Light of Alexandria

Article by dayna midler

When the talk comes to the cities of Africa, who can ever ignore the mysteriously enchanting city of Cairo? It’s a burning desert, but it burns gold inside it. In the literal or philosophical meaning, whichever is concerned? Whatever it is, Cairo never fails to amaze the senses of all it encounters. Even the name tells us the tale itself, with the meaning of “the conqueror” it clearly depicts its mysterious past. It may be hot, but its one of the most thickly inhabited cities of the entire world. It’s probably more famous because of it location near the pyramids of Giza and other famous places which are a part of ancient Egypt.

Cairo is the 2nd largest city of Muslim world and largest city of Egypt. It is called ‘city of thousand minarets’ pointing towards the abundance of Islamic architecture. Cairo has fame for holding within its sands one if the oldest and most revered institutions of the world “Al-Azhar University”. Now you must not think that Cairo is all about holding the ancient mysticism of learning and serious education. One of the biggest and ancient movie industries reside in Cairo making it a center of entertainment. Now Cairo proudly holds film festivals for the whole world. Aside from entertainment, Cairo also has the passion for sports. Football is very famous with the local people and the players go for the inter-regional and national games burning out their energies.Cairo resides near the Nile river valley, and has every right to boast about claiming the largest river of the world in its hold. The climate is of desert here, scorching hot to the extent that it boils away whatever encounters it in the day and will freeze it over in the night. Not only this, but it can turn humid too due to the presence of such a large river within its boundaries. Now the rain here is as mysterious as the city itself. On one hand you keep waiting for the rain and it never comes and on the other, you can experience showers so heavy that they flood. The amazing city of Cairo can shock you in many ways.

Cairo is plundered with pollution and population. The traffic is horrific and traffic system is not well-managed as we do not see people observing traffic laws and driving carelessly. Egyptian metro is one of the busiest in the world and the first metro in African continent.

Cairo is a famous tourist place. The main attractions for tourists are the gigantic pyramids of Giza near Cairo. Sphinx i.e a half man, half horse magnificent sculpture near pyramids of Giza is another attraction for tourist visits. Egyptian museum hold a huge collection of valuable Egyptian artifacts as well as artifacts dug by archeologists. Al-Azhar park, Al-Azhar mosque, Cairo tower, Citadel, Hanging church, Ibn Taulun and many other mosques are definitely worth visiting. Shopping centers, parks, zoo and many recreational activities are places to go about and have an insight to the culture of Egyptians.

Article by Andrew Ball

Egypt is one of Africa’s wealthiest nations in terms of history. Egypt’s history dates back towards the ancient times before the Bible. The biblical and cultural history of Egypt is as different and interesting as the undiscovered tombs and cities lying underneath the desert sand in Upper and Lower Egypt.

