Hotels in Egypt

Egypt or its official name, the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country that spans into two continentals. The border of Egypt covers from the northeast corner of Africa to the southwest corner of Asia. These two areas in different continents are connected by a land bridge that is formed by the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is both the Middle East and a Mediterranean country. It is bordered by several countries due to its huge border. At the northeast, Egypt is neighbouring with the Gaza Strip and Israel; to the east is the Gulf of Aqaba, the Red Sea at the east and south while Sudan is located on the south of Egypt and Libya is situated at the west of Egypt. Saudi Arabia is located across the Sinai Peninsula through these two countries do not share any land border.

Egypt is one of the countries in the world that has the longest history and it is considered as a cradle for civilization starting with the Ancient Egyptian. During the Ancient Egyptian time, they had developed one of the earliest writing, agriculture, urbanisation, organized religion and central government. The Nile River, its valley and delta, was the home of this civilization. Ancient Egypt was ruled by pharaohs for 3000 years through a series of dynasties with brief periods of foreign rule. During these great time, iconic monuments such as the Giza Necropolis and the Great Sphinx, the Valley of the Kings and such were built to reflect the distinguished legacy that they had left behind. The legacy of Ancient Egypt not only limited to the great buildings, but they also had left behind written histories, developed paper from the papyrus plants and also, the mummification technique in preserving the dead bodies. The Ancient Egyptians are also well known for their tombs and hidden traps.

Ancient Egypt under the Pharaoh's dynasties came to an end when the area was conquered by the Alexander the Great in 323 BC. This had brought urban Egypt to become an integral part of the Hellenistic world. Egypt was known as the Ptolemaic Kingdom. During this time, an advanced literate society thrived in the city of Alexandria. In 30 BC, Egypt once again fell into the foreign power and this time, the Roman and its successor state, the Byzantine Empire. It remained under Rome until another conquest happened. The Arab Muslim armies conquered Egypt from AD 639 until 642. The Arab Muslim had brought in their cultures and languages thus replacing the Egyptian language as the main communication language. Egyptian language, the native language of the Nile Valley, has long extinct. During these Arab Muslim conquests onto Egypt, it is also the time where Islam spread among the population of the area.

In the 16th century up until the beginning of the 20th century, Egypt was ruled by foreign imperial powers; The Ottoman Empire and the British Empire. The Ottoman Empire, or the Turkish Empire, conquered Egypt in 1517. The Ottoman Empire lasted until 1798 when Napoleon I led the French army in a short occupation of the country. The occupation of the French marked the first time Egypt was conquered by a European power. The French did not last long, only until around 1801. Muhammad Ali Pasha of the Ottoman army in Egypt had seized power from the French and his had established a dynasty to rule Egypt until the revolution in 1952.

After the revolution of 1952, the rule of Egypt passed to the military hands. In the next year, the Egyptian Republic was declared.

Egypt was the earliest and the important centre of Christianity before the conquest of the Arab Muslim but when they came in the 7th century, a large population was Islamized and remains so until today. However, Egypt still has a significant number of Christians, and Christianity remains as one of the major religions in the country. Egypt today hosts two major religious institutions; the Al-Azhar Mosque that was founded in 970 AD as the first Islamic University in Egypt and the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria that was established in the middle of the first century by Saint Mark. In Egypt, both religions live harmoniously together, as neighbours, sharing a common history, culture, national identity and such.

The capital of Egypt today in Cairo, located on the continent of Africa. Cairo is the most populous area in Egypt. Cairo is also among the largest metropolitans in the continent of Africa, the largest in the Middle East and the Arab World.

How to Get There?

By Flights

Taking a flight to Egypt is the easiest way to get there. There are no direct flights from Kuala Lumpur to Egypt as there will be one layover in one the countries nearby such as in London or Dubai. A one-way ticket to the Cairo International Airport, Egypt starts from around RM 3000. The total flying time, excluding the layover, is around 13 hours.

A Malaysian passport holder does not require visa while visiting Egypt, provided the stay will be less than two weeks. More than two weeks, a typical tourist visa will be required. For those who are going to Egypt for businesses, studies and such, a special visa is required before boarding the plane.

What to Do There?

The Egyptian Museum of Antiquities

Commonly known as the Egyptian Museum or the Museum of Cairo. It is located in Cairo, Egypt and it is home to an astounding collection of the ancient Egyptian antiquities including the world's largest collection of the Pharaonic antiquities. The museum was first built in 1835 near the Ezbekeyeh Garden before it was moved to Cairo, some three kilometres away. The new museum was established in a former warehouse. It is under the Antiquities Department of the Egyptian government. Today, the museum holds some 120 thousand items including a colossal statue of Amenhotep III and Tiye, the famous Gold Mask of the Tutankhamun that was made with 11 kilograms of solid gold, and a mummy mask among others. It is the place to go for those who love histories or simply want to learn a little bit more on Egypt. The Egyptian Museum opens every day from 9 am until 5 pm.

The Great Sphinx of Giza

The Great Sphinx of Giza or more commonly referred to as simply just the Sphinx is a limestone statue of a reclining sphinx. Sphinx is a mythical creature with the body of a lion and the head of a human. The Great Sphinx of Giza is located in the Giza Plateau, on the west bank of the Nile in Giza, Egypt. The statue is cut from the bedrock and it is measured at 73 meters long from the paw to the tail and 20.1-meter high from the base to the top of the head. Its widest part is at 19 meters which is at its rear haunches. The Great Sphinx of Giza is the oldest known monumental sculpture in Egypt and it is believed to be built by the ancient Egyptians of the Old Kingdom during the time of Pharaoh Khafre, around 2558 – 2532 BC. The face of the Sphinx is believed to be the face of the Pharaoh Khafre. The Great Sphinx of Giza is one of the famous tourist spots in Cairo and it is only forty minutes away from the city centre. It opens every day from 8 am until 5 pm.

Where to Stay?

Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir

The Steigenberger Hotel El Tahrir is one of the grand hotels in the city centre of Cairo. It offers quite a number of types of rooms, starting with as low as RM 610 up to almost RM 1500 a night. This is the hotel to go if one is looking for a luxurious stay in Cairo. The hotel not only has great rooms, but their facilities are top notch too with business centre, coffee shop and restaurant, spas and pools and such. The hotel also provides services such as tours, car rentals, valet parking, and even babysitting. All of the rooms at the hotel come with complimentary Wi-Fi connection. They also have free cancellation policy on their rooms. The Steinberger Hotel El Tahrir is a perfect place for those who have extra money or do not mind to spend a little extra for such a luxurious stay and hassle-free. The hotel is less than three kilometres away from the city centre of Cairo.

Concorde Hotel Dokki

For those who are still on a tight budget or maybe do not want to spend extra on accommodation, the Concorde Hotel Dokki is a perfect place to go. The rooms at the Concorde Hotel Dokki starts from just RM 140 up to RM 318 a night, with a good choice of rooms available. All of the hotel rates for the rooms already includes a breakfast service. Although the facilities are limited, the hotel still has the basics to make sure the stay will be comfortable. The Concorde Hotel Dokki also located in the city centre of Cairo.