Cultural Rituals

There are many cultural rituals that one should know before visiting Egypt. Most of them are not rituals based on country tradition but based on Religion. Most of the residents throughout Egypt are Muslim and take their religion very seriously including some cultural rituals.

Egyptians bring tradition and rituals from the time of the Pharaoh and religious traditions. A few that are mentioned often are:

• Take shoes off when entering homes, mosques, and other important buildings. 
• When invited to a home bring a gift to the hostess- not flowers, which are reserved for funerals/deaths
• Take a second helping of food -this is considered a great compliment
• Ramadan- most important holiday. It lasts a month and involves fasting from sun up to sun down each day. 

beaches and resorts

For those travelers who are not interested in taking tours of historical ancient Egypt there 
is still a good reason to travel here- the beaches and resorts. Along Egypt's northern coast 
lies the Mediterranean Sea and to the East cost you will find the Red Sea both known for 
their beautiful beaches.

 "Egypt can be said to have as many as seven beach zones. These consist of the Mediterranean beaches along the mainline coast from the Suez Canal over to Libya; the Mediterranean beaches along the northern Sinai; the Sinai coast along the Gulf of Aqaba, the Sinai coast along the Gulf of Suez, the southern Sinai region which opens onto the Red Sea, the Mainland coast along the Gulf of Suez and the Mainland coast south of that along 

the Red Sea."

The map below illustrates the 7 different beach zones. The further south you go the warmer the beaches will be. The warm beaches are the major draw for many europeans on holiday because many countries do not have warm beaches for them to visit and the Egyptian beaches are more affordable than the ones throughout Europe. 

http://www.smh.com.au/news/news/from-burqa-to-bikini/2008/08/20/1218911776292.html

The link above goes to an article that talks about women only beaches in a country that has very conservative dress code for Muslim women. This beach is a place they can go and wear what they want without the feeling of men watching and judging them. O found it very interesting. 

Tourism, political uprising and egypt

As many of you might be aware Egypt has been dealing with internal political problems since early 2011. In February of 2011 it seemed as though the entire country was demanding that the previous president Mumbarak step down causing a revolution and protesting in Tahrir Square. These protests caused the tourism industry in Egypt to face major set backs.

in mis 2011 it was reported that from february ti April the tourism industry had lost $1.5 billion. Compared with February 2010, February 2011 was down $440 million alone. The decline was focused primarily in Cairo and Alexandria, "tours to Cairo and Alexandria were almost non existent"  but the costal/ beach regions of the country did not see the decline. Considering the major effect the revolt had on the countries tourism industry as of June 2012 the country seems to be bouncing back at an amazing rate. Egyptian civil aviation minister Hussein Massoud, believe that the once shattered tourism industry is progressing well even tho passenger numbers are not quite where they should be for the time of year.

In conclusion Egypt is once again a safe place to travel. This will allow people to once again visit some of the oldest known civilizations on earth.

Images of King Tut, Tomb and Artifacts.

Exterior view of Tut's Tomb in Egypt. 

Map of the tomb where Tut's Mummy
 remains on display for public viewing.

Excavation of Tut's Tomb. Take notice of the gold tomb in which
Tut was placed over 3000 years ago. 

Most recognized artifact on display
from Tut's Tomb.

National Geographic cover
unveiling what we believe Tut would have looked like

King Tut

Tutankhamun (aka King Tut) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty ruling from ca. 1332 BC – 1323 BC, during the period of Egyptian History known as the "New Kingdom". He is popularly referred to as King Tut.

Tut began his reign at the age of 9 or 10 and died at the age of 19, during his decade long reign. There are no surviving records of his final days but the cause of death has been subject to considerable debate. Some have said that he died from complications from a broken leg. Others have said it was genetic mutation that caused his death considering his parents were siblings (which was a common occurrence during this time). However, his tomb and its many artifacts are on display throughout Egypt and are one of the most popular tourist attracts in the country for travelers.

Tut was buried in a tomb that was small relative to his status. His death may have occurred unexpectedly, before the completion of a grander royal tomb, so that his mummy was buried in a tomb intended for someone else. This would preserve the observance of the customary seventy days between death and burial. His mummy still rests in his tomb in The Valley of the Kings. In November 2007 the pharaoh went on display in his underground tomb at Luxor. The mummy was moved from its golden sarcophagus to a climate-controlled glass box. The case was designed to prevent the heightened rate of decomposition caused by the humidity and warmth from tourists visiting the tomb…

Egypt's Nile river and Tourism

A little background: The Nile river is the longest river in the world flowing South to North through 10 countries. The northern section of the river flows almost entirely through the desert. In Egypt below the Aswean High Dam at the Northern limit of Lake Nasser the river resumes its historic course. North of Cairo the river splits into two branches (aka distributaries) that feed the Mediterranean forming the Nile Delta. 


"For centuries, the magnificent Nile River has captivated the world. As the longest river, and the source of life for one of the oldest civilizations in the world, the Nile is a sight to set your eyes on - and sailing on it is an experience not to be missed!"Many different cruises are offered to Tourists lasting anywhere from 4 days to 8 days. These cruises are a great way to see Egypt, learn about tis rich history and enjoy the sights of one of the oldest civilizations in the world. 


Below are 2 images one of the larger cruise boats and a traditional Egyptian sail boat both that cruise the Nile and the other an image from space illustrating distributaries of the Nile and feeding into the mediterranean

Map of Egypt and population

This map of Egypt allows you to see this location of the country on the continent of Africa and its close proximity to Jordan and the Middle East. Although Egypt is on the African continent the country is considered to be part of the Middle East due to its culture, religious views, political views, and rich history. Egypt is the worlds 30th largest country, by land; the largest, by population, in the Middle East and the 3rd largest on Africa.


The population of Egypt is concentrated along the Nile  (Cairo and Alexandria), in the Delta and near the Suez Canal. Approximately 90% of the population adheres to Islam and nearly the rest to Christianity, primarily the Coptic Orthodox denomination. Apart from religious affiliation, Egyptians can be divided demographically into those who live in the major urban centers and the Fellahin (farmers of rural villages).