TL419 Travel Geography

Project
Cairo
By:
Katherine Shaw:001186867
Mary Sebastian:000352246
Sarahjane Mcivor: 000331713
Jilan Saber :000345330
Sara Brown: 000342496
Ohanna Henriques:000345590

Due Date: Tuesday Feburay 23 2016

UPTOP UNDERWORLD
TRAVELS

1. DESTINATION
Out target market is based on elders who have the passion for
visiting historical places in the world. Egypt fits into this couples
target market because they wanted to go to a place where they
can explore the theatres, museums and many more artefacts
that are treasured in Egypt. Based on this we have chosen Cairo,
Egypt, the largest city in Africa which is rich and abundant in
history and is known for its passion for theaters.
The Egyptian Museum would be of great interest to our client as
it is one of the worlds greatest museums with large collection of
historical artifacts such as mummies, jewelries and weapons
dating back to their ancient kings such as Pharaoh Tutankhamen.
The Al-Azhar Moseque is a very important attraction in Egypt
because it was built in 972 AD and is one of the few mosques
that is still intact. It also has a large educational value as it
became university in 988 AD, making it the worlds oldest
university. People from all over Egypt had the opportunity to
come and study here.
In Coptic Cairo our clients will see the remnants of Emperor
Trajans fortress, Coptic Museum, and The Hanging Church. The
remnants of the fortress dates back to the Roman period and
some of it is still intact. The Coptic Museum has the world best
collection of Coptic Art and holds a large amount of information
about the earliest Christians. The Hanging Church was rebuilt
over roman gate towers in the 9th and has an extremely
important religious and historical significance to the Christians in
Egypt.
We have included St. Sergius and Bachuss Church in Cairo as an
attraction because our clients are history buffs and they wanted
to visit places with historical importance. This church was built in
the 4th century and it is now considered the oldest church in
Cairo. This churchs history dates back to the early centuries; it is
believed that this is where Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus took
shelter during their journey.
Based on the clients interest in visiting theatres, we have
included a trip to The Opera House. This legendary theatre was

built to celebrate the inauguration of the Suez Canal. It has

become a major performance centre for the arts. It is a home to
the finest music groups in Egypt. The structure is a blend of the
Middle Eastern architecture.

2. SEASON
The best time of year to visit Egypt is between the months of
November until March. During this time period the temperatures
are cooler compared to the summer. The days are sunny and
warm while the nights will offer a refreshing cooler breeze. This
way its more comfortable for tourists who are not accustomed to
hot and dry summers. Sightseeing during this time will be a lot
easier because it will not be as crowed and busy. Tourists who go
during this time will be able to save money on hotel and tours
prices.
3. GENERAL INFORMATION

Egyptian Capital: Cairo

Largest Egyptian City: Cairo
Location: On the Nile River
Population: 75 million
Area: 1,001,450 sq. km
Fact: 96.4% of Cairo is desert
Fertile land: the Nile, select oases, and the Delta
Major Ethic groups: Egyptians, Berbers, Bedouins and Nubians
Official language: Arabic
Other languages: English, Coptic and French
Major Religious groups: Sunni Muslims, Christians and Coptic
Christians
Currency: Egyptian Pound
Time Difference: GMT +2
Electricity: 220 Volt
Electrical Plugs: European styled two pins without the earthed
Short power shortages are common
Entry requirement: You will need to obtain a visa
Fast and efficient way to travel: Metro subway system

4. AIRPORT

Cairos airport is Cairo International Airport (CAI), it is located just

15km away from the city center and is one of the busiest airports in
Egypt. It is the second busiest airports in Africa after Tambo
International Airport in Johannesburg.

5. HISTORY
Cairo in Egypt is a city with a rich history and culture. Al-Fustat was
founded in AD 641 and was the first settlement in the area of the
present-day Cairo. This place was a military campsite of the Arabic
leader Amr ibn al-As who conquered Egypt in 640. Over the years
Al-Fustat developed into a major port city and it was considered as
the Islamic capital of Egypt.
During the reign of Fatimid Dynasty from AD 909 to 1171, Gawhar
al Sakely who was the leader of the Islamic Fatimid dynasty built
another city near Al-Fustat in AD 969. They called the city AlMansuriyah, however the city was renamed as Al Kahir, or Cairo
which means The Conqueror in Arabic. The name was changed
after the appearance of Planet Mars. Cairo is the modern name for
Al Kahir.
Cairo started to change considerably in the mid-19th century and
until then it remained as a medieval city. By 1860s, the city was
extended to the west that is now called Midan Opera. By 1863
Ismail Pasha, who received his European education in Paris came
into power, called upon architects from Europe to design and build a
modern Cairo alongside the old Islamic city. Due to Cairo being
ruled by many kings, empires and invasions you will get to see a
mixture of art and traditions.

