Egypt

Summary

There is an old saying stating that Egypt is a gift of the Nile, and this certainly rings true in modern day times. Passing through small towns and majestic monuments, Nile cruises offer a unique way to view many of the gems that Egypt has to offer. 

Our 9 day Nile river tours start on dry land in Egypt's Capital City, Cairo. Here, you will meet your representative, who will brief you on your tour itinerary. Day 2 will include the chance to see one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, the Great Pyramid of Giza, as well as the Great Sphinx.

The next day you will catch a flight down to Aswan, where you will be transported to the 5-star cruise ship on which you will sleep for the next three nights. The luxury boat will sail down the Nile past fertile lands, ancient temples and mystical sites. 

You will enjoy a number of guided tours in the area, including tours of the Temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo, the Valley of the Kings, the Temple of Hatshepsut and the Colossi of Memnon.  After travelling to Hurghada, you will have a full free day in this beautiful Red Sea resort - there are plenty of activities on offer, including snorkelling and scuba diving, or you can opt to simply relax on the beach or by the pool.

Our Nile tour of Egypt has been carefully planned to provide the perfect balance of guided excursions with free time so that you can explore these ancient sites at your own pace. All Nile tour dates are set in advance and are guaranteed to depart. The Nile Jewel Tour offers excellent value for money as it includes the Nile Cruise, all transportation, overnight accommodation in four and five star hotels and some meals for a magical and memorable getaway that won’t cost the earth.

Why this Trip

• All tour dates are guaranteed to depart.
• No minimum numbers required.
• Accompanied for the duration by an Egyptologist tour guide.
• Internal flight Cairo-Aswan included.
• Air-conditioned private mini bus transport.

Itinerary

Start in: Cairo

Cairo Airport, any time on Day 1
Oasis Hotel, from 14:00 hrs on Day 1

End in: Cairo

Oasis Hotel, 10:00 hrs on Day 9
Cairo Airport, any time on Day 9

Duration: 9 Days

Ages: 10 - 75+

Places: 1 Country

15 Experiences

DAY 1: Arrive in Cairo

Upon your arrival at Cairo airport you will be met and assisted by our representative, who will help you with purchasing your visa from an official kiosk, going through passport control and collecting your baggage. You will then be transferred to your hotel, where your Egyptologist tour guide, who will accompany you for the duration of the tour, will brief you about the tour package and the incredible experiences you will have over the following eight days. Overnight at your hotel in Cairo.

DAY 2: Giza Pyramids - Sphinx - Sakkara

This morning you will experience the icons of ancient Egypt! Your Egyptologist guide will accompany you to the Giza pyramid complex, where you can see the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Pyramid of Khafre, the Pyramid of Menkaure, and the Great Sphinx. We'll then visit Sakkara to see the unique step pyramid of Zoser (also known as Djoser), the first ever pyramid, constructed of six tombs built on top of each other.

DAY 3: Aswan - Philae Temple - Nile Cruise

Early this morning you will be transferred to the airport for a short internal flight down to Aswan. Upon arrival you will be transferred to our 5-star Nile cruise ship. After some time to freshen up we'll begin our Nile quest by visiting the High Dam of Aswan, where your guide will explain to you how the construction of the dam and subsequent creation of Lake Nasser required the relocation of the Nubian people and several important historical monuments, including Abu Simbel, which you have the opportunity to visit tomorrow. We'll then take a short boat ride to Agilkia Island to explore the Temple of Isis at Philae. Built during the Ptolemaic Kingdom (305 BC to 30 BC), the temple is dedicated to Isis, one of the oldest goddesses of ancient Egypt and worshipped as the paragon of motherly virtues. It is believed that the last Egyptian hieroglyph was written on the island of Philae in the late fourth century.

DAY 4: Kom-Ombo - Edfu - Nile Cruise

This morning you will have the opportunity to join our optional excursion to the temples of Abu Simbel, two massive temples in southern Egypt. Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site known as the "Nubian Monuments", these iconic temples were carved out of the mountainside in the 13th century BC, during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II.

The tour then continues with a visit to the Temple of Kom-Ombo, a unique 'double' temple dedicated to both the crocodile god Sobek, and the falcon god Haroeris (Horus). After some time to explore the temple, we'll head to Edfu. Also dedicated to Horus, this temple is more than 2,000 years old but was covered by sand until it was re-discovered by a French expedition in 1798. Because it was hidden for so long it is the most well preserved temple in Egypt. We'll then continue on to Luxor, where we'll spend the night onboard the 5-star cruise ship.

