Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with egypt

What are the most essential travel phrases?

Alison — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 07:06:51 -0800

I'm building a basic phrase list that I will learn for countries that I visit. What are your most useful travel phrases? I'm also looking for anything that would be useful specifically for Egyptian Arabic. I'm traveling to Egypt this winter and I want to be able to speak just a few useful phrases. However, all of my language CDs have been terrible, either giving me much more than I need (most of it useless) or omitting important things. I want to build my own phrase list, kind of a swadesh list for travel.

I want to keep the list short and be able learn it within a few days. I'll be hiring someone to translate the list and record it.

Actually, if you're a speaker of the Egyptian dialect of Arabic and can record yourself, I'll pay good money!

What I have so far:

Important Phrases:
Hello
Goodbye
Please
Thank You
Yes
No
Nice to meet you!
Pardon me (for bumping into someone)
Excuse me (for attention)
Help!
That's beautiful! (view)
That's beautiful! (object)
No, thank you. (to touts)

Shopping:
How much?
Too expensive.
I'll take it!
How much for a meter? (of fabric)

Eating:
I'll have ____, please.
Coffee
Tea
Bottled Water
Excuse me, waiter.
Check, please.
Delicious!

Getting around:
Take us to ____, please.
Where is _____?
Museum
Toilet
Hospital

[Basic Numbers]
[Basic Colors]

Egypt Specific:
Mosque
God willing
Camel (eating or riding)
Lamb
Rice
Pyramid
Cairo
Luxor
Alexandria
Aswan
Nile
boat

US citizen working in Egypt

Anonymous — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 08:11:20 -0800

I just received a job offer, for a senior architect position in a very known contracting firm in Cairo. FYI, I have 8 years of experience as an architect and an M.Arch degree. However, I was shocked to see the figures associated, they are so low, and there are a lot of other concerns about rent fees and work hours, etc.. I will list some of the things below, please advise, if you have worked in Egypt, or familiar with the work law there. 1- Working hours in accordance with the local's labor law are 208/month i.e. 48/week. (This is insane. is that true?)

2- Compensation for this position is : Basic sallary is $2,700.00 + $540 accommodation allowance + $150 for food. ( That does not look enough at all, no matter how cheap living in Cairo really is).

3- They mention transportation, but do not say how much will they pay.

4- End of service will be accordance with local's labor law, ( I have no clue what that is)

5- They calculate overtime at maximum 2 hours daily, they don't pay any extra hours, so that means 52 hours/month estimated at $911.25 only

6- The duration of annual leave is 21 days, then they say that I will be eligible for 2 rest and recreation leaves, each is 7 days long. Then they add, those 7 days are inclusive of travel time and any holidays that may fall within, immediately before or after it.

Forget about a vacation, I want to challenge my worldview!

hasna — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 14:09:03 -0800

Help me spend 5 non-traditional days in Egypt! I'm going to Egypt for 5 (3 full, plus 2 mostly full) days at the end of next week. I have no idea what to spend my time doing.

I'm a 24yo single female, well traveled (but don't speak Arabic), and currently living in Istanbul. I have no intentions of visiting the pyramids (et al.) beyond a quick drive-by photo. I don't like most museums, either. Tour groups (unless to some uber-dangerous, hecka cool part of middle earth) are out the question. And I do not want to pay to see anything. What do I like, you ask? Well, a lot. I'd be happy to sit journalling in a small tea shop in some back alley somewhere. Or to while away an afternoon praying in a mosque. Or play football with kids on the street. Or help some women prepare meals for a few days. Or visit a refugee camp. Or...

I'm open to (and would maybe prefer?) getting away from Cairo, although I understand this might be difficult in such a short time. I will not be packing luggage, but carrying everything in a day-pack type backpack, so I'll be fully mobile. I have a specific interest in (semi-professional) photography, but for the right experience/opportunity, I'd leave my camera gear home. I'm willing to get dirty, and I'm not afraid of much. (I'm full of common sense and travel sense, but I've been to some shady places, and I know where my "line" is). I have (almost) zero interest in anything archeology/ruins related. I'm much more interested in experiencing life and culture as lived by lower class Egypt.

