Egypt

Join the Hipporoller Challenge

Help the Travel Guide reach 20,000,000 characters and we'll donate 63 hipporollers worth over $6000. Read more.

Quick Facts

[edit]

Capital

Cairo

Population

74,720,000

Government

Republic

Religions

Islam (Sunni), Christianity (Coptic)

Languages

Standard Arabic

Calling Code

+20

Nationality

Egyptian

Local name

Misr

Currency

Egyptian Pound (EGP), unofficially and more common £E, LE or L.E.

Contributors

• Utrecht (49%)
  from http://utrecht.travellerspoint.com
• Peter (15%)
  from My Shout

as well as Lavafalls (13%), magykal1 (7%), Hien (5%), dr.pepper (2%), Mel. (2%), singleone (2%), moh.hakim (1%), nigelpeaco (1%), Sam I Am (1%), tleb (1%), boulderman (1%), tourman (1%)

Help contribute to this article to share the ad revenue.

Introduction

Egyptian Life #2

© All Rights Reserved david.byne

As ancient as it is mysterious, Egypt's wonders are many. Most obviously, the complex pyramid structures have long been Egypt's hallmark. Indeed, it is testament to their brilliance that today, in a time of such modernity, visitors still flock to Egypt to marvel at the pyramids and the Sphinx.

Egyptian tourism is abundantly blessed: beyond the remains of the ancient Egyptian civilization, visitors can also enjoy remnants of Greek and Roman influence on the land, as well as centuries-old Christian churches and equally impressive Islamic mosques. The Red Sea and its stunning coral formation have long been considered by divers as one of the world's best spots. And even if you're not all too keen on diving, the Egyptian underwater world may soon interest you: there have been hints of development making it possible to view the submerged palace of Cleopatra.

Brief History

Home to one of the oldest known world civilisations, the state of Egypt was first founded around the start of the third millenium BC. It remained one of the strongest political powers of its time until its annexation by Rome in 30 BC. During this period many great cities were founded and monuments built. The wealth of ancient historical artifice, beautifully preserved by the desert, remains one of the main draws for the modern traveller.

The Roman annexation was the first of a series of occupations amongst them the Arabs, Ottomans, French and British, all of which have left their mark on the country. Egypt was finally restored to full independence under the Presidency of Abdel Nasser in 1936.

Geography

The majority of Egypt's settlements are based around the fertile Nile floodplain and delta. Several other large settlements, including Siwa, are located in desert oases. Most of the rest of Egypt consists of sparsely populated desert, including a section of the Sahara, and the rocky and arid Sinai Peninsula. Egypt shares international borders with Libya, Sudan and Israel.

Regions

• Lower Egypt (contains Cairo & Alexandria)
• Middle Egypt
• Upper Egypt (contains Luxor)
• Western Desert
• Red Sea Coast(contains hurghada and El Gouna)
• Sinai (contains Sharm el-Sheikh and Dahab)

Cities

• Alexandria
• Aswan
• Asyut
• Cairo, the country's capital.
• Dahab
• Giza
• Luxor
• Marsa Alam
• Memphis
• Port Said
• Siwa
• Suez

Sights and Activities

Pyramids of Giza

The Pyramids of Giza are some of the most recognizable sights in the world including the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Sphinx. These mega-structures were built thousands of years ago to protect the remains of long dead kings. The construction of these pyramids cost countless lives and tons of gold. These large structures easily attracted the attention of tomb robbers and were raided thousands of years ago. Today the Pyramids of Giza are one of the most popular sights in the world are next to Cairo.

Shopping in Cairo's Souk

Khan el-Khalili is a major souk, or open air market, in the old city of Cairo. This souk is one of the main tourist attractions in Cairo and sells clothing, cloth, spices, souvenirs and Egpytian jewelry. There are also perfumes at good prices and yummy street food. The souk was orginally opened in 1382 and has been doing a brisk business ever since.

Siwa Oasis

The Siwa Oasis is a major oasis 50 km (30 mi) east of the Libyan border and 560 km (348 mil) from Cairo This stunning oasis has been a hot spot of human activity since the 10th millennium BC. Today it is a center for a Berber population of 20,000 people. The towns are built in amazing ways and this hard to get place is worth the trek.

