Country Information

Food and Drink

Egyptian cuisine is excellent, combining many of the best traditions of Middle Eastern cooking, and there are both large hotel restaurants and smaller specialist ones throughout the main towns. Some of the larger hotels in Cairo and its environs have kitchens serving top quality cosmopolitan dishes. In the centre of Cairo, American-style snack bars are also spreading. Restaurants have waiter service. Although Egypt is a Muslim country, alcohol is available in cafe-style bars and good restaurants.

National specialities:
• Foul (bean dishes).
• Stuffed vine leaves.
• Roast pigeon.
• Grilled aubergines.
• Kebabs.

National drinks:
•Kahwa (thick, strong coffee).
•Shay bil na’na’ (mint tea).
•Karkaday (clear, bright red drink made from hibiscus flowers).
•Aswanli (dark beer made in Aswan).
•Zibib (alcoholic aniseed-flavoured drink).

Legal drinking age: 21.

Tipping: 10 to 12% is added to hotel and restaurant bills but an extra tip of 5% is normal.

Nightlife

Sophisticated nightclubs, discos, casinos and good restaurants can be found in Cairo, Alexandria and most large towns. The nightlife in Luxor and Aswan often includes barbecues along the Nile.

Shopping

The most interesting shopping area for tourists in Cairo is the old bazaar, Khan-el-Khalili, specialising in reproductions of antiquities. Jewellery, spices, copper utensils and Coptic cloth are some of the many special items. There are also modern shopping centres available, particularly near Tehrir Square. Haggling is expected, and sometimes encouraged, as a way of communication and human contact.

Shopping hours: Winter: Tues, Wed, Fri and Sat 0900-1900, Mon and Thurs 0900-2000. During Ramadan, hours vary, with shops often closing on Sunday. Summer: Tues, Wed, Fri-Sun 0900-1230 and 1600-2000.

• In Islamic (Medieval)Cairo, wander around narrow congested streets filled with donkey carts, spice traders and imposing mosques. A central landmark is Midan Hussein, a large open square with tea houses around the perimeter, and dominated by the sacred Mosque of Sayyidna Al-Hussein. The Al-Azhar Mosque contains the oldest university in the world (AD 970). The pre-Ottoman Madrassa and Mausoleum of Al-Ghouri has Sufi dancing, and opposite is Wakala of Al-Ghouri, an attractively preserved cultural centre. Exhibits in the Museum of Islamic Art bring Islamic Cairo to life, with arts, ceramics, mosaics and calligraphy.

• Cairo’s Citadel was home to Egypt’s rulers for 700 years; an imposing medieval fortress offering sweeping views of the city. Within is the Midan Salah al-Din with the unmissable Sultan Hassan and Rifai Mosques. The Mohammad Ali Mosque has classic Ottoman minarets and interior. Other attractions within the Citadel include the Military National Museum, Al-Gawhara Palace and Museum and the National Police Museum.

• Still in Cairo, City of the Dead (Northern Cemetery) is a Mamluk necropolis with hundreds of thousands of tombs dating from the 12th century. In Sharia Talat Harb street and Midan Tahrir (Liberation Square) spend time at one of the country’s greatest attractions; the Museum of Egyptian Antiquities housing over 130,000 exhibits, including Pharaonic and Byzantine art and sculpture, the Mummy Room and the celebrated Tutankhamun exhibition.

• In the south of Cairo, home to the Coptic Orthodox Christians, visit the Coptic Museum which has the world’s greatest collection of Coptic art. The Hanging Church, Monastery of St George and the churches of St Sergius and St Barbara are all in the same area. The Ben Ezra Synagogue is one of the oldest in Egypt, and represents what remains of the Jewish community.

• The small island of Gezira is a modern upmarket area with the Opera House (a US$30 million arts complex) containing the Museum of Modern Art, and the Cairo Tower with great city views.

• Cairo is most famous for the Great Pyramids, Egypt’s most visited monuments. Of the three main pyramids (Cheops, Chephren and Mycerinus), the largest is 137m (449ft) high and contains some 3 million blocks of stone. Exploring the interiors is possible via labyrinthine tunnels and staircases.

