Etiquette in Egypt

Etiquette in Egypt

Egypt is a country with a famously long and rich cultural history. Egyptians are considered to be extremely friendly gregarious and hospitable people. Family, honour and religion are of utmost importance to Egyptians. So a major consideration when visiting Egypt is that the main religion is Islam – although Christianity is also practised - and much of the social customs and etiquette are influenced by this fact.

Appropriate Dress

When visiting Egypt, you should be mindful of what is considered to be the most appropriate attire. Although within the confines of a resort, Western beachwear such as bikinis, shorts and miniskirts are generally accepted, when venturing outside you should always make sure that you are suitably dressed.

Women should always dress modestly. This means that skirts should be at least below the knee, and shoulders and the tops of arms should be covered. Men should wear trousers and also always have their shoulders covered. If you are planning on visiting a mosque, be aware that women will have to completely cover themselves, with only their face, hands and feet on display. A headscarf should also be worn. Also remember that if entering a mosque, both men and women should remove their shoes. Not doing so would be seen as a complete and utter insult, and could cause quite a commotion.

Behaviour

It is very important to understand the way in which you are expected to interact with members of the same and opposite sex when in Egypt. For instance, you should not kiss or make any body contact with a member of the opposite sex. Although handshakes may be offered, in contrast to Western customs, hugging and kissing on the cheeks is however, a common greeting between members of the same sex in Egypt. Egyptians also retain a close personal space between the same sexes, but you should avoid standing too close to the opposite sex. Men should also be aware that it is not always appropriate to idly chat with or approach an unknown Muslim woman.

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Any displays of affection should be kept to an absolute minimum in public. Any displays of affection between same sex couples, particularly men, should be completely avoided. Outwardly flirtatious behaviour is regarded as crass and immoral.

As Islam is the major religion of Egypt, and this means that certain foods and substances will be avoided by devout Muslims. These include alcohol, any drugs and pork. In the more touristy areas Egyptians will not be wholly offended if you choose to drink alcohol in their presence. However, it is good etiquette to only drink moderately in these circumstances.

Gesticulating & Body Language

You should be aware that in Egypt, showing the soles of your feet or shoes is perceived as very rude and bad etiquette. If you must make a refusal to an Egyptian’s request, by putting your right hand over your heart, you are making an extremely polite rejection. The hand over the heart is a symbol of both humbleness and gratitude.

Although Egyptians are not superstitious people, for some the palm indicates the warding off of evil. Outside of some Egyptian’s homes, you may see statues of hands with an eye painted into the palm, facing outwards. The idea is that the palm will ward off evil or the ‘envious’ eye and protect the home. For this reason, if you are seen to push or wave your palms in an Egyptian’s face, this could be considered as terrible etiquette, as it indicates that you regard them as evil or bad.

Dining

When dining in Egypt, you should only use your right hand. Egyptians are extremely hospitable, and will put on quite a feast for you. You may find that even though you’ve finished eating, your Egyptian host will keep offering you food. They will be keen to make sure that you are properly tended to, but the repeated offers are also in part due to the custom of declining any offer at least once. If you are full, it is good etiquette to continually graciously decline their offers until they are satisfied that you are really are full.

Giving gifts

In Egypt, give gifting is quite common, especially when visiting the homes of an Egyptian. You should try to avoid giving flowers, as these are retained for occasions such as weddings and funerals. More appropriate gifts include a high-quality compass (as it will allow a Muslim to always be directed to Mecca), sweets and chocolate, or any digital gadgetry. When giving or receiving a gift, you should only use your right or both hands.

Anubis

Anubis was associated with the mummification and protection of the dead for their journey into the afterlife. He was usually portrayed as a half human, half jackal, or in full jackal form wearing a ribbon and holding a flail in the crook of its arm. The jackal was strongly associated with cemeteries in ancient Egypt, since it was a scavenger which threatened to uncover human bodies and eat their flesh.] The distinctive black color of Anubis "did not have to do with the jackal [per se] but with the color of rotting flesh and with the black soil of the Nile valley, symbolizing rebirth."Anubis is depicted in funerary contexts where he is shown attending to the mummies of the deceased or sitting atop a tomb protecting it. In fact, during embalming, the "head embalmer" wore an Anubis costume. The critical weighing of the heart scene in the Book of the Dead also shows Anubis performing the measurement that determined the worthiness of the deceased to enter the realm of the dead (the underworld). New Kingdom tomb-seals also depict Anubis sitting atop the nine bows that symbolize his domination over the enemies of Egypt.

