Hotels in Egypt

Egypt is a Mediterranean country which is located in the northeast of Africa and southwest of Asia. The border of this country is the Gaza Strip and Israel to the northeast, the Red Sea to the east and South, Sudan to the south, Libya to the west, and the Gulf of Aqaba to the east. The named of ‘Egypt’ was come from the Greek Aegyptos. It was the Greek pronunciation of the Egyptian name ‘Hwt-Ka-Ptah’ meaning the Mansion of the Spirit of Ptah.

Egypt is the country that has one of the longest histories in the world. The Sahara Desert was discovered after there is evidence of overgrazing of cattle. The people at that time has also found artefacts and the civilisation of agriculture. The nomads will get their source of water of the Nile River Valley. During 6000 BCE, the communities are known as the Badarian Culture began to grow, and they had started farming at that time. In the Early Dynastic Period, the Egypt kingdom of north and south were united under the king Menes. The lands were settled with autonomous villages, and the country was named as the ‘Two Lands’.  National administration and the list of royal governors are established by the pharaohs. The first pharaoh was Menes. Menes is also known as the king Narmer that have peacefully united the Upper and Lower Egypt. He has also been linked with the king Hor-Aha. The design of ancient Egypt follows the Nile River’s direction which is Upper Egypt will on the southern region and Lower Egypt be on the north that is near to the Mediterranean. Menes or Narmer successfully ruled a few cities such as Heirakonopolis city, Memphis, and Abydos. The trading activities are expanding significantly during the Early Dynasty Period. The burial practices which resulted in the construction of mastaba tombs later became the models for the Old Kingdom constructions such as the pyramid steps.

During the period of Old King, the capital city of Egypt was Memphis. At this period, there were some monuments such as the pyramids and the Great Sphinx at Giza constructedDjoser was the person who built the first step of a pyramid at Saqqara. There is a physician named Imhotep has written medical texts that describe treatments for 200 different types of disease, and he said that the cause of diseases is natural and not because of God’s will. The pyramids of Khafre were built on 2558 to 2532 BCE, the Great Pyramid of Khufu was built from2589 to 2566 BCE, and the following is Menkaure from 2532 to 2503 BCE. The pyramids on the Giza plateau is the symbol of power and wealth of the rulers during this period. The construction of building the Egyptian monuments was from the skilled and unskilled Egyptian workers.

In the First Intermediate Period, there is a collapse of the power of the central government. Governor was developed in large independent districts. After that, Egypt has two centres which are the Hierakonpolis in Lower Egypt and Upper Egypt; there is Thebes. During the Middle Kingdom, Egypt was known as Classical Art. The most important and wealthiest city at that time was Thebes. There were several fortresses built to protect the trading activities in Egypt. The king Amenemhat is the person who created the first standing army, and some of the great artworks were produced during this time. The Hyksos people mainly from the Syria or Palestine area. Despite the Hykos being hated by the Egyptians, they have shown a few improvements to the culture. The Hykos has also managed the lower Egypt’s ports. The ruler of Egypt was known as the ‘Pharaoh’ during the period of a new kingdom. In between 1504 to 1492 BCE, the pharaoh Tuthmosis I expanded the country’s boundaries to the Euphrates River on the north, Nubia to the south, and Syria and Palestine to the west. Then Queen Hatshepsut was given the power to rule the country. The trading activities were expanded to other nations such as The Land of Punt. After the death of Tuthmosis II, Egypt was a powerful nation. Some medicines can lead to health improvement at that time. The Egyptians are very hygienic. Bathing is very important in their daily since their religion encourage them to be clean always. Besides that, the people in Egypt have a great skill in doing surgery and dentistry.  Then, the pharaoh Amenhotep IV get his position as a king, and he changed his name to Akhenaten which means his belief in a single god, Aten. During that period, the Egyptians believed in many gods. Akhenaten and his queen reform the religious belief and customs of Egypt and make a new religion which the people will only believe in one god. The capital city has changed from Thebes to Amarna to further his power from his predecessors. This period is known as The Amarna Period. Besides making Amarna as the capital of the country, the polytheistic religious customs were banned during the period. Akhenaten was the first king to decree temple and statuary in honour of his queen. However, he used money that has gone to the temples for public works. He has misused his power for the best interest of his people. He was more concern with the reformation of his religion than the need of the people of Egypt which was stated in the Amarna Letters. After that, he passed his throne to his son named Tutankhamun which means to honour the god Amun. Ramesses II is the greatest ruler of the New Kingdom who started the project of buildings in Egypt. The first peace treaty in the world which is called The Treaty of Kadesh was signed under the rule of Ramesses Ii and ever since then; there are some monuments were being built. The first son of Ramesses II, Khaemweset always help in preserving and recording old monuments in the original owner’s name.

