Egypt
Egypt is a large country located in north-eastern
Africa with its capital located in its largest city, Cairo.
Egypt also extends into Asia by virtue of holding the Sinai
Peninsula. Egypt is bordered by Israel to the north-east, by
Jordan and Saudi Arabia to the east (across the Red Sea), by
Sudan to the south and by Libya to the west. The country is
bounded by the Mediterranean and Red Seas (to the north and
east respectively) and geographically dominated both by the
River Nile and its fertile well-watered valley, and by the Eastern
and Western deserts.
Egypt (together with its southern neighbour Sudan) is perhaps
best known as the home of the ancient Egyptian civilization,
with its temples, hieroglyphs, mummies, and - visible above
all - its pyramids. Less well-known is Egypt's medieval heritage,
courtesy of Coptic Christianity and Islam - ancient churches,
monasteries and mosques punctuate the Egyptian landscape. Egypt
stimulates the imagination of western tourists like few other
countries and is probably one of the most popular tourist destinations
world-wide.
Regions
Understand
The regularity and richness of the annual Nile River flood,
coupled with semi-isolation provided by deserts to the east
and west, allowed for the the development of one of the world's
great civilizations. A unified kingdom arose around 3200 B.C.
and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next three
millennia. The last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341
B.C., who in turn were replaced by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines.
It was the Arabs who introduced Islam and the Arabic language
in the 7th century and who ruled for the next six centuries.
A local military caste, the Mamluks, took control about 1250
and continued to govern after the conquest by Egypt by the Ottoman
Turks in 1517. Following the completion of the Suez Canal in
1869, Egypt became an important world transportation hub, but
also fell heavily into debt. Ostensibly to protect its investments,
Britain seized control of Egypt's government in 1882, but nominal
allegiance to the Ottoman Empire continued until 1914. Partially
independent from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired full sovereignty
following World War II. The completion of the Aswan High Dam
in 1971 and the resultant Lake Nasser have altered the time-honored
place of the Nile river in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt.
A rapidly growing population (the largest in the Arab world),
limited arable land, and dependence on the Nile all continue
to overtax resources and stress society. The government has
struggled to prepare the economy for the new millennium through
economic reform and massive investment in communications and
physical infrastructure.
Climate
Egypt is largely desert, an extension of the great Sahara Desert
that bands North Africa. Save for the thin strip of watered land
along the river Nile, very little could survive here. As the ancient
Greek philosopher Herodotus stated: "Egypt is the gift of
the Nile".
Generally, dry and very hot summers with moderate winters -
November through to March are definitely the most comfortable
months for travel in Egypt. There is almost no rain in the Nile
valley, so you won't be needing wet weather gear!
See also Stay Healthy:Sun.
Holidays
Banks, shops and businesses will close for the following Egyptian
National Holidays (civil, secular). Public transport may run
only limited services:
7th January (Eastern Orthothox Christmas)
25th April (Liberation Day)
1st May (Labour Day)
23rd July (Revolution Day)
6th October (Armed Forces Day)
1st Shawwal,the 10th Hijri mounth (Ead Elfitr moslims)
10th Tho-Elhejjah, the 12th Hijri mounth (Ead Aladha)
Talk
The official language of Egypt is the Egyptian dialect of Modern
Arabic. Egyptian Arabic differs in that the letter jim is pronounced
g instead of j. Travelers are unlikely to encounter difficulties
finding someone who speaks English, especially in tourist centers.
Egyptians are eager to improve their English, and so offering
a few new words or gently correcting their mistakes is appreciated.
Following usual rules of politeness, instead of simply starting
a conversation with someone in English, ask "Do you speak
English?". All the more better if you can do it in Arabic:
inta/inti aarif il-inglezi? "Do you (male/female) know
English?".
See Also:Egyptian Arabic Phrasebook
Buy
The local currency is the Egyptian pound (EGP), which is divided
into 100 piastres. The currency is often written as LE (short
for French livre ?gyptienne) or by using the pound sign ?. In
Arabic the pound is called gunaih (????), in turn derived from
English "guinea", and piastres are known as qirsh
(???).
Banknotes are available in all denominations ranging from 100
pounds to the thoroughly useless 5 piastres, while coins were
rather rare until new 50-piastre and 1-pound coins were introduced
in the summer of 2006. Counterfeit or obsolete notes are not
a major problem, but exchanging pounds outside the country can
be difficult.
American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard and Visa are accepted,
but only bigger hotels or restaurants in Cairo and restaurants
in tourist areas will accept credit cards as payment. Traveller's
cheques in US Dollars, Euros or Pounds Sterling are the most
cost-effective to exchange.
Bank hours are Sun-Thu 8:30am-2:00pm.
With regard to tipping, 10 to 12 per cent is added to hotel
and restaurant bills but an extra tip of 5 per cent is normal.
Taxi drivers generally expect 10 per cent.