• Adjacent is the bewitching Sphinx, as named by the ancient Greeks, with the head of a woman and body of a lion. In the evening there are son et lumière performances - extravagant sound and light shows telling the story of ancient Egypt. Camels, horses and donkeys can be hired to explore the site.

• See the remains of the Old Kingdom’s capital Memphis; at Saqqara are the necropolis and the Step Pyramid - the latter is older than those at Giza, with well-preserved wall reliefs and royal tombs. Dahshur has only been open to foreigners since 1996, and is famous for its Bent Pyramid and a huge field of royal tombs.

• In Luxor, once the ancient city of Thebes, thehighlight is the Karnak Temple, covering an immense 100 acres (41 hectares). The whole site has colossal statues, reliefs, obelisks and halls and the Avenue of the Sphinxes. Along the riverbank, Luxor Temple is guarded by a huge statue of Ramses II. A pleasant walk north along the corniche brings you to the Luxor Museum where a small, interesting collection of relics from the Theban Temples and Necropolis can be viewed. The Mummification Museum has exhibits of human, reptile and bird mummies, as well as explanations of how they are made.

• On the West Bank of the Nile is the vast Theban Necropolis, containing some of the world’s finest tombs: the Valley of the Kings; Valley of the Queens; and Tombs of the Nobles. Highlights include the Tomb of Tutankhamun; Ramses II; and the Tomb of Nefertari, reputed to be the country’s finest.

• Relaxing Aswan, a beautiful winter resort, and the gateway to Africa, is steeped in Nubian culture. The corniche provides attractive riverside walks, and a stop-off for many cruise ships. In the evenings, floating restaurants provide a lively gathering place, and a folkloric dance troupe performs nightly during winter months at the Cultural Centre. The Old Cataract Hotel is famous as the location of the film Death on the Nile.

•Elephantine Island is easily accessible by river taxi from Aswan. Formerly Egypt’s frontier town, recent excavations of this ancient site have revealed temples and a fortress. Aswan Museum contains exhibits found in Nubia and Aswan.

• Head south to the the tiny Island of Plants, presented to Lord Horatio Kitchener in the 1890s in recognition of his military services. Importing exotic flowers and plants from India and Malaysia, he created a beautiful botanical garden, attracting a wide variety of birds.

• On the West Bank of the Nile lies the Monastery of St Simeon, which resembles a fortress. Nearby is the domed granite and sandstone Mausoleum ofAga Khan.

• Be impressed by the sheer size of the Aswan Dam, built by the British at the beginning of the century. It is 11,811ft (364m) high and provides electricity and irrigation for the whole of Egypt.

• Also near Aswan is the Temple of Philae, on the Island of Philae. The temple is one of Egypt’s most famous attractions, and after being under threat from flooding from the High Dam, UNESCO moved it stone by stone to a higher point on the island.

• Do not miss Abu Simbel, the magnificent Sun Temple of Ramses II, also rescued from flooding by UNESCO. Ramses had four gigantic statues of himself built in order to intimidate travellers entering Egypt from Africa, especially the Nubians.

• Kom Ombo (’the city of gold’), 30km (18 miles) north of Aswan, is a largely Nubian settlement, known for its Temple of Haroeris and Sobek.

• Edfu is famed for the largest and best preserved Pharaoronic Temple in Egypt, the Temple of Horus. It is a favoured start/end point for felucca trips to and from Luxor.

• In Alexandria, Egypt’s second city, see relics from the third century BC in the Graeco-Roman Museum. See also the Roman Amphitheatre. Fort Quait Bey is a 15th-century fort built on the foundations of the long-gone Pharos Lighthouse, one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The modern Mosque of Abu al-Abbas Mursi dominates the main square on Sharia Tatwig, and other places of interest include the Museum of Fine Arts, and Montazah Palace with attractive gardens, often the summer venue of theatre performances.

