Egypt Travel – Travel Tips

Egypt, a country that is an epitome of history and culture, has for many years followed strict customs and traditions. For those traveling to Egypt, the country may seem as a friendly and modernized nation. However, one should not forget the fact that the underlying religion of Egypt is Islam which drives the force behind the country’s numerous social and traditional practices.

If you are visiting Egypt, here are a few quick tips you need to know about the country and its people. These tips may help you blend in with the crowd and avoid getting unnecessary glares from the locals at places.

Dress Etiquettes: As in the case of any Islamic country, travelers are requested to wear modest clothing while touring the country. It’s not a concern if you are at the beach or in a resort which allows the use of swim wear, shorts and miniskirts.

However, if you venture into the city, it is highly recommended that you wear full sleeved shirts and trousers; and skirts that at least reach the knee. Showing off the soles of the shoes or feet are also considered as disrespectful behavior in Egypt.

Visiting a mosque requires visitors to be fully covered. Men should refrain from wearing blaring colors, and wear trousers and sleeved shirts instead. Women on the other hand need to be completely covered from head to toe with only the face, wrists and feet being visible. Wearing a head scarf is also a must.

Footwear: Egyptians consider their homes and places of worship as sacred areas. So it is necessary to remove your footwear when you are visiting an Egyptian’s home. Walking in with the footwear may tend to cause a few frowns that you would most likely want to avoid.

Mosques are very pious places of worship in Islam and it is completely necessary that you remove your footwear before entering a mosque. Failing to do so will actually symbolize disrespect and insult for the religion and you will end up causing quite a commotion.

Gifting: Let’s say you are visiting an Egyptian’s home and are thinking of buying a gift. Here are a few tips on what you can possibly buy as gifts.

Islamic people use flowers for weddings and other occasions. Hence it is best considered to refrain from buying flowers on your first visit, lest there’s some kind of occasion going on there.

You can probably gift them chocolates, sweets or some kind of a digital device. If you really want to impress them, go for a compass. Egyptians consider compasses to be signs that remind them about Mecca, the holy city.

While giving or receiving a gift, it is considered polite to use either the right hand or both the hands. Refrain from using just the left hand as it will give off a wrong notion that you are not entirely pleased about offering the gift.

Behavior in Public: Being an Islamic country, Egypt requires foreigners to behave modestly in public. Travelers should refrain from hugging and kissing members of the opposite sex in public although the same gestures are considered fit for members of the same sex.

Handshakes with members of  the opposite sex are okay but still, you might not want to do that if you are in a religious area like a mosque. Standing quite close to your partner (opposite sex) may also spark off some discomfort among the locals. And this advice goes particularly for men. Unlike foreign countries where it is considered ok to have an idle chat with an unknown lady, in Egypt, it is a considered inappropriate to even approach an unknown woman.

Dining: Being an Islamic country, certain food items are avoided in Egyptian households and markets. These include pork, alcoholic drinks and drugs. The more touristy areas of the country allow visitors to enjoy a drink or two. However, foreigners should refrain from getting completely drunk and stop with a round or two.

Guests should eat only with their right hand in Egypt. Eating with the left hand is a sign of disrespect and indicates that you are not pleased with the food. Egyptians are very hospitable people and keep offering you food. If you feel full, politely decline their offer a few times till they agree that your appetite has indeed been satisfied and stop pressing you.

Not that it’s their fault. Muslims make it a point to satisfy their guests with huge feasts and it is a custom to keep on offering food to make sure you are taken care off well.

Body Language: Finally, what you need to be aware of when visiting Egypt is that some Egyptians are extremely superstitious and hence certain body gestures may tend to humiliate or anger them.

If you need to refuse an Egyptian’s offer for something, put your right hand over your heart and politely refuse. This will give off the notion that you are deeply humbled by the offer but cannot accept it.

You will tend to find pictures or statues of hands with an eye painted in the palm, facing outwards, in most of the Egyptian homes. This, according to Egyptians is a symbol to ward off evil and envious eyes from the household.

Keeping this custom in mind, if you tend to push your palm forward when speaking to an Egyptian, it would be taken as extreme disrespect and give off the idea that you think the person to be evil minded or bad.