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EGYPT-THE LAND OF THE NILE

Egypt, officially Arab Republic of Egypt is a country in north-

eastern Africa and south-western Asia. Its northern border is

the Mediterranean Sea, on the east lies Israel and the Red Sea,

Sudan is to its south, and on the west is Libya. The land of the

Nile River, Egypt is the cradle of one of the world’s greatestancient civilizations and has a recorded history that dates from

approximately 3200 BC.

Egyptians often consider their country to be a bridge between

the European West and the Arab East. Thus, business

practices may resemble European or Arab practices or

anything in between.

CLIMATE IN EGYPT

Most of Egypt's rain falls in the winter months. South of Cairo, rainfall averages only around 2 to 5 mm (0.1 to 0.2 in)

per year and at intervals of many years. On a very thin strip of

the northern coast the rainfall can be as high as 410 mm (16.1

in), mostly between October and March. Snow falls on Sinai's

mountains and some of the north coastal cities such as

Damietta, Baltim, Sidi Barrany, etc. and rarely in Alexandria.

Frost is also known in mid-Sinai and mid-Egypt.

Temperatures average between 80 °F (27 °C) and 90 °F

(32 °C) in summer, and up to 109 °F (43 °C) on the Red Sea

coast. Winter temperatures average between 55 °F (13 °C) and

70 °F (21 °C). A steady wind from the northwest helps lower

temperatures near the Mediterranean coast. The Khamaseen is

a wind that blows from the south in spring, bringing sand and

dust, and sometimes raises the temperature in the desert tomore than 100 °F (38 °C).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamaseen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khamaseen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frost

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow



EGYPTIAN CULTURE

The Culture of Egypt has five thousand years of recorded

history. For millennia, Egypt maintained a strikingly complex

and stable culture that had a profound influence on later

cultures of Europe, the Middle East and Africa. After the

Pharonic era, Egypt itself came under the influence of

Hellenism, for a time Christianity, and later, Arab and Islamic

culture.

With its ancient history, cosmopolitanism, strong Islamic

traditions, modern pan-Arab political and intellectual history

and relative freedom, Egypt is the cultural capital of Arab

world. The Arab television and cinema is dominated by the

Egyptian television and film industry, as is popular Arabic

music.

The Egyptian Ministry of Culture presides over a variety of

western-style cultural institutions such as the Cairo Opera

House, the National Puppet Theatre, the Pocket Theatre andthe National Symphony, as well as the country's many

museums.

Egypt has also been a fount of Arabic literature having

produced some of the greatest 20th century Arab writers from

Taha Hussein and Tawfiq Al Hakim to Nobel prize-winner

novelist Naguib Mahfouz. Egypt has also produced some of

the greatest modern artisans, including the brilliant jewellerydesigner Azza Fahmy and her equally gifted sister Randa

Fahmy, who single-handedly revived the art of Mamluki

metalwork.



PEOPLE OF EGYPT

Egyptians are friendly, hospitable and modest. They also have

a sense of balance and moderation. Insha’Allah and Ma'lesh

are essential vocabulary for the visitor. A key to enjoying any

visit to Egypt is infinite patience. Egypt has its fair share of problems. More than 40% of its

men are illiterate (more for women); it is over populated and

poor. There is a large degree of mal-distribution of wealth.

With no class system in Egypt, and no titles, the only way to

climb up the social ladder is by acquiring more wealth.

Egyptians are proud and sensitive. Proud of their history but

sensitive of their present. This paradox explains why people

do not like foreign photographers poking their cameras into

their everyday life. Unless photographed at their best or in

situations they are proud of, Egyptians are more comfortable

away from the cameras.

Egyptians are, generally speaking, colour blind. Otherraces are regarded as equal and given the same

consideration.

The Arabic language has its mark on the Egyptian mind.

Classical Arabic is used by the media and in formal writing,

but the spoken Arabic is colloquial and varies from one region

to the next. The colloquial Arabic of Cairo is widely

understood throughout the Arab world, because of the culturalinfluence of films, songs and TV programs.



EGYPTIAN FOOD

Although Egyptian eating habits may seem erratic, most

natives begin the day with a light breakfast of beans (or bean

cakes), eggs, and/or pickles, cheeses, and jams. Most families

eat their large, starchy lunch around 1400-1700 and follow it

with a siesta.

