Egypt Information   

Geography:

The area of the Arab Republic of Egypt is more than 1,000,000

km².  Its borders stretch from the Mediterranean in the North ,

where the Nile  meets the sea, to the borders of  Sudan , Libya

and  over the Sinai  Peninsula to the borders of  Israel  and  by 

sea, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

The  Nile ( the  world's longest river with its  6,600  km ) has

created through tens of thousands of years, a fantastic fertile

landscape on its banks where approximately  95 % of  Egypt's

population lives.

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History: 

Remains dating from the Egyptian Paleolithic period are some of

the oldest in the  world , but it is of course the pharaonic era that 

made Egypt famous and unique.

Egypt , or Kemet as it was called in  pharaonic time,  was unified

around 3000 B.C. Old Kingdom, or the Pyramid Age, lasted from 

2650 - 2200 B.C. , and during this period most of the country's 90

pyramids were built.

During the Middle Kingdom (2000 - 1700 B.C.) an emporium was

started  being  built  stretching  from  South  Sudan  to  Iraq  and 

further. This colonization caused an invasion from the east by the

Hyksos, which ruled Egypt from 1700-1550 B.C.  leaving  behind

the introduced horse and carriage that Egyptians learned to master.

The pharaohs of the New Kingdom, 1550  - 1000 B.C.  ruled from Luxor in the south where

you can find their exquisite tombs in the Valley of the  Kings and  the " Pharaonic " Vatican,

The Temple of  Karnak.

In 332 B.C. Alexander the Great came to Egypt starting the Greek

Ptolemaic Era . The  Romans and later Byzantium  took over after

winning the battle of Actium in  30  B.C.  Later  on,  Cleopatra VII

committed suicide - using snakebite, which lead the  holy family to 

flee to Egypt. St Marc came to Christianize the Egyptians, leaving

behind  him one of the first Christian communities in the world; the

Coptic Church.

In 642 A.D. the Arabs overruled Egypt. During the coming hundredsof years Cairo and Egypt

was alternately controlled from Damascus, Baghdad and from different clans like the Tulun

family, the Fatimides, the Ayoub family and the Mamelouks. By 1517, Egypt became a part

of the Ottoman Empire until the invasion of Napoleon in 1798.

From 1805  begins modern  Egyptian history under the reign of

the Mohamed Ali family.  Cotton was  starting to be cultivated; 

railroads and the  Suez  Canal were  built,  modernization  had 

struck Egypt.

In  1952  Farouk the last king of Egypt, was overthrown in the revolution led by Gamal Abd  

El Nasser.  By coming to  Egypt,  you will hear more  about  Cheops, Ramses,  Saladin,

Nefertiti, Sadat and Amon personalities! 

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Climate:

Egypt  has a long  summer, from mid - march until the beginning

of December with temperatures during daytime between 25° and

40° C.  Day  time  temperatures during winter varies between 15 

and  28  degrees.

At nights,  temperatures sink very  fast, in  the winter sometimes

under 10°. Temperatures in Upper Egypt (south) are usually 5°C

higher  than Cairo and  the rest  of the  north of Egypt. 

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Clothing:

During summer you need light clothes. In winter, a coat or jacket will be needed in the

evening. Comfortable shoes are a must. 

In the city centers, in mosques and churches clothes that are more conservative should

be worn.

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Language:

Arabic is the Official  Language, while English and 

French are widely spoken by educated classes.

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Currency:

The  Egyptian pound  (LE) is the official currency. One LE consists of 100 piasters. 

Bills of the Egyptian pounds are of 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 pounds value and 25 and

50 piasters One US dollar equals approximately LE 4.5 (Dec. 2001). There are banks

in all 5* star hotels, as well as in the city centers (many of which are open 24-hours a

day).

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Population:

The population of approximately 68 million people is concentrated along the Nile,

on 5% of Egypt's total area. 16 million people live in Cairo and its suburbs. 

Other large cities are Alexandria, Mansoura, Tanta, Zagazig, Ismailia, Suez, Port

Said, Aswan and Luxor.

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Religion:

Around 85% are Muslims and approximately 15% are Coptic Christians.

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Voltage:

The voltage is always 220 V  in all tourist establishments.

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Egyptian Food:

Egyptian food is very rich and tasty, the Egyptians eat a substantial amount

of bread and drink too much water with their meals.

Typical Egyptian bread is made of leanened wheat flour in hollow round flat

loaves. Inrural areas, bread is made of unloavened maize flour.


Egyptians are mostly rice eaters, although macaroni often appears in their

meals. In the average Egyptian home breakfast is substantial meal consisting of more than

one of the following items.

