Egypt Trip
Mid-Winter Solstice Celebration
An 8 day trip visiting the temple sites in the Luxor Area to celebrate the Mid-Winter Solstice.
led by David Furlong and run in conjunction with Eagle Travel
Wednesday 17 - Wednesday 24 December 2008
Many of the temple sites in the Luxor area are aligned to specific astronomical alignments including the mid-winter sunrise. This 8 day trip will explore some of these wonderful temple sites and allow you to experience the beauty of this special time of the year. The highlight of the trip will be the visit to the magnificent mortuary temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari. This temple has spectacular views across the Nile to the distant horizon and its inner chamber is aligned precisely to the rising Sun of the winter solstice. The great temple complex of Karnak, the largest of its kind in the world, is also aligned to the midwinter Sun.
We will also visit the temple of Seti I at Abydos, with its intriguing features that includes the famous "helicopter" hieroglyph and the "Flower of Life" symbol in the Osirion. It promises to be a magical experience, with plenty of time for meditation and reflection at this pivotal time of the year. The trip schedule is as follows:
Wednesday 17th December
Fly to Luxor, check into hotel.
Thursday 18th December
Morning talk on Sacred Egypt and general introduction for the week. In the afternoon we will visit to Luxor Museum, with its many exquisite features, including the recently discovered statues known as the "cachet" of Luxor. We will then travel on for an evening visit to beautiful Luxor Temple, built by a succession of great kings from the 18th and 19th dynasties.
Friday 19th December
Overland visit where we will first visit the temple of cult Seti I at Abydos, dedicated to the god Osiris. Here in this beautiful temple there are many enigmatic scenes including the famous "helicopter" hieroglyph. We will also see the strange structure at the rear of the temple known as the Osirion, which has drawn on one of its columns the "Flower of Life Symbol".
From Abydos we will travel to visit the temple of Hathor at Denderah built in Ptolemaic times. This temple has many astronomical depictions including the famous zodiac. This was one of the great healing temples of Egypt and is aligned to the stars of Ursa Major.
Saturday 20th December
Overland visit to the magnificent temple of Horus at Edfu Temple, the best preserved in all of Egypt. In the myths Horus was married to Hathor and every year the priests travelled with their cult statues of the god and goddess between the two temples of Edfu and Denderah, celebrating a "divine" marriage. We too can feel into the unification of the two parts of our being, the yin and the yang, the masculine and the feminine. On the return journey we will visit the small temple Khnum at Esna, which holds many splendid astronomical scenes on its ceiling.
Sunday 21st December
Morning sunrise visit to Deir el Bahari (Hatshepsut temple), which is one of the most magnificent temples in the whole of Egypt. It is here that we will celebrate the mid-winter solstice and experience its effect as the rising Sun penetrates into the inner sanctuary of Amun at the centre of the temple. After this experience we will then visit the famous Valley of the Kings, with its many tombs nestled under the 'Holy Mountain' of Thebes. From the Valley of Kings we will travel a short distance to visit the mortuary temple of Seti 1 at Qurna. This small peaceful temple is aligned to the southern lunar 'standstill'. Finally after lunch we will visit the great temple of Ramses III at Medinet Habu. This temple has many beautiful carved scenes and also a great enigma in a number of hieroglyphs depicting the "Aten".
Monday 22nd December
Early morning visit to magnificent Karnak temple dedicated to the god Amun and his consort Mut. This temple is aligned to the mid-winter sunrise and we will have the first opportunity of experiencing this phenomenon in the 'holy of holies' in the temple. We will also visit a subsidiary temple dedicated to Ptah, Sekhmet and Nefertum that houses the powerful statue of the goddess Sekhmet. Afternoon sunset Felucca sail on the Nile.
Tuesday 23rd December
This will be a free day for rest, relaxation and shopping. There will be an opportunity to experience a balloon ride for those that wish to see the wonderful scenery of Luxor from the air.
Wednesday 24th December
Return flight UK.
The cost of all of the above excursions including fully guided tours and onsite mediations is £495.
The fee does NOT include hotel accommodation or flights to and from the UK. These are available through Thomas Cook from prices ranging from £300- £450.
Please click the link on the side banner to access hotel and flight booking.
The organisers are booked into the Mercure Hotel, Luxor. It is recommended that participants use the same venue.
Please enquire below if you require further information.
Booking: To book your place please click here.
What people had said about the
trips
"A
fabulous and deeply meaningful trip" JT
"One of the most mystical and magical trips I have ever experienced"FS
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These trips are a wonderful opportunity to share in the mystery of Ancient
Egypt with like minded individuals under the guidance of David Furlong and
his many years experience in traveling into Egypt.
Group sizes vary from
between 8 to 20 people allowing for new friendships to be established.
There is plenty of opportunity for sharing experiences and bathing the
spiritual energies of this magnificent country. |
Some interesting websites to visit with complementary
information:
http://www.petrie.ucl.ac.uk/digital_egypt/Welcome.html
http://www.akhet.co.uk/mainpage.htm
Does Egypt call to you? Then why not join us for this trip?
| For further information please write to: David Furlong
Myrtles, Como Road, Malvern Worcs WR14 2TH
or phone 01684-569105 or 07779789047
Email: David Furlong |
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David has been taking groups to Egypt for more than 15 years
Egyptian group 2004
Statue of Ramses II at Luxor Temple
An early morning balloon ride over Luxor
Midwinter sunrise in the great temple of Karnak dedicated to the god Amun
One of the statues of Osiris at Hatshepsut's temple, Deir El Bahari.
Hatshepsut Temple at Deir El Bahari
Midwinter sunrise at the temple of Hatshepsut
Solstice sunrise from within the sanctuary of Amun at Hatshepsut temple
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