They may take a British-style tea at 1700 or 1800 and eat a

light supper (often leftovers from lunch) late in the evening.

Dinner parties, however, are scheduled late, often no earlier

than 2100, with the meal served an hour or two later. In

restaurants lunch is normally 1300-1600, dinner 2000-2400.

Egyptian food reflects the country's melting-pot history;

native cooks using local ingredients have modified Greek,

Turkish, Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian traditions to suit

Egyptian budgets, customs, and tastes. The dishes are simple;

made with naturally ripened fruits and vegetables and

seasoned with fresh spices, they're good and hearty.Food in the south, closely linked to North African cuisine, is

zestier than that found in the north, but neither is especially

hot. The best cooking is often found in the smaller towns.

Although Egyptian cooking can be bland and oily when

poorly done, most of the cuisine is delicious. Egyptian cuisine

consists of local culinary traditions such as Ful

medames, Kushari and Molokhia.It also shares similarities with food found throughout the

eastern Mediterranean like kebab and falafel.



EGYPTIAN CLOTHING

The ancient Egyptians made their own clothes from what their

environment and nature gave them. Egypt has mostly a hot

climate thus the use of clothes reflect material that is

lightweight to suit this type of climate. The ancient Egyptians

both men and women wore linen clothes all throughout the

hot weather. Linen is a fabric made from plant fibres. The

plant fibre comes from flax plants that grow abundantly along

the banks of the Nile.

The men wore short skirts around their waists called kilts,

while the women wore straight fitting dresses with straps on

their shoulders. The wealthy men wore pleated kilts, and the

older men wore a longer kilt. When doing hard work, men

wore a loin cloth, and women wore a short skirt. Children

usually ran around nude during the summer months.

The flax plants are plants having small leaves, blue flowers

and stems about two feet tall. Flax was pulled out of theground, not cut. This work was done mostly by men. Half-

ripe flax stems made the best thread. If the stems were too

ripe, they were used for mats and rope. Flax stems were

soaked for several days then fibres were separated. Then the

fibres were beaten until soft. The resulting fibres are then

spun into thread.



EGYPTIAN JEWELLERY

When it comes to ancient jewellery Egyptians fine work of

ornaments is worth mentioning. The ancient Egyptians created

marvellous Egyptian themed jewels using different processes

of ornamenting metal. Egypt had skilful artisans who used to

make magnificent real as well as fake jewellery.

Men and women of that time used to wear beautiful

ornaments to adorn themselves. Egyptian jewellery was worn

as a status symbol and Egyptians used to wear jewels to

protect themselves from evil spirits.

Jewels were a part of their lives before and after death and the

deceased was always buried with their valuable possessions.

Gold and silver were mostly used to make intricate designs

and gemstones of carnelian, jasper, amethyst, turquoise, and

lapis lazuli. Enamel and glass were also used to add glamour

and charm.

Wide beaded necklaces, hoop, hinged, or beaded bracelets andrings were the typical Egyptian jewellery articles. Jewellery

motifs derived from religious symbols included; the scarab,

lotus, falcon, serpent, and eye.

The amazing amulets were religious jewels of Egyptians that

were used as a protection from evil eye. Egyptians

emphasized the colours of jewels rather than their designs and

they had attached different symbolic meanings to differentcolours and stones. Green coloured jewels symbolized

fertility.

Cartouches were good luck charms for Egyptians and were

believed to protect the wearer from evil spirits in life as well

as after death. The symbol of life was the ankh, which was

an important cultural and spiritual sign and this motif is

extensively seen in Egyptian rings and pendants.



LITERATURE IN EGYPT

Ancient Egyptian literature dates back to the Old Kingdom, in

the third millennium BC. Religious literature is best known

for its hymns to various gods and its mortuary texts. The

oldest extant Egyptian literature is the Pyramid Texts: the

mythology and rituals carved around the tombs of rulers. The

later, secular literature of ancient Egypt includes the 'wisdom

texts', forms of philosophical instruction.

