INTRODUCTION

Egypt is actually a wonderful and delightful mixture of traditions, with a socio-economic structure, which allows, more and more, a gradient of classes. But one must look, and feel with the heart in order to touch this essence of Egypt.

SHARM EL - SHEIKH

The region of Sharm El - Sheikh is actually a series of bays with innumerable and extraordinary coral reefs. It is located on the east shore at the southernmost tip of the Sinai Peninsula.
Sharm El - Sheikh has become the leading tourist spot of the entire Sinai and a Mecca for divers.

Though Sharm El - Sheikh, Ras Mohammad and Tiran Island appear on Spanish maps as early as 1762, the first time Sharm El - Sheikh made its way into the world’s media was in 1967, when Egypt’s President Gamal Abdel Nasser blocked the Strait of Tiran, cutting off Israel’s access to the Red Sea.
The blockade of this strategic point led to the 6-Day War and the occupation of the Sinai by Israel.
One year later in 1968 the Israelis built the settlement Ophira on the cliff of Ras Um Sidd. This today is the "old city" of Sharm El Sheikh.

SHORT HISTORY OF EGYPT

From the Dynasty of the Pharaohs to Husni Mubarak

Egyptian history is inextricably tied to the Nile.
Around 5000 years ago the independent riverfront states were unified under the rule of Menes, giving rise to the first dynasty of pharaohs. The pharaohs ruled over a highly stratified society. The first pyramid was built in the 27th century BC. Monarchical power was at its greatest during the 4th dynasty. Through the 6th and 7th dynasties power was diffused and small principalities began to appear.
Under Montuhotep II, Egypt again came under control of a single pharaoh. From 1550 to 1069 BC, the New Kingdom bloomed under rulers such as Tuthmosis I, the first pharaoh to be entombed in the Valley of the Kings; his daughter Hatshepsut, one of Egypt's few female pharaohs; and Tuthmosis III, Egypt's greatest conqueror, who expanded the empire into western Asia.

Nasser attempted to unite Egypt, Syria, Yemen and later Iraq in the late 1950s, emphasizing Arab unity and demonizing Israel. Following months of heightening tension between Egypt and Israel, the Jewish state attacked on 5 June 1967, starting the Six Day War. Israel destroyed the Egyptian air force, captured Sinai and closed the Suez Canal.

Anwar Sadat, Nasser's vice president, took over from Nasser in 1970, and set about improving relations with the west.

On 6 October 1973, the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur, Egypt launched a surprise attack on the Israeli occupiers of Sinai. In 1977 Sadat began making peace with Israel, leading to the 1979 Camp David Agreement. Israel agreed to withdraw from Sinai, and Egypt officially recognized Israel. Many in the Arab world felt Sadat had betrayed them, and he was assassinated on 6 October 1981.

Husni Mubarak, Sadat's vice president, was sworn in and has been the country's leader ever since.
Source: Lonely planet

Egyptian Flag

WHAT TO SEE

Egypt: beyond Beaches, Nature, Culture and Adventure, captures the unique selling proposition that the destination offers. Ancient Pyramids, Temples and Statue’s, thousands of years old culture, friendly people, seven world heritage sites and much more.
Please read our brochure Into Culture, Into the Blue and Into the Desert for more.

ACTIVITIES

Water sports

There are plenty of good opportunities for swimming on the many fine beaches along Egypt's Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts. Diving and snorkelling are by far the most popular organised activities in Egypt, and the Red Sea is said to have some of the best scuba diving in the world. The waters off Egypt teem with underwater life and the corals, crustaceans and fish come in all sorts of vivid colours and shapes..

Trekking

An exciting adventure is a ride out into the desert on camel or horseback or exploring the Sinai by jeep.
Jeep safaris are also very popular, either in the Western Desert with its fantastic sand landscapes or in the rugged, rocky surrounds of Sinai. The terrific interior of the Sinai desert invites for adventurous and fascinating trips as hiring quad runners and motorbikes, and partaking in a guided excursion into the desert.

