 | Egypt is a trans-continental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia, making it an Afro-Asiatic country via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Most of Egypt’s territory of 1,010,000 sq. km lies within the Nile Valley of North Africa, but it is also considered a Mediterranean country as it is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north. It is also bordered by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Gulf of Aqaba to the east, the Red Sea to the east and south, Sudan to the south and Libya to the west.
With over 87 million inhabitants, Egypt is the largest Arab country in terms of the number of Arabic-speaking people, the third-largest African country, and the fifteenth-most populous nation in the world.
Egypt has one of the longest histories of any modern country, arising in the tenth millennium BCE as one of the world’s first nation states. Considered a cradle of civilization, ancient Egypt experienced some of the earliest developments in writing, agriculture, urbanization, organized religion and central government in history.
Egypt is famous for its weather as it’s never too hot or too cold, so you can enjoy traveling there at any time.
Where to go in Egypt:
If you are interested in safari, beaches and sports, then Sharm el-Sheikh, Sinai, Alexandria and Ain Sukhna are the places to go. Sharm el-Sheikh is sometimes called the “City of Peace,” referring to the large number of international peace conferences that have been held there.
Sharm el-Sheikh can be called “Heaven on Earth,” because of its lovely beaches, amazing mountains, wonderful views, crystal sea, coral reef and different types and shapes of fishes.
You can enjoy lots of activities, such as, parachuting, water games, safari, snorkeling and diving. In the evening you can enjoy walking, dancing and eating in Naama Bay.
Sinai has become a tourist destination due to its natural setting, rich coral reefs, and biblical history. Some of the most popular tourist destinations in Sinai are Mount Sinai (Jabal Musa) and Saint Catherine’s Monastery, which is considered to be the oldest working Christian monastery in the world, and the beach resorts of Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba.
Alexandria is a main summer resort, due to its beaches, ancient history and museums, especially the Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern project based on reviving the ancient Library of Alexandria.
Ain Sukhna, located about 110 km east of Cairo, has a number of beach resorts.
If you are interested in museums, ancient tombs and culture then Giza, Saqqara and Luxor is your destination where you can enjoy ancient Egyptian royal mortuary and sacred structures, including the Great Sphinx, the Great Pyramids of Giza, a number of other large pyramids and temples, and Cairo’s modern tower, including the world’s oldest standing step pyramid, as well as a number of mastabas.
Luxor, sometimes called the ‘world’s greatest open air museum’, includes the ruins of the temple complexes at Karnak and Luxor. On the opposite side of the Nile River lie the monuments, temples and tombs on the West Bank Necropolis, which include the Valley of the Kings and Valley of the Queens.
Abu Simbel, is an archaeological site comprising two massive rock temples originally carved out of a mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II, it was then relocated on an artificial hill made from a domed structure high above the Aswan High Dam reservoir to avoid being submerged during the creation of Lake Nasser.
You can also enjoy Nile cruises, they are either three, four or seven nights. The shorter tours usually operate between Luxor and Aswan, while the longer cruises travel further north to Dendera, often offering day tours overland to more remote locations.
It’s mostly a floating hotel, the boats have most of the accommodations of a land based hotel, including small swimming pools, hot tubs, exercise rooms, nightclubs, good restaurants, stores and even small libraries. Many of the boats have dance areas with disco or even live entertainment, and most offer a variety of nightly shows. These might include cocktail parties, Nubian shows, belly dancers and whirling dervish, plays and even dress up parties where guests wear traditional apparel.
Exquisite culinary experience:
Egypt is also famous for its great food. Egyptian food is a mixture of all the different civilizations that came to Egypt in the history of its existence. Nowhere in the world will you be able to taste so many cultures on one plate: Kushari, which is considered as the Egyptian national dish, consists of pasta and tomato sauce, among other items, including rice, lentils, caramelized onions, garlic and chickpeas. There is also Fool Medamas, one of the common staple foods in Egypt, which consists of fava beans served with oil, garlic and lemon juice. Fatta, considered a Nubian dish, is usually prepared for festivities such as a woman’s first birth, and both Christian and Muslim holiday celebrations. It consists of layers of rice and fried bread, covered in a garlic and vinegar meat soup. Mulukhiya, another popular dish, is made from the leaves of jute and corchorus plants that grow in east and north Africa. In Egypt, Mulukhiya is prepared by chopping the leaves with garlic and coriander and cooking it in an animal stock such as chicken, beef or rabbit, and served with Egyptian bread or rice. Dukkah, is an Egyptian food commonly used as a dip and eaten along with Egyptian flat bread or raw vegetables, such as tomatoes or cucumber. Kunafah is an Egyptian sweet made of a very thin noodle-like pastry.
How to reach there:
Passports and visas are required for foreign visitors except natives of several Middle Eastern countries. Transit voyagers, however, that travel by ship or plane are not required to obtain visas.
There are nine international airports in Egypt that serve all of the county’s major cities, including Cairo International Airport and Taba International Airport.
In trips taking not more than three hours to Egypt, Saudi Arabian Airlines offers straight flights from Jeddah and Riyadh where you can enjoy the trip with great hospitality and professionalism.
Where to stay:
You can find a variety of the world’s best hotels In Egypt. If you choose Cairo as it is the center and where the embassies are located, you can enjoy your stay at Four Seasons Cairo at the First Residence where you will find extraordinary customer service and amazing rooms with great view that has the ability to make you forget the stress of the day. Breakfast is so delicious that it will make you ready for the day. The pool area is relaxing; you can even have your dinner on the pool. Not only that if you want to go to Sharm El-Sheikh, Luxor, Aswan, Alexandria and Hurghada, it will get better due to its great hotel options, you can enjoy your stay at Hilton Luxor Resort and Spa, Four Season Resort Sharm el-Sheikh, The Royal Savoy Sharm El Sheikh, Premier Le Reve Hotel & Spa Hurghada, Steigenberger Makadi Hotel, The Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh Hurghada, Maritim Jolie Ville Kings Island Luxor and InterContinental, The Palace Port Ghalib Resort Marsa Alam.
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