The authors of the literature of the Old and Middle Kingdoms

(through to the middle of the second millennium BC) seem to

have been drawn from an elite administrative class, and were

celebrated and revered into the New Kingdom (to the end of

the second millennium). In time the Pyramid Texts became

Coffin Texts (perhaps after the end of the Old Kingdom), and

finally the mortuary literature produced its masterpiece, the

Book of the Dead, during the New Kingdom.

During the Greco-Roman period (332 BC – AD 639), Egyptianliterature was translated into other languages, and Greco-

Roman literature fused with native art into a new style of

writing. From this period comes the Rosetta Stone, which

became the key to unlocking the mysteries of Egyptian

writing to modern scholarship. Alexandria's centre of learning

also produced the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the

Septuagint.

Among the modern talents of Egyptian literature, Naguib

Mahfouz is foremost. In 1988, he was awarded the Nobel

Prize for Literature. Other well-known Egyptian writers

include Nawal El Saadawi, who is well known for her

feminist works and activism, and Alifa Rifaat who is

conservative and writes about women and tradition.



MONUMENTS IN EGYPT

1) THE OPEN AIR-MUSEUM OF MEMPHIS:

The local God of Memphis was called Ptah, who was the

God of creation and workmen, and he was worshiped with his

wife, the Goddess Sekhmet and their son, the God Nefer-

Tom. Nothing much remains from ancient Memphis, except

some monuments from the New Kingdom and later periods.

Nearby Sakkara was associated with Memphis, as it was thesite of one its many necropolises. Today, in Memphis, you

will see an open air Museum, which amongst other artefacts

exhibits a limestone colossus of King Ramses

2) THE HANGING CHURCH

The Hanging Church is considered the oldest church in thearea of Al-Fustat (Old Cairo). It is known as Al-Muallaka (the

hanging) because it was built on the ruins of two old towers

that remained from an old fortress called the Fortress of

Babylon. It was dedicated to The Virgin Mary and St.

Dimiana. There are 110 icons here, the oldest of which dates

back to the 8th Century, but most of them date to the 18th

Century. Nakhla Al- Baraty Bey gave some of them as gifts,in 1898 A.D, when he was the overseer of the church.

http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Sakkara.html

http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Sakkara.html



3) THE PYRAMIDS OF GIZA

Among the major tourist sites, there is only one considered to

be “The major” and on top of any list - The Pyramids of Giza

There are three main Pyramids here, which were built in the

4th Dynasty (circa 2550 B.C). The Pyramids of Ancient Egypt

were built as tombs for Kings (and Queens), and it was the

exclusive privilege to have a Pyramid tomb. However, this

tradition only applied in the Old and Middle Kingdoms.

Today there are more than 93 Pyramids in Egypt; the most

famous ones are those at Giza.

4) SAQQARA PYRAMIDS

Saqqara is one of the most extensive archaeological sites in

Egypt! It was the cemetery for Memphis, the capital of

Ancient Egypt, yet it is still one of the virgin archaeological

sites, despite the fact that so much has already been found

here. Today it is considered as one of the oldest stone

structures built by man, and the first time the Ancient

Egyptians would attempt to use limestone. Zoser’s Pyramid isentirely built of limestone, small bricks of limestone, and not

of the best quality, and yet it has remained for more than 4700

years!



5) THE KARNAK TEMPLE

The Temple of Karnak is the largest Temple in the World!

The complex contains a group of Temples such as the GreatTemple of Amon Ra, The Temple of Khonso, The Ipt Temple,

The Temple of Ptah, the Temple of Montho and the Temple of

the God Osiris. A 20m high, mud brick enclosure wall,

surrounded all of these buildings.

6) THE GREAT SPHINX OF GIZAThe Great Sphinx of Giza (or, commonly, the Sphinx) is

a statue of a reclining or couchant sphinx (a mythical

creature with a lion's body and a human head) that stands

on the Giza Plateau on the west bank of the Nile in Giza,

Egypt. It is the largest monolith statue in the world,

standing 73.5 metres (241 ft) long, 6 metres (20 ft) wide,and 20.22 m (66.34 ft) high.[1] It is the oldest known

monumental sculpture, and is commonly believed to

have been built by ancient Egyptians of the Old

Kingdom in the reign of the pharaoh Khafra (c. 2558 –

2532 BC).

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khafra

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue



FINE ARTS IN EGYPT

The Egyptians knew the plastic art of all its kinds since the

remote ages of ancient times. The statues of kings and the

elites as well as the illustrated and engraved paintings

reflected artistic concepts in the services of rituals of gods,

kings and the dead.

