Interesting Facts About Egypt: 25 Things That Will Surprise You Before Your Trip

Interesting facts about Egypt help you understand the country you are flying to: why the weekend falls on Friday, why everyone lives along one river and why the pyramids were not built by slaves. We have gathered 25 facts about the country, its people, ancient Egypt and nature. Guides tell many of them on tours, and some you can check for yourself.

Facts about the country: official name and borders

1. The official name is the Arab Republic of Egypt; in Arabic, Misr.
2. Egypt lies on two continents: Sinai belongs to Asia.
3. It borders Libya, Sudan, Israel and the Gaza Strip, and by sea faces Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
4. It is washed by two seas — the Mediterranean and the Red Sea. More.
5. About 95% of the territory is desert. Almost everyone lives in the Nile valley and delta, on about 5% of the land.
6. The population is over 100 million — the most populous Arab country.
7. A New Administrative Capital is being built about 45 km east of Cairo, and ministries are gradually moving there.

Egyptians: people, language and traditions

8. The official language is Arabic, and the Egyptian dialect is understood across the Arab world thanks to Egyptian films. About the language, with a phrasebook.
9. Most Egyptians are Sunni Muslims, and around 10% by estimates are Coptic Christians, whose church is one of the oldest in the world.
10. The weekend is Friday and Saturday.
11. Egyptians love football: Al Ahly and Zamalek are among the most successful clubs in Africa.
12. The national dish is koshari: rice, pasta, lentils, chickpeas, fried onions and tomato sauce.

Facts about ancient Egypt

13. The Giza pyramids are the only surviving Wonder of the Ancient World. Our pyramids guide.
14. Cleopatra lived closer in time to the Moon landing than to the building of the Great Pyramid.
15. The pyramids were built not by slaves but by paid workers. How the pyramids were built.
16. The Egyptians created a 365-day calendar, writing material made from papyrus and one of the first writing systems.
17. Hieroglyphs were deciphered by the Frenchman Champollion in 1822, thanks to the Rosetta Stone.
18. Cats were revered in Egypt as embodiments of the goddess Bastet and were even mummified.
19. Tutankhamun was a minor pharaoh — his almost untouched tomb made him famous. About the Valley of the Kings.
20. There were female pharaohs too: the best known is Hatshepsut, whose temple stands in Luxor.

Bestseller

Entertainment · Cairo

Sound and Light Show at the Giza Pyramids

• 2 hours
• Group
• Daily

from $60 $65−$5

Details

Bestseller

Cairo & pyramids · Sharm El Sheikh

Cairo from Sharm El Sheikh in a Small Group: Pyramids, Tahrir Museum and Old Cairo

• 19 hours
• Small group
• Wed, Fri, Sun
• Kids friendly

from $75 $80−$5

Details

Bestseller

Safari · Cairo

White and Black Desert in 2 Days from Cairo

• 2 days
• Group
• On request
• Kids friendly

from $175 $185−$10

Details

The Nile and Egypt’s nature

21. The Nile is one of the two longest rivers in the world, about 6,650 km. In Egypt it flows from south to north.
22. The Aswan High Dam stopped the Nile’s annual floods, and the temples of Abu Simbel were cut into blocks and moved higher because of it.
23. More than 1,000 species of fish live in the Red Sea, and a notable share of them are found nowhere else.
24. It hardly ever rains in Egypt: Luxor and Aswan get a few millimetres a year.
25. The White Desert looks like another planet: chalk rocks shaped like mushrooms and animals.

See Egypt for yourself

The main things to see on your trip are in “Egypt’s top landmarks”.

Luxor · Marsa Alam

Luxor from Marsa Alam

• 18 hours
• Group
• Daily
• Kids friendly

from $50 $55−$5

Details

Luxor · Marsa Alam

Luxor + Valley of the Kings from Marsa Alam

• 18 hours
• Group
• Daily
• Kids friendly

from $65 $70−$5

Details

Luxor · Marsa Alam

Luxor + Valley of the Queens from Marsa Alam

• 18 hours
• Group
• Daily
• Kids friendly

from $55 $60−$5

Details