Cairo is really a city full of life. 1 aspect I quickly noticed when I set foot in Cairo will be the visitors. Cairo is home to more than 16 million inhabitants of which an extra two million people commute into the city within the morning and depart at sunset. In spite of the city having large multiple-lane spaghetti highways, the visitors is extremely heavy. As you approach the city centre, a highway of three lanes is tuned into 5. The most notorious motorists are the taxis. As one drives within the city, 1 of one’s hands will permanently remain on the horn. I thought Nairobi had the worst visitors congestion in Africa, but Egypt for certain makes Nairobi’s visitors child-play. The pyramids at Giza can be obviously noticed from most parts of the city on a clear day. The Great Pyramids of Giza is such an imposing and monumental structure. It’s completely mind-boggling to imagine that the ancient man with restricted technology and workmanship could put up such a huge structure. Of course, how the pyramids were built is really a question of fantastic global debate and might never be conclusively answered. Some other hypotheses even point to outer space aliens as the sole builders of pyramids in Egypt. The great pyramid of Cheops, which is the largest of the pyramids in Giza stands at height of 140 metres. It is a spectacular sight to arrive in the foot of the pyramid and just gaze at its sheer size. It’s estimated that each block of stone weighs about two.5 tons and over two.3 million of these blocks were utilized to construct this pyramid. It is estimated that the Fantastic Pyramid of Cheops weight more than 6 million tons. One aspect that I noticed whilst viewing the pyramids from afar will be the precise and exact structural style. Although most of the encasing marble was removed centuries ago and subsequently eroded by rain and sunshine, secure for the leading most apexes, the triangular structural design is completely perfect.The most intriguing aspect of the pyramid is the entry passage into its inner chambers. This is a job many individuals such as myself found difficult. Anybody who is 6 feet tall much like me will definitely run a sweat whilst trying to maneuver the way up the internal chambers of the pyramid. The entrance is about 1 meter square. This doesn’t finish there; Then i realize that this is really a stair case passageway rising in an angle. Perhaps you have tried climbing up a stair case in a crouch position? Imagine climbing stairs that the whole passage is 1 meter square. To make matters worse, it’s summer time and also the temperatures outside is around 35 degrees Celsius. The stair case passage within the pyramid has no windows or air condition; so you can imagine how hot it is. Other passages descend as other go horizontally. Inside the pyramid are various burial chambers for the King and Queen. The tomb was needless to say robbed centuries ago and was found empty by archeologists. Any information about King Cheops was subsequently taken throughout the robberies and very little is recognized about him. He is believed to have been the ruler of a highly structured society and he should have been extremely wealthy. King Cheops was buried alone in this huge pyramid. It’s estimated that his pyramid was built in between 2589 – 2566 BC.From the Pyramids, I visited the Valley of Temple exactly where dead kings were mummified. The mysterious Sphinx kept guard in the cemetery for over 5000 years.Egypt won’t be complete with out a visit to the Egyptian Museum of Antiquities housing the largest collection of Egyptian monuments in the globe, 250,000 items. Here, you can also view the jewelry of the well-known King Tut Ankh Amun, which goes back to 1352 B.C. A tour of the Citadel of Saladin is really a should. This was built in 1176. The Alabaster mosque of Mohamed Ali which was built on 1824 AD is also worth seeing. Within the evening I went for dinner in a floating restaurant whilst cruising along the River Nile. On board there was a stunning belly dancer to entertain the diners and a folkloric show. The cruise deck provides a stunning night skyline of Cairo. The city is extremely nicely lit at night. Within the summer time, Cairo is mostly active during the night than during the day. This is because of the high temperatures skilled during the day. Stores, restaurants, malls etc stay open most of the night.Other areas to visit in Egypt are Luxor, Alexandria and Sharm El Sheikh. A four day luxury cruise along the River Nile is an amazing experience.

Article by Jenny

Whenever we go on trips, we really love to seek adventure. We love to experience new kinds of activities – the kind of bustle that will make you seek for more and more adventure. This is really just natural to each and every person, to seek for that thrilling moment in life. That is why most people go to vacations and travels to places that would give this level and kind of satisfaction. People seek for adventure, that is why they got from one place to another and look for some excitement. There are adventurers who seek for adventure and when they get to Egypt they say their dreams of great adventures came true. There are many things Egypt has to offer, most especially when you take on a Luxury Egypt Holiday, it would be a perfect moment full of luxury and adventure you have been looking for.

Luxury Egypt Holiday allows you to enjoy the wonderful land of Egypt. Luxury Egypt Holiday is a perfect getaway as most people who have been in Egypt and those who have been in a Luxury Egypt Holiday would call it. This is the one of the most suggested adventure spot. Egypt is known to offer a lot of unique and most unforgettable kinds of adventure. There are so many things Egypt will offer, especially to those who have a heart of an adventurer, to the travelers, so it will never be a waste of time nor money if you try taking on Luxury Egypt Holidays. You do not have to worry about anything, because once you have decided to take on the adventure Luxury Egypt Holiday has to offer, you will never regret it and I will not be shocked nor question if you will book the next trip back to Egypt as soon as the plane leaves.

Luxury Egypt Holiday is simply an experience. Even solo travelers will really be amazed and will not feel alone and lonely. You will definitely love Egypt. Egypt is just so jam packed with different kinds of characteristics; not just picture perfect scenes and historical stories but Egypt gives a positive vibe of adventure, you will not run out of activities to do and places to conquer as you all together take on the adventure. So come and see the Nile at its best and feel what Egypt is like as it has been written and told.