The ancient Egyptian arts, such as sculpture, drawing and

inscriptions were closely associated with the architectural

engineering.

This ancient Egyptian civilization provided the world withvaried and unique architectural forms of royal tombs, temples,

dams and others. The multi-purpose civil architecture also

flourished in the Greek era, most outstanding of its products is

Alexandria lighthouse, the third of the Seven Wonders of

the World.

The Coptic civilization also focused only on two definite

kinds of sculpture. The first is the tomb witness, which is alimestone board where its top part is often of a triangle form

containing drawings. The second kind is sculpture decoration

at the top or below walls. Glass crafts and Arabesque became

common and flourished during this era.

Among these artists were Mahmoud Said, Mahmoud

Mokhtar, Yousif Kamel, Ragheb Ayyad, Mohammed Nagi

and others.Several groups of plastic art successively appeared. In 1928,

“The Imagination Group” headed by the sculptor MahmoudMokhtar was established. It was followed by “Fine Arts

Amateurs Group” which came to the scene in Alexandria in

1929. In 1932, the “Egyptian Complex of Fine Arts” was

founded by Mohammed Sedqi Al-Gabadangi.



MUSIC & SINGING IN EGYPT

Ancient Egyptian musicians are known to have played harps

and flutes circa 4000 BC, and double clarinets and lyres from

around 3500 BC.

Percussion instruments were added to orchestras by 2000 BC.

It is probable that no system of musical notation existed at the

time, as none have survived. The music of ancient Egypt has

not been documented, but some musicologists believe that the

liturgical music of the Coptic Church is directly descended

from ancient Egyptian music.

Like African music, Arabic and Egyptian music has strong

improvisatory and rhythmic components. The base rhythm of

Arabic music is the maqamat, which is formed by dum

(downbeats), tak (upbeats) and rests. Arabic music uses

microtones, or notes not present in the formal musical scale

(half-flats and half-sharps). Arabic tones are divided into

thirds, which makes their sound inherently different frommost other musical traditions.

A type of flute called the Nay is commonly played at

mulids. Egyptian music is a rich mixture of indigenous,

Arabic, African and Western influences. As early as 4000 BC,

ancient Egyptians were playing harps and flutes, as well as

two indigenous instruments: the Nay and the Oud.



FOLKLORE IN EGYPT

The Egyptian’s beliefs are reflected in the extended inevitable

relationship between their worldly and heavenly lives.

However, if mythologies constitute the formal religious

substance, as they are closely associated with belief, on the

one hand, and with the Pharonic government system, on the

other, it is this folkloric substance that still lives with people.

The folkloric substance of a certain people determines their

identity and personality as much as it determines the degree of

their culture.

Folklore usually arises from a belief in the power of the word,

and from the ability to move it along various levels: symbolic,

connotative, and social. Ancient Egyptians used to believe in

the power, magic and ability to move the minds. This can be

illustrated by the following extract: "Man dies and becomes a

rotten corpse, and so does his offspring, but his books

commemorate him.”

Thus, one book is more useful than afurnished home or an exquisite palace or even a memorial in a

temple."



EGYPTIAN FESTIVALS

Egyptian festivals include both the ancient Egyptian

celebrations as well as the Islamic and certain Christian

festivals. Presently, the Islamic culture, being the dominant

religion, all recognized public holidays and celebrations are

sanctioned according to the Islamic holidays. Moreover, Islam

is the state religion of Egypt. Though Christian festivals are

inclusive of the public holidays, they are far limited.

These festivals of Egypt are now either abandoned or

observed by minority. It has been observed that the ancient

festivals of Egypt are celebrated throughout the year. This

marks the prosperous condition of Egypt in those times. The

Egyptian calendar starts from the month of June and ends in

the month of July.

