Egypt
named by the Pharaohs, the oldest civilization in the world.
How
could you miss one third of the world's treasures which Luxor has?
There
is so much to do and see all over Egypt- this lovely warm land
with
its charming and hospitable people. Your one and only problem is likely
to be time - you may never want to leave.
The
Capital
Cairo
Currency
The
Egyptian Pound (LE or EGL) is divided into 100 piasters.
It
is allowed to import and export any amount in foreign currency.
Weights
& Measures
Metric
system.
Time
GTM
+2 hours and 3 hours for summer time (from May 1st to
October
1st)
Customs
Personal
effects are admitted duty free.
Cairo
International Airport
14
miles from the city centre.
Business
hours
Banks:
from 8:00a.m to 2:00p.m, Sunday though Thursday and
closed
on Fridays and Saturdays.
Government
Offices
from
09:00a.m to 02:00p.m, closed Fridays and Thursday.
Commercial
Offices
from
08:30a.m to 05:00p.m, closed on Fridays and Sundays.
Shops
Generally
open from 09:00a.m to 09:00p.m and closed on Sundays.
Climate
Mild,
with temperatures increasing as you travel from north to south. Cairo can
be chilly from December to February, and very hot from
June
to September, though the traveler is often relieved by a northerly breeze
with temperatures dropping during the night.
Peak
temperatures in Upper Egypt from May to October are usually compensated
for by extremely low humidity.
Clothing
In
summer, light cotton garments and in winter woolens. In the winter,
a
sweater and an overcoat may be needed in the evening. In all seasons light
walking shoes and a hat are essential and avoid very brief clothing
as
the norm is semi conservative attire.
Handy
Items Include
Sun-glasses,
sun oil, a pocket torch and binoculars.
Electric
Current
220
volts, 50cycles. Sockets take the standard continental Europe round-prond
plug. American appliances will need adapter plug and transformers.
Language
Arabic
is the language spoken in Egypt. The most common foreign languages spoken
by Egyptians are English with French a close second, perhaps also German
and Italian.
Shopping
Egypt
offers many "best buys", such as silver, leather, gold, mother-of-pearl,
brass, copper and alabaster .In winter, most shops are open twice daily.
Passport
& Visa
All
Egyptian consulates grant entry visa. Passport authorities at
all
ports of entry are also empowered to grant visa on spot.
Passports
must be valid for least three months subsequent to the date
of
the passport visit. For more than seven days it is necessary to
register
all passports, this can be done via local police station but is
easier
done by giving all passports to hotel reception which will make
the
necessary arrangements free of charge. Group visas are granted
on
a group passport on condition that visit is organized via a travel
agency
and that members remain in the group.
Currency
Regulations
Egyptian
currency may not be taken in or out of the country, individual visitors
must declare on entry any foreign currency they are carrying.
Photography
At
Luxor and Aswan, there is a fee for video filming on an hourly basis.
There
is no charge for still photography
Cairo,
which has enfolded various civilizations, does not concede to mortality
which it has overcome.
Egypt,
the country of 7000 years of civilization, where past and present meet,
invites you to come and enjoy its beautiful all-year weather, and visit
the immortal monuments and relics, especially the ancient pyramids, the
Sphinx of Giza, the Great Temples and Tombs of Luxor and Abu Simbel, the
beuty of River Nile and the unforgetable Nile Cruises.
One
of the greatest Pharaohs of Egypt, Ramses II, was born in the eastern Nile
Delta about 1303 B.C., during Egypt's golden age,
known as
the New Kingdom. Egypt had been unified 2,000 years earlier; by Ramses'
time its borders reached the Fourth Cataract of the Nile,
and its
sphere of influence extended to northern Syria. In 1279 B.C. Ramses II
assumed the crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. Ramses left more monuments
to himself throughout Egypt than any other pharaoh. Colossal Ramses, in
Nubia at Abu Simbel is the most splendid monument of this dynasty.
Obviously,
4,500 years old Sphinx, in Giza, is the most famous of all monuments since
the antiquity. The builder of the Sphinx , Pharaoh Khafre, did not have
the chance to finish this great monument during his life time.