Visit ITC Classics for more information on Four Seasons Hotel Sharm

Home to the famous pyramids of Giza and the great Sphinx, Egypt is one of the most popular holiday destinations in North-Africa, magnets honeymooners, nature-lover and holiday seekers from every nook and corner of the world. The word ‘Egypt’ came through the Latin word Aegyptus derived from the ancient Greek, which means ‘the name of temple of the god Ptah at Memphis’. This beautiful destination is well known to be the center of one of the world’s longest and most successful civilization. Whether you are fun-lover and wish to indulge in several sports and adventure activities of whether you are simply explorer, this country has myriad things to offer to its vacationers. The significance and the splendor of this country, is beyond the word and visual and verbal descriptions. Once you been to this exotic place you will certainly get awe-struck with its historical sites and heart grabbing attractions.

Apart from the attractions, Egypt is equally famous for its world class hotels, delicious cuisine, bustling markets which also worth to experience during touring to this exotic place. Choose any and explore the breathtaking attractions which are listed below.

Egypt is known as home to numerous pyramids. There are more than 80 pyramids in this country which were built mostly between 2600 BC and 1500 BC and all are majestically located close to the Nile River. The Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx are the most popular pyramids in the country which were constructed by almost 20000 to 30,000 workers over 80 years. The great pyramid of Giza stands on the northern edge of the Giza plateau, located about 10 miles west in Cairo. The great pyramid of Giza is one of the world’s oldest tourist attractions and the reason most people visit Egypt today. Egypt is speckled with many other pyramids which stand as testimony to the power of pharaohs who ruled Egypt during the stable central government.

Cairo literally means ‘The Vanquisher’ or ‘The Conqueror’ is the capital city and one of the most sought after tourist destination. Apart from the attraction places, Cairo offers an incredible selection of shopping, leisure, culture and nightlife. Among numerous markets Khan al-Khalili is one of the largest markets in the world which magnets both locals and international tourists. Apart from this country has an exciting nightlife that ranges form international bars, discos and Egyptian clubs where you can thrill with traditional belly dancers. There are many other attractions that one can explore through such as Siwa Oasis one of the popular destinations in Egypt.

Besides, is very famous among national or international vacationers which take them in the beautiful world of scenic wonderments. If you wish to experience Egypt’s ancient landmarks in a different way, a Nile River Cruise is one of the most popular fun things to do in this beautiful country. During cruising over the Nile River, you can explore marvelous temples and magnificent statutes such as Ramses 2nd.

Some of the most intriguing sights in this world are to be found in Egypt. The country draws thousands of Britons on cheap tickets to Egypt from London and other parts of the UK for their vacations. In the recent past, Egypt did suffer some bad press over political violence, but situation is limping back to normalcy. Presently, curfews are enforced during certain hours and the degree of tension is different in different parts of the country. Sift through some of the important points to ponder over while travelling to Egypt.

Travellers holding British passports usually require a visa for entering Egypt, though Egyptian authorities have been quoted as stating ‘British nationals travelling to Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba resorts only, for up to 14 days, do not require a visa; they shall receive a free entry permission stamp upon arrival. If you intend to travel out of the mentioned areas or overstay, you must obtain a visa’. Egyptian Immigration authorities have the sole right to allow or refuse entry into the country so while one may feel lucky to have grabbed and a visa, remember that these two alone always do not guarantee the entry. Travellers with a visa, which is out of date by over 14 days, may also be prohibited from leaving the country. British Nationals can check detailed visa related information by visiting the FCO website.

Egypt is an Islamic country and travellers must do their bit to respect local sentiments. For instance, women should avoid wearing revealing clothes. Drug laws are very strict and possessing drugs can even result in life imprisonment and the death penalty. Homosexual display of affection in public places has also landed many people in jail on the count of violating public decency laws. Similarly, such acts in public places between heterosexual couples are frowned upon as well.

The best time for going to Egypt depends upon the place to visit. As a thumb rule, the winter months of December to February constitute the high season, while the summer months of June to August make for the low season. However, there are higher chances of getting cheap tickets to Egypt during summers. Summers are also popular for a vacation in the beaches of Southern Sinai. For sightseeing in places like Alexandria, Luxor, and Cairo, the safe bets prove to be the spring months of March to May and the autumn months of September to November.

The Cairo International Airport is one of the busiest in the African continent and plays host to quite a few . The airport is served by more than 30 airlines operating passenger as well as cargo services in the international, domestic, and regional sectors. After Cairo, the next busiest airport in the country is the Sharm el Sheikh International Airport, which is served by a good number of airlines operating cheap flights to Egypt. Some of the other important airports are Luxor International Airport, Aswan International Airport, Alexandria International Airport, and Hurghada International Airport.