Other Sights and Activities

• The Valley of the Kings
• Abu Simbel
• Mount Sinai and St Katherines Monastery
• Diving in the Red Sea
• Steamboating or Felucca Sailing on the Nile
• Smoking a Sheesha at a Cairo street cafe

Events and Festivals

Weather

Egypt lies almost entirely within the Sahara desert and has hot and dry conditions year round. Only a small strip along the Mediterranean coastline is a wetter and has more mild temperatures.
It is generally still warm during winter, and hot during summer - potentially extremely hot (50 °C plus in some cities, for example Luxor and Aswan). Don't go out during the day without plenty of water, a hat, shades and sun screen.
Nights can be extremely cold in the desert, although only during the colder wintermonths of December to February.
Most of the country averages only between 25 and 50 mm of rain a year, while the coastal strip has roughly 150 mm of rain a year, still quite dry to support crops.
Most of the rain here (for example in Alexandria) falls between November and February, during the cooler months. Temperatures are still around 20 degrees Celsius during the day and slightly above 10 at nigt. In summer, temperatures are roughly 10 degrees higher, both during the day and night. With southern winds though temperatures can reach 44 degrees in summer as well. These high temperatures (also in Cairo) mainly occur during spring and early summer when hot, dry and dusty winds (Khamsin) blows from the Sahara.
More to the south, Egypt becomes very very dry and sunny as well. Aswan for example has virtually no rain whatsoever, making it one of the driest places on earth. Temperatures between November and February are pleasantly warm, between 23 and 28 degrees Celsius, while average daytime temperatures in summer are above 40 degrees, but records of 51 have been measured here!.

Getting There

By Plane

Many budget operators and charter airlines fly from Europe and the Middle East to Egypt, mostly to Cairo but others to regional destinations including Hurghada, Sharm el-Sjeikh and Luxor. The last cater mainly to charter flights from Europe and several other destinations.

Egypt Air is the national airline of Egypte and is based at Cairo International Airport (CAI). It has international scheduled flights to and from Abu Dhabi, Accra, Addis Ababa, Aleppo, Alexandria, Algiers, Amman, Amsterdam, Asmara, Assiut, Aswan, Athens, Bahrain, Bangkok, Barcelona, Beijing, Beirut, Benghazi, Berlin, Brussels, Budapest, Casablanca, Damascus, Dammam, Doha, Dubai, Düsseldorf, Entebbe, Frankfurt, Geneva, Guangzhou, Hurghada, Istanbul, Jeddah, Johannesburg, Kano, Khartoum, Kuala Lampur, Kuwait, Lagos, Larnaca, Lisbon, London, Luxor, Kuwait, Madrid, Madina, Milan, Montréal [seasonal], Moscow, Mumbai, Munich, Muscat, Nairobi, New York-JFK, Osaka, Paphos, Paris, Riyadh, Rome, Sanaa, Sharjah, Tokyo, Tripoli, Tunis and Vienna.

Dozens of airlines fly to and from Egypte from around several continents. Easyjet has started lowcost flights between Cairo and London.

By Train

There are no international trains, though you can get from Egypt to Aswan and take the ferry to Wadi Halfa in Sudan from there where there is onward transport including a train.

By Car

You are able to take cars across the borders from Israel and Sudan if you are planning on travelling overland through Africa. Though note that you are not able to cross from Egypt to Israel with a private vehicle, only from Israel into Egypt. Egypt - Sudan is ok in both directions. You won't need a visa for Israel, but you do need one before you enter Egypt, otherwise you can only visit the Sinai Peninsula. You also need a Sudanese visa before arrival.
You need the right papers, insurance and expect some hassling and maybe a bribe when going to Sudan. Note that it's not possible to cross into Libya with your own vehicle. You need to pre-arrange transport and tours in Libya before arriving and a visa as well.

By Bus

Buses travel between Cairo, Alexandria and several cities in Israel (Eilat, onwards to Tel Aviv and Jerusalem) and Jordan (Aqaba, Amman). The buses to Jordan use the ferry between Nuweiba and Aqaba and buses leave from both Alexandria and Cairo for several Jordanese places.
The border crossing via Rafah using the Gaza strip as a short cut between Cairo and Tel Aviv is not available at the moment as borders are kept closed firmly during the last couple of years.
You can also cross between Egypt and Libya (to Tobruk and Benghazi for example) by bus or shared taxi but you have to arrange visa before you do (in both directions!) and when entering Libya you are met with your tourguide, as independent travel is not allowed.
There is no public transport between Egypt and Sudan, other than the ferry between Aswan and Wadi Halfa.

By Boat

Jordan
There are ferries between Aqaba, Jordan and Nuweiba on the Sinai peninsula. There is a daily fast ferry leaving at 11am from Jordan and 3pm from Egypt. It takes 1 to 2 hours depending on sea conditions. The slow ferry leaves daily as well but costs almost the same and is much less comfortable and much slower indeed! Citizens of most European countries, North America and Australia and New Zealand can get a visa for free when entering Aqaba.
Cyprus
In the summerseason (May-October) there is a twice weekly ferry between Port Said (Egypt) and Limassol (Cyprus).
Saudi Arabia
There is a irregular services between Suez and Jeddah (taking 36 hours!) but generally this is not of much use for travellers at all, because of the strict visa regulations in Saudi Arabia. There is also a fast ferry between Hurghada and Dubba, taking around 3 hours.
Sudan
Apart from onward ferries from Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), you can take a weekly ferry from Aswan to Wadi Halfa in Sudan. You will need a valid Sudanese visa or otherwise you won't be able to board the ferry. Check departures localy as these may vary. It takes about 20 hours on average.