Foul Medamis ( Baked Beans ), Gibna Beida (White soft cheese), Eggs (Beid), Pasterma

(Cored Beef ), Halawa (Sweet Sesame Cake), Jam (Meraba) or honey (Assal Abyad) and

tea (Shai) or Coffee (Qahwa). 

In the country side breakfast sometimes includes, Fitir Messhaltet ( A very rich wheat 

flour pie, served with either sour cheese or honey). 

Lunch : 

Is the main meal, whereas dinner courses may resemble either breakfast or lunch, according

to individual customs. However, dinner is normally a light meal, especially in summer time

when it's customary to have for dinner white soft cheese. 

Local Dishes:

• Falafel and Foul : Falafel is patties of pounded beans mixed with parsley, spices

          and fried in oil. Foul is baked Faba beans, dressed with oil and lemon juice or 

          served with butter and fried eggs. ( This may be linked in popularity to the hot 

          American hot dogs and hamburgers). 

• Shourbet Adss : Lentil soup, is also a very popular dish, especially in winter.

• Koshary : Also, very popular, which is composed of rice, black Lintels, browned

         Vermicelli, Macaroni and served with fried onions, chickpeas and hot Paprika sauce.

• Kabab: Is skewered mutton pieces grilled over charcoal and garnished with parsley 

• Kofta : Is skewered minced mutton pieces grilled over charcoal it invarisbly 

          accompanies Kabab.

• Tagen Hammam : Is pigeons buried in Pilaf rice mixed with cream and baked in the

          oven in the Tagen ( A clay pot ). Especially in country side.

• Dulmah or Mahshi : Is an assortment of hollowed out tomatoes, eggplants, squash

          ( Marrow ) and green peppers, or vine leaves, all stuffed with rice, sometimes with

          minced meat, parsley and spices. It is very tasty and agrees with all tastes. 

• Messakaa’ : Is sliced eggplant cooked in oil and tomato sauce topped with minced

          meat and pine kernels.

• Bamia : ( okra or ladies’ fingers ), is cooked in tomato sauce and beef broth. 

          ( recommended to be tried with lemon juice and paprika added ).

• Mulukhia : Is a leafy vegetable known as Egyptian mallow, boiled in meat or 

          chicken broth and resembling a green soup, it's highly seasoned with spices and

          garlic and may only appeal to people with oriental taste.

• Ruz-bel-khalta : Is a mound of browned rice topped with chicken livers, pine

                 kernels, nuts and raisins, it is usually served with turkey or chicken cut lets.

Egypt enjoys a wide variety of sea food. Fish is extremely good and among the most 

popular kinds are Bouri (Mullet), Morgan (red snapper), Arous (bass), SamakMousa

(sole), Bolti (tylapia), Denees, Mias and Sardines, belong to the blue fish family, and

are in great demand when in season.

The main local fish dishes are Samak Makli (fried fish), and Samak Mashwi (grilled fish).

• Sayadeya : Is a local version of bouillabaisse made of fish cooked in tomato sauce

          and served with rice. 

• Gambari : (Giant Prawns), are available all the year round and are served with

          fritters, grilled or with curry are Creole sauce. 

• Crab and Lobsters : are of a very good size.

• Batarkh : (hard mullet roe) is the local version of caviar and comes in red finger-

        shaped blocks.

Egyptian cuisine has a variety of salads to offer.

• Salata kahdra : (green salad) contains a wide assortment of salad vegetables,

          amongst which one should not miss “gargir” ( winter cress) which has a delicate

          taste.

• Tahina : is made of sesame paste pounded with oil and is prepared either with

          or without grabi and spices. It blends very well with kabab and grilled pigeons. 

Together with European pastries, the Egyptian cuisine offers variety of oriental deserts,

most of which are soaked in sugar syrup after baking and usually served with cream, and

nuts added. 

• Baklawa : Is a kind of millefeuille, stuffed with nuts or pistachio and made in

          various forms.

• Kunafa : Is composed of fine wheat shreds, served with cream, made plan-shaped

          or in rolls stuffed with pistachios and nuts.

• Basbosa : Is a sweet semolina pie, normally nuts added.

• Oum Ali : Is a typical Egyptian deserts made of thin wheat flakes boiled in milk 

          with sugar, nuts and raisins being added.

• Lukmet El Kadi : Is fully wheat balls fried in oil, dipped in sugar syrup.

• Fittir : Is pizza-like pie stuffed with sultanas and shredded coconut or with meat

         or cheese.

• Mahalabeya and Ruz-bel-laban : Are a kind of milk pudding with rice added to 

          the latter. 

