Map

Leader

Retired Field Marshal Abdel Fattah al-Sisi was elected president in May 2014, almost a year after he removed his predecessor,

President Mohammed Morsi, from office.

Travel

Visa & travel advice

1 Nationals from UK , EU and USA travelling to Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba and Taba resorts ONLY, for a maximum of 14 DAYS, do not require a visa prior to travelling as a free entry permission stamp will be granted upon arrival. If they intend to travel outside of the above mentioned areas they MUST obtain a Visa.

2 Nationals from (Arab countries) are advised to contact the Consulate General before applying for the visa in order to confirm the required documentation.

3 For The following nationalities and holders of Travel Documents, please see Section I: Iran, Tunisia, Somalia, Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Sudan (non residents in the UK), Djibouti, Mauritania, Comoros, Burundi, Rwanda, Liberia, Nigeria, Ghana, Sierra Leone, Mali, Niger, Chad, Israel, Afghanistan, Kosovo, Moldova, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Indonesia, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar.

4 In addition to UK and EU nationals, citizens of the following countries can obtain visa upon arrival at any of the Egyptian ports of entry: Australia, Canada, Croatia, Georgia, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Macedonia, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Serbia, Ukraine and USA.

• Best period

Egypt has two seasons: a mild winter, from November to April, and a hot summer, from May to October. More often than not, days are warm or hot and nights are cool and breezy. The only major differences between winter and summer are the daytime high temperatures and the changes in wind flow. Summers in the desert undergo wide variations between day temperatures and night ones: average minimums are 57 degrees Fahrenheit (14 degrees Celcius,) and high temps can climb to over 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celcius.) The lower temperatures in Alexandria have made the city a popular summer resort. Egypt receives very little rainfall annually, so the best time of year to visit is either in September through November or February through April, for taking advantage of the mild air. 

• Safety :

The Egyptian government is aware that it’s in its best financial interest to make sure that tourists are kept safe in the country. Apart from isolated occurrences, Egypt has put in place many safety systems to ensure the protection and well-being of its visitors. Millions of international travelers flock to Egypt’s ancient sites every year, and they have no reason to feel unsafe. As always, however, use your best judgment when traveling in a foreign nation, and exercise heightened caution if you’re going outside the normal tourist areas and closer to Egypt’s borders. You can keep up-to-date with any advisories through the U.S. Department of State’s travel page on Egypt.

History

There is evidence of rock carvings along the Nile terraces and in desert oases. In the 10th millennium BC, a culture of hunter-gatherers and fishers was replaced by a grain-grinding culture. Climate changes or overgrazing around 8000 BC began to desiccate the pastoral lands of Egypt, forming the Sahara. Early tribal peoples migrated to the Nile River where they developed a settled agricultural economy and more centralized society.

Arts & Culture

• Music :

Music has been an integral part of Egyptian culture since antiquity. The ancient Egyptians credited one of the powerful gods Hathor with the invention of music, which Osiris in turn used as part of his effort to civilize the world. The earliest material and representational evidence of Egyptian musical instruments dates to the Predynastic period, but the evidence is more securely attested in the Old Kingdom when harps, flutes and double clarinets were played.Percussion instruments,and lutes were added to orchestras by the Middle Kingdom. Cymbals[2] frequently accompanied music and dance, much as they still do in Egypt today. Egyptian folk music, including the traditional Sufi dhikr rituals, are the closest contemporary music genre to ancient Egyptian music, having preserved many of its features, rhythms and instruments.

• Literature :

Egyptian literature traces its beginnings to ancient Egypt and is some of the earliest known literature. Indeed, the Egyptians were the first culture to develop literature as we know it today, that is, the book.

• Film industry :

The cinema of Egypt refers to the flourishing Egyptian Arabic-language film industry based in Cairo, the capital of Egypt. Since 1976, Cairo has held the annual Cairo International Film Festival, which has been accredited by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations. There is also another festival held in Alexandria. Of the more than 4,000 short and feature-length films made in Arabic-speaking countries since 1908, more than three-quarters were Egyptian.

• Famous monuments :

The Giza necropolis, situated in the immediate vicinity of the southwestern suburbs of Cairo is home to the most famous ancient Egyptian monuments. The pyramids in Giza were built over the span of three generations – by Khufu, his second reigning son Khafre, and Menkaure. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is the oldest and sole remnant of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Although badly ruined, few sites in Egypt are more impressive than Karnak. It is the largest ancient religious site in the world, and represents the combined achievement of many generations of Egyptian builders.

Abu Simbel is an archaeological site comprising two massive rock temples in southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser. The twin temples were originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses The Great in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen Nefertari.

