Country Name: Arab Republic of Egypt
Area: 1,001,449 sq km (622,272 sq mi)
Population: 69.5 million
Capital city: Cairo
Language: Arabic
Religion: 94% Islam, 6% Christian
Government: Republic
Annual growth: 5%
Major industries: Oil & gas, metals, tourism, agriculture
(especially cotton) and Suez Canal revenues
Major trading partners: USA, EU, Middle East.
Visas: All visitors to Egypt are required to have a visa and
a passport valid for six months. Visas can be arranged through
Egyptian embassies worldwide. Visitors from the US, Canada,
EU and GCC countries may be able to purchase a visa stamp upon
arrival at many large airports. One-month visitor's visas can
be extended.
Time: GMT/UTC plus two hours
Electricity: 220V, 50 Hz
Weights & measures: Metric
CAIRO
The heart of Egypt for more than 1000 years, Cairo demonstrates
the dichotomy of all things Egyptian. It's in Cairo where the
medieval world and the contemporary western world come together
in a confusion of earthen houses and towering modern office
buildings, of flashy cars and donkey-drawn carts. Nobody really
knows how many people live in Cairo, but estimates put it at
about 16 million, and the city's many squatter camps and slums
alone accommodate around 5 million people. Housing shortages
are terrible and the traffic is appalling, but the government
has begun a campaign to ease these pressures, opening an underground
metro system and constructing satellite suburbs.
An ancient tell of 1001 Nights, "He who have not
seen Cairo, have not seen the world"
Islamic Cairo (which is no more Islamic than the rest of the
city) is the old medieval quarter, and stepping into its neighborhoods
is like moving back six or seven centuries. This is the most
densely populated area of Egypt, and probably the whole Middle
East. Districts like Darb al-Ahmar are full of tiny alleyways,
mud-brick houses, food hawkers, and goats, camels and donkeys.
The streets are lined with mosques and temples, and the air
is filled with the pungent smells of turmeric and cumin, animals
and squalor. Some of Islamic Cairo's highlights include the
Mosque of Ibn Tulun, dating from the 9th century and the city's
oldest intact and fully functioning Islamic monument; the 15th-century
Mosque of Qaitbey, considered the jewel of Mamluk architecture;
Al-Azhar Mosque, the keystone of Islam in Egypt; and the Citadel,
an awesome medieval fortress that was the seat of Egyptian power
for 700 years. The Citadel has three major mosques and several
museums.
Coptic Cairo was originally built as a Roman fortress town.
Pre-dating the founding of Islamic Cairo by several hundred
years, it was home to one of the world's first Christian communities
and is also a holy place for Jews and Muslims. The sole remaining
section of the Fortress of Babylon includes two towers, which
were built in AD 98 and originally overlooked an important port
on the Nile before the river changed course. The Coptic Museum
at the foot of the towers explores Egypt's Christian era from
the years 300 to 1000. The stunning collection includes religious
and secular art, stonework, manuscripts, woodwork, glass and
ceramics.
Cairo has various precincts with cheap tourist accommodation
and places to eat, but central Cairo is popular with budget
travelers, particularly Midan Orabi and Midan Talaat Harb.
GUIZEH
It is located on the west bank of the Nile includes The Great
Pyramids which are one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
They have survived the rise and fall of great dynasties and
conquerors, and share the flat desert surrounds with the Sphinx
and a number if smaller pyramids and temples.
LUXOR
Built on the site of the ancient city of Thebes, Luxor is
one of Egypt's prime tourist destinations. People have been
visiting the magnificent monuments of Luxor, Karnak, Hatshepsut
and Ramses III for thousands of years.
Feluccas and old barges shuffle along the Nile between the luxury
hotel ships of the Hilton and Sheraton cruising to and fro Cairo
and Aswan.