The Egyptian Museum

6. ATTRACTIONS

One of the worlds greatest museums

Contains a large collection of antiquities
Founded by August Mariette in 1857
Most of the artefacts are not displayed due to the limit of space
Contains famous collections such as Tutankhamen Galleries,
Egyptian Jewellery Collection, The Royal Mummies Collections
and more

Al-Azhar Moseque

Built in the Fatimid era and was completed in 972 AD

One of the most famous earliest surviving mosques
The worlds oldest university since 988 AD
The central courtyard is where you can best view the five mina
tents
Old Cairo (Coptic Cairo)

Built inside the walls of Old Babylon where the Emperor Trajans
fortress was built along the Nile
You can see the remnants of the Roman Towers

Coptic Museum is home of the finest Coptic Art Collection. It also

has a large amount of information about Egypts earliest
Christians.
The Hanging Church was founded in the 4th century and first built
above the Roman gate towers and then rebuilt in the 9th century
and is dedicated to the virgin Mary.

Church of St. Sergius and Bacchus

It is said that this is where the holy family (the Virgin Mary,
Joseph and Jesus) hid during the massacre led by King Herod.
Mosque of Amir Ibn al-As is the first mosque built in Egypt.

Cairo Opera House

The Opera House Park has many structures such as The Museum
of Modern Art, Cafs, Exhibition Spaces
The Opera House is a combination of Western and Middle Eastern
Architecture.
Main entertainment venue in Egypt where the best stars and
musical perform.

7. FOOD
Traditional Foods from Cairo

Aish Baladi - Aish is the Egyptian traditional bread similar to

pita bread. They eat this with their breakfast. It is made by
mixing wheat flour, cracked wheat bran, vegetable oil, water and
salt then baked. This is sold in Egyptian markets and stores made
using baking stones.

Tamiya: The word Tamiya means nourishment. This falafel

first appeared in Egypt. It is made with fava beans instead of
chickpeas. The original recipe is vegan. Tamiya is commonly
served for breakfast with a toum, which is a Middle Eastern garlic
sauce. In Egypt it is popularly found by street vendors,
restaurants and stands.

Koshari: This dish was created in Egypt in the middle of the 19th
century. During this time period Egypt was not only multicultural
but also had a strong economy. This means that the lower
classes were able to afford ingredients such as lentils, rice,
macaroni, chickpeas, onions, tomato sauce, vinegar and more.
This dish could be made commonly by the lower classes.

Laborers and workers usually ate it. It is made from Egyptian

Rice, lentils and macaroni traditional dish with Spicy Tomato Chile
Sauce.

Umm Ali 100% traditional Egyptian desert. The name Umm

Ali translates to the Mother of Ali. It was named after the wife of
Ezz El-Din Aybek from the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt. Here it is
called a bread pudding that is made with milk mixed with raisins
and sometimes topped with nuts.

Basbousa This a traditional sweet cake from places with a

strong Middle Eastern influence. For Coptic Christians during their
fast this is a popular dessert. This can also be made for vegans.
It is also called hareesa in the city of Alexandria. Basbousa is a
sweet semolina cake which is soaked in a syrup that has a floral
scent. It is made from rose water and sometimes lemon and
honey.

8. HOTEL

The hotel chosen for this trip is the Ramses Hilton Hotel. It is a
five star hotel located in the Cairo Governorate address is 1115
Cornish El Nile Cairo 12344. I choose this hotel because it is
known for being a home away from home for many international
travellers. It is a modern hotel with a warm and friendly staff that
provides a great service. This is shown by the reviews online. Its
location is near the Nile and provides a great view of the city. The
downtown location makes it near to Egypts top rated attractions,
sites and tourism facilities in case our clients need help getting
to or finding a certain attraction. The nightly rate is $137.
Its facilities are:

Pool
Fitness centre with workout room and gym
Restaurant
Bar/lounge
Casino and Gambling
Hot Tub Tennis Court
Wi-Fi ( free internet)
Room service and Concierge
Laundry service
Multilingual staff

9. SOUVENIRS

Gold Cartouche
Gold Cartouche is the most unique and conventional souvenirs in
Egypt. It is a name plate, in which your names could be written in
hieroglyphics. You will get the gold cartouche from Khan al-Khalilis
gold district, which is one of the cheapest place in the world to buy
gold. The specialty of the gold as compared to other part of the
world is that it is usually darker in color and has a higher carat.