Getting Around

By Plane

Egypt Air operates flights between Cairo, Alexandria, Luxor, Aswan, Abu Simbel, Sharm El Sheikh, Assiut and Hurghada and most cities are served at least daily.

By Train

Egyptian National Railways has trains between the Libyan border to Alexandria and south to Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, with a few branches to Port Said and Suez.
There are also several luxury air-conditioned day and night trains with sleeping and restaurant cars from Cairo to Luxor and Aswan. If travelling overnight, you can reserve at the Abela Egypt website.

By Car

You can rent cars with major international as well as local companies and you have to be at least 25 years of age and have International driving permit and insurance. If bringing your own car, you need a carnet de passage. The main roads along the coast, Nile river and delta and the desert loop Asyut to Giza are all paved.

By Bus

There is a national bus system serving most major cities and towns along the coast and Nile. The main routes include Cairo to Sinai destination like St Catherine, Sharm el-Sheikh, Dahab, and Taba. Another route is Suez to Sharm el-Sheikh and Sharm el-Sheikh to Taba, Nuweiba, Dahab and St Catherine.
Coach services operate between Cairo and a bunch of places towards Hurghada.
There are also service taxis (usually Peugeot 504 and 505 station) which leave when they are so full that breathing becomes challenge.

By Boat

There are both slow and fast ferry services between Hurghada and Sharm el-Sheikh, takinag 1.30 or 6 hours.
Most other services are of the more touristic ones, including traditional Nile sailing boats (feluccas), which can be hired by the hour and there are alos longer Nile cruises operating between Luxor and Aswan, and sometimes all the way from Cairo.

Red Tape

Most travellers can get a visa upon arrival, including nationals of the US, Canada, most European countries, Australia, Japan and New Zealand. If you are arriving from the border crossing with Israel and are only visiting the Sinai Peninsula you don't need a visa. If you travel further and your pasport is controlled, you will have to pay a fine.
Also note that if you are arriving overland (from Libya or Sudan) you might need a visa beforehand! Check the nearest embassy or consulate for details.

The following nationals do not need a visa when visiting Egypt:
Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria and the United Arab Emirates.

Citizens of the following countries are required to be in possession of a pre-arrival visa:
Afghanistan, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Croatia,Georgia, India, Indonesia, Iraq, Iran, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Macau, Macedonia, Malaysia, Moldavia, Montenegro, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestinia, Philippines, Russia, Serbia, Slovenia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Thailand, Tunisia, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan and all African countries.

Money

See also Money Matters

Egyptian Pound (EGP; symbol E£) = 100 piastres.
Notes come in denominations of E£200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 1, 50 piastres and 25 piastres.
Coins come in denominations of 25, 20, 10 and 5 piastres. There is also a new LE 1 coin.

Work

Study

Language

The official language of Egypt is Arabic, although English is widely spoken.

Eat

The most popular food in Egypt is "Taamia and Fool". It's cheap and delacious food.

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

If you go out during the day, be sure to take plenty of water with you to ensure you are well hydrated.

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Women Travelling in Egypt

• Wear loose, long-flowing clothes, that are non-transparent and that cover your legs and arms. Carry a scarf so that you can cover your hair with it if a man tries to get too familiar with you or too physically close to you. Wearing a headscarf will be seen as a symbol of respectability.
• Don't let any man touch you in any way.
• Always sit next to women if you can.
• If you want to go to a hair dresser, go to a female one.
• Don't smoke cigarettes in public, even if somebody offers you one. This gives the wrong impression. It is ok to smoke water pipes in the cafés, even though there are usually no women in there. It will amuse people to see you doing it, but it is generally acceptable.
• Don't be seen drinking alcohol by any Egyptian person.
• If a man is bothering you, move towards older Egyptian women. They will look after you if they see what is happening.
• Don't allow any man, even a fellow traveller, into your room, even if you leave the door open. This will upset the hotel staff, and give them the impression that you have bad morals.

It is ok to be quite harsh with the men or kids in egypt. Saying "yalla im shee" means go away and yalla yalla in a more friendly get up and go fashion, the women are more inclind to help you out if they see that you know their rules and what they'd say if being hassled. unless your alone down a dark alley feel free to tell them to go away. remember you are not their property and they can see that in your face if you stand up in believeing in that.

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

Post