Tips for Cruising Solo

Tips for Cruising Solo
Not every potential guest has an endless travel budget and the cruise lines reach out by offering accommodation options. As the 'buyer' you must begin thinking creatively. Instead of choosing a prestige suite with verandah, choose one of their well-appointed ocean view or inside staterooms. Cut down on amenities -- fresh flowers and champagne are lovely in your room but you can have a fabulous time without them. Book only one extra shore excursion rather than three. Shop less and drink less (better for you) in exchange for the luxury of having your very own cabin with your very own washroom
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Visit Egypt in the Easter

we will take you to the 'must see' sites in Egypt so you don't miss a thing. will also get the chance to see some fantastic mastabas, including the mastaba of Mereruka, the largest one built in ancient Egypt. You will then be able to marvel at the Pyramid Texts inside the Pyramid of Teti before heading off to the ancient capital of Egypt: Memphis.
A Nile Cruise trip is a very enjoyable experience that any visitor must do when he visit Egypt. sail the Nile in style with our fantastic itinerary and deluxe Nile cruises ,relax and explore on your own pace with your private guide .
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 Trip Itinerary 9 Days / 8 Nights From April 4th To April 23th:

Day 1: April 4th .: Cairo

Arrive to Cairo International Airport meet and assist by Egyptraveluxe representative
to help you through the immigration formalities. Overnight at your hotel Mina House
in Cairo.

Day 2: April 5th. Cairo / Cairo

After breakfast you will be picked up for exploration of the vast necropolis of Sakkara
containing tombs from almost every period of Egyptian history. The Step Pyramid of
Zoser is the most conspicuous landmark of the necropolis, lunch at the Pyramids foot.
In the afternoon, we will visit the three Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. With a 15
min camel ride at Giza Plateau Later that evening you will be transferred to your
hotel at Cairo, check-in hotel.

Day 3 :April 6th.

After breakfast you will be picked then start your tour to The Egyptian
Museum , enjoy the legendary treasures of the Egyptian Museum, which houses about
250.000 antique pieces including the statues, sarcophagi & the fabulous treasures of
Tutankhamun, also explore the old Cairo mosques and churches and the Citadels then
transferred to Giza train station to catch the sleeping train to Luxor dinner and
Overnight on board
.
Day 4 :April 7th.

Breakfast and free morning, lunch on board. In the afternoon depart for visits of the
East Bank of Luxor, including the Luxor & Karnak temples. Then relax in the Nile
Cruise or you can walk through history, ride on a horse-drawn carriage, sail in a
felucca, or explore the city of mysteries. Dinner & Overnight on board.

Day 5 :April 8th. Luxor / Komombo

At morning you will be picked up to Visit The West Bank,
Valley of The Kings, Colossi's of Memnon and queen Hatshepsut Temple. Sail to
Esna. Overnight on Cruise


Day 6 :April 9th . Komombo/Aswan

Morning after Breakfast Visit Edfu Temple. Sail to Komombo. Visit Komombo
Temple at the afternoon sail to Aswan night on board.

Day 7 :April 10th. Aswan

Early morning you pick your breakfast box and Drive to Abusimble temples visit the
Magnificent temples of King Ramasses then back to Aswan Lunch on board your
cruise ,enjoy the Nile. Felucca Ride to see The Botanical Garden and Agha Khan
Mausoleum (FROM THE NILE NO ENTRY). Overnight in Aswan.

Day 8 :April 11th. Aswan / Abusimbel

After Breakfast Visit the High Dam, Unfinished Obelisk and Philae Temple and catch
the flight back to Cairo spend the night in your Hotel in Cairo .

Day 9 :April 12th.Cairo

After breakfast, you will be transferred to Cairo International airport for the final
departure.
wish you a happy holiday

Tour Price Include :

3 Nights accommodation in Mina House or similar in Cairo with
breakfast .
Sleeping train tickets .
Abu simbel Tour
Flight tickets Aswan/Cairo
4 nights on board Super deluxe 5* Nile Cruise Ms premium or
similar full board .
English speaking tour guide during the tour
all required transfers in a deluxe a/c private van.
entrance fees to the mentioned sites.

New Luxor Tombs Discovered In Egypt Beneath King Amenhotep II Temple

New Tombs Discovered In Luxor - Egypt Beneath King Amenhotep II Temple 

 Egypt's Antiquities Minister says Italian archaeologists have unearthed tombs over 3000 years old in the ancient city of Luxor.

Mohammed Ibrahim says the discovery was made beneath the mortuary temple of King Amenhotep II, seventh Pharaoh of the 18th dynasty who reigned from 1427 to 1401 B.C. The temple is located on the western bank of the Nile.

Ibrahim says remains of wooden sarcophaguses and human bones were found inside the tombs.

Mansour Barek, head of Luxor antiquities, says jars used to preserve the liver, lungs, stomach and intestines of the deceased were found. They were decorated with images of the four sons of the god Horus – figures seen as essential by ancient Egyptians to help the soul of the deceased find its way to heaven.