DAY 5: Luxor - Karnak Temple - Nile Cruise

After breakfast we will arrive in Luxor and tour the East Bank of Luxor. Experience the incredible Karnak temple complex, part of the ancient city of Thebes. Dedicated to the powerful ram-headed god Amun, it offers a vast mix of temples, chapels, statues and obelisks. We'll then explore Luxor temple, an place of worship that is dedicated to three gods: Amun, his wife Mut and his son Khons. Together these temples and gods are key players in the great Opet Festival which was held each year during the flood season.

DAY 6: Valley of the Kings - Hatshepsut - Hurghada

This morning we'll start our tour of the west bank with a visit to the World famous Valley of the Kings, where you can enter some of the incredible tombs of the New Kingdom Pharaohs, such as King Tutankhamen. We'll then get to experience the Temple of Hatshepsut (Deir El Bahary), the mortuary temple of the only Pharaoh Queen that ruled Egypt. The day will finish off with a visit to the great Colossi of Memnon, the last remains of Amenophis III’s temple. We'll then take our air-conditioned private bus to Hurghada on the Red Sea coast, where we'll be staying in an all-inclusive resort.

DAY 7: Hurghada - Free day

This is a free day for you to enjoy however you wish. The resort in Hurghada offers a large swimming pool complex, long sandy beaches and all-inclusive food and drink; total relaxation awaits! Alternatively, you can choose to take part in any number of water sport activities, including full-day snorkelling and scuba diving excursions. The seas around Hurghada offer some of the best coral reef dive spots in the world, giving the opportunity to see many colorful fish species, including the Red Sea Clownfish, Emperor Angelfish, Picasso Trigger Fish and Moray Eels. Overnight at the resort in Hurghada.

DAY 8: Hurghada - Cairo

This morning we'll take an air-conditioned private mini bus back to Cairo. After some time to freshen up at our hotel, we'll visit the Egyptian museum to learn more about the country's incredible ancient history, followed by the old city of Cairo where you can explore Khan El Khalili, a bazaar crammed with souvenir shops, cafés and shisha bars.

DAY 9: Departure

The tour ends after breakfast at our hotel in Cairo, with transfers included to take you to the airport for your flight home. If you wish to extend your stay in Cairo, please contact us.

PrintView full Itinerary here

Tour Accommodation

* Please note that we do use a variety of hotels in each destination, so you may stay in a hotel different to that listed here

What's Included

• 5 nights accommodation in twin rooms (single travellers have the option to pay a single supplement to ensure a private room), 3 nights on-board 5-star Nile cruise ship
• Services of your English-speaking Egyptologist tour guide, who will accompany you for the duration of the tour
• 8 breakfasts, 4 lunches, 5 dinners
• All taxes and local payments (excluding entrance fees)
• All transfers and pickups
• Modern air conditioned bus transport
• 15 Experiences (including guided walking tours, orientation walks, driving tours of cities plus other exciting experiences)
• Internal flight Cairo-Aswan with transfers
• Not Included: International flights
• Not Included: Entrance fees as part of the listed experiences. Check the Optional Excursions here for more information.

The Wisdom of the Ancient Egypt. The Seven Universal Laws.

Ancient Hermetic principles were allegedly sealed except to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Perhaps the importance of timeless laws, like the profound wisdom that can be found in even the simplest of every day geometric symbols, is hidden in plain sight. This series of articles links the metaphysical implications of seven

Hermetic Laws with seven ubiquitous symbols, each of which have countless variations that appear in our familiar physical world, ever present reminders of the vibrant, lucid presence we all share that leads us to the unimaginably wonderful truth about ourselves.

The symbols chosen for these articles were inspired by a book called the Kybalion: A Study of the Hermetic Philosophy of Ancient Egypt and Greece by the Three Initiates, originally published in 1912, an unassuming work that explains the Seven Natural (or Hermetic) Laws of Truth, attributed to the wisdom of ancient Egypt.

The Seven Universal Laws govern everything in the seen and unseen universe. These laws create a perfect harmony within the three planes. These laws govern you as a psychic. Teachings from these laws date back more than 5,000 years.

