| " Climate of Egypt in winter is the reign of spring upon earth, & summer in the air, and tranquility in the heat. " - Herman Melville |
| Egypt.. |
|
Most people who think of Egypt think of antiquities, but Egypt offers much more. Certainly it is a prime location to see our great heritage from the ancient world, including Pyramids and wonderful temples,and tours to Christian and other religious monuments are popular. Yet Egypt also offers nature and desert treks. For those who prefer to travel alone or with friends, there are many small Egyptian-owned hotels at extremely reasonable prices as well as the large five star tourist hotels. Travel from one city to another is comfortable by either air, train or air-conditioned coach. Since the trouble with terrorism in the 1990s however, independent travel is not quite so easy for foreigners as it once was because security has been greatly increased to protect us and at present all tourist road travel has to be accompanied by armed police convoys. Climate ImageA hot, dry country, the temperature of Egypt varies from North to South. Most tourists visit the country in its 'high season' - October to March. Summers are extremely hot, especially in Upper Egypt, where temperatures can easily reach up to 50 C (122 F) in June and July. The average midwinter temperature in Aswan is usually around 25 C (77 F) and 10 C (50 F) in Cairo. In the winter as soon as the sun has set it can feel very cold because of the contrast in temperature. Rainfall is quite rare in Upper Egypt, but you can expect a little rain in the winter months in Cairo and the Delta. A strong dry wind known as the Khamsin (literally 'fifty') blows in March or April for around 50 days from the Western desert, spreading fine particles of sand over everything it touches. See Weather Underground for detailed information on current weather conditions and forecasts for the week ahead for Cairo, Luxor, Aswan or other areas in Egypt. Time Zone and DST Egypt is two hours in advance of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT +2) and operates Daylight Saving Time (+1 hour) from the last Friday in April until the last Friday in September. Language Arabic is the official language in Egypt and the majority of the population are of Muslim faith. Egyptian Arabic is a separate dialect from the language spoken in other Arab countries with standard Arabic as the written form used for newspapers and literature. This will usually be understood in most places but there is a colloquial dialect or 'street Arabic' which varies throughout Egypt. The difference in speech between Cairo and Luxor is very noticeable. It has been said that the three most useful words in Egyptian are: I : insha'allah (if it is the will of God) B : bukra (tomorrow) M : ma'lesh (it doesn't matter) These three words illustrate the pace of life in Egypt - where nothing is important enough to need to be done quickly! But don't worry. Egyptians have an amazing ear for languages and most people who come into contact with tourists will speak English and/or several other European languages. Even before you speak your nationality will be accurately guessed by the way you dress and walk. In the most densely populated tourist areas children from two years old will know how to say 'welcome to Egypt', 'what's your name', 'baksheesh', 'pen', and 'give me money/sweets/cigarette' in lots of languages! The government is now encouraging foreign languages to be taught in schools and older children love to practice their skills. |