I'm also strongly considering heading up to Al 'Arish, and edging as close as possible to the Gaza border, to see how life is lived there, and what impacts the closed border have on life there. I'd also love to volunteer someplace (not one of those "pay to volunteer" scams), maybe the Egyptian equivalent of a soup kitchen.

Finance-wise, I'm not too concerned, mostly because the things that usually cost the most money (hotels, entry fees, guides...) aren't the kind of things I want to spend my time on. In any case, I'd rather spend less money, than more.

As you can see, there's a lot I could do, I just haven't quite gathered my thoughts on this enough yet. Before you mention it, I have been checking out CouchSurfing, but I'd rather have some sort of a plan before I contact anyone.

Any thoughts, advice, personal experiences would be appreciated. Thanks!

Egypt Was Good Enough for King Tut

NolanRyanHatesMatches — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 21:51:34 -0800

MovingFarAwayFilter: GF is dead-set on moving from Brooklyn to Cairo, Egypt, for at least a year. I'm pretty resistant to the idea since I love NYC and, if forced to move outside the US, there are hundreds of cities I'd rather move to. I desperately need some 1st/2nd person accounts of living in Cairo / Egypt to help make this decision. General background: we both work for magazines in NYC, are in our late-20s, social, pretty culturally-oriented (go to concerts/readings/etc. as often as possible, go to parties -- of friends, at warehouses, etc. -- regularly on the weekends), and generally live the lives that you might expect from young, social Brooklynites.

Her background: works in literature/poetry, certified Third Culture Kid, moved around as part of a US State Dept. family every two years, has lived in various Middle Eastern countries (including Cairo in high school for two years), speaks and reads Arabic at a decent level, is desperate to move away from the US, seeks "adventure" but scoffs at the idea of living anywhere in Central America, South America, and Europe. Seems to be basically zeroed-in on Cairo, Alexandria, or another Middle Eastern country. I've floated the idea of staying somewhere / various places for three-four months at a time, but she would rather spend one or two years in one place. At present time, she also seems to value moving away more than job prospects, so she's not necessarily looking for an editing/writing job.

I grew up knowing that I'd move to NYC and have loved living here, love our extended group of friends, love pretty much everything the city offers. My job is here (although could be done, with some effort, outside of the city), my friends are here, and so is my heart. I really, really don't want to move (but love to travel, just not relocate). But, I love my GF (long-term) more than any of it, and she wants to head out, no question.

Were I forced to move, I'd probably pick either a metropolitan city in Central America, South Amerca, or Europe: Mexico City, Quito, Buenos Aires, Sao Paolo, Lima, Belmopan, Barcelona, London, Dublin, Rome, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, etc.); or, a sleepier town, bucolic town in C/S America or Europe, of which I know hundreds, and there are probably thousands that I don't know about that I would love.

Basically, what are the chances that I would enjoy living in Cairo? How heavy is the cultural bend towards Arab/Muslin trends? Will there be clubs to go to at night? Might I enjoy the music scene there? Is there a healthy cultural conversation w/r/t Western literature? Would I be somewhat shocked by what the law disallows? Is there a chance that I'll feel as if I'm in a European metropolis? Will I have a tough time continuing my online work from Cairo? Can I get by with English, or will I have to spend serious time learning Arabic? I get the feeling that I might like Cairo over other big Middle Eastern cities, but I can't shake the supposition that I'd other big cities that I know and love over Cairo.

