THE SONG OF THE STONES – Linking a taste for geography to that of history, they are something to do at least once in your life, like a pilgrimage in the footsteps of great vanished civilizations.
China: Awakening in the Midst of Empire
In the central province of Shaanxi, the colossal terracotta army of the first Chinese emperor Qin Shi Huang is among the most astonishing archaeological discoveries. Unearthed in 1974 by a peasant trying to dig a well in his orchard, the necropolis, dating back to 2,200 years BCE, contains 8,000 soldiers with different faces, 670 horses and 130 bronze chariots… One of the largest funerary complexes in the world. Xi’an has always been a center of power and a city of intermingling – it was the starting and ending point of the Silk Road. The Maisons du Voyage offer an itinerary combining visits to emblematic sites – the Bell and Drum Towers, the History Museum, imperial mausoleums, a forest of steles containing Confucian writings and calligraphy from the Tang period – and encounters, such as that of Wu Jianguo, a former Red Guard turned enlightened collector, who keeps in his native village a collection of objects ranging from Antiquity to the modern era. A fascinating dive into the heart of Chinese history!
From €3,550 per person for an 11-day trip (including 4 in Xian), flights included. Lesmaisonsduvoyage.com
Malta: Diving in the island of Calypso
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The underwater world also has its archaeological treasures. Around Malta, crossroads of Phoenician, Greek, Roman, Arab and even Norman civilizations, Our Sea still has many buried remains. In Xlendi Bay, on the sister island of Gozo, the Tower Wreck Park opened this summer, an area of 67,000 m2 at a depth of 110 m, where rocky outcrops contain a wealth of artefacts dating back to the first centuries AD. Please note that this unique site is only accessible to qualified and experienced divers and with the permission of the Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit. Fortunately, this “underwater museum” is also visible virtually thanks to its 3D documentation. Underwatermalta.org
Egypt: Making History
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In Cairo, on the edge of the Giza Plateau, with the pyramids of Cheops, Chephren and Mykerinos in the background, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM), the largest museum in the world dedicated to ancient Egyptian civilization, is about to finally open its doors. Twenty years! That’s how long it took for it to emerge from the sands… In defense of this pharaonic construction site, the 2011 revolution and the global pandemic have not helped the smooth running of the work, led by the Heneghan Peng Architects agency. While waiting for its official full opening, we can already be dazzled by the common areas (commercial and catering areas, outdoor gardens), such as the monumental staircase and the colossal statue of Ramses II in the hall. The whole world, in feverish impatience, awaits the final signal to come and admire the 24,000 m2 exhibition spaces, where the treasure of Tutankhamun (more than 5,000 artifacts) and the solar boat of Cheops will be majestically displayed. In the starting blocks, Intermèdes has already programmed trips to discover this new wonder of the world, included in an itinerary that also includes a visit to the pyramids of Dahshur, the step pyramid of Djoser, not to mention the mythical sites of Giza, Saqqara, as well as old Coptic and Islamic Cairo. A dive into the heart of multi-millennial Egypt illuminated by the doctor in history and archaeology Moustafa Said Zayed.
«Cairo, on the occasion of the opening of the Grand Egyptian Museum», from €2950 per person for 7 days/6 nights, return flights from Paris included. Intermedes.com
Peru: Venturing North
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We often tend to reduce the pre-Columbian history of Peru to the Incas and their emblematic Machu Picchu, a civilization at its peak during the Spanish conquest. However, this is to forget that this vast territory, between the Pacific coast, the Andes mountain range and the Amazon forest, has, for a long time, seen the birth, flourishing and then extinction of many other pre-Inca peoples, such as the Limas, the Mochicas, the Chimus, the Chachapoyas… whose remains are scattered across the northern part of the country. It is these ruins and the history of these cultures, less known but no less fascinating, that Comptoir des Voyages invites you to discover. Thus, in the Amazonas region, culminating at an altitude of 3000 meters, the citadel of Kuelap, discovered in 1843 (and reopened to the public since this summer after a year of restoration) raises its imposing stone walls sheltering curious circular dwellings. Here we are in Chachapoya territory, the “people of the clouds”, long forgotten in the misty folds of history and whose unique culture we discover. This route will also take you to the labyrinthine adobe citadel of Chan Chan, capital of the Chimus, to the eroded pyramids of Túcume of the Lambayeque people, and even to the funerary treasure of the Lord of Sipán discovered in 1987, one of the most important discoveries since that of… Machu Picchu.
Tailor-made trip for individuals or small groups, with guide, from €3,300 per person for 11 days/9 nights, round-trip flights Paris-Lima included. Comptoirdesvoyages.fr
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