| Egypt ((arz)مَصر(ar)مِصر) | |
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| Flag | |
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| Information | |
| Capital city | Cairo |
|---|---|
| Area | 1 010 407,87 km² |
| Population | 94 798 827 hab. () |
| Density | 93,82 inhab./km² |
| Form of State | Republic |
| Change | Egyptian pound (EGP) |
| Telephone prefix | 20 |
| Internet suffix | .eg, .مصر |
| Flow direction | Right-hand drive |
| Spindle | UTC 2 |
| Location | |
 27 ° 12 ′ 0 ″ N 30 ° 12 ′ 0 ″ E | |
| Official site | |
| Touristic site | |
TheEgypt (in ArabمصرMiṣr), in long form the Arab Republic of Egypt (Gumhuriyyat Miṣr al-ʿArabiyya), is a country ofNorth Africa border of the Libya to the west, from Sudan to the south andIsrael to North-east.
Understand
Geography
Weather
The air is particularly dry and healthy there, and only the Nile means that we do not fully find the Saharan climate there. In winter, the temperature is mild and night frosts are exceptional. Apart from the months of January, February and March, which are sometimes quite cold in the north, the average temperatures are around 20 ° C on the Mediterranean coast (maximum 31 ° C) and 28 ° C in Aswan (maximum 50 ° C). In the desert, extremes are the order of the day - glowing by day, freezing at night. Having become noticeably wetter since the construction of the High Dam, Upper Egypt practically ignored rain in antiquity, to the point that it appeared as an omen, generally disastrous, in the eyes of its inhabitants. The Nile delta and especially the littoral rim experience less drought. During winter, heavy downpours transform the region into swamps, but this precipitation is still quite rare (the average in Cairo is six days of rain per year). Alexandria is the Egyptian city that receives the most precipitation, around 19 cm/ year, while Aswan receives only about 10 mm every five years.In the spring, the khamsin is quite frequent, a dry, hot and very dusty wind blowing scorchingly from the deserts of the south-east. At the speed of 150 km / h, it tears leaves from trees and gives the sky a dark orange tint; the air becomes charged with dust which makes breathing oppressive. During these fifty days (hence the name of this season), Egypt experiences some severe thunderstorms, once symbolized by the god Seth.In summer, the temperature is high, but in the evening a steady breeze from the north cools the atmosphere. ; this dry heat is in fact more bearable than damp heat.This great sun, this dry heat were not without influencing the customs of the ancient Egyptians: the need for clothes was hardly felt, but the wig was useful to protect against the sun's rays; baths and grooming refreshed the skin, while make-up, cosmetics, perfumes protected the skin and eyes from solar reverberation, and masked the smell of perspiration. freshness that one built in thick bricks, that one worked under the verandas and that the well-off hid their homes in the greenery of the gardens.
History
Population
Egypt is among the three most populous countries in Africa after Nigeria and Ethiopia. Its population has quadrupled over the past sixty years with about 95 million inhabitants in 2017.
Religion
Islam is the religion of the majority of Egyptians. Christians, mainly Copts, form the main religious minority.
Holidays and public holidays
January 7 - Coptic Christmas
April 9, 2018 - Coptic Easter Monday
May 1 - Labor Day
July 23 - Liberation Day
September 11, 2018 - First day of the Muslim year
October 6 - Armed Forces Day
Regions
.png/350px-Map_of_Egypt_(fr).png) Map of Egypt |
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Cities
- 1 Cairo – the capital
- 2 Alexandria
- 3 Luxor
- Port Said
- Aswan
- Suez
- Hurghada
- Dahab
- Sharm el-Sheikh (Sharm El Sheikh)
- Taba
- Safaga
- Siwah
Other destinations
- See as well: Intangible cultural heritage in Egypt, World Heritage in Egypt
Ancient sites
- Abu Simbel
- Deir el-Medinah
- Edfu temple
- Giza
Visit of the pyramids of Giza in a horse-drawn carriage. - Karnak temple
- Temple of Kom Ombo
- Luxor Temple (Thebes)
- Memphis
- Philae temple
- Saqqara
- Temple of Queen Hatshepsut
- Valley of the Kings
- Valley of the Queens
To go
Formalities
On a boat
By train
By car
Circulate
By plane
- 1 Sharm el-Sheikh International Airport (IATA : SSH, ICAO: HESH) (18 km north-east of Sharm el-Sheikh, in the extreme south of Sinai)
- 2 Marsa Alam Airport (IATA : RMF, ICAO: HEMA) in Port Ghalib (60 km north of Marsa Alam, on the Egyptian Red Sea coast)
- 3 Marsa Matruh Airport (IATA : MUH, ICAO: HEMM) (south of Marsa Matruh, on the Mediterranean coast between Alexandria and the Libya)
Unless you have a resident card, air travel within Egypt is very expensive, however, it has the advantage of speed compared to other means of transport. Domestic airlines between major cities and resorts are provided by Egyptair.
