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Day 1, Friday - USA Departures from Seattle & Chicago
Be at the airport two and a half hours prior to departure for security procedures. Hot meals and in-flight entertainment are per airline policies.
Day 2, Saturday - Arrive Cairo
Change aircraft in Frankfurt and fly to Cairo International Airport. Upon arrival, proceed through passport control and customs. Outside the terminal, we will be met and assisted in the transfer to the Sofitel Sphinx Cairo Hotel, where we will spend 3 nights.
Day 3, Sunday - Full Day Tour in and around Cairo
Rediscover the biblical period of Egypt: Cairo Old City, Toman Towers, St. Serguis Coptic Christian Church, the El-Moallaka Holy Virgin's Coptic Church, the Coptic Museum, and the Ben Ezra Synagogue, followed by a visit to the El-Khaliti Bazaar
Explore Lower Egypt's archeological wonders: The great pyramid of Giza (one of the Seven Wonders) and a camel ride to the Sphinx, Cairo Egypt's famous museum with 2 galleries of King Tut-Ankh-Aman, and the Papyrus Museum.
Day 4, Monday - Memphis and Sakkara
Memphis, capital of Egypt's Old Kingdom (3000-2270 BC) and the ALabaster (Calcite) Sphinx, constructed in honor of an unknown Pharaoh between 1700 & 1400 BC. Sakkara has the Step Pyramid, which is Egypt's oldest pramid, built by Zing Zoster. Afternoon is free.
Optional Opportunity for $30 per person: A sunset cruise on the Old Nile River felucca around an island of bulrushes, recalling the discovery of baby Moses.
Day 5, Tuesday - Cairo, Nueiba, Aqaba, Petra
Transfer from Cairo to Nueiba. Speedboat ride to Aqaba, Jordan. Tour some of the highlights of the city of Aqaba, then on to Wadi Rum and the mountains of Edom. Proceed to Petra for the night, which we will spend at the Movenpick Hotel, Petra.
Day 6, Wednesday - Petra, Madaba, Mount Nebo, Amman
Horseback into the beautiful archeological treasure of the ancient Jordanian cliff city of Petra. The breath-taking architecture carved into the rose-colored sandstone is accessible only through a narrow gorge. Leaders of the easy-to-defend Petra became rich through trade, good water management, and tolls extracted from caravans. Travel the Kings Highway to Madaba to view the famous mosaic maps. Enjoy the panoramix view of the Promised Land from Mount Nebo before driving to the Holiday Inn Amman for the evening.
Day 7, Thursday - Amman, Jerash, Beth Shean, Tiberias
After a morning meeting with C&MA staff and national church leaders following breadfast, we'll visit Jerash, located 48 kilometers north of Amman. This is one of the largest and most well preserved Roman sites of the day. Travel further north and cross into Israel over the Hussein Bridge and proceed to Beth Shean. Driving to the western shore of Lake Kinneret (Sea of Galilee), we arrive at the Caesar Hotel, Tiberias, where we will spend three evenings.
Day 8, Friday - Sea Circle Trip
Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene; Mount of Beatitudes, Sermon on the Mount; Tabga, feeding of 5000; Korazin, judged by Jesus along with Bethsaida as an unrepentant city; Capernaum, location of the secaond century synagogue and most of Jesus' public ministry; Bethsaida, recent excavations in the home town of Peter, Philip, and Andrew; Gamla, its residents played a major role in the 66 AD Jewish revolt; the Upper Aphek Plateau; Kfar Haruv, a panoramix view; Hippus, a Decapolis City; Kursi (Kourci), site of a Byzantine church on the NE shore often identified as Gadara or Gergesa; the Jordan River and its modern Baptismal site
Tour members, do you want to make a public statement of your faith by being baptized? Contact Pastor Ron. After dinner cruise on the Sea of Galilee
Day 9, Saturday - Upper Galilee Sites
Motor past Hazor to Safed, 3200 feet above sea level, considered one of the 4 holiest cities of Judaism, along with Jerusalem, Hebron and Tiberias; the foot of Mt. Hermon; the nature reserve and excavation at Tel Dan (Laish); site of a middle bronze mudbrick gate built about 1800 BC, an airone age gatehouse probably built by Ahab in the 9th century BC, and the high place of Jeroboam, that nealy all archeologists agree was the podium constructed by Jeroboam to house the golden calf of Dan; Caesarea Philippi, later called Panias, site of Peter's confession and worship niche of the Greek god Pan; the Kalat Nimrud Crusader Castle; the Golan Heights; Quneitra to the Syrian border on the Bashan plateau; and back to Tiberias.