One of the most important Egyptian festivals is the Leylet en

Nuktah. This day is fixed as the day of rising of the waters in

river Nile, prior to the flooding of the banks. The flood waswelcomed in ancient Egypt, as it would leave behind fertile

soil for successful agriculture. The rule was that if the floods

delayed, then young women would be sacrificed in the Nile

River till the waters were seen to rise.



ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TRADITIONS:

Ancient Egyptian religion was a complex system of beliefs

and rituals which were an integral part of ancient

Egyptian society. It centered on the Egyptians' interactionwith a multitude of deities who were believed to be present in,

and in control of, the forces and elements of nature. The

myths about these gods were meant to explain the origins and

behaviour of the forces they represented, and the practices of

Egyptian religion were efforts to provide for the gods and gain

their favour.

Formal religious practice cantered on the pharaoh, the king of

Egypt. Although he was a human, the pharaoh was believed to

be descended from the gods. He acted as the intermediary

between his people and the gods, and was obligated to sustain

the gods through rituals and offerings so that they could

maintain order in the universe. Individuals could also interact

with the gods for their own purposes, appealing for their help

through prayer or compelling them to act through magic.

Another important aspect of the religion was the belief in the

afterlife and funerary practices. The Egyptians made great

efforts to ensure the survival of their souls after death,

providing tombs, grave goods, and offerings to preserve the

bodies and spirits of the deceased.

At various times certain gods became preeminent over theothers, including the sun god Ra, the creator god Amun, and

the mother goddess Isis. For a brief period, in the aberrant

theology promulgated by the pharaoh Akhenaten, a single

god, the Aten, replaced the traditional pantheon of.



DIVINE PHARAOH

Egyptologists have long debated the degree to which the

pharaoh was considered a god. It seems most likely that the

Egyptians viewed royal authority itself as a divine force.

Therefore, although the Egyptians recognized that the pharaoh

was human and subject to human weakness, they

simultaneously viewed him as a god, because the divine

power of kingship was incarnate in him.

He therefore acted as intermediary between Egypt's people

and the gods. He was key to upholding maat, both by

maintaining justice and harmony in human society and by

sustaining the gods with temples and offerings.

The king was also associated with many specific deities. He

was identified directly with Horus, who represented kingship

itself, and he was seen as the son of Ra, who ruled and

regulated nature as the pharaoh ruled and regulated society.

By the New Kingdom he was also associated with Amun, thesupreme force in the cosmos. Upon his death, the king became

fully deified. In this state, he was directly identified with Ra,

and was also associated with Osiris, god of death and rebirth

and the mythological father of Horus. Many mortuary temples

were dedicated to the worship of deceased pharaohs as gods.



AFTERLIFE

The Egyptians had elaborate beliefs about death and the

afterlife. They believed that humans possessed a ka, or life-

force, which left the body at the point of death. In life, the ka

received its sustenance from food and drink, so it was

believed that, to endure after death, the ka must continue to

receive offerings of food, whose spiritual essence it could still

consume.

Each person also had a ba, the set of spiritual characteristics

unique to each individual. Unlike the ka, the ba remained

attached to the body after death. Egyptian funeral rituals were

intended to release the ba from the body so that it could move

freely, and to rejoin it with the ka so that it could live on as

an akh. However, it was also important that the body of the

deceased be preserved, as the Egyptians believed that the ba

returned to its body each night to receive new life, before

emerging in the morning as an akh.

Originally, however, the Egyptians believed that only the

pharaoh had a ba, and only he could become one with the

gods; dead commoners passed into a dark, bleak realm that

represented the opposite of life. The nobles received tombs

and the resources for their upkeep as gifts from the king, and

their ability to enter the afterlife was believed to be dependent

on these royal favours. In early times the deceased pharaoh

was believed to ascend to the sky and dwell among the stars.

Over the course of the Old Kingdom, however, he came to be

more closely associated with the daily rebirth of the sun god

Ra and with the underworld ruler Osiris as those deities grew

more important.



RITUAL AND MAGICAL TEXTS

The procedures for religious rituals were frequently written on

papyri, which were used as instructions for those performing

the ritual. These ritual texts were kept mainly in the temple

libraries. Temples themselves are also inscribed with such

texts, often accompanied by illustrations.