1. Law of Mentalism. The first law states, “All is mind– The universe is mental.” This means that the universe exists inside of the mental realm. Everything you see, hear and touch is part of this realm. It is a universal mind, where all things manifest, including your mind.


 2. Law of Correspondence. The Law of Correspondence states, “As above, so below; as below, so above.” This means that there is a harmony among all the realms. The physical, spiritual and mental realms survive because of this harmony, of which you are bound to. You are a part of this harmony and can never remove yourself from it.

3. Law of Vibration.The third law states that, “Nothing rests; everything moves; everything vibrates.” The universe is made up of energy that vibrates at all times. Everything people are and everything you can see and hear are the result of these vibrations.

4. Law of Polarity. The fourth law states, “Everything is dual, everything has poles; everything has its pair of opposites; opposites are identical in nature, but different in degree.” This law simply means that there are always opposites. However, the true God or Goddess is above all, even the fourth law.

5. Law of Rhythm. The Law of Rhythm states, “Everything flows, out and in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall.” The fifth law means that everything happens in cycles. You can rise above this law by being aware of its subtle movements.

6. Law of Cause and Effect. The Law of Cause and Effect states, “Every cause has its effect; every effect has its cause.” This law states that everything you do, no matter how insignificant causes an effect in the universe.

7. Law of Gender. The last of the universal laws states, “Gender is in everything; everything has its masculine and feminine properties.” This law affects all things that have opposite sexes or opposite polarity.

Here are few statements around these laws

"Everything you perceive is a witness to the thought system you want to be true."
"You see what you expect, and you expect what you invite. Your perception is a result of your invitation." "There is nothing outside you."
 "Minds are joined; bodies are not.

"You can enslave a body, but an idea is free, incapable of being kept in prison or limited in any way except by the mind that thought it. For it remains joined to its source, which is its jailer or its liberator, according to which it chooses as its purpose for itself."

"A human being is a part of the whole, called by us, 'Universe,' a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest -- a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. 

Links
http://spiritofmaat.com/july08/mentalism.html
https://www.psychicperformer.com/the-seven-universal-laws/

Egypt the 42 Divine Principles of the Maat

Maat was both the goddess and the personification of truth and justice. Her ostrich feather represents truth. Maat or Ma'at (Egyptian m3ˤt) refers to the ancient Egyptian concepts of truth, balance, order, harmony, law, morality, and justice.

Kemet is the name the native African people of the country now known as Egypt called themselves in their surviving writings. Many scholars refer to the people as "kmt" or Kemet. The surviving artifacts of the Kemet viziers and scribes evidence that Kemet rule of law was “Maat,” contained at least in part in observing the 42 Laws of Maat.

The Goddess Maat as the Cosmological Origin of Kemet Rule of Law

Heliopolis-era creation stories from the Kemet people report that in the beginning Atum emerged from the Isfet (chaos) of Nu (primordial waters). Atum created the god Shu (personification of air/cool dryness) and goddess Tefnut (personification of moisture) from Nu. Shu is depicted in the Kemet iconography as an ostrich feather.

In Chapter 125 of The Papyrus of Ani, we find the petitioner led by Anubis into duat and pronouncing his/her 42 affirmative declarations, listed below from Budge’s public domain translation of the 42 Divine Principles of Maat:

1. I have not committed sin.
2. I have not committed robbery with violence.
3. I have not stolen.
4. I have not slain men or women.
5. I have not stolen food.
6. I have not swindled offerings.
7. I have not stolen from God/Goddess.
8. I have not told lies.
9. I have not carried away food.
10. I have not cursed.
11. I have not closed my ears to truth.
12. I have not committed adultery.
13. I have not made anyone cry.
14. I have not felt sorrow without reason.
15. I have not assaulted anyone.
16. I am not deceitful.
17. I have not stolen anyone’s land.
18. I have not been an eavesdropper.
19. I have not falsely accused anyone.
20. I have not been angry without reason.
21. I have not seduced anyone’s wife.
22. I have not polluted myself.
23. I have not terrorized anyone.
24. I have not disobeyed the Law.
25. I have not been exclusively angry.
26. I have not cursed God/Goddess.
27. I have not behaved with violence.
28. I have not caused disruption of peace.
29. I have not acted hastily or without thought.
30. I have not overstepped my boundaries of concern.
31. I have not exaggerated my words when speaking.
32. I have not worked evil.
33. I have not used evil thoughts, words or deeds.
34. I have not polluted the water.
35. I have not spoken angrily or arrogantly.
36. I have not cursed anyone in thought, word or deeds.
37. I have not placed myself on a pedestal.
38. I have not stolen what belongs to God/Goddess.
39. I have not stolen from or disrespected the deceased.
40. I have not taken food from a child.
41. I have not acted with insolence.
42. I have not destroyed property belonging to God/Goddess.