Abu Simbbel

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Prepare to be blown away by the magnificence of these temples. They are undisputedly one of the world's most breathtaking monuments, and Egypt’s second most visited touristic site, the Pyramids of Giza being on the top of the list.
The relocation of the temples was a historic event in the 1960's.  At that time, the temples were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser when the High Dam was constructed. The Egyptian government with the support of UNESCO launched a world wide appeal to save these colossal landmarks. They were successfully dismantled and relocated to a spot 60 meters above the cliff where they had been initially built. The more famous of the two temples is dedicated to Ramses II and the smaller one to his favourite wife Nefertari. They were both built by Ramses II in the 13th century BC.
The gigantic façade of Ramses II temple represents four colossal seated figures of Ramses. The façade is 119 feet wide, 100 feet high, and the statues are each 67 feet high. The façade door leads to the interior of the temple is a 185 feet long man-made rock cave that leads to a series of halls and rooms.

The most remarkable feature of the temple of Abu-Simbel is that the construction is oriented in a way that twice a year, the morning sun rays shine through the length of the inner temple cave and illuminate the statues of the four gods seated at the end of the cave.

Egypt Name

The English name Egypt was borrowed from Middle French Egypte, from Latin Aegyptus, from ancient Greek Aígyptos (Αἴγυπτος), from earlier Linear a-ku-pi-ti-yo. The adjective aigýpti-, aigýptios was borrowed into Coptic as gyptios, kyptios, and from there into Arabic as قبطي qubī, back formed into قبة qubh, whence English Copt. The Greek forms were borrowed from Late Egyptian (Amarna) Hikuptah "Memphis", a corruption of the earlier Egyptian name Hwt-ka-Ptah , meaning "home of the ka (soul) of Ptah", the name of a temple to the god Ptah at Memphis.Strabo attributed the word to a folk etymology in which Aígyptos (Αἴγυπτος) evolved as a compound from Aigaiou huptiōs (Aἰγαίου ὑπτίως), meaning "below the Aegean".
Miṣr, the Arabic and modern official name of Egypt (Egyptian Arabic: Maṣr), is of Semitic origin, directly cognate with other Semitic words for Egypt such as the Hebrew מִצְרַיִם‎ (Mitzráyim), literally meaning "the two straits" (a reference to the dynastic separation of upper and lower Egypt).[unreliable source?] The word originally connoted "metropolis" or "civilization" and means "country", or "frontier-land".
www.anubistours.comThe ancient Egyptian name of the country is Kemet (km.t) , which means "black land", referring to the fertile black soils of the Nile flood plains, distinct from the deshret (dšṛt), or "red land" of the desert. The name is realized as kēme and kēmə in the Coptic stage of the Egyptian language, and appeared in early Greek as Χημία (Khēmía). Another name was t-mry "land of the riverbank" The names of Upper and Lower Egypt were Ta-Sheme'aw "sedgeland" and Ta-Mehew "northland",respectively.
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Khan El-Khalili bazaar

Khan El Khalili bazaar

No visit to Cairo is Complete without a stop at the Khan El-Khalili bazaar, where you will be transported back in time to an old Arab souk.
Shop owners calling you to their stalls, the scent of spices, the hustle and bustle of trade, and the many beautiful objects that can purchased will have you lost among alleys for hours.
Put your haggling skills to the test when buying statuettes, spices, souvenirs, silver jewellery, t-shirts, galabiyyas, belly dancing costumes, or anything for that matter.
When your shopping's done, dont miss out on a traditional cup of tea at the famous Fishawi's cafe.

Dahabiya Anubis tours

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Dahabiya


A dahabeah, also spelled dahabeeyah, dahabiah, dahabiya, dahabiyah and dhahabiyya, as well as dahabiyeh and dahabieh (Arabic ذهبىة /ðahabīya/), is a passenger boat used on the River Nile in Egypt. The term is normally used to describe a shallow-bottomed, barge-like vessel with two or more sails. The vessels have been around in one form or another for thousands of years, with similar craft being depicted on the walls of the tombs of Egyptian Pharaohs. Indeed, the name derives from the Arabic word for "gold", owing to similar, gilded state barges used by the Muslim rulers of Egypt in the Middle Ages.
[edit]History

Until the 1870's the Dahabiya was the standard was for tourists to travel up and down the river Nile. According to Donald Reid, in 1858 “a forty-day round trip from Cairo to Luxor cost about £110; a fifty-day trip to Aswan and back, about £150”[1]. However when Thomas Cook Ltd introduced the steam boat on to the river and brought with them the organisational know how to turn a three month voyage in to a 28 day sight-seeing tour. By 1900, as train had started to complete with the steam boat, dahabiyas were reserved only for the most wealthy, leisured travelers.


