Product Description

Discover Egypt

Find a Cairo coffeehouse to suit your own style; unwind, chat and inhale deeply over a sheesha
Forget hot springs: try a hot sand bath in the middle of the desert
Take belly-dancing lessons from the most famous teacher in Egypt
Relax in the soft light of early morning on a Nile cruise

In This Guide:

Five authors, 295 days of research, hundreds of touts and a week-long scuba course
Special chapter on cruising the Nile: choose from timeless feluccas and splendid dahabiyyas, the Rolls Royce of their era
Illustrated Pharaonic Egypt chapter by world-renowned Egyptologist Dr Joann Fletcher brings the ancient rulers to life

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6987 in Books
• Published on: 2008-05-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 572 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781741043150
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

Review
"Lonely Planet guides are a must-pack" -- Toronto Star, February 2006

Lonely Planet guides are a must-pack” --Toronto Star, February 2006

From the Publisher
Who We Are
At Lonely Planet, we see our job as inspiring and enabling travelers to connect with the world for their own benefit and for the benefit of the world at large.

What We Do
* We offer travelers the world's richest travel advice, informed by the collective wisdom of over 350 Lonely Planet authors living in 37 countries and fluent in 70 languages.
* We are relentless in finding the special, the unique and the different for travellers wherever they are.
*We update our guidebooks by visiting thousands of places in person to get the details right and tell it as it is.
* We always offer the trusted filter for those who are curious, open minded and independent.
* We challenge our growing community of travelers; leading debate and discussion about travel and the world.
* We tell it like it is without fear or favor in service of the travelers; not clouded by any other motive.

What We Believe
We believe that travel leads to a deeper cultural understanding and compassion and therefore a better world.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Destination: Egypt

Egypt is the most extraordinary place. Herodotus, the ancient Greek historian, noted as much more than a century before the birth of Christ when he wrote, "Concerning Egypt I will now speak at length, because nowhere are there so many marvellous things, nor in the world besides are there to be seen so many things of unspeakable greatness..." By which he meant the Pyramids and the immense wealth of awe-inspiring temples and monuments left by the pharaohs. But to those you can now add the legacy of the Greeks and Romans, the churches and monasteries of the early Christians, and the overwhelming profusion of art and architecture accumulated from centuries of successive Islamic dynasties.

Around these ancient wonders day-to-day life goes on. Egyptian society and culture offer as much intrigue and magic as the country's historical treasures: whether it's the voice of diva Umm Kolthum wafting from a busy Cairo coffeehouse at dusk, or taking passage on a local Nile ferry to reach a small family restaurant on the far bank.

Then there's the incredible natural beauty of the country. The fine white sand, clean clear water, and purple mountain backdrops of the Sinai and the Red Sea coasts have long been known to divers, who come to enjoy offshore reefs with sheer drop-offs that plummet to unknown depths, for coral-encountered shipwrecks and for the abundance of amazing marine life. Equally other-worldly are the vast expanses of blinding white sand and rippling dunes of the Western Desert, now more accessible through a growing number of desert-safari outfits. There's far more to Egypt than just the Pyramids.

Customer Reviews

this one's a keeper
This book was recommended by the Egyptian agency which was helping us plan an independent tour. I quickly saw why. It is a concise, practical guide, giving down-to-earth accessible information. The general introduction to the history, geography, economy, and culture of Egypt, while only about 30 pages long, provides an appropriate starting point for a visitor along with a 3 page list of recommended readings for travelers who want or need more in-depth information (Susan Wilson's "Culture Shock! Egypt" would be a useful addition to the list). The brief overview of temple/tomb architecture and of the gods/goddesses (with handy line drawings) was especially helpful when fatigue led to information blur later in the trip. The "Facts for the Visitor" section was indispensible as it provided basic information on everything from visas to money to toilets. The metric conversion table inside the back cover was a blessing! The advice for women travelers and for traveling with children was especially helpful for us (a party of 2 women/2 young teens). The cautions perhaps encouraged us to be too guarded at first, but they also allowed us to gradually relax into our comfort zone with very few unpleasantries. The actual guide to places, sites, and activities suited our needs well. The maps provided were clear and helpful; the descriptions, histories, and commentaries of the various sites and locations interesting. The amount of information provided was quite appropriate (one, after all, has to be able to carry the book conveniently about). Where we felt we needed more information, we simply bought something more extensive on the spot or made a note to look for resources upon returning home. The information provided on Internet cafes was a godsend, if a bit fiddly to find; listing all the cafes in a single section or at least including a page number for each city in the table of contents or index would be most welcome. All in all, this was the most used guide that we took with us. It will definitely return with me next time.

Just OK
Spent 2+ weeks in Egypt in April 2005, touring all the major sites with my husband, including the Sinai Peninsula, without a tour group. While I am generally a huge fan of LP and use them extensively, this country's edition was a little disappointing. It was slim on the specifics of the sites/museums and if you only have this book, you will need to pay for guides at the sites/museums, since you won't understand what you are looking at. Get the Rough Guide instead.

Great Guide!
I knew nothing about Egypt before my recent trip to the country. So, I decided to pick up a Lonely Planet Guide on Egypt and I'm sure glad I did. The book filled me in on culture, money, religion, food, history, sites, language, travel and so much more. The history section was precise and just the right length. I especially liked the summary of the pharaohs and gods. It was a nice size to carry along. The summaries of the temples, burial sites, etc were really nice. There was information in the book on the sites that our guide did not tell us. The maps were also helpful. Others in my group were asking to see my guide book instead of reading their own non-lonely planet guide books throughout the trip. Overall, I was very pleased with this guidebook. If you are going to Egypt this book is a must. Or, if you want to learn about Egypt, this is also a great book.