A trip to Cairo Egypt
Travel agent Jonathan Maskew (Tennis Bud 😉)
Cairo is located in Egypt, on the eastern half of the world. As of now you trip is to last from January 1st to January 8th and two of you are traveling. I am aware that you're going right after Christmas time, but they do not celebrate Christmas there, as they believe in a different religion. I wanted you to be aware that saying things about Christmas is not suggested.
Main religion
90% of Egypt is Islam and the majority of Egypt are Sunni Muslims. The followers of this religion are called Muslim, so expect to hear that a lot.
Basics of religion
Islam is a very popular religion in the eastern half of the world. Islams followers are called Muslims. Islam believes in only one God, with a prophet as a founder. Muhammad, born in 570 CE, was not satisfied with riches, which made him start questioning his life and the world around him. Muhammad soon started meditating in a cave, but one day when he was in the cave, an angel came to him and told him that there is only one God, named Allah, and that Muhammad was his last messenger. He thought he was going insane and ran out of the cave. When he got home, he told his wife about what he had encountered. She didn't take him as insane and told him to do what the angel told him. So, he begins spreading that there is only one god and whatever else he was told next time he went to the cave. He begins to gain more and more followers. One day, he goes the the Ka'ba, a cube with a stone inside that God orderes Abraham to build, and smashed all the stone idols, for he believed their was only one God. Islam now believes in The Five Pillars, and their symbol is the crescent star, as you can see above. One of the five pillars, and one of the most important pillars, is that you have to make a pilgrimage once in your life, known as the Hajj. In this, you have to make a trip to the Ka'ba once in your life time, unless physically or financially unable to.
How to dress
Considering most of the women in Egypt are Muslim, you may want to dress a little differently. The women are suggested to wear a tartha, for their St. Mary used too. If a tartha can not be worn, then it is suggested that the hair be covered. 86% of Muslim Egyptian women believe that they should not get to choose how they dress, but follow their religions dress code. For the men, it's not so complicated. They can pretty much wear whatever they wanted except for short shorts, or tanks tops, as locals don't feel comfortable seeing men in shorts. The men's dress code also applies to ladies in beach areas. It is also suggested that you bring strong shoes that cover your whole foot because all the sand there will hurt your feet.
What should or shouldn't be eaten
Muslims usually do not eat pork and is served very rarely in restaurants. They also don't eat tomatoes anymore because they think that the center of the tomatoe looks like a cross, as you can see in the picture. They also DO NOT DRINK ALCHOHOL. They usually eat a light breakfast to. But, one of the most important things is that they only SERVE WITH THEIR RIGHT HANDS, for the left is considered unclean.
Holidays
One important holiday is Ramadan. During Ramadan, Muslims fast, or do not eat or smoke. Also, there is Mawlid al-Nabi, or Muhammad's birthday, the founder of Islam. Another holiday is Muharram, or the Islamic New Year. Another holiday is Eid al-Adha, or the festival of sacrifice which is the celebration concluding the Hajj.
(Dates on table below)
Prices
A round trip flight using Air Canada and Egypt Air would cost $1,470 from January 1st to January 8th. To rent a car, it would cost $42 for a manual transmission or $54 for an automatic transmission for a day. To book a hotel room, you can book a four out of five starred one for $95 a night called the Novotel Cairo El Borg.
Tour of Cairo