• Architecture history

Ancient Egyptian architecture is the architecture of ancient Egypt, one of the most influential civilizations throughout history, which developed a vast array of diverse structures and great architectural monuments along the Nile, among the largest and most famous of which are the Great Pyramid of Giza and the Great Sphinx of Giza.

Map

Leader

Libya's interim parliament elected Nuri Abu Sahmein as its chairman, and therefore de facto head of state, in June 2013, following the resignation of Mohamed al-Magarief.

Travel

Visa & travel advice

Consular Assistance - The Libyan consulate may provide consular services to Libyan citizens. This service includes, afford guidance in the scenario of an accident, the scenario of death, and arrange for next of kin to be informed, advice during disasters for example civil disorder and natural catastrophes and moreover witness and certify signatures and supply various other notarial and legal services, for which charges are payable. 

Libyan Passport - Libyan citizens are also able to acquire the Libyan passport application form and procedures in order to Libyan passport or travel documents by asking the Libyan Embassy in London. 

Libyan Visa - The Libyan Embassies and Consular Offices are the only Accredited Libyan Government Agencies, who are permitted to grant Libyan visas in a different country. any pitfalls come up when getting on flights or at Libyan ports of entry due to possible miscommunication, visitors are highly advised to apply with the Libyan Embassy and Consular Offices in United Kingdom to obtain Libyan visas prior to travelling. 

Economical Affairs - The embassy in London handles the entire selection of bilateral and multilateral commercial affairs coupled with ecological, science and technology affairs.

• Best period:

The Libyan climate is divided between milder Mediterranean conditions and harsh desert heat. Tripoli, jutting out into the Mediterranean, experiences less extreme temperatures, although it can get very hot and humid during the summers. The winters are mild, and the thermometer never drops below freezing. Still, the city is close to the desert, and it can be hot and dry. The best time to visit Tripoli is from November to April.

• Safety

You will usually be accompanied when you are in Libya because you must be with a tour company. You should feel safe most of the time. As is appropriate for travel in any country, especially cities, be alert about your person and belongings.On the road, be aware that Libyan drivers tend to go very fast. Always slow down at the checkpoints to prevent any negative exchanges with the armed checkpoint guards. Make sure that you are legally allowed to visit the part of the country you are trying to visit.

History

The history of Libya includes the history of its rich mix of ethnic groups added to the indigenous Berber tribes. Berbers have been present throughout the entire history of the country. For most of its history, Libya has been subjected to varying degrees of foreign control, from Europe and Africa. The modern history of independent Libya began in 1951.

The history of Libya comprises six distinct periods: Ancient Libya, the Roman era, the Islamic era, Ottoman rule, Italian rule, and the Modern era.

Arts & Culture

• Music:

There is little or no pop music industry. Among the Tuareg, women are the musicians. They play a one-stringed violin called ananzad, as well as a variety of drums.

• Literature:

The Arab Renaissance (Al-Nahda) of the late 19th and early 20th centuries did not reach Libya as early as other Arab lands, and Libyans contributed little to its initial development. However, Libya at this time developed its own literary tradition, centred on oral poetry, much of which expressed the suffering brought about by the Italian colonial period.

• Film industry:

His work focuses on Arabic culture in general, and on Magreb literature and cinema in particular. His works include the novels Journey and Discover (1997), Critical Dimension (2000), and the non-fiction books on cinema named The individual man in the circle of adventure (1981) and Cinema. The horizon and the reality (1982).

• Famous monuments (more or less 3)

Attractions also include the Nymphaeum (Temple of Nymphs), the Severan Forum, the Great Colonnaded Street, the Temple of Jupiter Dolichenus and the Triumphal Severan Arch, built to commemorate the Roman emperor Septimus Severus, who was born here in 193 AD.

Known in Arabic as the Akhdar Mountains, this area is renowned for its beautiful scenery, which includes rolling hills, rocky outcrops,  waterfalls and gorges.

This ancient Greek city dates back to the 7th century BC. Founded by Greeks newly arrived from what is now the holiday island of Santorini, the city was particularly renowned for its cultivation  of science and philosophy.

• Architecture (3)

Libya's architecture is old, unique, interesting and diverse. Since the country is located in a strategically position in the Mediterranean- North africa, it has seen many different cultural and architectural influences over the years. In ancient times, Libya's strategic position meant that the major military powers of the time would do their utmost to gain control over it. As a result, Libya has seen Berbers, Greeks, Phoenician, Roman, Vandal, Byzantine, Arabs, Turks, Spaniards, British and Germans in world war2, and Italian invasion, each leaving their own distinctive influence on the country.