Day 13: Today we travel to Aswan. We’ll stop at the seldom-visited site of El Kab with its vast predynastic cemeteries, early New Kingdom tombs, and the temple of Thoth. Then on to Edfu Temple, the most complete example of pharaonic architecture. We continue to Kom Ombo, unique in its dedication to two deities – the most spectacular of the river temples: honeycombed with crypts, secret passages, and tunnels under the floor.  See the Hearing Ear and  the source of the god’s human voice that responds to the pleas of petitioners.  Basma Hotel, Aswan * B/L

Day 14: Today we spend the full day in the area around Aswan, the gateway to Nubia, the “Land of Gold” to the ancients. This morning we visit the exquisite temple complex of Isis at Philae. Today this “Island from the time of Re” floats like a jewel in a pool of royal blue. The temple was the last link to the old religion. We’ll visit the Unfinished Obelisk and note how these mammoth stones were cut, and then proceed to the Tombs of the Nobles perched high above the Nile on the west side. Here are tombs of Old and Middle Kingdom officials that present a unique style of building away from political centers of the time. Some will ride a camel up to the tombs, but there is also a rough stairway for the less adventurous. We return to Aswan for an evening of exploration or shopping. * B/L