By train
 | WARNING : since the events of , rail traffic is suspended |
The train is the preferred way to go to Luxor and Aswan or Alexandria. These daily lines work well, are regular and are open to foreigners ... However, you should know that when you ask for information at the counters, they will only tell you the trains "for foreigners". Indeed, as a tourist, you should know that you can take any train, but that they will only show you some of them. These are often in better condition and make much fewer stops in small villages but can cost more than "normal" trains and are often much more folkloric ... We must also add that we are not obliged to buy your ticket in advance, that you can take it directly on the train from the controller, but it is at the risk of spending a large part of your journey standing if there is no more of place.
By bus
Buses connect the big cities.
By taxi
Collective taxis are priced on the train, which is cheap but where reservation is essential.
In 2008, a city trip costs between 5 and 10 pounds with black and white taxis, the latter having a meter.
The Blue Cab company, 20 2 37 60 97 17/96 16, more expensive but clean, punctual and the drivers speak English if requested in advance. 40 lbs the first hour, 25 lbs / h after and 5 lbs /15 min for the wait.
By car
Driving in a private car is difficult for a visitor, because the signs are in Arabic, there are animals on the roads, and above all, the highway code varies according to each ...
Gas stations very rarely accept payment by credit card: provide enough cash before refueling.
Speak
The official language isArab standard taught in school. However, thearab egyptian is the native language of the majority of Egyptians. TheEnglish is spoken fluently at tourist sites and by the upper class. The French is the other main second language, even before English for older people, and widely taught in schools.
Buy
Change
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The local currency is the Egyptian pound, abbreviated as THE. In Arabic it is called "guineh" (جنيه). The Egyptian pound is divided into 100 piastres There are banknotes of 200, 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 and 1 pounds and of 50 and 25 piastres (1 LE = 100 piastres) There are also coins of 1 LE and 25, 20, 10 and 5 piastres.
Be careful with 25 and 50 piastres notes, not to be confused with pound notes.
The exchange commission can be high sometimes up to 255 pounds on 200 €.
Credit cards are accepted in most tourist establishments (American express, Diners club, Master Card, Visa)
Banks are generally open from 8 h - 14 h from Monday to Thursday.
Eat
If Egyptian cuisine does not enjoy an excellent international reputation, it is easy to find good restaurants. This is the case in Alexandria, which is full of establishments where you eat fish. The pigeon and the lamb are often delicious and the pastries tasty.
The most common dishes are foul, a mash of beans usually served in a piece of shami (pitta-like bread) and ta'æmiya, a sandwich made from mashed chickpeas - also known as falafel -, spices, salad and tahina, paste made from sesame cream. Also commonly found are kushari, noodle dishes, rice, black lentils, fried onions and tomato sauce (between 3 and 7 pounds), and shwarma, which are the Egyptian equivalent of doner kebab, molokhiyya, a dish made from leaves of the same name soaked in poultry broth, with the appearance of green algae and the consistency of mucus ... which was banished by Caliph Al-Hakim, in the XIe century!
Drink / Go out
Tea and coffee are served very strong and sweet. Tea (shay) is mostly black and heavily loaded with tannin, and coffee is generally “Turkish” coffee (qahwa torki).
A common drink is karkadé, an infusion made from hibiscus flowers (very sweet), as well as yansoun, made from anise, which are drunk hot or cold.
For the strictest Muslims, alcohol is harram (forbidden), but it is tolerated (and drunk by a minority of Egyptians). There are therefore local beer, wine and spirits.
good address in Cairo, poch at will but very nice setting, the Sequoia restaurant on the banks of the Nile, the three of us paid 323 pounds, main course and wine included.
