Cairo
Cairo, with its 14 million inhabitants is one of the
most fascinating cities in the world, as so many civilizations
and historical epochs are represented here. Nearby,
the Pyramids of Giza, perhaps the most famous human
effort ever, is located, along with many other impressive
monuments. The central Cairo is a bustling affair, often
appearing like a group of major cities without real
borders in between. And through the city, the life line
of one of the world's earliest civilizations run, the
Nile.
People of Cairo are mostly poor, but proud. No matter
how many Euros or Dollars travellers bring, they will
always know that their people have acheived something
more spectacular than any other people. This is more
than empty facts, Egyptians have such a strong identity
that they have no reason to feel inferior to anybody.
Politeness and friendliness to people showing attention
to their cultural inheritance, is the result. The friendly
ambiance of Cairo is there for anyone to experience.
Alexandria
The second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria, known
as "The Pearl of the Mediterranean", has an
atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern
; its ambience and cultural heritage distance it from
the rest of the country although it is actually only
225 km. from Cairo.
Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria
became the capital of Graeco-Roman Egypt, its status
as a beacon of culture symbolized by Pharos, the legendary
lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the
World. The setting for the stormy relationship between
Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Alexandria was also the center
of learning in the ancient world. But ancient Alexandria
declined, and when Napoleon landed, he found a sparsely
populated fishing village.
From the 19th century Alexandria took a new role, as
a focus for Egypt's commercial and maritime expansion.
This Alexandria has been immortalized by writers such
as E-M- Forster and Cavafy. Generations of immigrants
from Greece, Italy and the Levant settled here and made
the city synonymous with commerce, cosmopolitanism and
bohemian culture.
Alexandria is a city to explore at random. It's as
important to enjoy the atmosphere as it is to see the
sights.
Hurghada
Hurghada was once just a tiny fisher village, with a
location that seldom brought strangers here. Even in
late 1970's this was the situation, but with the nature
around, the clarity of the water, and the endless opportunities
for divers, Hurghada was decided to become an Egyptian
centre for pleasure tourism.
20 km of beach hotels is the result. Most of these
hotels are organized in an attractive way, but far from
the true Egypt of great monuments, traffic jams and
mudbrick houses. But this makes Hurghada a successful
tourist resort for divers and swimmers. Huge crowds
of Egyptians, Saudis and other Arabs have since long
joined the stream of Europeans and Americans coming
here throughout most of the year.
There are a couple of drawbacks, though. Non-hotel beaches
are not terribly great, but often crowded. While the
fish life is just what you hoped for right off the beach,
there are no corals here anymore. This can only be discovered
by joining one of the many boat expeditions out to the
nearby islands. Giftun is the largest, and lies about
10 km from Hurghada.
Hurghada is in reality three main centres and numerous
self-contained tourist villages now growing into one
body. To the north, lies the place that is closest to
being a town, Ad-Dahar, which has more than half of
the total local population, and the the most price worthy
hotels and restaurants. A couple of kilometres south,
comes Sigala, a place that suffers from being between
Ad-Dahar and New Hurghada a few kilometres more to the
south. There are some hotels here, some restaurants,
but relatively few tourists. In New Hughada total tourism
comes alive, offering every amenity a visitor is looking
for.
Aswan
Aswan is the southernmost city in Egypt, home to the
darker skinned Nubians. Narrowly situated along the
Nile, it is a picturesque city and this is where you
will see the Nile River dotted with feluccas, floating
restaurants, and cruise ships.
A must do in Aswan is to catch a 35mins flight to Abu
Simbel to see the massive beautiful Temples of Ramses
II and Queen Nefertari which was relocated after the
construction of the High Dam which led to the creation
of the world's largest artificial lake - Lake Nasser
Sharm El Sheikh
The simplicity of sun, sea and sand. The luxury of five-star
hotels, water sports, shopping and entertainment. This
is Sharm el-Sheikh, one of the most accessible and developed
tourist resort communities on the Sinai peninsula. All
around are Bedouins, colorful tents, mountains and sea.
There are small, intimate hotels with modern designs,
as well as larger hotel complexes belonging to International
chains, plus about all the amenities one could expect
of a tourist center, including casinos, discos and nightclubs,
golf courses and health facilities. In fact, with diving
and snorkeling, windsurfing and other water sports,
horses and camel riding, desert safaris, and great nearby
antiquities attractions, it is almost impossible for
a visitor to ever suffer from boredom.
Four miles south the southern section of the town stands
on a cliff overlooking the port. and is a great view.
Na'ama Beach is one of the center of the tourist activities.
Located just north of Sharm, this area is developing
into a resort town of its own. Most hotels at Na'ama
Bay have their own, private beaches with comfortable
amenities such as chairs, shades and even bars.
Shark's Bay is also nearby, and again is a growing
resort community with more and more to offer, along
with several diving centers.
The small harbor known as Sharm el-Moiya is located
next to the civil harbor, has accommodations for boats,
and includes a Yacht Club with rooms.
For those who live to shop, the Sharm El-Sheikh mall
provides shops with both foreign and local products,
including jewelry, leather goods, clothing, pottery
and books.
It has been said that this is a must visit for all
diving enthusiasts. There are many diving sites along
the 10 mile beach between Sharm el-Sheikh and Ras Nusrani.
Luxor
Luxor has often been called the worlds greatest open
air museum, as indeed it is and much more. The number
and preservation of the monuments in the Luxor area
are unparalleled anywhere else in the world that know
of. Actually, what most people think of as Luxor is
really three different areas, consisting of the City
of Luxor on the East side of the Nile, the town of Karnak
just north of Luxor and Thebes, which the ancient Egyptians
called Waset, which is on the west side of the Nile
across from Luxor.
To say that the Luxor area is a major attraction for
tourists in Egypt would be an understatement. It has
been a tourist destination since the beginning of tourism.
Even in ancient times, during the late Dynasties of
the Greek and Roman periods, the area drew tourists,
and has been doing so ever since. Today Luxor is well
equipped to accommodate tourists with many hotels and
in general a tourist industry ready and willing to serve
the people from many countries that descend on this
area of the Nile Valley every year.
Within Luxor, there are only three main streets consisting
of Sharia al-Mahatta, Sharia al-Karnak and the Corniched,
next to the Nile. The street in front of the train station
is Sharia al-Mahatta and runs away from the Nile where
it meets the gardens of Luxor Temple. Sharia al-Karnak,
or Maabad al-Karnak which means Karnak Temple Street
runs along the Nile from Luxor Temple to Karnak Temple.
However, Sharia al-Karnak is known as Sharia al-Markaz
where it meets Sharia al-Mahatta street, and to the
south around the temple it is known as Sharia al-Lokanda.
Along this street one will find the colorful signs of
restaurants and cafes, as well as bazaars where the
usual variety of Egyptian souvenirs can be found. Of
interest is the alabaster, which is plentiful along
the west bank and miled not far from here. Also look
for the clay pots used by the locals for cooking, which
are more unusual.
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