I'd love to hear any 1st/2nd person experiences about living in Cairo, or any suggestions of websites/blogs that chronicle what day-to-day life is like in Cairo. I'd like to be open-minded about the prospect of living there, but I can't seem to find any information sources that will help me make the decision, and I think I have a deep-seated wariness of being a Westernized guy living in Egypt / Middle East. Any help at all would be much appreciated

Travel to Egypt; advice on guides and such?

refactored — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 15:23:17 -0800

Travelling to Egypt from the UK next week; any advice for someone who's never been before? Specifically; "gifts" for the kids rather than "tips", and hiring a guide for a day. My girlfriend and I are travelling to Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt next week. We're going all-inclusive and won't be taking much cash with us.

First, I hear that there are often kids around who pester for "tips" and try to "befriend" you. Many websites say that you shouldn't give them money, and one suggested "gifts" instead such as pens. I'm wondering whether there's anything I can bring from the UK that would be small, reasonably cheap, and would be really appreciated by these kids.

Secondly, we're quite keen on seeing the Valley of the Kings and don't want to get ripped-off by the Hotel/Rep. We're happy "going it alone" in Spain and Greece but Egypt is new to us. The websites recommend getting a guide and/or taxi-driver for the day, but don't give much more information about how to obtain one. Any thoughts you could provide would be great!

Also, if there's anything else that comes to mind advice-wise that you can give us from your own experiences in the region we'd be very grateful!

Help me go everywhere but Babylon

foodmapper — Mon, 08 Jun 2009 12:57:53 -0800

Middle East Travel Advice: I'm flying to Istanbul next Sunday, and then have about 3 weeks to travel overland between Istanbul and Cairo. Where should I go? What should I see? I need some advice, and first-person experience and anecdotes are especially welcome. I've been reading through the thorntree forums and previous threads and the travel guides, but at this point I'm saturated with information. There are so many awesome-sounding places that I'm having a hard time figuring out where I should go, what I HAVE to see, and things I really shouldn't miss out on. What made your jaw drop and your hair stand on end? My rough itinerary is this:

5 days in Istanbul
2 days in Aleppo
2 days in Beirut
2 days in Baalbec
3 days in Damascus
2 days in Palmyra
3 days in Petra and Wadi Rum
2 days to get from the Sinai Peninsula to Cairo

I fly into Istanbul Monday June 22, and need to be in Cairo on Sunday, July 12th. I'd like to see as much as possible between those two places. I'm a mid-20's American female, traveling alone, with only a few Moroccan Arabic phrases. I'm hoping to Couchsurf all or a goodly portion of this. I'm planning to fly from Istanbul to probably Gaziantep on Pegasus airlines, though I may take the train, and then do the rest of this portion on buses and trains, except for a ferry from Jordan to Egypt.

I'd love to hear any suggestions you have for Istanbul, Syria, Jordan, and Lebanon. Places to see, things to eat, walks to go on, etc. I'm the 'wander-around-a-city getting lost and finding neat things' type of traveler. I've traveled around Southern Africa (South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Botswana, Zambia) via minibus and hostels - I'm used to roughing it. I've been to a Muslim country (Morocco), but this is my first time to the Middle East. I'm not really a shopper, especially as I'm traveling light and overland, and I'm not really a nightlife/party person.

I'm hesitant to travel via Israel, as I want to go back to the region and my passport doesn't expire for a few more years - but if there's something AMAZING I need to see in the southern desert regions, let me know. I won't be traveling to Jerusalem for the above-mentioned passport issue. I already have my visa for Syria and am waiting on the visa for Egypt, so that shouldn't be an issue.

Suggestions for the Sinai Peninsula and the rest of Egypt are also welcome - I'm meeting up with my parents in Cairo on the 12th, and we'll all be travelling to meet up with my sister in Alexandria on the 17th of July. Thanks!