After the petitioner’s testimony containing the 42 affirmative declarations, the weighing of the ka for truth, and the reading of the scales, it is said that the doer of Maat is administered Maat. If the petitioner is deemed by the Goddess Maat to be in substantial compliance with the 42 Laws of Maat the petitioner passes from duat to the Field of Reeds (Arus) where Osiris sits as the final gatekeeper.



Link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKmpb8scAnc
http://www.blackhistoryheroes.com/2013/02/42-laws-of-maat-under-kemet-law-and.html

Egypt and The Kemetic Diet

Kemet was the name that the people of present Egypt named themselves in ancient times.

Ancient Egypt was also called “Kemet”, “Land of Blackness”, or “Land of the Burnt People” (referring to the dark skin tone of the Ancient Egyptians)

“The body becomes what the foods are, as the spirit becomes what the thoughts are.” ~Ancient Egyptian Proverb

The Kemetic Diet refers to an eating plan adhered to by modern followers of Kemet, an ancient Egyptian set of religious rules that governed every aspect of its followers lives, from their spirituality to medical treatment to the foods they prepared for daily meals.

According to the eating plan detailed in the Kemetic Diet, certain foods should be eaten regularly, while others should be consumed only seldom or avoided completely to promote optimum health.

Staple Foods

The Kemetic Diet dictates that an individual's staple foods -- the ones they eat on a daily basis -- should be vegetables and starches. The ideal starches are grains such as millet, corn, wheat or rice; beans or legumes such as lentils; and root vegetables like potatoes or yams. One of these starches, plainly cooked, should be part of every single meal, and should be accompanied by vegetables. According to Kemetic beliefs, vegetables must be eaten with starches in order for the starches to be digested properly. Fresh spices can be used as a seasoning. A typical staple food meal on the Kemetic Diet would include a vegetable-based sauce or broth flavored with spices and served on a cooked starch.

 

Occasional Foods

In the Kemetic Diet tradition, foods considered acceptable for occasional consumption are items that followers believe are beneficial in very small amounts but that strain the digestive system if eaten in large quantities. These foods include meat and any form of animal product such as dairy products and eggs; nuts; and fruit. Fish may be eaten more often than meat, but should still be kept as an occasional meal item. Followers of Kemet believe in consuming these foods more for medicinal purposes; for instance, fruit -- especially citrus fruit -- should be eaten if you are ill, and meat when a woman is pregnant. At no time, however, should these foods become regularly eaten staples.

Foods and Habits to Avoid

Followers of the Kemetic Diet believe that consuming processed foods, sugar, salt and any vitamin or mineral supplements leads to health problems and should be eliminated from the diet completely. Additionally, they contend that you should only eat when you are hungry, ideally two meals a day with one small meal in the morning and a larger meal in the evening, focusing on eating only a small variety of foods since, according to Kemetic followers, eating many different types of foods puts unnecessary strain on the digestive system.

Kemetic Detox Guidlines 

1. 30 minutes to 1 hour minimum of meditation daily
2. 2-3 salt water baths per week
3. Daily yoga, hot yoga 2x per week
4. High alkaline/raw vegan diet (Organic fruits, vegetables, soaked nuts, sprouted grains)
5. Enema/colonic as needed at least 1 per week
6. Bentonite Clay mask once a week, daily use of coconut oil, almond oil, and essential oils on skin
7. Follow the 42 Precepts of Maat (almost like the 10 commandments)

Shopping List

1. 2 bunches of Lacinato Kale, 1 bunch regular kale
2. Box of organic baby arugula
3. 4 young Thai coconuts
4. 4 apples
5. bag of organic lemons
6. 3 stalks of ginger
7. bag of organic avocados
8. Kombucha
9. 6 gallons purified water
10. organic nori sheets
11. Bag of Organic Carrots
12. Celery (2)
13. dandelion root
14. 2 cucumbers
15. Red and yellow bell peppers, Braggs Amino Acids, Nutritional Yeast, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Dulse Flakes, Sea Salt, Raw Almonds, Raw Pecans, Beets, Garlic

 

Cairo Egypt Zeitoun The Great Aparition of Mary the Holy Mother

Zeitoun, Egypt (1968)

History

In 1958 Egypt united with Syria to form the United Arab Republic, although the Syrian revolt in 1961 soon led to its dissolution.