Dahabeah on the Nile, 1891
This is also the time that saw great change in how dahabiyas were used and viewed. Sir John Gardner Wilkinson's 1847 book "Hand-book for travelers in Egypt" goes in to great detail on how to hire a dahabiya. A travel wishing to travel the Nile would not only have to hire the boat for the duration but provision it, de-bug and de-rat it, oversee the boatmen and even have it re-painted[2]. However by 1897 tour companies had made the journey much more civil, Thomas Cook promised, "Dragomans and other necessary servants and food supplies are carefully selected and provided". [3]
Dahabeya is also the name of a specific vessel.

ITB Berlin

Partner country Egypt at ITB Berlin
Published by Ozgur Tore  
FRIDAY, 24 FEBRUARY 2012 19:03
In March 2012 Egypt, the partner country of ITB Berlin, will have a wide-ranging programme of events to offer the international trade visitors and the general public attending the world’s largest travel trade show.

During the show, which takes place from 7 to 11 March 2012, visitors to Hall 23a will be able to find out more about Egypt’s culture and history as well as tourism to this country. Among those performing at the opening ceremony on Tuesday, 6 March 2012 in the International Congress Center ICC Berlin will be members of the Cairo Opera House. At the ITB Berlin Convention, the international travel industry’s leading think tank, discussion will focus on the Arab Spring and its impact on tourism.

Hisham Zaazou, Senior Assistant Minister of Tourism: “As the partner country of ITB Berlin 2012 Egypt is highly enthusiastic and committed. This is a milestone for our tourism industry and signals continuity for our strongest branch of industry in these times of political change.“

The question as to what the future holds for the tourism industry in the Arab countries will be debated at the ITB Berlin Convention. On 7 March 2012 from 4.15 to 5.30 p.m. the topic for discussion will be “The Arab rebellion: an Arab Spring or tourism ice age?“. Experts on the Arab region including Prof. Dr. Volker Perthes, Humboldt-Universität Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin, director of Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik and Dietmar Gunz, CEO FTI Group, will put forward scenarios and provide orientation.

Egypt has been at ITB Berlin ever since the show’s launch in 1966. In 2012 it will occupy close to 2,000 square metres of floor space in Hall 23, making it one of the largest exhibitors at the show. Visitors to the hall can experience the diversity of Egypt’s holiday regions, including the Nile Delta, Red Sea, desert landscapes, oases and the Mediterranean coast. At a bazaar they can also purchase the country’s handicrafts, sample regional specialities, or enjoy a musical foretaste of Egypt with atmospheric live music and folk presentations. Badawy, one of the country’s best known chefs, will be cooking dishes at the Brandenburg Restaurant in Hall 24.

A colourful Egyptian carnival procession will be taking place in the various halls on every day of the fair. An impressive performance of traditional Tanoura dancing, which involves an artistic display of dancers’ skirts, awaits visitors to Hall 4.1. Samaa, a group of Islamic and Coptic singers, blends different religious beliefs with its sounds, expressing peace among faiths and Egypt’s uniformity as a nation. On 9 March, at 3.30 p.m., book lovers can draw inspiration from the ITB Book Awards which will take place in the hall hosting Egypt’s displays. Travel calendars, travel guides and travelogues covering the country’s entire range of attractions will whet the public’s enthusiasm for Egypt. On 11 March 2012 at the closing ceremony of ITB Berlin, Egypt will put on an artistic performance with The Festival of the Delphic Games.

The ankh project is yet another of the numerous trade fair and marketing measures which this year’s partner country has launched. This ancient symbol signifying eternal life forms part of the “We are Egypt“ logo and represents Egypt’s visual signature as the partner country of ITB Berlin 2012. Visitors to Berlin will be able to see twenty different ankh sculptures by Egyptian artists throughout the city. From 7 February to 4 March 2012 various promotional activities involving this year’s partner country await customers visiting the store of the outdoor equipment supplier Globetrotter in Berlin-Steglitz. Competitions with prizes, videos, music and information on Egypt as well as a lecture by the travel agency DIAMIR Erlebnisreisen will bring Egypt’s magic to the German capital.

Social networking sites offer numerous opportunities for those interested in finding out more about Egypt at the show or at home. Here, they can contact Egyptian internet users, chat live with people in Egypt, or exchange views via Facebook or Twitter, for example.