Egypt Travel Guide

Egypt- overview

Egypt is a place chosen by many tourists to sunbathe or enjoy historical sights. Generally it is associated with pyramids, but a more detailed visit is recommendable. Not so many people see remote destinations like Abu Simbel, Alexandria or Sinai Peninsula, a place full of religious landmarks. Still, a cruise on the Nile is the choice for a lot of people. It may start from the dam of Aswan or from Cairo and it usually includes stops for visiting temples like Kom Ombo, Edfu, Luxor, Karnak and many others. Seeing the Valleys of the Kings And Queens is another possibility allowed by this method of ship traveling.

Egypt- Religions

The burial grounds at Giza are famous for the pyramids of Cheops, Kafren and Menkaure, but early mastaba tombs only aspiring to the perfect form of a pyramid are not to be ignored. A great necropolis is at Saqqara and a clue for the way pyramid were built in early stages are given by Zoser or Unas funerary monuments. If you prefer modern religious scenery, admire the minarets belonging to mosques like the 9th century Ibn Tulun, Al- Azhar, Muhammad Ali-built in 1830 and resembling Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Do not miss the Coptic churches. Speaking of monotheist religions, one should remember the concept existed in ancient times: pharaoh Akhenaten gave Amon Ra (God of Sun and creator of Universe) all the power and cancelled the role of other Gods. It is true this belief did not last long. Also the concept of after life is the main element of ancient religions.

Egypt- Habits

All tourists will find out immediately about the welcoming attitude of the locals. Sometimes this does not lack material interest as sums of money might be required even for taking pictures. It is not a rich country and the sums of money asked are normally modest, so it’s not a reason to get too upset. The traffic is strange; it does not take into account any rules, so avoid renting a car and be careful when street crossing. Bargain is part of shopping and refusing it means refusing the pleasure of selling for the local merchant. There are a few shops with fixed prices for European attitudes.

Egypt -The capital city

Cairo has many luxury hotels, malls or smaller shopping places. Taxis are pretty cheap, so even if the city is widely extended, getting from one place to another should not be a problem. An emblem of the city is the Egyptian Museum, where you could spend days examining the shelves full of tomb inventory: canopy jars, statuettes, textiles, jewelry, funerary masks and last, but not least the inhabitants of the tombs themselves, very well conserved.

Egypt- Blessing of the Nile:

Egypt is able to have a basic agriculture due to the fertile banks of the Nile. The great cultural spots are also close to the River, as they were built in the proximity of water supplies. However, water, be it from the Nile or the sea or shadow cannot totally cool the extremely hot days characteristic to Egypt almost the entire year. Visiting is recommended during the European winter, but anyway months like July and August are to be avoided.