Why is Egypt famous all over the world?? Although many people believe they know a lot about Egypt, it´s impossible to understand the country without visiting it. Last summer we got to visit the ancient Egypt and there was much more than what we expected. Egypt is famous for their mummies, Pyramids and all its history, but Egypt is way more than just that. We visited more than just one city in the country and although Egypt´s history is impressive, there are many more things to see and do than just going to temples and ruins (which it´s still a must). To help you understand more about it, we made a list of “What is Egypt famous for”.
Egypt most famous
places and landmarks to visit
Although it´s true that the Pyramids are the main reason why Egypt is famous, as we said at the beginning you can’t just visit Giza and go back home without seeing other places. Egypt is full of wonders, from big cities where you can enjoy the markets and the atmosphere of the city, to temples and ruins to learn all about Egypt. There are million activities and places to go in Egypt. These are some of the famous places in Egypt you must visit:
Best cities of Egypt
The cities in Egypt are in general very chaotic, but there is none like Cairo. Cairo is probably the most disorganized city we have ever seen: people cross the highways while cars don´t respect their rails on the road, the markets are full of people and they scream and try to sell you stuff all the time, and these are just some examples, but you will feel the chaos on the atmosphere everywhere you go! It can be annoying but is something different to see and it´s definitely impressive.
Other cities you should visit are Alexandria, Luxor or Aswan, all of them are chaotic too but still not as much as in Cairo. You will love their architecture, their monuments and historical places.
Important landmarks in Egypt
On another hand, we can talk about the different monuments, famous photogenic spots, museums, ruins, temples…There are a lot of type of landmarks in Egypt, many of them are related with their history.
These are some of the most famous landmarks that you can not miss when visiting Egypt:
- Luxor Temple
- White Desert
- Nile River (Cruise)
- Egyptian Museumj
Egypt famous markets
A lot of people see Egypt as the perfect country to go for shopping. There are a lot of markets, with a huge variety of products and really good prices. One of our favourite things of the markets in Egypt was the vibes and the atmosphere. When you walk around their bazaars and shops you see how the local life is for them, and you get to interact a lot with the locals as they will try to sell you as much as they can. The best tips we can give you for the markets are:
1) Take care of your stuff: There is many people and you can get stolen if you are not aware.
2) Be kind to locals but not too kind because they won’t let you leave once they start selling you stuff.
Khan El Khalili located in Cairo was our favourite market in Egypt.
What is Egypt famous food?
Although it is known that Arabian dishes are heavy and with a lot of spices, Egyptian food is way simpler than that. The Egyptian food and their dishes contain a lot of legumes like lentils or beans. They also cook a lot with vegetables which make it an easy country to travel for vegans. It is true that you can also find a lot of meat and fish near the coast.
One important fact that you should know about Egyptian food, is that they always eat with bread on the side as it happens on many other countries. In this case the Egyptian bread is called Aish.
Some of the most popular dishes are: Ful wa Ta’meya (Fava Beans and Falafel), Kushari and Hawawshi (Egyptian meat pie).
Egypt famous history
Even if your goal when travelling is not to learn the history of the places, in Egypt you will be impressed it. The Ancient Egypt history is one of the oldest and greatest in the world. It lasted from 3150 BC to 30 BC, more than 3000 years!!
Learning about the Pharaohs, the pyramids, the empires and about the three major kingdoms and periods is a must. The history of Egypt has so much to tell.
If you plan a trip to Egypt ad you are interested in the history we recommend you two things: The first one is to go always with a local or a guide that knows about the history, about the hieroglyphics, someone who can explain you all in detail. The second one is to visit the Egyptian museum. The Egyptian museum has a million things that are iconic, and they explain you all about it. It´s the perfect place to learn about the history of Egypt.
Other interesting facts about Egypt
These were some of the most important things Egypt is famous for, but in case you are planning a trip to Egypt there are many other facts that you should have in mind.
Next you will find a list of other interesting facts about Egypt:
The offical language of Egypt is Arabic
The official language in Egypt is the standard Arabic, it´s the one taught in school and the one people use on the daily life (TV, movies, etc.) Of course learning a few words of Arabic would make your trip much easier.
Anyway if learning Arabic is not an option, you will always find someone that can speak English or French, although many people doesn´t.
Another very common language in Egypt is the Egyptian Arabic.
The largest Arab country in the world!
Egypt, with 92million people, is the largest Arab country in the world. Egypt is also the 15th country with more population on earth, but what is more surprising is that 99% of the people in Egypt live in 5% of the land.
Islam is the official religion in Egypt
The official religion in Egypt is the slam and about 90% of the popuation are muslims. As a tourist is good to keep this in mind as in many of the places you may want to enter, there is an specific dress code you should follow.
What´s the Egyptian currency?
The official currency of Egypt is the Egyptian pound. The change is about 1€ equal to 18 Egyptian pouds.
Our recommendation is to have some Egyptian pounds before arriving to Egypt, (not more than 5000 as it´s not allowed). If it isn´t possible, you can always change at the airport or in big hotels.
Enjoy the popular things of Egypt
That´s the end of our What is Egypt known for list! Hope you have enjoyed reading about Egypt, and if you have the chance to go, have a wonderful time!! If you have any other question about the famous things in Egypt or anything related, let us know!!