• The ancient city of Rosetta, 65km (39 miles) away from Alexandria, is famed for being where the Rosetta Stone was discovered (now housed in the British Museum in London) and has attractive Ottoman, ‘Delta Style’ architecture.

• El Alamein is a small coastal village 100km (60 miles) west of Alexandria and an easy day trip. Famous as the scene of a decisive Allied victory, which determined the fate of Egypt and Britain’s Empire, there is a War Museum, Cemetery and Memorial to the soldiers who died in battle.

• A great example of modern engineering, the Suez Canal links the Red Sea with the Mediterranean. Completed in 1869, it has repeatedly been the cause of dispute, most recently when blocked during the 1967 war with Israel. Port Said is the main city. Anyone travelling to Sinai by road would cross the Suez on a small shuttle boat, or under the tunnel.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.

• Try your skills at bargaining at Cairo’s famous Khan-el Khalili, one of the world’s largest bazaars, pulsing with commerce and crammed with spices, coppersmiths, perfume and trinkets. Here, Fishawi’s tea house has been in business for over 200 years, and is still a great people-watching venue. For an even more exotic touch, go to the Camel Market (Souq al-Gamaal), held every morning at Birqash, around 35km (21 miles) from Cairo, located on the edge of the Western Desert. Hundreds of camels are sold daily, most having been brought from Sudan. A livestock market is held every Tuesday morning at El-Hebel, a village 4km (2.5 miles) from Luxor.

• Escape the city in Egypt’s six oases. The largest and most developed oasis is Kharga, with a Berber community, temples and museums. Dhakla Oasis has hot springs, and camel rides over the sand dunes. The nearby village of Bashandi sells handicrafts made by local girls. The smallest is Farafra, an ancient fort town; Bahariyya is made up of several small villages, famed for its olives and dates. Al-Faiyum Oasis is 100km (60 miles) southwest of Cairo, and the area contains small pyramids, the old city of Karanis, and temples. Siwa is the furthest west and remote, but the most picturesque and idyllic.

• Go on a Nile cruise, usually between Luxor and Aswan, and generally lasting around five days. Along the Nile, felucca owners tout for custom; from Luxor, it is possible to hire one for a brief sunset cruise to Banana Island, or even to organise a trip upriver to Aswan. Hot-air balloon trips are also available, offering the best views of Luxor.

•Alexandria, ’The Pearl of the Mediterranean’, still attracts wealthy Cairenes as a summer retreat. Swimming and diving are popular, although beaches tend to be overcrowded in summer. Ma’amoura is a more liberal and Westernised beach, and further out of the city Agami and Hannoville are cleaner and less crowded. Diving is possible on Montazah beach. Further west from El Alamein is the coastal resort of Mersa Matruh.

• The Red Sea Coast region is revered for its spectacular diving resorts, beaches, stunning coastline and vast deserts. Sharm el-Sheikh is a large resort, and is best for diving. Na’ama Bay is much better developed and upmarket, with private beaches. A few miles north is Shark Bay, a quieter resort camp. The beaches at Dahab are spectacularly framed by jagged mountains. Nuweiba is a port city, with a plethora of resort hotels. Between here and Taba, there are many small, quiet resorts that are under threat of being overshadowed by a huge new tourist development, Taba Heights. On the west of the Red Sea Coast, the biggest diving resort is Hurghada, once a fishing village and now a major commercial tourist centre. Ras Muhammed is the southernmost point on the peninsula, fringed with lagoons and reefs, and is now a national park.

• Little is accessible in Sinai’sinterior, a barren area with rocks and sands; the best way to explore this is by treks or safari by camel or jeep. One of the highlights is St Catherine’s Monastery, now home to Greek Orthodox monks. It has been a place of pilgrimage since the fourth century. Within the monastery is the ‘burning bush’ from which God is said to have appeared to speak to Moses. Mount Sinai, revered as the site of God’s revelation of the Ten Commandments, is a craggy and sheer-faced mount of grey and red, dramatic and steep.

See Contact Addresses for further tourist information.