Obama - the New King Tut?

empath — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 17:09:29 -0800

"Obama - The New Tutankahamen of the World" shirts in Egypt? What's the story here? I saw lots of pictures of shirts, etc, with that on it. I'm kind of curious who would buy a shirt like that? Was it meant for American tourists? What does King Tut mean to the average egyptian (who I'd assume would be Muslim?) I'm interested especially in hearing what native Egyptians or people who spent some time living there think about it. Is "The New Tutenkhaman" a common idiom there like "A new caesar"?

ana ma barif 'arabee

Anonymous — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 09:02:23 -0800

Arabic, but not MSA: Do you know of a decent one-week crash course in Egyptian colloquial in Cairo or Alexandria? I know it's a very short amount of time, but a friend and I would like to study in Egypt for a week around the end of June. Learning some of the essentials quickly in a more formal setting would be terribly helpful, as we live in the region and need some help with basic survival language. (We're in a differing dialect region, but one that's close enough that it would all be useful.) I'm having trouble distinguishing the credible from the terrible online, and any advice would be really appreciated.

If it's important to know, we both feel relatively comfortable with the alphabet.

I'm posting anonymously for (slightly silly) security concerns.

Thanks for any help you can offer!

Suggestions for a special or unusual gift from Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Jordan (for an American)?

Auden — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 01:08:13 -0800

Suggestions for a special or unusual gift from Egypt, Saudi Arabia or Jordan (for an American)? Some friends are traveling to Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan while I house-sit for them and their cats during the month of January. Although I'm fascinated by the food, people, and culture of the middle east (and have lived in Europe and Asia) I've never been to the region myself. I would guess the ballpark price for this gift would be around $50 or less (oh, and I'm a 30-ish American male). Any ideas on what I might suggest, or request?

Gold basics

anonymous78 — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 14:16:07 -0800

Help my buy my first pair of gold earrings. What do I need to know? I want to buy a pair of simple studs. What should I look for - price-wise, karat-wise, quality-wise, etc. I'm living in Egypt, in case that matters.

8 days in Egypt, 3 days in Athens...what to do?

citystalk — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 14:48:54 -0800

8 days in Egypt, 3 days in Athens...help with itinerary, please! Posting for my non-mefi-account-having friend, who I'm very jealous of right now, lol:

"My wife and I are going to Athens for 3.5 days, 3 nights Dec 27th-Dec 30th, and Egypt for 8.5 days, 8 nights Dec 30th-Jan 7th, starting and ending in Cairo.

For Athens, we're pretty much set for the WHERE (one day trip to Delphi, the rest enjoying Athens, but would like specific, unusual things to check out and visit in those two places.

For Egypt, we're trying to figure it out. We know we'll be in Cairo through New Year's (any cool things to do on New Year's Eve?) and are considering just taking the overnight train and spending the rest of the time in Luxor and then a day trip to Alexandria at the end. Any other thoughts about what to do and/or where to go in this short time?

Probably will be our only time ever to Egypt, so we want to do as much as possible, but Greece we'll go again in the summer to see the islands."

We are on a moderate budget (would like to spend in and around $200-250 day, not including hotel) and are up for long days and odd experiences."

Need an experienced artist for Egypt tattoos

corwalch — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 10:21:38 -0800

I am looking for a good tattoo artist/shop in the Denver area. Specifically one that has experience or interest in egyptian art and tattoos. I am looking to have some tomb art done, and want it done in a realistic manner. Any help from the hive mind would be greatly appreciated.

القاهرة

ecab — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 15:25:42 -0800

Cairo Filter: I'm working in Egypt this summer for three months and have a few questions. I'm a 23 year-old American male and am going to be working at a Cairo-based NGO this summer. It's going to be my first time in the Middle East and I have a few questions.

1) I'm going to be renting a flat, and from what I've read there is dialup most everywhere for extremely cheap. I was curious, though, whether it was possible to get reasonably priced broadband in Cairo - and if so, from where? If not, will the dialup be sufficient to use Skype?

2) Relatedly, is the internet there censored? A friend of mine currently in Iran says she can't get on facebook or a variety of other sites. Does Egypt block objectionable websites? I thought they might likely block porn, but what else?