Shopping

You will not find any shopping malls. You can purchase local handcrafts such as jewellery, ceramic, paintings and embroidery in the little shops in the streets in and around any city. Brand name clothing is also available in the more specialized shops.
Bargaining is a part of life in Egypt and virtually everything is open to negotiation. This includes your room for the night, your lunchtime roadside snack and the felucca you ride down the Nile in. The few rules to observe in the bazaars are these: never offer a price that you're not prepared to pay, get a feel for the real price before you begin haggling, take your time and enjoy the friendly sport of it (which might include a cup of tea from the vendor), and remember that you're never obliged to buy anything - you won't offend anyone.

food & Drinks

Restaurants

In Egypt, as in the rest of the world, restaurants are only as good as the cooks they employ, and cooks seem to be continually changing.
Many of the smaller, Egyptian-style restaurants specialize in basic meat and fava-bean dishes. They are simple and inexpensive. Waiters speak little English, so use your phrase book.

Drinks and Alcohol

Although devout Muslims refrain from drinking alcohol, beer, wine, and hard liquor are available in bars, restaurants, and some grocery shops. Imported beer and wine are the most expensive, but the local beer called Stella is a light lager that is quite good. Marzen, a dark, bock beer, appears briefly during the spring; Aswanli is the dark beer made in Aswan.

Brandy is drinkable only when diluted, and the local rum is not much better. However, zibib, the Egyptian version of Greek ouzo or Mexican anasato, is good either on the rocks or diluted with water (which turns it milky). Other hard liquors are imported and therefore are limited. If you drink regularly, plan on stocking up at a duty-free store before you enter Egypt.

local events

The Islamic (or Hejira) calendar is a full 11 days shorter than the Gregorian (western) calendar, so public holidays and festivals fall 11 days earlier each year.

Getting around

You can hire service taxis that shunt car loads of passengers between towns and cities.
There are cars for rent, buses for local traffic (make a price deal in advance) and luxurious coaches with air-conditioning for longer trips.

Nightlife

Every resort has got its own bar with different happy hour offers. An evening stroll along the promenade gives you an insight of what the beach bars of the hotels have to offer for the evening. Some hotels entertain their guests with belly dancing performances and with the ever popular Russian dance shows. After the shows you can dance the night through in one of Sharm’s discos.
Some hotels offer special evening events which are usually a dinner and disco or show in the desert under the million stars.

Fauna

Camels, buffalo and donkeys are the most prevalent animals to be found in Egypt. As for desert wildlife, the gazelle, jackal, jerboa and desert fox are indigenous to the country, as are lizards and several venomous snakes.

Flora

Although the lotus and papyrus are symbols of Egypt, it is the date palm that dominates the landscape. The Nile Delta and the Nile River Valley have a rich variety of trees -- some indigenous, some imported -- including the tamarisk, acacia, eucalyptus, mimosa, jacaranda, cypress and sycamore as well as a wide variety of fruit trees from citrus to fig to mango.

Other fruits and vegetables flourish in the fertile land along the Nile, as well as a vivid array of flowers from the rose, Poinciana, lotus (of course), jasmine, lily and bird of paradise. A multiplicity of grasses grows along the Nile as well.

Natural resources

Egypt's most valuable mineral resource is oil, although the country also has gold deposits as well as iron ore, manganese, phosphates and uranium.

Village life

Originally Nubian villages were closely knit, celebrating births and marriages with village-wide festivals, rituals that always included the river. The newborn child was washed in its life-giving flow, and at circumcision his foreskin was tossed as an offering into the river. A bride and groom bathed separately in the fertile waters on the eve of their marriage, then again at dawn, together. After a death, at the end of mourning, the women came to the waters to wash from their faces the mud and blue dye that had been their badge of sorrow, and offer henna and perfume to the spirits of the river. Although the Nubians converted first to Christianity and then to Islam, beliefs in the water angels persist, and the people continue to petition these spirits for favours and blessings

Hieroglyphic Alphabet

Hieroglyphic Mathematics