Practical information about Egypt
Egypt
Where to go in Egypt:
Cairo | Giza | Bazaars | Alexandria | Sharm El-Sheikh | Hurghada | Asyut
Practical information about Egypt:
Currency: Egyptian pound (L.E ) in Arabic called: (Geneih)
Dress code: No restrictions are imposed on tourists, but modest dress is recommended for public places
Time difference: GMT + 2 hours
Dialing code: 202
Climate: Egyptian climate is basically dry and mild. Summers are hot at mid-day, but cool off at night with a constant desert breeze. Winters are mild during the day, but can be quite cold at night. Rain is rare and is mainly in the winter. In the spring, there can be an occasional sand storm.
Egypt
The cradle of ancient civilizations: Pharanic, Greek, Roman, Christian and Islamic, with a very long history. The history of Egypt is one of the richest, oldest and most varied of any country in the world, there you can see: The Great Pyramid, The zenith of Egyptian power at the start of the second millennium, The Tutankhamen - whose famous tomb was discovered in 1922, and The Nile River the longest river in the world, and much more.. It has a wealth of archaeological vestiges, many of which remain to be discovered, not to mention the many resorts and activities to be found on the red sea and along the Mediterranean coast.
Cairo
Is the Capital of Egypt, it was named after the constellation of Mars (Al-Kahir): The victorious, Cairo is the political, cultural, and economic center of Egypt with many monuments and relics of the pharaonic, Graeco-Roman, Christian, and Islamic period, attracting many visitors from all over the world.
Islamic Cairo:
Mosque of Amr Ibn Alas: it is considered to be the first mosque in Egypt. Simple in design, it represents school of architecture of different periods.
Mosque of Ahmed Ibn Tulun: it is the largest mosque in the country. The mosque has a unique feature of an external spiral staircase winding up a minaret.
Mosque of Al-Azhar: The first Fatimid mosque in Cairo, the mosque is considered to be the oldest Islamic university comprising more than 80,000 Islamic manuscripts in its libraries. Today it is one of the leading centers of Islamic teachings.
The Egyptians Museum in Cairo is the richest store of remains of ancient Egyptian art and treasures from the pharaonic Graeco-Roman period with over 120,000 exhibits. Its most famous collection arethe artefacts found in the tomb of King Tutankhamun.
The Coptic Museum: The museum has a rare collection of ancient Christian relics and antiquities including remains of architectural works, textiles, icons and old manuscripts, reflecting the history of Coptic civilization.
The Museum of Islamic Art: The museum was founded in 1880, and since 1903 it houses, in the meantime, a magnificent unique collection of 80,000 rare ancient relics from the dawn of Islam until the end of the Ottoman period.
Further, it is lodging the national library with valuable books on Islamic civilization, and a collection of rare manuscripts of the Koran.
Giza
Is home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World the “Great Pyramid” of Cheops (137m).
Chephren and Mykerinos pyramids, the sphinx, and the man’s head with a lion’s body, at the entrance to the Royal Necropolis. Nearby, the Solar boat, Saqqarah, the Royal site (over 8Km). A wealth of decorations and the beauty of sculpted bas-reliefs that evoke the daily life in ancient Egypt. Pyramids, such as the ones known as “step-pyramids”.
Bazaars:
Khan El Khalili: Comprising an array of shops dating to the 14th century AD, it developed into one of the most magnificent oriental markets.
Kerdasah: Famous for its embroidered cotton and silk dresses (Galabeyas) as well as other handmade products.
Harrania: An important center of the production of handmade carpets.