Even so, in 1961 Egypt embarked on a program of industrialization, chiefly through Soviet technical and economic aid. Both industry and agriculture were almost completely nationalized by the end of 1962.

There was a fear among democratic governments that Egypt might become a Soviet satellite. President Gamal Abdal Nasser set about to make Egypt the undisputed leader of a united Arab world — attacking, in intense propaganda campaigns, other Arab governments that resisted Egypt’s leadership.

His most effective rallying cry for Arab unity was his denunciations of Israel calling for its total extinction. This rallying cry dominated Middle East politics between 1962 and 1967.

Meanwhile, Egyptian military might continue to increase with the acquisition of powerful modern weapons, many supplied by the USSR.

Various militant eruptions ensued, with worldwide impact. In 1967, Nasser assumed near absolute powers by taking over the premiership of the Arab Socialist Union, as Egypt was then called.

International fears increased that Egypt might become fully aligned with the dreaded Soviet Union. Indeed, after the sad war with Israel of 1967, Nasser received a massive infusion of military and economic aid from the Soviet Union.

The Western superpowers were quite worried. Such was the state of affairs in 1968. Zeitoun is a suburb of Cairo. Although the population of Cairo is Moslem, there is also a large Coptic minority in the city, as there is throughout Egypt. In ancient times, the city which became modern Cairo was known as On, or Heliopolis, the latter term Greek for “the City of the Sun.” 
The area of Heliopolis then became known as Mataria, which became the modern town of Zeitoun. According to Christian tradition, Mataria was the place in Egypt to which the Holy Family fled to escape Herod’s attempts to kill the newborn Messiah (Matt. 2:13-18). There once had been a shrine known as St. Mary’s Church built, and several times rebuilt, on the spot the Holy Family had found shelter. 

At some point the shrine to the Holy Mother disappeared altogether. In 1925 a member of the Khalil family experienced a “revelation” that the Mother of God would for one year appear in the church to be built there, at the same site. 

The family donated the land and built the new Coptic St. Mary’s Church. But nothing more happened until about forty-six years later, surely when few remembered why the church was built in the first place. On April 2, 1968, two car mechanics were working in a city garage at Tomanbey Street and Khalil Lane across from the church.

One of them happened to glance at the church and was startled to see a “nun” dressed in white standing on top of the dome. He and his colleague thought the nun was going to jump. One ran to get the priest, the other to get the police and an emergency squad. A large crowd gathered to watch these events — and began commenting on the nun’s translucent white radiance.
The emergency squad arrived. The crowd increased, and many watched and shouted at the nun not to jump but to come down safely. But by then the nun began to disappear, and ultimately vanished before everyone’s eyes. The figure atop the church was by many accepted as an appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The appearance caused a small ripple, but life soon went on as usual. Seven days later, though, the figure was again seen atop the Church of St. Mary’s. The luminous figure continued to appear at intervals until some time in 1970 — usually to the awed excitement of as many as 250,000 who gathered to witness her.

Many came armed with cameras. Startling images of the apparition and other phenomena were caught by many, but nothing unusual appeared on other photographs. It soon became apparent that some could see only indistinct luminosities, and that some saw nothing at all. But the vast majority could see very well.

The figure took to walking, or floating, around the dome, descending often to the roof’s edges. As she disappeared from one side and appeared on another, loud shouts of joy and awe arose from the masses on the side from which she could be seen. It wasn’t long before the crowds of pilgrims and witnesses achieved massive proportions. The human and motor traffic was tremendous.

Shortly after the apparitions commenced, the garage across the street and other nearby buildings were demolished to make room for parking lots to accommodate the visitors. Father Jerome Palmer, an American priest who witnessed the apparition many times, recorded that it was usually heralded by mysterious lights, bursts so brilliant, flashing, and scintillating that he compared them to sheet lightning.

