The last site that we visited was the last major mortuary temple built by an Egyptian Pharaoh.

Ramses III ruled in the 20th dynasty from 1186-1155 BCE only 27 years after the death of Ramses II.

The fact that this was a mortuary temple, AND a palace AND a town with other temples within a thick walled compound, speaks volumes as to how far the empire had fallen.

Pharaoh was victorious with the invading Sea Peoples (Sardinians, Cretans, Philistines and the Danu) who crossed the plains, destroying everything in their path. The multitude came with oxen-drawn wagons, laden down with all of their possessions, their families and their newly discovered iron weapons. No tribe or settlement was able to survive their passing.

His reign was also hit with the massive and extended eruption of the Hekla III volcano (1159 BC to 1140 BCE) in Iceland, which expelled large amounts of plume and rock into the atmosphere thereby causing large-scale failures of Egypt's crop harvest.

So the once mighty nation of ancient Egypt collapsed in the final days of the 20th dynasty.

So too our tour ended with a delightful farewell dinner and meeting where we were gifted a copy of Ruth’s book SINAI.

Most of the rest of the tour members went on to experience one or more of the optional tour extensions.