Luxor Temple was built by Pharaoh Amenhotep III (1390-1352 BC)
on the site of an older temple built by Hatshepsut and added
to by Tutankhamun, Ramses II, Nectanebo, Alexander the Great
and various Romans. Excavation work has been under way since
1885. The Temples of Karnak is a spectacular series of monuments
that were the main place of worship in Theban times. They can
be divided into the Amun Temple Enclosure, which is the largest;
the Mut Temple Enclosure on the south side; and the Montu Temple
Enclosure. The lonely statues of the Colossi of Memnon are the
first things most people see when they arrive on the West bank,
though the Valley of the Kings, including the spectacular tombs
of Nefertari and Tutankhamun, are the big attraction. Luxor
is accessible from Cairo by buses or trains, which run every
day.
ASWAN
Aswan, Egypt's southernmost city has long been the country's
gateway to Africa. The prosperous market city straddles the
crossroads of the ancient caravan routes, at the 'other' end
of the Nile not far above the Tropic of Cancer. In ancient times
it was a garrison town known as Swenet (meaning 'Trade'), and
it was also important to the early Coptic Christians. The main
town and temple area of Swenet were located on Elephantine Island
in the middle of Nile (the island was known then as Yebu, and
later renamed by the Greeks). The temples and ruins here are
not nearly as well preserved and impressive as that elsewhere
in the country, but there are other good reasons to visit. If
you're not 'tombed out', a visit to the Tombs of the Nobles
is worthwhile, and a highlight is the Nubian Museum, showcasing
history, art and Nubian culture from the prehistoric to the
present. The Nile is glorious here as it makes its way down
from massive High Dam and Lake Nasser - watching the feluccas
glide by as the sun sets over the Nile is an experience you're
unlikely to forget.
ALEXANDRIA
The mighty Macedonian Alexander the Great came to Egypt in
331 BC after conquering Greece and selected a small fishing
village on the Mediterranean coast to establish his new capital,
Alexandria. The city is oriented around Midan Ramla and Midan
Saad Zaghoul, the large square that runs down to the waterfront.
Alexandria once had a great library that contained more than
500,000 volumes, and at its peak the city was a great repository
of science, philosophy and intellectual thought and learning.
The Graeco-Roman Museum contains relics that date back to the
3rd century BC. There's a magnificent black granite sculpture
of Apis, the sacred bull worshipped by Egyptians, as well as
an assortment of mummies, sarcophagi, pottery, jewellery and
ancient tapestries. Another highlight is one of the few historical
depictions of the Pharos of Alexandria, one of the Seven Wonders
of the World. The only Roman Amphitheatre in Egypt was rediscovered
in 1964. Its 13 white marble terraces are in excellent condition
and excavation work is still under way, although the dig has
shifted a little to the north of the theatre.
Pompey's Pillar is a massive 25m (82ft) pink granite monument
measuring 9m (30ft) around its girth. The pillar should rightfully
called Diocletian's Pillar, as it was built for the emperor
in AD 297, and was the only monument left standing following
the violent arrival of the Crusaders around 1000 years later.
The Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa are the largest known Roman
burial site in Egypt, and consist of three tiers of burial tombs,
chambers and hallways. The catacombs were begun in the 2nd century
AD and were later expanded to hold more than 300 corpses. There's
a banquet hall where the grieving would pay their respects with
a funeral feast. Experts are hoping to discover Cleopatra's
Palace under the seabed off Alexandria; columns were found in
1998, and recently archaeologists raised a beautiful statue
of Isis from the depths. The Crusaders destroyed Cleopatra's
Library.
PORT SAID
Situated on the northern entrance to the Suez Canal on the
Mediterranean coast, Port Said is a very young city by Egyptian
standards. Ruler Said Pasha founded it in 1859 when excavations
began for the Suez Canal. Port Said was bombed in 1956 during
the Suez Crisis, and again in the 1967 and 1973 wars with Israel;
the damage can still be seen here and there, although the city
was extensively rebuilt. The original settlement was established
on land reclaimed from Lake Manzela, and the city sits on an
isthmus connected by causeways to the mainland. Ferries cross
Lake Manzela to Al-Matariyya and across the canal to Port Fouad.
Unlike many of Egypt's other Mediterranean towns, Port Said
does not get overrun with local tourists seeking sun and sea.
It's an unusual destination by Egyptian standards, with 1900s
colonial architecture and several good museums and gardens.
