Program for Accompanying Persons
The fee for each accompanying person is US Dollars 125, and includes attendance at the Welcome Reception on the evening of 5 October and the Cultural Evening on 8 October. Accompanying persons may also join conference delegates for lunch each day of the conference.
Please use the Conference Registration form to register each person that will accompany you to Alexandria.
A choice of several half day and full day tours are available for accompanying persons and delegates. Bookings may made on-site in Alexandria; however, we cannot guarantee that space will be available at that time. We recommend that you include your choice of tours on the conference registration form. (Some adjustments may be made in tour options, depending on the number of registrants.)
TOUR OPTIONS FOR ACCOMPANYING PERSONS
Half-day tours of Alexandria
1) Alexandria National Museum and Qaitbay Citadel US$ 35.00/person
The Alexandria National Museum is now considered one of the finest museums in Egypt. It is housed in the restored Palace of Al-Saad Bassili Pasha, one of the wealthiest wood merchants of his time. The Museum contains 1,800 artifacts from the Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic and Islamic eras. There are also modern pieces, including 19th century glassware, silverware, china, and precious jewels from the court of Mohamed Ali. In a special underground chamber (basement) mummies are on display.
Citadel of Qaitbay: Sultan Qaitbay, the Egyptian Mameluke, built this fort in 15th century AD as a defensive stronghold at the entrance of the eastern harbor at Pharos Island on the site of the ancient Alexandria lighthouse; some remains of the lighthouse can be seen in the construction of the fort.
2) El Montazah Palace and Royal Jewelry Museum US$ 33.00/person
Montazah Palace and the Montaza Royal Gardens: Montaza is a 115 acre complex surrounded by walls on the south, east, and west, with the beach on the north side. The complex once belonged to the Mohamed Ali family, who ruled Egypt from the mid 19th century until 1952. Inside the complex is Salamlek Palace, which was built by King Abbas II c. 1892, and the larger Haramlek Palace that was built by King Fouad in 1932. King Farouk, son of Fouad, then built a bridge to the sea. The remaining area is beautiful gardens.
Royal Jewelry Museum: The museum - once the palace of Fatma El-Zahara, - is an architectural masterpiece and contains many rare paintings, statues, and other items, including jewelry that belonged to the last royal family of Egypt from Mohamed Ali to King Farouk (1805-1952).
3) Roman Amphitheatre, Catacombs & Pompey's Pillar US$ 35.00/person
Roman Amphitheatre: Dating back to the 2nd century AD, this well-preserved theatre is modest in size. It consists of numerous crudely erected spectator galleries that are arranged around the 700-800 marble seats that surround the stage. The 13 semi-circular tiers were constructed of white marble imported from Europe. The green marble columns were imported from Asia Minor and the red granite imported from Aswan, Egypt. In Ptolemaic times, the area was the Park of Pan and a pleasure garden.
Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa: The catacombs are tombs tunneled into bedrock during the age of the Antonine emperors in the 2nd century AD. A winding staircase descends several levels into the ground. Small chapels open from the staircase for mourners, and there are niches cut out to hold sarcophagi. The catacombs are an engineering feat of great magnitude.
Pompey’s Pillar: Constructed in honor of the Emperor Diocletain at the end of the 4th century, the pillar – the tallest ancient monument in Alexandria - is a 25m high Aswan red granite column (9m in circumference). Nearby are subterranean galleries where sacred Apis bulls were buried, and three sphinxes.
4) Bibliotheca Alexandrina US$ 15.00/person
Visit the magnificent recreation of the ancient Great Library of Alexandria, including the reading rooms, antiquities and science museums, and the Plaza of Civilization.
5) Underwater City of Cleopatra US$ 150.00/person (LICENSED SCUBA DIVERS ONLY. Cost does not include equipment rental.)
There are three different dive site options in the eastern harbor of Alexandria, with maximum depth of 15m and minimum depth of 5m. Visibility is usually 5 to 20m.
FULL DAY TOURS
1) Enjoy a full day excursion to the small coastal town of Rosetta (Rashid) once Egypt's primary Mediterranean port, to see beautiful 17th-19th century houses and the 2nd largest concentration of Islamic monuments outside of Cairo, including dozens of Ottoman mosques. It was in Rosetta in 1799 that French soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone, a 2nd century BC basalt slab inscribed with ancient hieroglyphs, demotic Egyptian, and Greek script. French professor, Jean-Francois Champollion later deciphered the hieroglyphs by comparison with the Greek text and unlocked the secret of the ancient Egyptian language.
US$ 48.00/person (including lunch box)
2) Full day excursion to Al Alamein where Rommel and Montgomery fought their decisive battle in World War II's North Africa campaign to tour the El Alamein Italian and German military cemeteries. US$ 45.00/person, including lunch at a local restaurant
3) Over-day visit to Cairo (06h00 departure from Alexandria by bus, returning to Alexandria at around 18h00 p.m. the same evening) to visit the Pyramids of Giza, the Sphinx, and the Egyptian Museum. Lunch will be at a local restaurant serving traditional Egyptian food.
US$ 85.00/person (including lunch at a local restaurant)
