring the sprawling sphinx we ll move on to the lesser known pyramid at Sakkara, said to be the oldest stone building known in history, before a welcome dinner held at the hotel. 4 CHRISTIE S TRAVEL ABERCROMBIE & KENT

5 CHRISTIE S TRAVEL ABERCROMBIE & KENT 5

6 SUNDAY 11TH OCTOBER Our destination this morning is the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities, one of Cairo s key sights which houses the largest collection of ancient Egyptian art in the world. Our expert guide will take us around the treasures of Tutankhamun and the Mummies Room and share his insight and knowledge on the 7,000 years of history on display. After lunch we ll have the chance to explore Medieval Cairo, visiting sights such as the Mosque of Muhammad Ali and the colossal 14th century Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan, before wondering through the famous Khan el- Khalili Bazaar with its jewellery and antiques. MEALS: B,L MONDAY 12TH OCTOBER This morning we ll leave Cairo and fly to Luxor to board Sanctuary Sun Boat III. Perfect for a relaxing cruise along the Nile, the stylish vessel exudes all the discreet, elegant ambience of an exclusive club. After lunch we ll visit the West Bank of Luxor with our Egyptologist to explore the Valley of the Kings, a vast city of the dead where magnificent tombs were carved into the desert rocks, decorated richly, and filled with treasures for the afterlife by generations of Pharaohs. Today our team has arranged with the Egyptian authorities to have one of the closed tombs opened especially for the group. The Tomb of Nefertari was closed to the public in 1950 to preserve the paintings from deterioration, and is considered to be the most well maintained of any Egyptian burial site. We ll be given privileged access to experience the magnificent stucco reliefs which cover every available surface in the tomb, including thousands of stars painted on the ceiling of the burial chamber. We ll return to the ship for cocktails and canapés served on deck followed by dinner as the sun sets over the river. Our Egyptologist will be on hand to provide further historical context on the day s adventures and advise on what tomorrow has in store. TUESDAY 13TH OCTOBER Admire the views from the breakfast table as we sail towards Denderah, where on arrival we ll visit the Ptolemaic Temple of the Goddess Hathor. This wonderfully preserved temple is the true Indiana Jones experience, complete with a massive stone roof, dark chambers, underground passages and towering hieroglyphs. We ll return to the boat for lunch and continue our journey to Luxor, where we ll visit the strikingly graceful Temple of Luxor dedicated to the God Amun. Back on-board, we ll be treated to a gourmet dinner accompanied by a whirling dervish performance. CAIRO DENDERAH EGYPT EDFU ABU SIMBEL LUXOR KOM OMBO ASWAN RED SEA JORDAN ARRIVE/DEPART AIR CRUISE EXTENSION 6 CHRISTIE S TRAVEL ABERCROMBIE & KENT

7 Sun Deck WEDNESDAY 14TH OCTOBER 302 Swimming pool Gi Shop 301 Bar Lounge Lounge & Bar Restaurant Galley Barbecue Lower Sun Deck Tower Deck Promenade Deck We set sail early this morning and head towards Edfu, where we ll explore the Temple of Horus, the largest and most completely preserved temple in Egypt. In the afternoon we ll sail to Kom Ombo, during which time you can while away the hours with an Egyptian cooking lesson or perhaps relaxing on deck. Our Egyptologist will then take us to Kom Ombo Temple. Dedicated to the crocodile god Sobek, it stands at a bend in the Nile where, in ancient times, sacred crocodiles basked in the sun on the riverbank. QB 208 QB Nile Deck THURSDAY 15TH OCTOBER Royal Suite Presiden al Suite Twin Cabin = Twin Beds QB = Queen Sized Beds = King Sized Beds After breakfast we ll take a small motorboat to visit the romantic and majestic Philae Temple on the Island of Agilika. The temple used to occupy a beautiful position in the middle of the river, however was dismantled and relocated to nearby Agilkia Island as part of a project to protect the complex from the building of the Aswan Dam. The ship will dock in Aswan in the afternoon giving us the chance to explore. Many guests opt for a ride on a felucca, a traditional wooden sailing boat, around Elephantine Island or a visit to Lord Kitchener s Botanical Gardens and the Agha Khan Mausoleum. In the evening we ll meet for a black tie gala dinner to celebrate the end of the cruise. MICHAEL LIN INSTALLATION AT PEABODY ESSEX MUSEUM FRIDAY 16TH OCTOBER After breakfast we will be met by an A&K guide and driven to Aswan airport for our day trip to Abu Simbel, a small village in Nubia in southern Egypt and home to two impressive rock temples. The two temples of Ramses II are each fronted by 20 metre high colossal statues, and are renowned as the most impressive monuments remaining of Ancient Egypt in modern times. Recently the temples were threatened by the encroaching waters of Lake Nasser, and with the help of a UNESCO campaign they were cut into blocks, raised piece by piece, and reassembled in a new position higher up the hillside. After an exciting day of exploration we will fly to Cairo for our farewell dinner. ALEXANDER CALDER, LA GRANDE VITESSE (INTERMEDIATE MAQUETTE), CALDER FOUNDATION, NEW YORK/ARTIST RIGHTS SOCIETY (ARS), NY. PHOTO: CALDER FOUNDATION, NEW YORK/ART RESOURCE, NY. SATURDAY 17TH OCTOBER This morning a member of the A&K team will drive you to the airport for your return flight home. MEALS: B CHRISTIE S TRAVEL ABERCROMBIE & KENT 7

8 DATES & PRICES FRIDAY 9TH SATURDAY 17TH OCTOBER FOUR SEASONS FIRST RESIDENCE & SUN BOAT III FROM 4,495 PER PERSON FOR NILE DECK CABIN (CABIN UPGRADES ARE AVAILABLE), EXCLUDING INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS. BASED ON TWO PEOPLE SHARING. 2,250 SINGLE SUPPLEMENT *Early bird offer: from 3,995 per person if booked before 28th February *Itinerary subject to change 8 CHRISTIE S TRAVEL ABERCROMBIE & KENT