These phenomena preceded the appearance by approximately a quarter of an hour, sometimes appearing above the church and sometimes in “clouds” that formed to cover it like a canopy.

The clouds were especially awesome, since clouds are seldom seen in Cairo. On one occasion, streams of incense poured through the church and settled over the throngs standing outside of it. The fragrance was extraordinary. Often luminous dovelike or birdlike forms glided through the air and sky around the apparition.

Their wings did not move. They appeared and disappeared in an instant. The Lady herself did not stand motionless. In addition to walking around the top of the church, she often bowed and greeted the throngs below.

She bent from the waist and moved her arms in greetings and benedictions and blessings. Thousands of people simultaneously knelt to receive them. The duration of the apparitions varied from a few minutes to sometimes over four hours. On the night of June 8, 1968, the Lady remained visible from 9:00 p.m. until 4:30 a.m. The apparitions continued at intervals through 1970.

This was a nonspeaking apparition, but one of glorious magnitude. Many photos were taken. Among those I’ve seen, in one the Holy Mother is floating near one of the church’s cupolas, suspended in air. No facial features are visible, but the head is clearly surrounded by a nimbus or luminous radiation. The arms and hands are clearly visible. She is sheathed in luminous white light, presumably a gown.
In another photo, a glowing white “bird” appears above her nimbus. In other photos, her head is bowed forward, her hands before her together as if in prayer. In yet other photos, the dome, cupolas, and outline of the church are suffused with auras, especially the crosses atop the building.

There is no other color perceptible but the light, which was described by everyone as either whitish-blue or bluish-white. Sometimes the auras descended to incorporate the hundreds of witnesses close to the church’s walls.

These were considered fortunately blessed, and so a crowd was always pressed up against the church walls. The Coptic religious weekly Watani was the first to publish information about the apparitions in a spread of two pages each week. The paper also printed weekly accounts of some of the outstanding cures and miracles which took place among the pilgrims and witnesses.

Within a short time, media worldwide, including the New York Times and major news magazines, were carrying news of the apparition and many photos of it. People from all over the world arrived in increasing numbers — and most of them saw.

Sometimes the crowds numbered 250,000 people a night. With this exquisite apparition, repeated many times, the skeptics’ demand of an incontestable photograph of an apparition of the Holy Mother was met, and met many times over. If incontestable photos are accepted as evidence of facts, then the photos of the repeated appearances of the Holy Mother at Zeitoun must be accepted as recording a factual apparition.

 And, indeed, those photos permit a positive reassessment of all the earlier major apparitions of the Holy Mother. However, skeptics at Zeitoun wouldn’t give up easily. Some of them held that the “Russians are doing it [projecting the image] by means of Telstar.”

But even if such projection was possible via a space satellite, why the anti-religious Communist Russians would wish to reinforce and support religious faith would have been something of a mystery. But this kind of bewildering “logic” has always been characteristic of skeptical attitudes toward the great apparitions. The impact of this series of apparitions was tremendous. As stated by Bishop Samuel (then Coptic Bishop of Public, Ecumenical and Social Services):

 The apparition was for all mankind, since belief in spiritual powers these days is weak. God is trying by all means to help mankind to build up its faith again. We [the Coptic churches] are happy, not only because of the apparitions, but also because of the great phenomena which accompanied them— of cures, of strengthening the faith, of prayerful living. The Copts moved expeditiously to “investigate” the apparitions, which, it would seem, hardly needed investigating.

On April 23, 1968, only twenty-one days after the apparitions had started, His Holiness Anba Kyrillos VI, Patriarch of the See of St. Mark in Africa and the Near East, formed a provisional delegation for verifying the matter. The report of the delegation was very soon published.

The report began with an account of the apparitions and expressed deep faith in their validity. “These appearances have been accompanied by two great blessings: the first being that of engendering and strengthening faith, and the second is the miraculous cures of desperate cases.” Some of the medically confirmed cures included those of urinary bladder cancer, cancer of the thyroid gland, permanent blindness, deafness, permanent paralysis of limbs, hernias, high blood pressure, bacteriological and viral infections, and mental derangement.

