TOP 10 FOODS IN EGYPT

By | March 3, 2012 | Egypt, Food + Beverages, Travel + Leisure | 41 Comments

By Islam El Shazly

The Egyptian cuisine is not very fancy; it is not as elaborate as French or Italian cuisine and not as heavy as some of the food in the Arabian Gulf, it also doesn’t rely on a massive amount of spices. It is very simple, and this simplicity is what makes it very tasty.

A lot of the food on the menu relies heavily on vegetables and legumes rather than meats, same as it has been for millennia, mainly because veggies are much cheaper than meat. However, you will find that a lot of items on the list below are very much of the meat variety, after all, a balanced diet of meat and vegetables does wonders for the body. Read more…

TRAVELLING IN ISLAM

By | February 11, 2012 | Pax Islamica, Travel + Leisure | 4 Comments

By Islam El Shazly

There has been lots of talk recently in Egypt about tourism, now that the Islamists have come to power in the parliament. Are they going to ban tourism? What’s to become of the 5 million people employed in the industry? What about the alcohol and the gambling and the bikinis?

As with everything in life there are etiquettes to travel and tourism within Islam, these etiquettes are there not to govern or dictate the way we should enjoy ourselves, but rather to temper it. Away from home and being among strangers gives a false sense of freedom to people, and makes them do things that they would otherwise never think of doing in their homeland; non-smokers become smokers, non-drinkers might indulge in a beer or two, and even if they make a different country their own, they are likely to take on jobs that they would normally sneer at home, like driving a taxi. Read more…

FAYOUM – PROVISIONS OF THE TRAVELLER

By | January 4, 2012 | Egypt, Off the Beaten Path, Travel + Leisure, Travel Chronicles | 1 Comment

 

By Mousha El-Haggar

Getting out of Cairo is always my favourite thing to do. I enjoy going to new places and experiencing new things that are outside of Cairo. This time around my trip was to Fayoum, a place I always wanted to go to but never had enough encouragement; people who live in the city are taken in by the city crowd and never want to leave their comfort zone. That; and many Egyptians don’t view travel within Egypt as a vacation, unless, of course, it’s to the beach! Recently, though, I had a friend who was planning a group trip to Fayoum and I decided it was time to go and experience it for myself. Read more…

TOURISM AND THE REVOLUTION

By | December 31, 2011 | Egypt, Politics, Travel + Leisure | Comments Off on TOURISM AND THE REVOLUTION

By Islam El Shazly

It has been a little over 11 months since the January 25, 2011, ignited to culminate into the ouster of one of the worst rulers in the Arab world in modern history, Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, right on the heels of his brother-in-arms Bin Ali from Tunisia.

A lot has changed since then, some to the better, and some to the worst. We’re not going to get into either of them; they both have long lists.

What we’re going to be talking about is something that has managed somehow to divide the people, mostly triggered by a media that still plays by the pre-Mubarak days of divide and conquer for the sake of the person who is in charge at the time, SCAF (Supreme Council of Armed Forces) at the moment. That something is “Tourism”. Read more…

AID TO ARTISANS – HANDMADE IN EGYPT

By | November 22, 2011 | Egypt, Retail + Shopping, Travel + Leisure | Comments Off on AID TO ARTISANS – HANDMADE IN EGYPT

By Shereen Shirazy
Country Director at AID TO ARTISANS – Egypt


Aid to Artisans (ATA), an international non-profit organization, based in Connecticut, USA, is a recognized leader in economic development for the craft sector. By linking artisans to new markets and buyers to culturally meaningful and innovative products, ATA provides needed economic opportunities to artisans to build profitable craft businesses. Read more…

PRIMAL FITNESS

By | October 11, 2011 | Survival, Travel + Leisure | 1 Comment

By Islam El Shazly
Exercise by Darryl Edwards –  The Fitness Explorer

Travelling and keeping fit sometimes don’t go hand and in hand, especially if you are visiting a food-centric culture, like Egypt for example.

A lot of the activities when visiting Egypt involve eating, and chances are if you are part of a package group or on a Nile cruise that you will be getting three open buffet meals everyday for the duration of your trip. If you don’t keep up with exercising then you will be going back home with something more than gifts and souvenirs. Read more…

SURVIVAL – BEDOUIN STYLE

By | October 3, 2011 | Egypt, Off the Beaten Path, Travel + Leisure | Comments Off on SURVIVAL – BEDOUIN STYLE

By Islam El Shazly

Since the Napoleon’s ill-fated campaign against Egypt in the late 18th century and the world became enthralled with everything Pharaonic. Especially Europeans and Americans, they came by the boat load to see the tombs, temples, and palaces that were long forgotten or half-covered in sand, they came, saw, and recorded what they saw in vivid illustrations; the only record of what a lot of these ancient monuments looked like. Since then many of these monuments became lost again under the waters of Lake Nasser, or just simply collapsed for neglect. Read more…

SYRIA: BILAD AL-SHAM

By | August 24, 2011 | Politics | 1 Comment

By Islam El Shazly

In 1260 CE the Mongol horde under Hulagu ravaged Syria, The Great Mosque and the Citadel of Aleppo were razed and most of the inhabitants were killed or sold into slavery.

In 1400 CE Timur, also known as Tamerlane or Timūr-e Lang, the Turco-Mongol conqueror, invaded Syria, sacked Aleppo then besieged and captured Damascus. The Umayyad Mosque was razed and most of the inhabitants were massacred, the rest were sold into slavery. The lucky ones were the artisans; they were spared and sent to Samarqand, the capital of the Timurid Empire. The unlucky ones had their heads piled up in a field outside the north-east corner of the walls, where a city square still bears the name burj al-ru’us, literally “the tower of heads”. Read more…

PIRI REIS (15th / 16th Century CE – 9th / 10th Century AH): CAPTAIN OF THE SEA

By | August 1, 2011 | Explorers, History, Pax Islamica | 1 Comment
By Islam El Shazly

Myth, legend and fact mix together for the tale of Piri Reis. His world maps have caused controversy since their discovery back in 1929. They have been the topic of debate for amateurs, historians and researchers, and the debate is still in full swing till now; space aliens and ancient extinct civilisations are a normal occurrence in these debates! Read more…

A WEEK IN MATROUH

By | June 23, 2011 | Egypt, Travel + Leisure, Travel Chronicles | 1 Comment

The beach at the Heliopolis Sporting Club Summer Resort.

By Islam El Shazly

It’s 14:30 on a Friday, time to hit the road for our family’s summer vacation: A week in Marsa Matrouh, 550km away from all the chaos that is Cairo. Crystal clear, all-shades-of-blue water, white sandy beaches, the perfect detox to the stress of day-to-day life.

My first visit to Marsa Matrouh was back around 1984, I was 10 years old, and the very first thing I did within a day of our 1 week vacation was attempt to get on a moving swing; it had two benches and a wood platform underneath. It was not a successful attempt. I got 13 stitches to the back of my head as a reward for my effort. My vacation ended before it even started. Read more…