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2. PREPARING TO GO
Visas
Visas are required by most nationalities. A tourist visa is valid
for entry within three months of the date of issue and allows a stay of
one month from the date of entry. For the latest information on your
specific visa requirements you should contact the local Egyptian
Embassyor Consulate near your planned date of travel.
Note:
It is possible for many nationalities to purchase an Egyptian single
entry visa on arrival at Cairo Airport. However, as these regulations
may change at any time without prior
notice, the Egyptian Authorities recommend you obtain your visa in
advance. Visas can be purchased upon arrival at the Rafah border, Taba
border, and Nuweiba port.
Multiple Entry Visas
If
you plan to leave Egypt and return later, or your tour makes two or more
entries into the country, you must clearly request a multiple entry visa
when you make your application. If you apply for a multiple entry visa,
check your passport when it is returned to you to make sure that you
have been issued with the correct visa
Money
Local Currency
The monetary unit in Egypt is the
Egyptian Pound (LE), which is divided
into 100 piastres.
Clothing
As a general guideline, clothing should be lightweight, loose fitting,
hard-wearingand easily washed. In Egypt's hot summer months, cotton
clothing is muchmore comfortable than man-made materials like nylon. You
should bear in mind that Egypt has conservative attitudes towards dress,
particularly in remote areas. Women, and also to a certain extent men,
will find that the way they dress will often determine the degree of
respect they receive from both men and women. The issue is not nearly of
such importance in touristy areas, such as the Pyramids and the Red
Sea coast, where you can be just about as casual as you like
3.GENERALINFORMATION
Weather
Temperatures in Egypt are generally high, with most of the country
enjoying a dry, desert, climate. There are, however, noticeable
differences in temperature between the north and the south. In Upper
Egypt (Luxor & Aswan) and on the Red Sea coast, you should be able to
count on reasonable daytime temperatures throughout the year. In Cairo
and the Nile Delta, however, winter temperatures can be cool, even cold.
If you are travelling between November and March on a tour that includes
trekking in the Sinai, cruising on the Nile or camping in the desert you
should expect temperatures to fall considerably at night. At this time
of year temperatures can often fall below freezing near Mt Sinai. The
following chart shows average daily temperatures (in degrees celcius);
J F M A
M J J A S O N D
Al
18 19
21 24 26 28 30 30 30 28 25 21
As
23 26 31 36 39 42 41 41 39 37 31
25
Cs
18 21 24 28 33 35 36 35 32 30 26
20
(Al Alexandria, As Aswan, C Cairo)
Holidays
Islamic Holidays
Islamic Holidays are fixed in accordance
with the Lunar Calendar. 2005 dates are;
Ramadan 03 Oct
Eid el Fitr 02 Nov
Islamic New Year 23 Apr
Prophet Mohammed's B'day 03 May
National Holidays
Coptic Holiday 7 Jan
Coptic Easter 1 Apr
Sinai Liberation Day 25 Apr
Labour Day 1 May
Evacuation Day 18 Jun
Revolution 23 Jul
Armed Forces Day 6 Oct
National Liberation Day 24 Oct
Suggested Reading
In Depth Guidebooks
The Egypt Blue Guide (Michelin /Guide Bleu)
The Middle East (IC Publications)
Background Reading
What Is Islam? A Comprehensive Introduction (Virgin Publishing)
Any novels by Nagib Mahfouz - Egypt's Nobel Prize winning author.
Useful Phrases in Arabic
Hello
(greeting)-Salaam or Salaam
Alaykum
Hello
(response) Wa
Alaykum Salaam
Goodbye
- Ma Salama
How are you?
- E-zayak(M) /E-zayik(F)
I'm well, thank you
- El Humdoolelaa!
(literally - "Thank God")
Good morning
- Sabah el Kheir
Excuse me
- Lao Samaht(M)/Samahti(F)
Please
- Minfudluk (M)/Minfudlik (F)
Thank you
- Shokran
Yes
- Aiwa
No
- La
How Much?
(price) - Bekam?
Water
- Maya
Coffee
- Ahwa (Arabic Coffee),
Nescafe
(instant)
Tea
-
Shay
The bill
- El Hesab
I don't understand
- Ana mish fahem[m]/fahma [f]
Notes:
Many words contain the sound Kh. The K is not pronounced. Instead
the sound
is like the ch in Loch.
(M) - when addressing a man
(F) - when addressing a woman
[m] - when said by a man
[f] - when said by a woman
Arabic Numbers
0 ٠ Sefr
1 ١ Wahed
2 ٢ Etneen
3 ٣ Talata
4 ٤ Arbaa
5 ٥ Hamsa
6 ٦ Sitta
7 ٧ Sabba
8 ٨ Tamannia
9 ٩ Tissa
10 ١٠ Ashara
11 ١١ Hedashr
12 ١٢ Etnashar
13 ١٣ Talatashar
20 ٢٠ Ashreen
30 ٣٠ Tallateen
40 ٤٠ Arbaeen
50 ٥٠ Hamseen
100 ١٠٠ Miya
1000 ١٠٠٠ Alf
Note: Although Arabic script reads from
right to left, numbers are read from left to
right. |
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