Unlike the ritual papyri, these inscriptions were not intended

as instructions, but were meant to symbolically perpetuate the

rituals even if, in reality, people ceased to perform

them. Magical texts likewise describe rituals, although these

rituals were part of the spells used for specific goals in

everyday life. Despite their mundane purpose, many of these

texts also originated in temple libraries and later became

disseminated among the general populace.

ORACLES

The Egyptians used oracles to ask the gods for knowledge or

guidance. Egyptian oracles are known mainly from the New

Kingdom and afterward, though they probably appeared much

earlier. People of all classes, including the king, asked

questions of oracles, and, especially in the late New Kingdom

their answers could be used to settle legal disputes or inform

royal decisions.

The most common means of consulting an oracle was to pose

a question to the divine image while it was being carried in a

festival procession, and interpret an answer from the barque's

movements. Other methods included interpreting the

behaviour of cult animals, drawing lots, or consulting statues

through which a priest apparently spoke. The means of

discerning the god's will gave great influence to the priests

who spoke and interpreted the god's message



FUNERAL PRACTICES

In the Early Dynastic Period, however, they began using

tombs for greater protection, and the body was insulated from

the desiccating effect of the sand and was subject to natural

decay. Thus the Egyptians developed their

elaborate embalming practices, in which the corpse was

artificially desiccated and wrapped to be placed in its coffin.

Once the mummification process was complete, the mummy

was carried from the deceased person's house to the tomb in a

funeral procession that included his or her friends and

relatives, along with a variety of priests. Before the burial,

these priests performed several rituals, including the Opening

of the mouth ceremony intended to restore the dead person's

senses and give him or her, the ability to receive offerings.

Then the mummy was buried and the tomb sealed. Afterward,

relatives or hired priests gave food offerings to the deceased

in a nearby mortuary chapel at regular intervals.

The first Egyptian tombs were mastabas, rectangular brick

structures where kings and nobles were entombed. Each of

them contained a subterranean burial chamber and a separate,

aboveground chapel for mortuary rituals. In the Old Kingdom

the mastaba developed into the pyramid, which symbolized

the primeval mound of Egyptian myth. Pyramids were

reserved for royalty, and were accompanied by large mortuary

temples sitting at their base.

Tombs could contain a great variety of other items, including

statues of the deceased to serve as substitutes for the body in

case it was damaged. Because it was believed that the

deceased would have to do work in the afterlife, just as in life,

burials often included small models of humans to do work in

place of the deceased.



The tombs of wealthier individuals could also contain

furniture, clothing, and other everyday objects intended for

use in the afterlife, along with amulets and other items

intended to provide magical protection against the hazards of the spirit world. Further protection was provided by funerary

texts included in the burial. The tomb walls also bore artwork,

including images of the deceased eating food which were

believed to allow him or her to magically receive sustenance

even after the mortuary offerings had ceased.

INSTRUCTIONS HOW TO PRACTICE BUSINESS

ETIQUETTE IN EGYPT When in Rome, do as the Romans do. That is an old saying

that can be applied to any country even today. When doing

business with an Egyptian, be prepared to do certain things

slightly differently than you're used to, but some things willremain the same. Here is some information on doing business

with associates in Egypt.

INSTRUCTIONS:

While it is not necessary to dress in the Egyptian style, it

is necessary to pay attention to Egyptian norms of

modesty when choosing business attire, especially forwomen. Men should wear a jacket and tie. Shorts are not

acceptable in public for men or women.

Ideas of "personal space" among Egyptians are different

than in Western cultures. People of the same sex tend to

stand much closer, while those of the opposite sex will

stand farther apart. Resist the urge to move away, which

may offend your associate.



Learn the names of the people you will be meeting ahead

of time, as names can be confusing. Make sure you

understand the full names and know how to address each

associate by the time you meet. Greet with a handshake for men. A man, however,

should not extend his hand to an Egyptian woman. Wait

for her cue. If she extends her hand, a handshake is

appropriate. This works in reverse for westernized

women. Do not extend your hand to an Egyptian man,

but shake if a hand is offered.

Make small talk before doing business, and keep to safe

subjects such as sports (anything from soccer to boxing

to horse racing) and positive Egyptian citizens and

accomplishments. Personal relationships are important in

this culture, and business proceedings are unlikely to be

effective unless your associates know and like you.