The Sea Peoples invaded Egypt because the country has great wealth. The Sea Peoples comes from the area of southern Aegean. Ramasses II successfully defeated them in a naval battle.  A few years later they tried to make an attack again. However, the mission was not successful because Ramesses II defeated them at the Battle of Xois. At the end of the 20th Dynasty, the government’s power has weakened, and there is a corruption of the clergy which makes the administration of the country going down. The Assyrians who is under Esarhaddon invaded Egypt and managed to conquer under Ashurbanipal in 666 BCE.

Nevertheless, the Assyrians ruin and abandon the country after he failed to make plans for control of the country. Egypt was rebuilt, and the Cambyses II of Persia came to Pelusium city in 525 BCE. He has ordered his men to drive cats and paint cats on their shield in front of the army. The country was fell on the hands of Persians. Alexander the Great is a liberator, and he ruled Egypt without a fight. He built a city named Alexandria and continued to rule Phoenicia and the rest of the Persian empire. The last of Ptolemies was the Cleopatra VII. She was committed suicide after the loss of her forces by the Romans under Octavian Caesar in the Battle of Actium. Egypt became the province of Rome until the country was ruled by the Arab Muslims under Caliph Umar.

Today, according to the 2017’s statistics, the population of the Egyptians is 97.55 million, and it is expected to increase even more in the years after. For religion, the majority of the population are Muslims with 90 per cent. Most of the Egyptian Muslim practices Sunni rather than Shia. The second largest religion is Roman Catholic with 23.9 per cent. The following is the Coptic Christian with 9 per cent. The remaining are Protestant and other Christian. The tourists can hear the main language of this country is Egyptian Arabic. For non-urban people, they will speak in Saidi Arabic. The other minority languages are Nobiin, Beja, Coptic.  As for the visa, the tourists from Singapore have to obtain a visa-on-arrival at the Cairo International Airport by approval from bank kiosks in the airport arrival halls before reaching the counter of immigration. The passport needs to valid minimum of six months from Egypt’s entry date.

Throughout the centuries, the Egyptians always make foods that the tourists will not find in any country in the world. Some of the foods in Egypt are based on the Eastern Mediterranean region.  The tourists can have a try of Kushari during their visits to Egypt. It is one of the favourite dishes among the Egypt people. This dish is a mix of rice, pasta, tomato sauce, onions, lentils, chickpeas, and garlic. The tourists can drop by to any restaurants in the country. This dish is always being the most wanted dish at any restaurants’ menu. The following dish is Ta’meya. This dish is also most commonly eaten foods in Egypt. This dish is made of fava bean paste that has crushed and fried. The tourists can get Ta’meya at a lower price. The people in Egypt always have Ta’meya during breakfast and usually during that time, there will be a lot of people queuing up to get the dish. Another dish that they cannot miss is Basbousa. It is the best dessert dish they can get in Egypt. The Egyptian always eat this dish after lunch or dinner. The ingredient of this dish is semolina that is soaked with syrup. The syrup is made from rose water, or the tourist can choose any syrup like lemon, honey or coconut.

How to Get There

By Flight

For the tourists who came from Singapore, they need to take a flight from Changi Airport Singapore to Cairo International Airport. The price for ticket flight to Egypt is ranging from SGD 2500 to SGD 2900 per person. The journey will be about 13 hours and 40 minutes. The tourists can have a straight flight to the country or make a stop at any country and take a transit flight to Egypt. Cairo International Airport is the busiest airport in Egypt, and it is the hub for EgyptAir, EgyptAir Express, Nile Air and other airlines. It is located in Heliopolis at the northeast of Cairo. Once they have arrived at Cairo International Airport, they can take a train, bus or taxi to continue their destination to the place they will stay.

