Planning to travel to Egypt? 7 things you must know before booking your tickets

“Salaam aleikum. The obelisk there was transported from Luxor to Cairo. I know it because I am a history teacher. I also have a store nearby. Let me show it to you,” a man who appeared seemingly harmless, said. Little did I know that my so-called short trip to this store would cost me 100 Egyptian pounds (Rs 268).

Egypt, a country known for its pyramids, mummies and infamous Nile crocodiles, is much beyond the aforementioned. During my two month-long stay in the Arab country, I witnessed the jostling markets of Cairo flooded with perfume sellers and juice kiosks, the serenity of beaches in Hurghada, party boats on the Nile (known as Feluccas), sunsets, bone-chilling peaks of Mount St. Catherine and the restaurants in Sharm El-Sheikh selling Koshary and rice pudding.

Just in case you are planning to travel to Egypt, we have listed seven things in this article that you must keep in mind before booking your tickets. Read on.

BEWARE OF SCAMMERS

Well, this had to be the first point considering the fact that I got scammed during the first week of my stay in Egypt. The most common trick is to invite a tourist to their store and carve their name on some wooden artifact. You will be told that it is for free. But, that’s not the case, because you will be charged exponentially for the same. It is advisable to politely decline any unsolicited invite and, if need be, use my favourite words - La Shukran (no thanks in Arabic).

LEARN SOME BASIC ARABIC WORDS AND PHRASES

Learning numbers from 0 to 10 was really beneficial for me as most of the shopkeepers or restaurant staff do not speak in English. Here are a few words that I learnt during my trip. They are Wahed (one), Ethnein (two), Thalatha (three), Arba (four), Khamsa (five), Sabah al-khair (good morning), Shukran (thank you), Habibi (my love/friend), Yalla (let's go) and Mashi (okay).

SWEAR BY GOOGLE MAPS

Egypt has identical streets, nooks and corners. You need to absolutely swear by Google Maps or a physical map to avoid losing your way. I stayed near Talaat Harb Square in Downtown Cairo. All the streets connecting Talaat Harb to Tahrir Square were replete with perfume sellers, juice corners and small kiosks selling all kinds of stuff.

KEEP THE WEATHER IN MIND

Although 96 per cent of Egypt's total area is desert, the weather in Hurghada and Sharm El-Sheikh is moderate. The temperature in Mount St. Catherine in Sinai could drop to sub-zero levels as well. Meanwhile, cities along the Nile, like Luxor and Aswan, offer tropical temperatures for colossal sugarcane farms to thrive.

HIJAB IS NOT MANDATORY

Although Islam is the dominant religion in the country, Egyptians do not enforce hijab on women. However, in the Mosque of Ibn Tulun, which is the oldest in the Egyptian capital, the staff offers all the women visitors a special wrap-around skirt which they need to wear before entering the sanctum sanctorum. Women also need to cover their heads before entering a mosque.

WEEKENDS IN EGYPT

Egyptians work Sunday to Thursday. Their weekend begins on Friday so as to allow people to attend Friday or Congregational prayers.

ALCOHOL

Although alcohol is allowed, carrying liquor bottles without a wrapper or a bag could cause legal problems.