Day 10, Sunday - Jezreel Valley, Mediterranean, Jerusalem
Zippori (Sepphoris), four miles north of Nazareth (under construction during the days of Jesus); Cana: Nazareth, including the excavation, village farm, and visitor's center that recreates a picture of this Galilean town's life at the end of the first centruy AD; Jezreel Valley (Megiddo, Armageddon, Plain of Esdraelon), crossroads of the ancient Via Maris , & breadbasket of Israel that divides the Central Highlands from the north hills of Galilee; Megiddo, excavations overlooking one of the most famous battlegrounds in the world where 26 different levels have been excavated; Muhrage (Maqrakah) on Mt. Carmel , site of the contest between Elijah and the prophets of Baal; Haifa;Caesarea, with its Roman Theater seating 3,500, Herod's Harbor; the Promontory, aqueduct site, etc.; Joppa, home of Simon the Tanner on the Mediterranean seacoast between Caesarea and Giza about 35 miles NW of Jerusalem; Ramat Hanadiv (Horvat Eleq'), excavations, gardens manor house, and Rotschild's burial place; the Novotel Hotel, Jerusalem.
Day 11, Monday - Jerusalem, Mt. Olives, Old City, Judean Hills
Mt. of Olives; Palm Sunday Path, Gaden of Gethsemane, Church of All Nations; the Kidron Valley; the Old City Muslim Quarter, Saint Steven's Gate, Saint Anne's Crusader Church, Pools of Bethesda, Ecce Home Arch, Via Dolorosa into the Old City Christian Quarter, the Stations of the Cross, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and Damascus Gate; Herodium, Herod the Great's grave; Bethlehem, Shepherd's Fields; Fields of Boaz and Ruth, a "stable" cave, the Church of the Nativity; shopping.
Day 12, Tuesday - Jerusalem
Garden Tomb, private tour of Gordon's Calvary and communion; Gihon Spring; David's City; Pool of Siloam, house of Caiaphas, St. Peter in Galicantu; Dung Gate;Western Wall; the newly excavated gate (below the rampart); the Southern Temple steps (Lk. 19-21), where Jesus walked, taught, and possibly Pentecost occurred; the Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, the Tower of David - Museum of the History of Jerusalem (nestled within the Citadel near Jaffa Gate) related the history of Jerusalem chronologically from the Canaanite period until the present. Remainder of the afternoon is free.
Day 13, Wednesday - Jericho, Dead Sea, Masada, Qumran
Roman Road (Wadi Qilt), "the valley of the shadow of death," Jericho, Tel E-sultan excavations; Masada, ascend the fortress by lift; Dead Sea; lowest point on earth; Ein Gedi, swim in the Dead Sea; Qumran caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
Day 14, Thursday - Jerusalem
Western Wall Tunnel Tour; the reconstructed Jewish Quarter starting at Mt. Zion, Zion Gate, Schindler's grave, Tomb of King Davis, Upper Room; Jewish Cardo, the Roman road, the remains of the wall built by Hezekiah, Wohl Archeological Museum (underground Herodian mansion); Jaffa Gate; Israel Museum, Shine of the Book; the Knesset; the scale model of Jerusalem
Day 15, Friday - Free Day
Some options: Shopping on Ben Yahuda Street, in Bethlehem, or one of the many shops; Marc Chagall Windows of Hadassa Hospital; Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial; C&MA Old City Church; Solomon's Quarries; Judean Wilderness Safari.
Judean Wilderness Safari $55, provided free if tour is paid in full by June 12, 2005
Depart in an open safari vehicle (maximum 30 persons) for the wilderness View. View the nomadic lifestyles of the Bedouins. Focus upon wilderness prophets: Jeremiah, Amos, and Hosea, and motor to the top of Jabel el Montar (the scapegoat mountain). View the Roman fortress Hyrcania, and have an overview. Coffee/tea break at the spectacular Mar Saba Monastery. A simple lunch is provided in the wilderness. Focus on John the Baptist and Jesus in the Wilderness. Attempt a period of wilderness solitude. Return to Jerusalem. Note: Some scholars insist that until one visits the wilderness, one has not visited the land of the Bible. Seventy percent of the Bible narrative is committed to desert and the wilderness.
Day 16, Saturday - Return to the USA
Transfer to the Tel Aviv Airport for the flight home
If you wish to receive a brochure, please let us know via e-mail (office @ mayvalley.org) or telephone (425) 226-0741.
Warmly,
Ron and Sharon Davis