3) I took four years of Modern Standard Arabic in college, but it's been a while since I used it regularly and it's really deteriorated and, moreover, I know only the most basic rules of Egyptian Colloquial. Is there anywhere on the internet where I could watch Arabic movies, television, or news, so I can just get back into the habit of hearing Arabic? I know some places where I can listen to radio news, but I'd really prefer video.

4) What should I read before I go? I've read Max Rodenbeck's history of Cairo as well as AUC's guide to moving to the city. I'm interested in both fiction and non-fiction. I know I need to read something by Naguib Mahfouz, what do you recommend?

5) As someone who is going to be in Egypt for a fairly extended period of time, what else do you think I should know or what do you think I should do besides the obvious?

CEEMEA news sources?

keasby — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 06:55:16 -0800

Best/accurate/easy to access sources of Central & Eastern Europe and Middle East / Africa (CEEMEA) news? Global newspapers or local? Which are best? Beginning to research health care in emerging market countries (Central Eastern Europe, Russia, CIS, Middle East, Africa) but am wondering if anyone has insight into particularly good news sources, ie. ones that have a good pulse on the local sentiment but can be accessed from afar.

Right now I am reading the Economist, NYT and WSJ. Economist is at times too macro (I am specifically interested in health care issues at a a regional/local level) and I presume there is bias to NYT and WSJ, but already have subscriptions so its a sunk cost.

Would I be better off reading major Euro news papers online? If so, which are best?

Would I benefit from hunting for regional/national papers, and if so, which are are most independent from the gov?

Countries of particular interest: Russia, Turkey, Jordan, Egypt, South Africa

Thank you!

What's living in Alexandria, Egypt like?

devilsbrigade — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 17:39:26 -0800

What's living in Alexandria, Egypt like? I'm considering stopping out of university for a year next year. Ideally, I'd be living somewhere other than home. I've been reading Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet, & to be honest, I'm quite taken with the idea of living there. That said, I realize reality isn't quite like that, & especially not 70 years after the books take place. Basically, I'm looking for general experiences, or thoughts on living there.

Things that have been on my mind lately:

1) I speak English and French. How prevalent are these two languages? Would adding Greek help much, or is Arabic really the only way to go?

2) How would one go about finding an apartment? Craigslist has a handful for Cairo and not much else, so I'm guessing there's some other method. The prices in Cairo seemed to be about 1500 EGP -- is that a reasonable guess?

3) How easy is it to find work? I've thought about getting a TEFL certificate - would that make finding work significantly easier? What's the viability of a bar-type job without much Arabic? Are Egypt's visa requirements significantly different from western Europe?

4) What does the city feel like? General impressions or conceptions of areas, etc. would be terrific.

5) Would there be any major concerns with being an American in Egypt right now? I'm interested especially in what it's like subjectively, even if it's not really dangerous objectively.

Any recommendations on other resources would be terrific, too.

Lost Young Adult Title, Ancient Egypt

maryh — Sun, 10 Feb 2008 23:18:59 -0800

BookFilter: Young adult genre, ancient Egypt, cat, young baker. I read this YA novel back in the late seventies. If I recall correctly, it was a time travel story involving a pet cat and a boy living in ancient Egypt. The one scene that really stands out for me involves the boy baking an elaborate loaf of bread shaped like a cat? a building? and having his heart sink as he watches it be thoughtlessly consumed by his masters.

Anyone?

Aloha?

Acari — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 16:12:11 -0800

Help an Anglo guy get by in Hebrew and Arabic Assuming I can find a way to New York, I'll be getting on a plane to Jordan at the end of February for one month.

Hurray!

Once I get there, I assume that my particular blend of bad english, worse french, and abysmal spanish won't put me in the good graces of the man in charge of the local falafel cart, nor will it help me hitch a ride to the red sea.

