EGYPT
Vacations and Sightseeing

Basic information
Official language	Arabic
Capital	Caïro
Area	1.001.450 km²
Population	105,548,117  (2021)
Currency	Egyptian pound  (EGP)
Web	.eg
Code.	EGY
Tel.	+20

Cities in EGYPT

El gouna	Hurghada	Makadi bay
Marsa alam	Sharm el sheikh

Vacations and Sightseeing

The national airline Egypt Air operates domestic and foreign flights. Cairo and Alexandria have an international airport, Egypt has eighteen airports in total. Each year, approximately 12 million passengers are processed, of which approximately 8 million from abroad. Seven new airports were built in Egypt up to 2007, an investment of approximately 900 million euros. The private sector is playing a major role in this, as well as in modernizing a further 16 airports. Many tourists use last minute flights to Egypt.

Caïro International Airport, Egypt_{Photo: Ad Meskens / Wikimedia Commons, CC 3.0 Unported no changes made}

In the second half of the 1970s, with government support, tourism recovered strongly from the setbacks caused by the wars with Israel. The Gulf crisis and attacks by Muslim fundamentalists did the sector no good. For example, the occupancy rate of hotels in the period after the attacks in America was around 30%. In the first quarter of 2002 this percentage had risen again to 60%. All these events made it clear that tourism remains a very vulnerable part of the economy.

Tourism (one of the few growth sectors of the economy) focuses mainly on the great monuments of Egyptian civilization and increasingly on the Red Sea coast. The tourists mainly come from the United States, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom and France.

The city of Cairo is well worth a visit. The main attraction is the Egyptian Museum. Here you will find art treasures from all periods of Egypt's history, the absolute highlight of which is the death mask of Tutankhamun, a young pharaoh who lived in the 14th century BC. The burial chamber was only discovered in the last century and in the museum you can also see the grave goods, the golden coffin and the throne of Tutankhamun.

Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt_{Photo: Bs0u10e01 CC 3.0 Unported no changes made}

Close to Cairo to be more precise in Giza are the famous pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx. There are three large pyramids close to each other, the largest and most famous being that of Cheops. The huge image of a sphinx is surrounded by mysteries. The dimensions are: length 73 meters, width 19 meters and the statue is 20 meters high. The most common theory is that the sphinx served as guardian of the pyramids and is related to the god Horus. The pyramids can be crowded and it is recommended to buy tickets in advance.

Pyramid of Gizeh and Sphinx_{Photo: Kurohito CC 3.0 Unported no changes made}

In the valley of the kings near Luxor you will find more than sixty royal tombs. It is Egypt's most famous archaeological site. Most of the pharaohs of the new kingdom were buried here. The first tomb discovered was of Ramesses VIII and the last that of Tutankhamun. Most of the valuables are now on display in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo. But it is magical to visit the graves and imagine what has happened here.

Just north of the city of Luxor you can also visit the temples of Karnak. Here you will find two temple complexes connected to Amon-Re and Moet (Mut). It is a gigantic complex, probably the largest religious structure in the world and the most visited archaeological site in Egypt after the Pyramids of Giza. The temple of Amon-re is open to the public and you can easily wander around for half a day, especially the large colonnaded hall is impressive.

Karnak, temple of Ramses III_{Photo: Marc Ryckaert CC 3.0 Unported no changes made}

Many tourists also visit the beaches on the Red Sea, which are known for the beautiful corals and tropical fish you see there. It is therefore a great place to dive and you can also get your diving license. The most famous places are Marsa Alam, Hurghada, Sharm el Sheikh, El Gouna and Makadi Bay, all described on separate pages of TheWorldOfInfo.

Coral in the Red Sea_{Photo: kallerna CC 3.0 Unported no changes made}

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Sources

Ambros, E. / Egypte
Het Spectrum

Botje, H. / Egypte : mensen, politiek, economie, cultuur, milieu
Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen

Dunford, J. / Egypte
Van Reemst

Grünfeld, R. / Reishandboek Egypte
Elmar

Innemee, K. / Egypte
Gottmer/Becht

Kreissl, B. / Egypte
Elmar

Laet, R. de
Egypte

Rooi, M. de / Egypte
ANWB

Sattin, A. / Egypte
Van Reemst

CIA - World Factbook

BBC - Country Profiles

Last updated March 2024
Copyright: Team The World of Info