Be patient with interruptions while meeting. It is verycommon for Egyptians to take phone calls or visitors

during appointments, and it should not be considered a

slight.

Use hand gestures sparingly, preferably not at all, to

avoid inadvertently offending. A thumbs up sign, for

example, is considered offensive in the Arab world.





Mission They are international town builders. Prime locations are

spotted and long-term commitments are developed. Their

geographical aims are unconventional and their undertakingsare creatively inspired. They work to provide the best value

with a guaranteed Orascom mark of quality. They are not

simply developers, they are community creators.

Social Responsibility

They are major town developer in several countries around

the globe, they recognize the significant impact they exert on

areas in which they operate. They are committed to

sustainable environmental practices, not only as a responsible

organization but also to protect their sites that are, by their

very nature, long-term projects. Therefore, they work hard to

help preserve the natural treasures on which their success is

built.

This proactive stance towards environmental issues dates back

to the 2002 launch of the Green Gouna initiative, a project

aimed to position El Gouna as an environmentally friendly

destination. The Green Gouna initiative has evolved to

become what is today known as the Green Star Hotel

Initiative. AGEG Consultants and Orascom Hotels &

Development (Orascom Development's Egyptian subsidiary)have joined forces within the scope of the Public Private

Partnership (PPP) program of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für

Technische Zusammenarbeit (GTZ) GmbH to improve

standards by implementing an environmentally and

economically sustainable management system in the hotel

industry in Egypt.



FACTS & FIGURES

Capital: Cairo.

Area: 1,001,450 sq km, Egypt is the world's 38th-largestcountry.

Government: Egypt has been a republic since June 18, 1953.

Population: Egypt is the most populated country in the

Middle East and the third most populous on the African

continent, with an estimated 75 million people (as of mid-

2008).

Time Zone: Egypt is 2 hours ahead of GMT.

Official languages: Arabic is the official language although

English is widely used.

Religion: In Egypt controls many aspects of social life and is

endorsed by law. Egypt is predominantly Muslim, with

Muslims comprising about 90% of a population of around 80

million Egyptians. Most of the non-Muslims in Egypt areChristians.

Geography: Egypt is bordered by Libya to the west, Sudan to

the south, and by the Gaza Strip and Israel to the east. Egypt's

important role in geopolitics stems from its strategic position:

a transcontinental nation, it possesses a land bridge (the

Isthmus of Suez) between Africa and Asia, which in turn is

traversed by a navigable waterway (the Suez Canal) thatconnects the Mediterranean Sea with the Indian Ocean via the

Red Sea.

Climate: Temperatures average between 80 °F (27 °C) and

90 °F (32 °C) in summer, and up to 109 °F (43 °C) on the Red

Sea coast. Temperatures average between 55 °F (13 °C) and

70 °F (21 °C) in winter.

Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP) el-Gineih el-Miṣri



Exchange Rate: EGP 5.5 to EGP 5.29 agent U.S Dollar

Country Dialling Code: + (2)

Telecommunications: Egypt has a healthy

telecommunications industry with three Telecom operators -

Mobinil, Vodafone and the new entrant Etisalat providers

offer comprehensive services that include mobile, broadband

and pay TV.

Culture: Egyptian culture has five thousand years of recorded

history. Ancient Egypt was among the

earliest civilizations and for millennia, Egypt maintained a

strikingly complex and stable culture that influenced later

cultures of Europe, the Middle East and other African

countries.

Sports: Football (soccer) is the national sport of Egypt.

Egyptian Soccer clubs El Ahly, Petrojet, ENPPI, Haras El

Hodood, Police Union, Army’s Vanguards, Ismaily, El

Zamalek and El Masry are the most popular teams and enjoythe reputation of long-time regional champions. Egypt is rich

in soccer history as soccer has been around for over 100 years.

The country is home to many African championships such as

the Africa Cup of Nations. While, Egypt's national team has

not qualified for the FIFA World Cup since 1990, the

Egyptian team won the Africa Cup of Nations an

unprecedented six times, including two times in a row in 1957

and 1959 and again in 2006 and 2008, setting a world record.

Documents

EGYPT- Chart Printouts