I plan on spending the bulk of my time in Israel, but Jordan and Egypt are so close, and the internet says that hitchhiking will be easy, so I imagine I will find myself unable to speak Arabic as well as Hebrew.

If you had about 1.5 months to learn enough of these two languages to get by, how would you proceed?

Handicaps:
1- no money [going into debt for travel is a pastime of mine]
2- linux

Weird rock found in Western Desert of Egypt

odasaku — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 22:06:27 -0800

An Egyptian friend of mine found this rock in the West Desert of Egpyt. Can anyone tell us what it is? It's really abnormal-looking. (All of my theories involve Sun Ra and pharaonic collusion with Saturn.)

Stuck like an Egyptian

miss lynnster — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 21:13:40 -0800

A dear friend of mine desperately wants to improve his life and follow his dreams. I live in a far freer country so I'm unsure of exactly how best to show him support sometimes. I want to tell him not to give up hope and to work hard towards his goals, that it's the only way they'll happen. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I'm just being an overly optimistic American, though. I want to help him in any way I can, but we take for granted the possibilities we have here. Things are far different in his country than in mine and I know that. So I feel a bit useless as support. Insights, please... This friend is a very intelligent, upper middle class Egyptian man... very, very westernized with excellent english skills. His one dream has always been to travel the world, so he trained to be a flight attendant years ago but wasn't hired due to poor vision. He has a good job in travel now, but desperately dreams of getting a job in Dubai, Europe, or America and leaving Egypt. He's just too westernized to feel comfortable remaining in Egypt, he wants to acheive more for himself. He want a new life, and he deserves that chance as much as anyone I know.

Problem is, since 9/11 it is apparently nearly impossible for an Egyptian man to be approved for a foreign visa unless wealthy. It's far easier for women -- all of my female Egyptian friends travel and both his mother and sister travel for work regularly without problem. Meanwhile, he takes them to the airport and picks them up but stays in Egypt. It's heartbreaking. He's even bought plane tickets to visit British friends in the past and had to get the tickets refunded when his visa was denied (although they kept his $130 application fee). They basically implied that he didn't have enough money in the bank.

I did try helping him by writing him a new CV (resume) and he tells me he's sending it to people in Dubai and elsewhere, but I'm not sure he knows the best way to go about getting an actual job outside of Egypt since he's never tried before. How should he really go about getting hired by someone? Is it even likely? Am I just going to witness his dreams shatter forever as time passes? Is he truly destined to be trapped in his homeland & never leave?

It's really hard for me to believe that... we Americans just aren't used to accepting that something is impossible.

Honestly, he's such a good person with so much potential and such a solid head on his shoulders... but he sees his future as hopeless in his home country. I can't argue with him, either. There just isn't much opportunity for success there. He has so much to offer the world... he's an incredibly smart guy and a very hard worker. He deserves to be able to pursue his dreams and to earn a better life for himself. So I want to tell him to never give up, but what should I really be saying? Is there any good advice that would work? Any good, realistic gameplan for someone in his place? Do you know of anyone who's been in a similar situation and successfully left Egypt (or a similarly repressed country) as an adult? Have you?

And if there IS no chance of this actually working out for him, should I just continue my silly pep talks? I do a lot of listening, but I don't want to give him false hope. I just want to be the best and most supportive friend I can possibly be.

And no, I'm not marrying him. No fiancé visas are in my future. No no no no no.

Sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor

mai — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:59:17 -0800

Sleeper train from Cairo to Luxor. . . there are some snags. If you have done this, help my mother out. My mom is trying to book a sleeper train from Cairo, Egypt, to Luxor, using
this company, Abela Egypt. Unforunately they are not answering e-mails and their phone number has been disconnected.

Tickets can be booked locally, but it is more expensive to do so. If anyone has done this before, any suggestions you might have would be appreciated.

I know this is a long shot, but the hive mind has always come through for me before.