Bohemian-chic leather accessories

Another unique souvenir in Cairo is the bohemian chick leather in
Al-Khatoun. The specialty of this leather is that, it is designed by the
famous Egyptian designer, Sami Amin. His designs are inspired by
Bedouin designs which uses geometric prints. The best place to buy
this souvenir is in Zamalek which is the main shop of Sami Amin.
This shop has a larger collection as compared to other stores in
Cairo and they can take special orders too.

Alabaster light fixtures

Further down the alley in Al-Khatoun, there is a small plaza which
has traditional crafts with contemporary taste. Antique Alabaster
light fixture is the main specialty of this store. It is a pendant light
fixture that gives a golden glow when the stone is lit up.

10. TRAVEL TIPS

The currency exchange rates are much better at Independent

Exchange Bureaus than hotel bank branches. You can find many
of these bureaus along Sharia Adly in Downtown. There are very
few ATMs in Islamic Cairo so please ensure that you have
withdrawn enough money from outside Islamic Cairo
There are lot of fraudulent services associated with tours in
Cairo. It is advisable to book tours in the places you would be
taking the tour, rather than any random offices in Downtown,
Cairo
Hospitals in Cairo lack hygiene and the equipment are out dated,
hence it is advisable to contact the Canadian embassy on +20 2
2461-2200 if needed. They would be able to recommend the
right hospitals or doctors.

11. FLIGHTS
1NNTCS/MS YYZOU Y2VS/ZMS AG 987654321 18FEB
1.2GILLESPIE/CAM MR/PATTI MRS
1 AA4421Y 15MAR YYZJFK HK2 1420 1605 *
TU E
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE
2 MS 986Y 15MAR JFKCAI HK2 1830 1215 +* TU/WE E
3 MS 985Y 22MAR CAIJFK HK2 1020 1525 *
TU E
4 AA4470Y 22MAR JFKYYZ HK2 1729 1930 *
TU E
OPERATED BY AMERICAN EAGLE
*** ITINERARY REMARKS EXIST *** >
*** EMAIL ADDRESS EXISTS *** >
FONE-YYZAS/925 932-0130-VIASINC-MARY SEBASTIAN
2 YHMB/905 575-1212-MR GILLESPIE
TKTG-TAU/23FEB
*** LINEAR FARE DATA EXISTS *** >
1/ATFQ-OK/$B
FQ-CAD 8855.20/CAD 150.70US/CAD 145.19XT/CAD 9151.10 - 18FEB Y2
6UP3.YD.YD.Y26UP3
TRMK-G*RC/52
ACKN-AA RNNVDH 18FEB 1918
2 MS CECOD7 18FEB 1918

ASSOCIATED
1. AA4421Y 15MAR YYZ JFK

1. DEPARTS TORONTO TERMINAL 3 AND ARRIVES NEW YORK JOHN F KENNEDY AT

TERMINAL 8
2. MS 986Y 15MAR JFK CAI
2. DEPARTS NEW YORK JOHN F KENNEDY TERMINAL 4 ARRIVES CAIRO TERMINAL 3
3. MS 985Y 22MAR CAI JFK
3. DEPARTS CAIRO TERMINAL 3 ARRIVES NEW YORK JOHN F KENNEDY TERMINAL 4
4. AA4470Y 22MAR JFK YYZ
4. DEPARTS NEW YORK JOHN F KENNEDY TERMINAL 8 ARRIVES TORONTO TERMINAL
UNASSOCIATED
5. TOTAL FARE PER PERSON CAD 4575.55
6. HAVE A NICE TRIP
EMAIL ADDRESSES AND COMMENTS
FROM- MARY@MOHAWKCOLLEGE.CA
TO- 1. TRAVELMOHAWKCOLLEGE@GMAIL.COM
1/ATFQ
$B-1-2 C18FEB16
YTO AA NYC Q6.13 Q11.69 908.24Y26UP3 MS CAI 883.72YD MS NYC 883.
72YD AA YTO Q6.13 Q11.69 908.24Y26UP3
FARE CAD 4427.60 TAX 75.35US TAX 20.00SQ TAX 17.00CA TAX 11.01XF
TAX 8.56XY TAX 6.12YC TAX 6.12AY TAX 3.79XA TOT CAD4575.55
>

References
http://goafrica.about.com/od/egypttopattractions/a/cairoguide.
htm

 https://www.lonelyplanet.com/egypt/cairo

http://travel.usnews.com/Cairo_Egypt/When_To_Visit/
https://www.tripadvisor.ca/Hotel_Review-g294201-d300669Reviews-Ramses_Hilton-Cairo_Cairo_Governorate.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cairo_Opera_House
http://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/cairo-egy-caicai.htm