Fruits : Nearly all kinds of fruits are available.

Drinks : Include a wide variety of fruit juices and carbonated beverages.

• Lemonade : Lemon juice, always served sweet.

• Kharoub : made from carob beans.

• Tamrhindi : Tamrhindi juice.

• Mango/sugar-cane/carrot/orange/strawberry juices are the most popular. 

Egyptian coffee is served in demitasse and is made of very finely ground coffee, boiled

in a brass pot (kanakah) until a forth develops on top.

It may be served without sugar (saddah), or with a little sugar (sokkar khafif), with a

medium of sugar (mazbot), or with a lot of sugar (sokkar ziyadah).

But for now, tea (shai) is more popular in Egypt than coffee, and served hot with milk 

(shai bel-laban), or without milk (shai sadah), or with ment (shai-bel-neinnaa’).

We hope that this piece of information touches your anxiety to know more about Egypt,

until we meet in the next seiry to reveal new secret of Egypt the land of immortality, we

remain. 

Diving:

Diving in 

The Red sea & Sinai

Egypt is not only the land of the Pharaohs i.e is also a country,

where you can have more than the cultural guided tours, you 

can have too adventure ones ( diving & desert safari ) . 

The Red Sea is considered as one of three most famous diving

spots in the world. While Sinai is one of the most  important 

religious lands in the world; It was Sinai the chosen place from

 which prophet Moses received the ten Commandments, and it

 was the site on which one of the most famous monasteries in 

the world was built [the monastery of Saint Catherine]. 

Location of the Red Sea: See the Map of the Red Sea. 

Location of Sinai: See the Map of the Peninsula. (But Sinai has been divided from

the main land of Egypt after the opening of the Suez Canal by K.Ismail in 1869 AD.)

          By air: 3 - 4 Flights daily from Cairo. (1 hour flight.) 

          By car: 5 hours drive from Cairo. (Through a well paved road) 2 hours drive from

          Luxor. (Through a well paved road) 

         ( Hurghada was the first developed area in Egypt as diving sport ) ( from Hurghada

         you can drive 1.30 h to Al-Gouna. (Recommended) (( From Hurghada you can drive

         1.30 h to AL- Quseir.(recommended) 

        By air: 3 flights daily from Cairo. (1 hour flight ). 

        By car: 7 hours drive from Cairo. [through a well paved road.]

        (Also possible to drive from Israel.)) (( Sharm EL Sheikh is one of the best diving

        centers in the world, it was the place many years ago the famous M.J. Costeau 

        admired and took movie there. 

        (From Sharm El-Sheikh you are recommended to drive to Ras- Mohamed , to discover

        the beauty of this exceptional place.) (( From Sharm El-Sheikh you are recommended 

        to drive to Dahab),[1.30h drive to the North])) 

        ((From Sharm El-Sheikh you are recommended to drive to Nuibaa [1.30h drive North 

        of DAHAB]))

From December to February: 20-22 C.

From March to May: 22-24 C. 

From June to September: 22-27 C 

From October to November: 22-24 C. 

( Diving is possible all year round, but the best season is from April to October.) 

there are many Diving Centers, all are well equipped.

(( better to bring your own diving suit.))  

Diving Licence: 

It's easy to have through Diving Courses ((special lessons ))

[for beginners]. (If you already have it, you're kindly asked 

to bring it.) 

Everything is available (from very cheap plain tents up to Deluxe 05 stars hotels.)

Historical  Essay The Egyptian Mysteries

Egypt has one of the greatest & oldest civilization in the world,

and certainly the most long lived, lasting for more than 3000 years.

The ancient Egyptian civilization domination the eastern 

Mediterranean, at a time when Europe, America and most of 

western Asia were still in the stone age, and only came to an end 

with the conquest of Alexander the great in 332 B.C.

It has left a rich record of its history in the architecture, literature and art that have

survived to modern times.

One of the main cause of the remarkable homogeneity and continuity of the ancient 

civilization lies in the special physical characteristics of the country.

Egypt consists mainly of two chains of low, mostly arid plateaus 

flanking the Nile valley.

The plateaus known respectively as the eastern and western 

deserts, cover some 95% of the country's 1,002,000 Sq KM 

(625,128 Sq miles). The Nile river flowing between the escarpments

of the eastern and western deserts, creates a thin band of cultivatable

land from Aswan to Cairo and beyond Cairo the Nile branches out to

create the Fan-shaped delta region, the heartland of the country's agriculture.

"Egypt is the gift of the Nile"

Thus said Herodotus, father of history 2400 years ago.

