Egypt is widely famous for its pyramids, the mighty Nile that makes the desert green, and the chaotic million city of Cairo. When the muezzins call for prayer in front of the mosques ‘narrow minarets, and the scent of bubbling hookahs mingles with the street vendors’ energetic selling points, you know you are far from home. The exhaust fumes from the Midan el-Tahir junction combine with the aroma of cinnamon, lentil soup and cardigan meatballs. Postcards with pictures of the city’s great pride, the Pyramid of Cheops, are sold everywhere.

See trips to Egypt

Population: 97 million

Capital: Cairo

Language: Arabic

• just as mead was an integral part of the diet during the Viking Age, was beer drunk in ancient Egypt?
• not only women made up with charcoal in ancient Egypt? Both men and women used the black make-up that was considered to protect against eye diseases, as well as curses from Ras and Horus.

Traveling in Egypt

Egypt, the world’s oldest tourist country, demands its time. Many thousands of years of cultural history are spread over the country’s one million square kilometers, and Cairo with its 20 million inhabitants and many world-famous sights has an enchanting effect. Egypt is also a grateful destination for scientists. The grave equipment from Tutankhamun’s tomb at the Egyptian Museum leaves no one untouched. In the bustling Khan el-Khalili Bazaar, visitors can do both good and bad business, and then go down in laps in the dazzling white courtyard of the Muhammad Ali Mosque with its reverent silence. The three great pyramids and the Sphinx at Giza are absolute must-sees during a visit to Egypt. Anyone who has overcome his claustrophobia can enchantingly tell about the interior of the Pyramid of Cheops and the long way through the dark corridors to the tomb, from which the soul of Pharaoh ascended to heaven and united with the sun-god. But a trip to Egypt does not have to be limited to Cairo. The Nile runs through the entire city, and the large Nile boats are excellent as floating hotels for those who want to experience more of Egypt. Visit smartercomputing for Egypt History.

Egypt’s other sights

Once upon a time, Alexandria competed with the Greek cultural center Athens, and now it is hoped that the newly opened library will enable the city to regain a leading position in science and research. The new Alexandrian Library, which also contains both museums and a planetarium, is well worth a visit. In Aswan, many visitors go directly to the Temple of Ice on the island of Philea and see the large Aswan Dam, but Aswan is also a beautiful city where you can walk in bazaars and enjoy the delights of the sea at a leisurely pace. Ramses II’s temple in Abu Simbel is another highlight that can be highly recommended. The temples are dominated by their 21 meter high facade statues of Ramses II and 10 meter high statues of his wife Nefertari and the goddess Hathor. And when you are in Egypt, you should experience the Kom Ombo Temple or the “Golden Pile”,

Many will no doubt be tempted by a beach holiday in Sharm el Sheikh and snorkeling in the Red Sea. Or perhaps of the golden and barren stone landscape of the Sinai Peninsula, where the monastery of St. Catherine is nestled in one of the many dried up river beds. Like a granite date stamp, it lies at the foot of the mountain where Moses received the Ten Commandments from God. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus called Egypt “the gift of the Nile” and today’s tourists can continue where the travelers of times gone by never came. They can continue to marvel and discover.

Climate and weather Egypt

Read about Egypt’s climate and weather in Cairo, Alexandria and Aswan on the east bank of the Nile.

Egypt has a desert climate with hot, dry summers and milder winters. In summer, the average temperature is between 27 ºC and 32 ºC, at the Red Sea it can rise to 43 ºC. In winter, the temperature is between 13 ºC and 21 ºC, along the Mediterranean coast it is generally slightly cooler due to sea winds. During the winter months, there is also less rainfall in the country.