Egypt your distinguished destination

No country on earth boasts a longer recorded history than does Egypt, the Eternal "Gift of the Nile" as described by the Historian Herodotus. A statement as true as today as it has been through the fifty centuries of Egypt's extraordinary history.
One of the largest countries in the world, Egypt is a country of myths and mysteries, the cradle of ancient civilization with some of the most awesome monuments to be seen in the world.
Known as the "Mother of the world " Egypt has a reason for such a name for it engages, stimulates, soothes, fascinates and love simultaneously.

Egypt occupies the north – eastern part of Africa and covers an area of 1001450 square kilometers, with a population of 67 million living mainly on the River Nile banks. The very existence of the country depends on the slender ribbon of the Nile, the world's second longest river.
Egypt today, although it enjoys a great deal of development, is also a rare blend of a long past still throbbing with life and a vibrant, modern present.
Its main resources of foreign currency are: oil, the Suez Canal tolls, tourism, agriculture and light and heavy industry.
How could you miss the birth place of "KEM" – Egypt named by the Pharaohs – the oldest civilization in the world? How could you miss one third of the world's treasures which Luxor has?

Overview

Official name:

Arab Republic of Egypt (ARE)

Capital City:

Cairo

Flag:

Three horizontal stripes, red, white, black, with a gold eagle on the white stripe

President:

Mohammed Hosny Mubarak

Languages:

Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes

Major Religions

Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94% (official estimate), Coptic Christian and other 6% (official estimate)

Population of Egypt:

67 million

Population of Cairo:

17 million

Currency:

Egyptian pounds

Area:

1.001.450 sq.Km (386.661 sq.Mi)

Seasons:

Summer (21 May - 21 September)

Autumn (21 September - 21 December)

Winter (21 December - 21 March)

Spring (21 March – 21 May)

Historical Synopsis
Egypt is probably the world's oldest civilization having emerged from the Nile Valley around 5000 years ago, historically. The oldest civilization started with the Pharaonic era which is divided into three main periods:

The Old Kingdom
Its capital was Menf (Memphis), founded by King Mena, the first king of I Dynasty, who united Upper and Lower Egypt. One of the famous kings of that Dynasty is Zoser who built the Sakkara Pyramid, the first large-scale stone structure in history.
Pharaonic Egypt was at the apex of its civilization at the era which witnessed the building of the pyramids.

The Middle Kingdom
Its capital was Thebes. A period characterized by an artistic renaissance, agricultural projects and trade exchange with Bilad al-Sham and the Sudan

The New Kingdom
The New Kingdom starts with the 18th Dynasty founded by King Ahmos. Its capital was Thebes, except for the short period, when King Akhenaton moved his capital to Tel-el-Amarna and lived there with his wife Nefertiti. Among the eminent rulers of the New Kingdom is King Ramese II who left a great architectural patrimony, the most important being the two temples of Abu Simbel.
After the Pharaonic era came successively the Persian, the Greek, the Roman and the Byzantine epochs.

The Arab Islamic era
This era starts in 641 when the Arabs entered Egypt, under the leadership of Amr Ibn el-Aas, and Egypt became a great Islamic bastion. One of the salient names of this era is that of Salah Eddin El-Ayyoubi.
In 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte, led his expedition to Egypt, which brought Egypt in contact with the European civilization for the first time.
In 1840, Mohammed Ali established his dynasty in Egypt, which it ruled for over 100 years.
And in 1952, the revolution broke out, put an end to monarchy and established a republican regime.