Get your perfect tour in Luxor and learn in depth and visit exclusively the newly discovered sites with an Egyptologist tour guide with Egyptraveluxe Tours :info@egyptraveluxe.com

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Luxor's new discovery-More Sekhmet statues unearthed at Amenhotep III's temple in Luxor

More Sekhmet statues unearthed at Amenhotep III's temple in Luxor
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Black granite statues of the ancient Egyptian lioness goddess Sekhmet were unearthed Monday at King Amenhotep III's temple on the west bank of Luxor
Egyptian and European excavators unearthed a collection of black granite statues depicting the ancient Egyptian lioness Goddess Sekhmet during their routine excavation at King Amenhotep III funerary temple in the Kom Al-Hittan area on the west bank of Luxor.

The statues depict the goddess Sekhmet in her usual form, sitting on the throne with a human body and lioness's head.

"This is not the first time statues of the lioness goddess have been unearthed at Kom Al-Hittan," said Mohamed Ibrahim, minister of state for antiquities adding that the Egyptian-European mission led by German Egyptologist Horig Sourouzian has previously unearthed 64 statues of Sekhment of different shapes and sizes.

Ibrahim explained that such a large number highlights the important role of the goddess during the reign of the 18th dynasty king Amenhotep III, father of the monotheistic king Akhnaten and grandfather of the golden king Tutankhamun.

Sekhmet was believed to be a protective goddess as she was also the goddess of war and destruction. "Some Egyptologists," pointed out Ibrahim, "believe that king Amenhotep constructed a large number of goddess Sekhmets in an attempt to cure him of a specific disease that he suffered during his reign." Sekhmet was well known of her supposed ability to cure critical deseases.

Mansour Boreik, supervisor of Luxor antiquities, told Ahram online that the statues are very well preserved and each one is two metres tall. He continued saying that the newly discovered statues prove Amenhotep III's funerary temple was once filled with Sekhmet statues of different sizes and shapes, similar to his temple on the east bank of Luxor, known as goddess Mut temple. This temple acted as a symbol of stability and prosperity during Amenhotep III's reign.

10 years ago, the archeologists unearthed a large number of statues of Amenhotep III and his wife Queen Tiye; they also unearthed some parts of the temple's walls.

"The work we are doing here is not only about advancing historical knowledge, but also about saving the last remnants of a temple that was once very prestigious; it is unfortunate that it been badly damaged," Sourouzian said.

The teams aim to produce a virtual reconstruction of the temple using the latest computer programmes, she added, saying that this reconstruction would show the original position of every surviving piece within the original temple.

Egyptian Paste An Ancient Form of Pottery

Faience is a French term that refers to tin-glazed earthenware. The term comes from wares produced in the Italian town of Faenza and exported from there. It is the same type of glaze decorating is seen in majolica and delft pottery.
Faience was traditionally red earthenware covered with an opaque white lead-based glaze (a high tin content gave the glaze opacity and whiteness). The base glaze was then decorated with brightly colored glazes painted over it.
Archaeologists working in Egypt in the early 20th century mistakenly called items made with a self-glazing ceramic body (properly know as Egyptian paste) "faience". To many people's confusion, the term "faience" is still used for both tin-glazed ware done in the 15th century Spanish tradition and Egyptian paste ware created in ancient Egypt.
Because of this confusion, it is generally better to avoid using "faience" as a term at all. It is better to refer to tin-glazed ware as majolica and the ancient self-glazing ceramic bodies as Egyptian paste.

 

Also Known As: majolica, maiolica, delft, Egyptian paste (improper usage)

Examples:

"Faience" as a term was derived from the name of a town known for its brightly decorated tin-glazed ware: Faenza, Italy.Egyptian paste (also known as Egyptian faience) is a self-glazing ceramic body. In other words, the glaze materials are included in the clay body. No further glaze will be needed for the Egyptian paste piece to fire with a glossy glaze surface.

History of Egyptian Paste

Egyptian paste was first developed in the area surrounding the Nile River in northern Africa. Although unglazed pottery had been made here and in many other places in the world, Egyptian paste was the first pottery to have a glaze, rather than being left plain or painted with non-glaze pigments.
The discovery may have occurred when potters observed high sodium-bearing rocks fusing in their firing pits. Another possibility is that soda ash from the desert had gotten mixed in with the desert clays and talc that the Egyptian potters were using. In any event, Egyptian paste was in use before 5,000 BCE.
From that time through to Roman occupation of Egypt, Egyptian paste was used extensively. Main products were beads, charms, and special objects.

How Egyptian Paste Works

Egyptian paste is a ceramic body (called that because it may or may not contain any actual clay) that includes soluble sodium carbonate. As the paste dries, the sodium carbonate migrates through the body to the surface of the piece, pulled by the action of water moving out of the piece as it dries.
Colorants that are included in the paste are pulled along with the soluble sodium carbonate. Although different colors were used, the most common colorant was copper. The copper and sodium work together to produce a strong, lovely turquoise blue. Even though copper is the most recognized Egyptian paste colorant, other colorants can be used.