This was one of the most spectacular events in modern Egyptian history, but it is largely forgotten today. In any event, Gamal Abdal Nasser suddenly died in 1970.
Vice President Anwar al-Sadat succeeded him as president. Sadat followed a modified version of Nasser’s hard line toward Israel, but commenced work toward peace accords which has been in process ever since, although another war broke out in 1973. In July 1972, however, Sadat suddenly ousted all Soviet military personnel stationed in Egypt and placed Soviet bases and equipment under Egyptian control. This represented a reversal of a twenty-year trend of increasing dependence on the USSR a reversal which caused the Western superpowers immeasurable relief and which may actually have marked the beginning of the end of the Cold War. Whether the gorgeous appearances atop the Church of St. Mary’s had anything to do with this well, no one so far has attempted such an analysis.

Bibliography

from The Great Aparition of Mary by Ingo Swann

Avignon, France

This is the biggest Gothic palace in the world. It is a megalithic structure built locks like it was built by giants.

Of the 90,194 inhabitants of the city (as of 2011), about 12,000 live in the ancient town center enclosed by its medieval ramparts.

The Roman name Avennĭo Cavarum (Mela, II, 575, Pliny III, 36), i.e. "Avignon of Cavares" accurately shows that Avignon was one of the three cities of the Celtic-Ligurian tribe of Cavares, along with Cavaillon and Orange.

The current name dates to a pre-Indo-European or pre-Latin theme ab-ên with the suffix -i-ōn(e) This theme would be a hydronym – i.e. a name linked to the river (Rhône), but perhaps also an oronym of terrain (the Rocher des Doms).

The Auenion of the 1st century BC was Latinized to Avennĭo (or Avēnĭo), -ōnis in the 1st century and was written Avinhon in classic Occitan spelling or Avignoun [aviɲũ] in Mistralian spelling^] The inhabitants of the commune are called avinhonencs or avignounen in both Occitan and Provençal dialect.

The site of Avignon has been occupied since the Neolithic period as shown by excavations at Rocher des Doms and the Balance district.

The name of the city dates back to around the 6th century BC. The first citation of Avignon (Aouen(n)ion) was made by Artemidorus of Ephesus. Although his book, The Journey, is lost it is known from the abstract by Marcian of Heraclea and The Ethnics, a dictionary of names of cities by Stephanus of Byzantium based on that book. He said:

"The City of Massalia (Marseille), near the Rhone, the ethnic name (name from the inhabitants) is Avenionsios (Avenionensis) according to the local name (in Latin) and Auenionitès according to the Greek expression".

This name has two interpretations: "city of violent wind" or, more likely, "lord of the river".Other sources trace its origin to the Gallic mignon ("marshes") and the Celtic definitive article.



Avignon was a simple Greek Emporium founded by Phocaeans from Marseille around 539 BC. It was in the 4th century BC that the Massaliotes (people from Marseilles) began to sign treaties of alliance with some cities in the Rhone valley including Avignon and Cavaillon. A century later Avignon was part of the "region of Massaliotes" or "country of Massalia".


Fortified on its rock, the city later became and long remained the capital of the Cavares. With the arrival of the Roman legions in 120 BC. the Cavares, allies with the Massaliotes, became Roman.
So at that time there were fortifications possibly large.

Under the domination of the Roman Empire, Aouenion became Avennio and was now part of Gallia Narbonensis (118 BC.), the first Transalpine province of the Roman Empire. Very little from this period remains (a few fragments of the forum near Rue Molière).

It later became part of the 2nd Viennoise. Avignon remained a "federated city" with Marseille until the conquest of Marseille by Trebonius and Decimus Junius Brutus Albinus, Caesar's lieutenants. It became a city of Roman law in 49 BC. It acquired the status of Roman colony in 43 BC. Pomponius Mela placed it among the most flourishing cities of the province possibly because of the buildings in the city.

Listed as a World Heritage Site by Unesco, the Popes' Palace is one of the 10 most visited monuments in France with 650,000 visitors per year.

Official History say that it was built in less then 20 years starting in 1335, the Popes' Palace is the amalgamation of two palaces built by two popes: Benedict XII, who built the Old Palace to the east and north, and his successor Clement VI who built the New Palace to the south and west.

In the 14th century, the Popes' Palace was occupied by 7 popes and 2 popes of the Papal Schism before the return of the papacy to Rome.

THE AVIGNON POPES

The Avignon Papacy lasted from 1309 to 1376, when seven Popes based their court there. They were Clement V (1305–1314), John XXII (1316–1334), Benedict XII (1334–1342), Clement VI (1342–1352), Innocent VI (1352–1362), Urban V (1362–1370) and Gregory XI (1370–1378). But why did they leave Rome in the first place?

