In the latest edition of the Lonely Planet’s “Best in Travel 2020” travel guide, the capital city of Cairo was named third in the “Top 10 Cities” list. Salzburg, Austria and Washington DC, USA topped the list, ranking first and second respectively. Lonely Planet also named Galway, Ireland, Bonn, Germany, La Paz, Bolivia, Kochi, India, Vancouver, Canada, Dubai, UAE, and Denver, USA amongst the top 10. According to Lonely Planet, Cairo is set to be a global touristic attraction in 2020, particularly as the highly anticipated Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) is set to open later in the year. Egyptian authorities are aiming for the GEM to be the largest archaeological museum in the world, housing more than 100,000 of Egypt’s treasures, many of which were moved from Tahrir Square’s iconic Egyptian Museum including the Tutankhamun mask and the rest of the Tutankhamun collection. Over 50,000 artifacts have been transferred to the GEM, a neighbor to the Great Pyramids located on the Giza plateau. Since the ‘Tutankhamun Exhibition’, displaying the renowned king’s treasures, has been touring the world for almost two years for the last time before settling in the GEM,…
Everything You Need to Know About Forex Brokers
Forex is a combination of two things; foreign currency and exchange and is the process of changing one currency into another. It is one of the largest markets in the world, with an average daily trading volume of $5 trillion. Forex trade is conducted in the Forex market, which operates 24 hours a day, five days a week. The market closes at 22:00 GMT on Friday and opens again at 22:00 on a Sunday. Here is everything you need to know about forex brokers, should you choose to use one. How Does A Forex Market Work? Whether you realize it or not, currencies play a very vital role in the world. In order to conduct trade, currencies are needed to be exchanged, and most people make a profit off that. For example, if you are living in the United States and need to buy something in France, you have to pay them in euros (EUR). This means that before buying anything in a different country with a different currency, you have to exchange your money to the equivalent of that country. The beauty of the international market is that there…
Cairo Rain Causes Chaotic Traffic, Power Outages
Large pools of water, an entire open air food court evacuated, panic-stricken individuals trying desperately to find a single vacant white taxi, such were the scenes on Tuesday evening as a short rain fall left many of Cairo’s districts in a frenzy. Only a few hours after heavy rains in Heliopolis, Nasr city, Salah Salem and a few more disticts, the majority of the city’s streets amassed large swathes of puddles. Buses filled to the brim with passengers despite unmoving traffic. Photos of tunnels-turned-pools also circulated on social media as many took to expressing frustration from the expected poor infrastructure conditions and ineffective drainage systems. just left cairo & this happened if a few hrs of rain does this what will rising sea levels do…… pic.twitter.com/8NnniXFVsJ — Alia ElKattan (@aliaelkattan) October 22, 2019 Heavy rains are expected to continue on Wednesday and Thursday as well. Egypt’s Prime Minister, Mostafa Madbouly, announced that universities and schools are to be suspended in some areas of Cairo, Giza and Qalyubia based on Egypt’s Meterological Authority’s reports of continued rains in the next days as per local news outlets Al Shorouk, Al Amal and…
The Internationally Acclaimed Egyptian Brand Reviving the Dying Craft of Kilim
Since the January 25th uprising and the rise of startup culture across the MENA region, many Egyptian entrepreneurs and creatives have launched ethically and socially conscious businesses. One such disruptive social enterprise is local tapestry and upholstery brand Kilim, which was launched in 2016 with the aim of preserving, reviving, and modernizing the dying art of kilim, or traditional flat-woven tapestry, a craft that dates back to the Persian Empire. “I wanted to launch a project that had a social impact. [And] my wife and co-founder, Noha El Taher, is a graphic designer and, [at the time], she was teaching design for social entrepreneurship at the German University in Cairo (GUC),” says Kiliim co-founder Ibrahim Shams. The duo were in the midst of decorating and furnishing a new room when they first became aware of the gap in the local kilim market, after failing to find designs that matched the overall aesthetic of their house. Soon after their fruitless thorough search, Kiliim was born. “I suggested to Noha that we launch an online store where we modernize the designs of kilim, while maintaining its over all traditional look,” he recounts….