"For I am knowledge and ignorance..."

ibeji — Thu, 10 May 2007 05:58:08 -0800

Where can I find the Thunder Perfect Mind text in its Coptic form? A (legible) photograph of the Nag Hammadi papyrus itself or a copy using a Coptic font will do. Online sources are ideal, but book references are also appreciated.

Yes, we have no left shift key!

Deathalicious — Mon, 09 Apr 2007 18:48:42 -0800

Well, my left shift key has finally broken in half and no longer works. What can I do about it? (Difficulty: "go to the nearest Apple Store" is not a viable solution!) Some of you may recall my earlier question; if not, basically a few months ago I was cleaning my iBook G4 12" keyboard, took out my left shift-key, and half-snapped it. As it turns out, it continued working for 3 more months. Due to time constraints I didn't have an opportunity to stop by an Apple store to get a replacement shift key back in January, which was the commonly supplied solution.

I'm now in Egypt, which has no Apple stores at all (it has some Apple resellers, but I'm not sure if they could help). Shipping to Egypt is pretty slow and not all that reliable. What can I do?

Is it possible to repair the key somehow? Or will it just snap in half again? If I were to glue it, what kind of glue would work best?

More importantly, are there any more common Windoze laptops whose keys match in shape or size to a shift key on an iBook? If so perhaps I could find a PC shop somewhere with spare keys (the Windows to Mac ratio in Egypt seems to be even higher than in the US).

Finally, any tips in the near future for adjusting to typing without a left shift key? I'm a touch typist and I'm finding it pretty annoying.

Thanks!

Looking for a book

Vindaloo — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 19:44:40 -0800

I need to obtain a new copy of an Egyptian engineering book, please help! A teacher at my university kindly loaned us a book for an engineering project, but the book was mistreated and is now in terrible shape. I searched a bit on the web but because the book is from Egypt and the Ain Shams University site bookstore didn't have it I am at a loss.

Here are the details:

Reinforced Concrete Design Handbook

by
Prof. Dr. Shaker El-Behairy
Faculty of Engineering
Ain Shams University
Fifth Edition
2002

Notes:
-The cover says 5th edition, but the first page inside the book says 6th edition (typo?).
-The preface is dated 1970 and 1971
-The book is hardcover with a brownish/reddish cover with gold lettering

Any help locating a new copy of this book would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

Too claustrophobic for the pyramids?

meerkatty — Sun, 11 Mar 2007 10:20:22 -0800

Have you been in the pyramids at Giza? Am I too claustrophobic to do this? I'm spending a couple of days in Cairo this week and will be visiting the pyramids. I've heard that actually going in them can be quite claustrophobic and was wondering if any Mefites have firsthand experience of such a visit. I'm not uncomfortable in small spaces, but am one of those people who has to sit at the front of airplane cabins because seeing a sea of heads in front of me while inside a small space makes me queasy. Anything else I should be aware of?

Bonus: I'm really looking forward to shopping in the Khan el-Khalili. Any tips?

Advice for traveling in a tour through Egypt and Jordan?

Void_Ptr — Fri, 02 Mar 2007 07:36:27 -0800

I will be taking a tour through Egypt and Jordan at the end of April, and am looking for advice in terms of what clothes would be appropriate (I am a married woman in her late 20's, traveling with my husband, father, and brother), what kind of things I should bring or avoid, or any advice that you can give (preferrably if you have been on a similar trip to that part of the world). The tour has a religious theme with regards to the itinerary (visiting lots of historical religious sites, etc), but I don't think it is religious in, er, spirit.

I've already read that women should try to dress modestly (covering arms and legs), and that western women should wear dark sunglasses to diminish the eye-contact (and resulting over-familiarity) issue.

I am also wondering about the weather at that time of year. Will it be hot? Cold? Should I even consider bringing sandals, or just stick to walking/hiking shoes?

Any other thoughts people can contribute?