Housing
Apartments
In Egypt, Alexandria and Cairo, it is quite easy to find furnished apartments in which one will also find (in principle) sheets and dishes. Renting these apartments costs around 1000 Egyptian pounds (LE) per month, if you are alone, and between 400 and 700 pounds, if you share a flat share. The latter solution is also recommended, both for material and financial reasons as well as for psychological reasons.
Prices vary depending on the location of the apartment and its layout, but it is good to know that in Egypt everything is negotiated and must be negotiated: whether it is the price of the apartment or the contribution of kitchen utensils, or a washing machine, for example. To find an apartment, there are various solutions:
- Choose a neighborhood, walk the streets and ask the guards (the baouabs) if there are free apartments, which however presupposes a knowledge of Egyptian.
- Call on a simsar (intermediary) who knows the apartments. This is useful when you do not know Egyptian well, but you will have to give the equivalent of a month's rent to the simsar.
- French institutions (consulate and cultural center) often have apartment or simsar listings, advertisements offering shared accommodation, and ...
You will also have to give the owner a month's guarantee, and add to the rent the remuneration of the baouab (10 to 20 LE), the garbage collectors (5 LE), electricity (30 LE) and the telephone (with irregular and difficult to read invoices. ).
Hotels
- Hotels belonging to very expensive chains
- small cheap hotels
There are a lot of them in Egypt as long as you don't care about cleanliness and comfort. It is therefore strongly recommended to leave with your meat bag or sleeping bag, depending on the season and the places visited. Generally speaking, these hotels are more expensive at Alexandria (30 to 40 LE) where they keep a sort of decrepit 19th class, than in Cairo (20LE). The cheapest will be at Aswan (10LE)
- It is quite difficult to find hotels offering comfort and an intermediate price, but by looking well one finds.
Price example for the month of September:
Concorde Hotel 
, located in central Cairo on the west bank of the Nile 30 € the double room
Flamenco Hotel 
, located in the embassy district 52 € the double room
Helnab Shepherd Hotel 
, located on the corniche 72 € the double room
Hotel Om Kolthom, in Zamalec, on , very good value for money and very good neighborhood, 100 USD per night without breakfast for a single room with a view of the Nile.
Boat
The hundreds of cruise ships on the Nile are floating hotels. Be careful with the category you choose because even a 4 * can be in very poor condition with minimal services, so it is advisable to contact specialists for this type of trip, even if their prices are a little higher. You will inevitably win, and your stomach too ...
Learn
Language
Different existing formulas allow the learning of the Arabic language in Egypt:
- Language studies abroad in Egypt with ESL - language studies abroad. The offer of our Arabic courses includes on the one hand intensive group courses at the ILI International House school located at Cairo, and on the other hand courses at the teacher's home with Home Language International. The excellent quality Arabic courses are intended for students and adults.
To work
Communicate
security
 | Emergency telephone number: Police :122 Ambulance:123 Firefighter :180 |
Government travel advice
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Belgium (Federal Public Service Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation) 
Canada (Government of Canada) 
France (Ministry of Foreign Affairs) 
Swiss (Federal Department of Foreign Affairs)
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Respect
Ramadan date
Majority of Muslims insist on local sighting of the crescent moon to mark the start of Ramadan, but others insist on calculating the new moon or declaring it saudi to determine the start of the month. Since the first crescent after the new moon is not visible everywhere at the same time, the start and end dates of the month depend on what is visible in each location. Therefore, the dates vary from country to country, but usually only one day. |
Too many tourists think that everything is allowed abroad because they are not at home and they are on vacation. The problem in Egypt is that if travelers are in a city for 1 day, 1 week or 1 month, the Egyptians live there and see hordes of tourists parade every day. Result: a misunderstanding between tourists and locals is developing more and more, distorting relations and creating a real gulf between the perception of the tourist (rich, respecting nothing ...) and the reality which we know is more nuanced in Europe. or in the USA. In other words, the Egyptians for the most part already have a hard life to live with.
We therefore recommend as much as possible to adopt "covering" clothing that respects people, their cultures and even sites. Forget the flip-flops in graves, swimwear / pareos for visits and even sometimes for men, shorts in a little fancy restaurants.
Finally, avoid derogatory remarks about the customs and traditions of the country, even if they are not expressed in the same language as in the host country.
Let's rediscover the spirit of travel and not of tourist consumption!