UK Lifts Restrictions on Flights to Sharm El-Sheikh After 4-Year Ban
The British government announced on Tuesday that UK airlines will resume flights to Sharm El-Sheikh after four years since the initial ban in 2015. In response to the UK’s decision, Egypt’s Minister of Tourism Rania Al Mashat said that “Egypt welcomes the return of British tourists”, adding that it is “a testament to the ongoing cooperation between both nations.” https://twitter.com/RaniaAlMashat/status/1186591041337597953 The Foreign Office said that the decision comes in light of improvements in security procedures at the Sharm El-Sheikh airport, and close cooperation between the UK and Egypt on aviation security. “We look forward to services to Sharm El-Sheikh resuming, and lifting the restriction is the first step in that process,” UK Secretary of State for Transport Grant Shapps said. However, a foreign travel advisory by the UK government notes that “there remains a heightened risk of terrorism against aviation in Egypt,” and advises against all but essential travel to South Sinai, with the exception of “the area within the Sharm El-Sheikh perimeter barrier, which includes the airport and the areas of Sharm El-Maya, Hadaba, Naama Bay, Sharks Bay and Nabq.” Following the crash of a Metrojet Airbus A320 in…
27 Unnoticed Beautiful Moments Captured in Egypt
Everyday, we walk past people we do not know: the butcher at the market, the young man carrying freshly baked bread, the young children playing in a narrow alleyway, the old man enjoying a shisha and black coffee and the mother making a living for her family. While many of us are often focused on our destination, it is often important to stop and observe the colorful life that occurs around us. For, in such observation, one can often find truly simple, yet beautiful, moments. Here are 27 photographs and their captions by Photito Travel capturing some of these moments on Cairene streets. 1. Hot tea on a chilly desert night A Bedouin prepares a camp fire with which he will make a pot of tea. A welcomed warm drink on a chilly desert night. 2. History in the background For many of us the great pyramids at Giza are one of the wonders of the world. A magical site that conjures sentiments of a romantic past. For others however, they are part of the scenery always present whilst they go about their daily routine. 3. The spirit of the…
What If Egyptian Women Had the Supernatural Power of Emitting Electricity?
The wonderful aspect about science fiction books is that they toy with our perception of reality and fiction. The lines between both confuse lazily and realistically when we immerse ourselves in great works of science fiction and fantasy. One such book, a frightening and yet intriguing literary work, is the Power by Naomi Alderman. Hailing praise from the mistress of science fiction herself, Margaret Atwood, Alderman’s book presents us with a simple concept: what if women woke up one day with the natural capacity of electrocuting, much like electric eels? Alderman’s novel tells a story within a story: a male author submits his manuscript to a female author almost 5,000 years after the ‘power’ emerges and turns the world into a matriarchy. In his manuscript, he imagines, through the story of five main characters, the chaos and the tumultuous social and political changes which occur once women develop the power to emit electricity from their hand through the activation of a main, fictional muscle. Alderman describes “Margot reads a report from a team in Delhi who are the first to discover the strip of striated muscle across girl’s collarbones which…
10 Everyday Eco-friendly Products You Can Find in Egypt
With the recent interest in combating pollution and reducing plastic waste in Egypt, individuals often wonder about the practical steps they can take in ensuring they do their part in the battle. While Egypt is not the most advanced in terms of efficiently managing waste or providing a plethora of environment-friendly products, many would be surprised to know that the country does offer an increasing array of products in line with the lifestyle. 1. Bamboo Brushes Commercial toothbrushes blatantly make use of plastic, with the electric ones making use of both plastic and batterie which are even more harmful as they release toxins. A good viable alternative are bamboo brushes since the product is wholly organic, biodegradable and easy to recycle. Bamboo, a grass most known to be in China, regenerates naturally with minimal use of water and without sparking the need for deforestation. They can be found mostly at online stores in Egypt, such as UrbanEarthlings and Go Natural by Sarah. The Body Shop (Egypt) also has a line of bamboo hair brushes and combs. 2. Re-usable pads Sparking slightly discomfort in men and being the most widely used…
Motorbikes Ride Across Egypt and Its Coasts to Promote Tourism
Ongoing ‘Cross Egypt Challenge’ rally kicked off last Thursday in the coastal city of Alexandria. Thirty-six riders, participating from eight different countries, are driving by along Egypt’s major landmarks like the Giza Pyramids, Western Desert, Karnak Temple, Eastern Desert, and the Red Sea region by 26 October in order to promote tourism in the country. The 2019 edition of the series started at Alexandria before making its way south to Cairo, crossing through the Giza Pyramids, Zamalek and downtown. The rally then moved on a 310 km journey towards Minya over the weekend in order to finish day three of nine. Next, the motorcyclists and scooterists will head to Luxor where they will spend a day exploring one of Egypt’s ancient sites before continuing the journey to Berenice, near Shalatin. From there, the route shifts back along the Red Sea towards Hurghada before regrouping back in Cairo again. The rally hitting a total distance of 2,650 km and is under the supervision of Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism and the Egyptian Tourism Authority. The aim of the rally is to “promote Egyptian tourism” – local and international – according to their…