The major unified factor in Egypt's economic and political life throughout its history, has

been the Nile. That Egypt owes its existing and preservation as a civilized country to the

river Nile, which, year after year since time immemorial, flooded the land along its banks.

In doing so it also deposited annually a fertile legacy of rich silt which made possible a 

luxuriant vegetation and abundance in the midst of bareness. In fact, the Nile can be said

to have created lower Egypt (the fan-shaped) delta at the north, building up layer upon 

layer of soil over geological aeons. Long before men began to investigate scientifically 

their environment, the Nile provided not only sustenance but also food for thought.

Throughout the years of antiquity, the settlements, found along the Nile thrived on the

agriculture possibilities offered by its waters.

Great cities aroused like (Memphis) and (Thebes), which became in their times the capitals

of the Pharaohs, later in history, came (Alexandria) and then the modern 1,000 year-old 

capital (Cairo).

As mentioned before the Nile has always been a unifying force in Egyptian history, providing,

as it does, a link between the ancient two lands of upper and lower Egypt ( respectively the 

southern and northern parts of Egypt).

For over 5,000 years, boats carried foodstuffs and a variety of trade goods between the cities

of the Nile.

During the annual flood the Nile could also be used to bring building stones and sculptures

from the quarries overlooking the Nile to the very limits of the inundated area, explaining 

how some of the greatest and most massive monuments of antiquity could be built so far 

from a source of large rocks.

And as the Nile was the father of the ancient Egyptian civilization, the two deserts of Egypt

were their mother, their great extension, helped by somehow in the prevention of the major

foreign invasions to the Nile valley, which could threaten the stability and security of the 

green fertile valley, thus Egypt, enjoyed throughout its history a racially unmixed original 

population, as well as a sort of ancient universal security.

In the western desert, where sand dunes, rock strewn tracts and barren hills produce an 

almost lunar landscape.

Several oases such as (El Kharga), (El Dakhla), and (El Baharia),

have been inhabited since the beginning of history. In the eastern

desert and Sinai peninsula there are few wells and no oases, but 

the mountains terrain is rich in minerals, including hard building

rocks, semi-precious stones, gold and copper.

Taking advantage of these resources, the ancient Egyptians were along the first in

the world to develop the art of cutting stones and mining and smelting metals.

The impression of the ancient Egyptians of the clarity and stability  of  the  Egyptian

environment gave in turn stability & clarity to their cultural & social traditions which

in turn simplified their art lines compared to ancient arts in the world.

On the other hand it has been reflected on their beliefs, that their gods for them 

believed to be

more merciful than being merciless, as well as the profound belief in an afterlife

whereas they would enjoy the best they did enjoy on earth.

Egypt's position in the northeastern corner of the African continent has enabled it to 

act as a bridge between the Islamic and African worlds.

To the north of Egypt is the Mediterranean sea. To the east is the red sea. 

Both of the two seas gave the country a very important role in the trade between 

Europe and Asia. The Sinai Peninsula in the N.E. of Egypt used by several invaders 

entering Egypt from the Levant, was divided from the mainland of Egypt by the Suez canal.

The opening of the Suez canal in 1869 enhanced Egypt's strategic advantage for Europe as 

the new route to India it afforded was shorter and avoided the navigational hazards of the

cape of the good hope.

The border between Egypt and Israel in Sinai is based on the 1906 

agreement between Egypt and Turkey delimiting the formers 

territory in Sinai. The current (1981) border between Egypt and 

Israel was scheduled to be adjusted under the terms of the peace

treaty between the two corners, Israel was to return territory seized

during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.

The Sinai and its offshore areas (particularly the Gulf of Suez) contain most of Egypt's oil

deposits. The Peninsula's mineral resources are scheduled to come under full exploitation

once Egypt regains full control of the region in 1982.

To the south, beyond Aswan lie the cataracts. Successive rapids where the rocky formations

infringe on the river and the Sudan. Egypt's southern border with Sudan was fixed by the1899

Anglo-Egyptian condominium. Flowing between Egypt's southern and northern borders is the 

Nile (The major unifying factor in Egypt's economic and political life throughout its history). 

The Nile is one of many rivers to rise in equatorial Africa but the only one to traverse 

northern Africa. It travels over 4.000 miles and finds an outlet in the Mediterranean sea.

In its transit of Egypt the Nile converts what would otherwise have been a desert into a rich

agricultural area. One that has supported not only the Egyptians but in later times the 

populations of Rome and Constantinople, as well as Mecca, Medina and other cities of the

middle east.

To the west Egypt shares a border with Libya. This was fixed in 1925 by an agreement

between Egypt and Italy which was in control of Libya.

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