 

Characteristics of Egyptian Paste

Egyptian paste is very non-plastic; it is stiff and sticky if too much water is added. Although all hand building techniques can be used, Egyptian paste works best when formed or carved into simple shapes. It is well suited for use with press molds, as well.
During drying, pieces should be left untouched. This is because the glaze materials rise to the surface, becoming a very fragile, almost furry-looking, coating. The slower a piece dries, the longer the sodium has to get to the surface. Therefore, slow drying helps achieve the best glaze coating possible.
Egyptian paste is a low-fire body and should generally be fired between 1562° and 1742°F (850°C - 950°C). It is not bisqued first, since the glazing materials are already on the piece.

 

Egyptian Paste Recipes

Egyptian paste recipes very somewhat. Generally, about 60% of the body will be non-plastic material; there will be at least 10% of a sodium-bearing material such as soda ash, bicarbonate of soda, or borax; and there may be up to 20% clay.
Basic Egyptian Paste

• Ball clay 20
• Soda feldspar 35
• Silica 35
• Sodium carbonate 10
• *** Egyptian (turquoise) blue: 3% copper carbonate

EUP Egyptian Paste

• Soda feldspar 38
• Silica 38
• Ball clay 12
• Soda ash 6
• Sodium bicarbonate 6
• *** Egyptian blue: 3% copper carbonate
• *** Blue: 2% cobalt carbonate

Egyptian Paste II

• Soda feldspar 38
• Silica 19
• Kaolin 13
• Ball clay 5
• Sodium bicarbonate 6
• Soda ash 6
• Calcium carbonate 5
• Silica sand 8
• *** Egyptian blue: 3% copper carbonate
• *** Blue: 2% cobalt carbonate

 

Highlights

 Numerous Ramesside cobalt-blue glasses and faiences were found in Memphite sites.  We analyzed these Ramesside cobalt-blue artifacts using a portable XRF spectrometer.  We found that newly discovered source of cobalt colorant was used in Ramesside Egypt.
The Ramesside colorant was different from the colorant used during the 18th Dynasty.

Cairo Private Tour: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, Sakkara

Cairo Private Tour: Giza Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, Sakkara
 How did the Pharaohs build the massive pyramids?

That's certainly the first question that comes to your mind every time you see the Pyramids. You really wish you could have " a time machine " to travel back in time and find out by yourself.
 Step back in time to the days of ancient Egypt on a private tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza and Sphinx, the necropolis of Sakkara and the former capital, Memphis. With your own private Egyptologist guide to lead the way on this private tour, you can determine the amount of time you'd like to spend at each of the sites you'll visit.

The Giza Plateau is only around 30 minutes from Cairo, where your qualified Egyptologist guide will provide a fascinating introduction to each of the three pyramids: Cheops, Khafre and Menakaure. You will have free time to enter one of the pyramids (additional cost), though your guide is not permitted to enter with you, or take a camel ride (additional cost).

After visiting the pyramids, you'll continue across the plateau for a photo opportunity of the three pyramids rising from the sands, with the Cairo skyline in the background. A short drive to the city side of the plateau finds you standing at the feet of the Sphinx, for thousands of years the enigmatic symbol of Egypt. Also in Giza you may visit the Solar Boat Museum (optional), home to the remarkably well preserved funerary boat of Khufu.

Your next stop is Sakkara, home of Egypt's oldest pyramid, built in 2650 B.C. Your guide will provide a brief history of the famous Step Pyramid and you'll have free time to walk around.

Your final stop is Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. Here you will see artifacts from many of the great rulers of Egypt, including the fallen statue of Ramses II. You will also have the chance to visit a Papyrus Institute to see how the famous artwork is made.

Tour Highlight :
 - Pick-up at the hotel (or any other point in Cairo you find convenient).
- Drive to Saqqara. See the Step Pyramid of Zoser.
- Have a camel ride by the pyramid and across the Sahara (optional).
- Proceed to the tombs of the nobles.
- Have lunch in a local restaurant (optional).
- Head for Giza and visit the 3 great pyramids of Egypt.
- Go back to the hotel (or any other place you choose).
- This tour lasts for eight hours.

if you want to spend the evening outside the hotel, you can book sound & light show or have a dinner cruise which is a unique experience in a 5* boat with an interesting program including oriental Egyptian dancing ,folkloric show&open buffet with a delicious Egyptian and international food

Responsible Tourism:
By employing one guide for every two travelers (compared to one guide for 10-12 people at other companies), Egypt Traveluxe Tours has been committed, from inception, to investing in the local people and economy. Today, Egypt Traveluxe Tours has taken this commitment to supporting education for disadvantaged children in the Egyptian 

 

Egyptraveluxe Day Tours is a fast growing incoming travel agency in Egypt

Egyptraveluxe Day Tours , Egypt Travel for individuals and small groups
"turn  your trip in Egypt into a wonderful experience,select the perfect day tour in any of the different Egypt's cities,with a private guide and a deluxe transfer,Day tours in Cairo ,Giza ,Aswan ,Luxor ,Alexandrea ,Siwa ,Fayoum oasis ,Dahab resort ,Sharm Eksheokh ,Hurghada ,Safage port , with unique trips to new sites for the 2nd time visitor to see more of Egypt's hidden treasures .