What to Do There?

Egyptian Museum

Egyptian Museum or known as the Museum of Cairo that is located in Cairo, Egypt. It is one of the attractions that should not be missed during a vacation in Egypt. This museum has displayed about 120,00 Egyptian artefacts. The visitors can see a section where it is dedicated to Tutankhamen.  He was famous for all the pharaoh in Egypt. They can also find Tomb of King Tut, and there are more than 3500 artefacts including the face mask in gold colour were left behind in his tomb. The face mask is the representation of Tutankhamen has faced in this life. This museum has also placed jewellery, pots vases, decorated chest, weapons, and instrument that he probably used during his death. Besides that, there are sculptures and a Royal Mummy Room where it has 27 mummies on display. Egyptian Museum opens every day from 9 am to 7 pm.

Khan el Khalili

Situated in Islamic district of Cairo, Khan El Khalili is one of tourist attraction in Egypt. This market is one of the oldest and one of the biggest markets in the Middle Eastern countries. Besides that, it is an open-air market where it is famous for souvenirs. The visitors can get a few types of goods in this market such as perfumes, traditional jewellery, spices, and clothes. The clothes that they had sold in this market is a high-quality material, and artisans make it. The locals will always buy clothes daily in this market. After a long of shopping at the market, they can drop by to any coffee shops along the street where they can enjoy a cup of Arabic coffee.

Cairo Tower

Cairo Tower is worth a visit when the tourists are in Egypt. It is the classic landmark of Cairo which stands 187 metres of height. The other name for Cairo Tower is called Borg al Qahira in Arabic. The purpose of building this tower is because it can function as a television tower and it is also a symbol of Egypt’s capabilities in engineering. This tower is located in the district of Zamalek on Gezira Island in River Nile. The visitors like to visit this place because they can see a stunning view of the surrounding area from the observation deck. There are also many restaurants which offer great foods in this tower. Besides that, the restaurants will rotate every 1 hour and 10 minutes to give the diners watching the view of the city. At the ground floor, the visitors can also go to nightclubs and see belly dancing shows during at night.  

Where to Stay?

Cairo Heart Hotel

Cairo Heart Hotel is located in Bustan Street, Cairo. The location of this hotel is very good. It is because the guests can conveniently travel to a few tourist attractions such as Tahrir Square, Egyptian Museum, and Abdin Palace. These places are only walking distance from the hotel. Besides that, this hotel has provided a few facilities that can satisfy the guests’ needs.  Among them are parking spaces for the guests, an airport shuttle with surcharge, a 24-hour receptionist, laundry service, tour service, luggage storage, a business centre, and meeting facilities. Other than that, all the rooms are equipped with basic amenities. The rooms are always in a clean condition and well-kept since there is a daily housekeeping service for every room package. The guests can also enjoy great foods at a restaurant and get a coffee drink at a coffee shop in this hotel.

Luxor Guest House

Located in West Bank, Gezirat Albairat, Alramia Street, Luxor Guest House is an affordable place to stay during a visit in Egypt. This guesthouse provides great hospitality and excellent facilities for the comfort of their guests. There are a few facilities that are provided by this guesthouse such as parking spaces for the guests, laundry service, tour service, luggage storage, a garden, and picnic area. This guesthouse provides basic amenities in all types of room in this hotel. Besides that, the rooms are always kept hygienic since there is daily housekeeping available for every room package. Other than that, Luxor Guest House is strategically located to many attraction places such as heritage sites, museums, and other tourist areas.

Hilton Cairo World Trade Centre Residences

Hilton Cairo World Trade Centre Residences is a top accommodation that is located in Corniche El Nile, Cairo.  This apartment has excellent facilities and services to make the guests feel more comfortable during their stay here. Among them are laundry service, luggage storage, multilingual staff, tour service, children and adult pool, garden area, car rental service, valet parking with surcharged, babysitting with surcharged, concierge, coffee or tea in the lobby area, bar, and a 24-hour receptionist. The guests can get some delicious foods that serve different types of cuisines at a restaurant in this apartment. Besides that, all the rooms in this apartment are equipped with amazing amenities. Other than that, this apartment is nicely located near to parks, museums and public facilities which takes only a few minutes of driving from the hotel.