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Monday, August 1, 2011

Geography

Egypt is bordered to the north by the Mediterranean, to the south by Sudan, to the west by Libya, and to the east by the Red Sea and Israel. The River Nile divides the country unevenly in two halves. Here are some highlights about the major cities that you should visit when you are in Egypt.


Cairo
The Triumphant City, located north of Egypt known officially as al-Q?hirah is one of the world’s largest urban areas and offers many sites to see. It is the administrative capital of Egypt. It is the home of the pyramids in Egypt, such as the Great Pyramids of Giza on the very edge of the city. But there are also ancient temples, tombs, Christian churches, magnificent Muslim monuments, and of course, the   Egyptian Antiquities Museum, all either within or nearby the city. Cairo, is an amazing city full of life and movement, and it is that way almost 24 hours every day.


Alexandria
Founded by Alexander the Great in 332 BC, Alexandria is the largest Port and second largest city in Egypt. In addition to beautiful beaches and Mediterranean Sea breezes, Alexandria is home to a wealth of history and culture. Here you can find the Roman Amphitheatre and Catacombs as well as Pompey’s Pillar and the Museum of Graeco-Roman Antiquities, which tell of Alexandria’s rich and glorious past.
The Alexandria of today is a popular summer resort with the locals and an escape from the hustle and bustle in Cairo during the winter months. There are beautiful gardens at the Montazah Palace and wonderful views from the Fortress of Quait Bay, which was built on the site of another of the “7 Wonders of the Ancient World” (long since destroyed), the Lighthouse of Pharos.

Luxor
Means in English, City of Palaces, located south of Egypt.
Luxor and its surrounding area contain almost 80% of Egypt’s ancient treasures such as Valley of the Kings, valley of the Queens and Karnak temples. The city itself is an enormous open-air museum, and tourists have been coming here since antiquity. You can have a quality peaceful time walking or sitting by the Nile. The people there are so friendly and they show great hospitality, it’s one of these places that captures your heart and mind right away.


Aswan

Aswan is beautiful city located in Upper Egypt; it was once the gate to Africa and important ancient trade centre. Aswan today offers natural beautiful scenery in addition to many ancient sites of interest, it’s a small city to walk around and enjoy the beautiful Nile and the culture, and the pace of life is very slow and relaxing. Aswan is one of the driest inhabited places in the world; Aswan saw rain in January 2010 and this was the first time for 15 years. In the Nubian villages, they generally do not bother to roof all of the rooms in their houses.

The RED SEA Cities
 
Hurghada
Hurghada was once a small fishing village and is now a fast growing resort (you should therefore expect to see some construction). Daytime activities focus around the beaches, with snorkeling and scuba diving the most popular. Elsewhere you’ll find a smattering of good quality international restaurants, plenty of bars and lots of fun.

El Gouna
El Gouna has been architecturally designed in typical Nubian style. Its many cobbled streets, inlets and lagoons give it a sleepy, romantic feel. In fact, this is often referred to as Egypt’s answer to Venice! Head downtown to Karf el Gouna to visit the Souk el Balad for a taste of traditional Egyptian commerce.

Sharm El Sheikh
The 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. Plus the entire amenities one could expect of a tourist centre, 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

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