The story begins with a long-running conflict between the Vatican and the Kings of France. When a Frenchman, Bertrand de Got (who later gave his name to berlingot candies), was elected Pope Clement V, he moved to Avignon.

The reason: the city was not part of France at the time, and the new Pope avoided getting caught in the crossfire!

Clement V firmed up the French connection by appointing nine of his French allies as cardinals. Since they would elect the next Pope, it was a virtual guarantee that the papacy would remain French.
And so it proved. His six successors, all of them French, continued the tradition. By the end of the Avignon Papacy, 111 of the new 134 cardinals created were French as well.


The Palais des Papes remained under papal control for over 350 years after the Popes had moved back to Rome, and continued to be used as a residence for visiting legates, But it gradually deteriorated, and was comprehensively sacked and looted during the French Revolution (1789-99).
Reverting to France in 1791, it became a military barracks and prison and during this time much of the interior decoration was destroyed.


Occupied by the Legates and Vice-Legates starting in the 15th century then transformed into a garrison until 1906, it has undergone various restoration work since. Most recently, the Trouillas Tower has regained its past appearance. The tower houses the 11 stories of the Departmental Archives and its height of 52 metres makes you dizzy as you look up at it from the terrace of the Utopia Manutention Cinema.


Avignon, a city in southeastern France’s Provence region, is set on the Rhône River. From 1309 to 1377, it was the seat of the Catholic popes. It remained under papal rule until becoming part of France in 1791. This legacy can be seen in the massive Palais des Papes (Popes' Palace) in the city center, which is surrounded by medieval stone ramparts.

Avignon invites you for a stay beyond all imagination.The historic city centre, the Popes' Palace, all the episcopal buildings and the Saint Bénézet Bridge are listed as world heritage sites by UNESCO.
The historic center radiates from the Place de l'Horloge.

Here, you find the City Hall built between 1845 and 1851 over a former cardinal's palace of which it has kept the old fortified tower, transformed into a belfry in the 15th century with clock and Jacquemart. Next to it, the municipal theatre, also from the 19th century, houses the Avignon opera and, all the way at the top, the delightful Belle Époque style carrousel still turns.

Originally the forum of Avenio, the city's name under the Romans in the 1st century BC, the Place de l'Horloge is still the “centre” of Avignon. A meeting place, bordered by cafés and restaurants, the square is always bustling. Just like the Place du Palais higher up, a vast esplanade where you could spend the day just watching all the street performers in summer. 

Next to the palace, the Notre-Dame des Doms Cathedral, built in 1150 in a Provençal Romanesque style, was put on the first very list of historic monuments in 1840. From the top of its bell tower, the statue of the Virgin Mary, entirely gilded in gold, 6 metres high and weighing 4500 kilos, blesses and protects the city.

Across from the palace, dragons and eagles stand guard over the imposing edifice of the Hôtel des Monnaies, once the city's mint. And not far away, the Petit Palais, a former cardinal's residence turned into a museum, houses an impressive collection of Italian primitive art, old sculptures by Avignon artists and paintings from the Avignon School.

If you want to open up your horizons, go do a tour of the ramparts. The Avignon city walls constitute the 2nd longest continuous wall in the world, after the Great Wall of China. You can access the walls' walkway from the Rocher des Doms or from the Saint Anne stairs behind the palace.
Then, go dance on the famous bridge of Avignon. The Saint Bénézet Bridge was built around 1180 – miraculously, according to legend, by a simple shepherd – to link the city to Villeneuve-les-Avignon.

Over the years, a war and successive flooding by the Rhône partially destroyed the bridge. Today, the 12th century Saint Nicholas Chapel remains, as well as four arches of which the span constitutes, according to a prestigious civil engineer, an amazing feat for the period.

At the foot of the bridge you will find the landing pier for the cable ferry that will take you free of charge to the Barthelasse Island for a stroll in the countryside just a stone's throw from the city.
Unless you prefer exploring one of the museums of which Avignon has many.

Between the collections of contemporary art (the Lambert Collection) and of paintings (Musée Angladon and Petit Palais), the museum of Fine Arts (Musée Calvet), of archaeology (Musée Lapidaire) and of period furnishings and decorative arts (Musée Louis Vouland), you will be spoiled for choice.