Egypt Archaeological Seminar

Arrive in Cairo, where you will be met and assisted at the airport before transferring to your hotel for check-in and rest for the remainder of the night.

Enjoy a relaxed morning after your late-night arrival. Around noon, begin the day with a visit to the National Egyptian Museum, home to some of the most extraordinary treasures of the ancient world. See the jewelry collection of King Tutankhamun and other artifacts recovered from his tomb, along with massive statues of Queen Hatshepsut, one of Egypt’s most remarkable female rulers. Of particular biblical significance is the Merneptah Stele, the earliest known Egyptian reference to Israel as a distinct people in Canaan, dating to the late 13th century BC. Continue to the Tanis Exhibit, displaying the gold treasures of Pharaoh Shoshenq II and King Psusennes I. Later, visit the Museum of Egyptian Civilization to view the Royal Mummy Hall, where the preserved remains of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs are displayed, before returning to the hotel for rest. Evening Lecture and Discussion with Dr. Moore.

Begin the day with breakfast at a local restaurant before exploring Memphis, Egypt’s first capital, founded by the legendary King Menes around 3000 BC. Known in Scripture by its Greek name “Noph” (Hosea 9:6; Isaiah 19:13; Jeremiah 46:19) and associated with the region of On (Heliopolis) mentioned in Genesis 41:45, Memphis served as both the political and religious heart of ancient Egypt. View its colossal statues, royal stelae, and other remnants of its glorious past. Continue to Saqqara to see the Step Pyramid of Djoser, designed by the architect Imhotep, along with nearby tombs, ancient grain silos, and the Imhotep Museum. Proceed to Dahshur to admire the Bent Pyramid and other early pyramid prototypes that mark Egypt’s architectural evolution. Return to the hotel to relax and enjoy a poolside Discussion/Lecture with Dr. Moore.

After breakfast, drive north to Alexandria, the great Mediterranean city founded by Alexander the Great and later the capital of the Ptolemaic Empire. Visit the Greco-Roman Museum, newly reopened after more than 15 years of renovation, displaying a remarkable collection of Hellenistic and Roman-era artifacts. Continue to the Library of Alexandria, a modern revival of the ancient world’s most celebrated center of learning, housing vast exhibits and manuscripts that reflect the city’s scholarly legacy. After lunch, enjoy a scenic visit to the Citadel of Sultan Qaitbay, built on the site of the legendary Lighthouse of Alexandria (Pharos)—one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. Return to Cairo in the evening for dinner and rest.

After breakfast, visit the Giza Plateau, home to the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx with its famous Dream Stele. Explore this iconic site that has stood for over four millennia, and—as time permits—enjoy a memorable camel ride across the sands with the pyramids rising in the background. Afterward, stop for lunch before continuing to the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) to explore its magnificent galleries, including the renowned Tutankhamun Collection. Evening Lecture and Discussion with Dr. Moore.

Fly to Luxor and begin touring at the Temple of Karnak, one of the largest and most complex religious sites in the world. See the Kiosk of Taharqa (2 Kings 19:9; Isaiah 37:9) and the reliefs of Seti I’s campaigns in Canaan and Syria, which depict the Shasu tribes—Semitic peoples associated with early Israel. Also view the Bubastite Portal of Shoshenq I (“Shishak”), whose 10th-century BC inscription records his campaign into Judah during the reign of Rehoboam (1 Kings 14:25–26).

Later, visit Luxor Temple at sunset before checking into your hotel for the evening. Lecture/Discussion with Dr. Moore.

After breakfast, explore the Valley of the Kings, where you will enter several royal tombs with vivid wall reliefs portraying the pharaohs’ journey to the afterlife. Continue to the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahari—one of Egypt’s most remarkable architectural achievements. Many scholars consider Hatshepsut the most plausible candidate for the Pharaoh’s daughter who drew Moses from the river (Exodus 2:5), a woman of compassion and influence whose power and intellect defied convention. Visit the Tomb of Rekhmire, the vizier under Thutmose III, whose wall scenes depict brickmaking by Asiatic laborers reminiscent of Israel’s oppression in Egypt. Then proceed to the Ramesseum, the mortuary temple of Ramesses II, and view the nearby excavation of the Lost Golden City. Conclude the day with a visit to the Luxor Museum before your evening flight to Cairo.

After breakfast, travel north into the Nile Delta, the biblical region of Goshen, where Israel once dwelled and prospered under God’s providence. Visit Zoan (Tanis), a later city built in the same region where Moses confronted Pharaoh during the Exodus period. While Tanis itself arose centuries after the events of Exodus, Psalm 78:12, 43 recalls God’s miracles “in the region of Zoan,” linking this area with the mighty works performed through Moses.

View artifacts from this region in the local museum and learn how Egypt’s delta cities preserve echoes of the biblical narrative. From there, explore the fertile plains of Goshen, the land God appointed to bless His people and prepare them for deliverance. In this same area once stood Avaris, the ancient capital of the Hyksos period and the likely setting of the Exodus story, later replaced by Pi-Ramesses, both excavated extensively by archaeologist Manfred Bietak.

As we continue east toward St. Catherine, we will travel along the same general route believed to have been taken by the children of Israel on their way to Mount Sinai. This mountain, identified by many with Jebel Musa, was recognized in the fourth century AD as the traditional site of the burning bush and Mount Sinai, and a church and monastery were later built there to commemorate these sacred events.

Early morning optional climb of Mount Sinai to watch the sunrise. After descending, enjoy breakfast and check out. Visit St. Catherine’s Monastery, its Church of the Transfiguration, and, if open, the Monastery’s Manuscript Library, which houses one of the oldest collections of Christian texts in the world. Then drive to Taba Heights on the Gulf of Aqaba for relaxation by the beach.

Enjoy a free morning to relax, swim, or snorkel in the clear waters of the Red Sea. After lunch, drive back to Cairo and check into a hotel near the airport for your final night in Egypt.

Transfer to Cairo International Airport for your departure flight home, concluding an unforgettable journey through the lands of Biblical Egypt.