Alexandria
Is the second largest city in Egypt and one of the country’s major ports, and it is known as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", It was founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC., and planned by his architect Deinocrates on the same spot of an old village named Rhacotis. Its cultural, spiritual and economical bloom surpassed all expectations and found its highlight in the location of the legendary lighthouse on the Island of Pharos, which was one of the seven Wonders of the world. The once world-renowned library of Alexandria, containing 500,000 volumes, was frequently visited by philosophers, poets, artists and scientists of all fields of knowledge and was destroyed by fire during the reign of Queen Cleopatra. On the same site a modern library is built on an area of 40,000 m2. The city was also the most powerful and prosperous provincial city of the Roman Empire, and remained the capital of Egypt for the next 900years under Ptolemaic, Roman and Byzantine rule. Nowadays, one can visit many monuments of the Graeco-Roman period.
The Graeco-Roman Museum: This beautiful museum contains about 40,000 exponents, dating back to the beginning of the 3rd century BC. to the 7th century AD. The collection includes a splendid black granite sculpture of Apis, many statues of Serapis and busts and statues of various Greeks and Roman. There are also sarcophagi, mummies, pottery, bas-releifs, coins jewellery and tapestries.
The Tombs of kom Al-Shoquafa: These catacombs, the largest known Roman burial site in Egypt, were constructed in the 1st and 2nd century AD, probably as a family crypt. They consist of the three stories of tombs and chambers cut into the rock, unique both of their architecture and decoration which is a mixture of Egyptian and Graeco-Roman elements.
The Pompey Pillar: The massive nine meters high pillar, was erected in around 297 AD, amidst the Serapeum complex for Diocletian.
The Tomb of Al-Shatby: The architectural style of this interesting necropolis is built after the model of the old Greek houses. The Tomb dare back to the 3rd century BC, and are the most ancient tombs so far discovered in Alexandria.
The Roman Theatre: This small Roman theatre with its 13 white marble-terraces, arranged in a semicircle is the only one of its kind in Egypt. It was discovered quite recently and is situated in the heart of Alexandria.
The mosque of Mursi Abul Abbas: This Andalusian-style mosque is the largest in the city.
Al-Alamein: The small village of Al-Alamein is famous for its history dating back to world war 2nd. Visits in Al-Alamein should include the war Museum, the commonwealth cemetery and the German and Italian war memorials.
Monasteries in Wadi Natrun: it contains many significant and inhabited monasteries. All monasteries were built as fortresses, surrounded by walls 10m in height and 2m in depth, protecting the monastery against attackes of the Bedounis in the Middle Ages. The most significant are: Al-Baramose Monastery, Al-Sorian Monastery, Anba Beshoy Monastery and Abu Makar Monastery.
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Alexandria
Starting from
SAR 199
Sharm El-Sheikh
Overlooking the Gulf of Aqaba in Southern Sinai – Red Sea, lies on the most outstanding marine environments in the world, with its varied coral reefs, and diverse aquatic life, in crystal clear water. The resorts there offers the very best tourist facilities, including restaurants, varied entertainments, and noumerous activities such as underwater photography, horse and camel riding, quad-biking, snorkeling, desert safaris, windsurfing and sailing to mention just a few. The resorts also becoming renowned for activities for children, including the PADI Bubble Maker experience for little divers, go-karting, the “Fun Town” and a number of playgrounds. Glass-bottom boats and Banana boats complete the amusement.
Book a hotel in Sharm El-Sheikh
starting from SAR103
Hurghada
Tucked into the lower end of the Gulf of Suez-Red Sea, Hurghada is one of the Egypt’s liveliest and busiest resorts. And it manages to merge the old with the new to perfection in that its fine, modern buildings sit happily alongside El-Dahar, the old town, which is the center of everyday Egyptian life.
Diving has long been the main attraction of Hughada. The area is renowned for its extraordinary and unique reefs. And, for non-divers, Giftun Island is perfect for snorkeling, and as a spot for camping.
Asyut
Asyut is located between two high mountain ranges, East of the Nile. The weather is an extreme continental climate, cold in winter and very hot in summer.
Asyut is the commercial capital of Sa’ead. It’s 375km from Cairo, with road, rail and air connections.
It has a variety of cultural heritage sites from different ages, Pharaonic, Roman, Coptic, and Islamic.