Introducing Egypt
Travel Alert: The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office recommends against all non-essential travel to some areas, please check with your relevant national government.
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The land that gave birth to the first great civilisation needs little introduction. The pyramids, the minarets, the Nile – the scope of Egypt is magnificent.
Visitors are surprised to discover that those legendary pyramids are merely the tip of the archaeological iceberg. Pharaonic nations, ancient Greeks, Romans, Christians and Arab dynasties have all played their part in fashioning Egypt’s embarrassment of architectural wealth.
Cairo’s chaos whirrs around a medieval core that has remained unchanged since the founding days of Islam. Upriver, Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes, is lined with warrens of opulent burial chambers and boasts some of the most formidable monuments in all antiquity. Further south at Aswan, even more geometrically imposing temples write a testament to the power of archaic gods and omnipotent pharaohs. It is here that the Nile is best explored by ancient sail, on a felucca (Egyptian sailing boat) at the hands of the prevailing currents and winds.
Out west, Egypt’s ocean of sand stretches infinitely to the Sahara, with a handful of oases feeding solitary islands of green. Hivelike, medieval fortresses cower out here, interspersed with bubbling springs and ghostly rock formations. Meanwhile, the deep, crystal waters of the Red Sea lie brilliantly awash in coral, surrounded by an aquatic frenzy of underwater life. In the deserts of Sinai’s interior, visitors can climb the mount where God had word with Moses, and spend their remaining days in halcyon bliss at coastal Dahab’s backpacker Shangri-La.
Though it is one of the more politically stable countries in the region, modern-day Egypt is not without strife. Thirty years of authoritarian rule, an erratic economy and rising living costs fan the flames of social unrest. Still, Egyptians are a resilient lot, and visitors making the journey here will find as much ancient history as they will modern hospitality.
Ready to go? Our recommended tours make it easy:
- Explore Egypt in 15 days
- Take a private tour of the Great Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx
Last updated: 30/03/2012
Tips & articles
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Top tourist hot spots worth the crowds
29 Abril 2012
The hordes come to these places for a reason. Don’t hate them just because they’re popular or you’ll miss out!...
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Where to escape the daily grind
27 Março 2012
Perhaps all you want from your honeymoon is a brief escape from the modern world. Look no further than these...
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Most lip-smacking street food
18 Março 2012
Lunch tastes best from a curb-side cart: grab your fork or simply use your fingers, and munch your way through...
Thorn Tree forum discussion
Recent posts
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RE: Looks like Tunisia is going down the shitter...
by lynnekeys 27 Maio 2012
Egypt looks like goıng that way. 'Liberated' İraq is now spit between the Sunni and Shia wıth most people of other religıons expelled…
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RE: Sudanese visas in Cairo
by roskruge 27 Maio 2012
On a Australian Passport. I have just applied for visa for Sudan at Aswan (Egypt). Consulate (behind New Abu Simbel Hotel 55 EP per night…
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RE: Luxor - two youngish girls
by catw 26 Maio 2012
Do not listen to Molsons, he's a well-known Israel basher. There are loads of stunning beautiful girls living, studying, working or trave…
Hotels & Hostels
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Egypt
Things to do
- All things to do (1.019)
- Activities (195)
- Entertainment (104)
- Restaurants (245)
- Shopping (104)
- Sights (339)
- Tours (32)
Make it happen
Our Top Picks For Egypt
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1 Cairo
For a glimpse of the more recent past, wander through the dusty, decrepit glamour of Garden City, a labyrinth of crumbling 19th and early-20th-century mansions
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2 Alexandria
Sip coffee, smoke sheesha (water pipe), or join in on the heated debates that take place in the many antique coffee houses that dot this hip metropolis
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3 Pyramids of Giza
You haven't been to Egypt unless you've stood at the base of these megaton monuments
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4 Abydos
Make a pilgrimage to the supposed burial site of the god Osiris, one of the most revered sites in antiquity, and now one of the best-preserved temples
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5 Great Sand Sea
Skirt the edge of the vast sand dunes that make up one of the most impenetrable deserts in the world
Fast Facts about Egypt
- Area
997,739 sq km
- Capital
- Country code
20
- Population
81.7 million
- Money
Egyptian pound (E£); US$1 = E£5.55; €1 = E£7.81
- Official name
Arab Republic of Egypt
Our favourite Egypt Blogs (beta)
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My Adventures Teaching English Abroad and How You Can Teach English Abroad
Blog: Backpacking on the Cheap - 26 Maio 2012
I first got interested in teaching English overseas when I got sick of my 9-5 job in Australia, and wanted something more from life. I didn’t want to waste away behind a desk doing stuff which didn’t feel meaningful at all. I did some research and found a good, cheap online TEFL school. (If you [...]
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Islamists in Power - A Work in Progress
Blog: The View from Fez - 26 Maio 2012
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Sharm and The Hyatt in March 2012. Great stuff.
Blog: Midwife Moira's Travel Blog. With Emirates Cabin Crew on the side. - 11 Maio 2012
