EGYPT BEYOND THE PYRAMIDS
When someone says Egypt, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
EGYPT BEYOND THE PYRAMIDS
When someone says Egypt, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?
The pyramids?
The Sphinx?
The Nile?
Maybe camels, temples and ancient pharaohs?
Of course, all of these things are part of Egypt.
But after spending time here, I realized something:
Egypt is much more than the Egypt you see in tourist brochures.
And honestly, I think this is one of the most interesting things about this country.
Egypt has a completely different side that you don't always see when you come here for a one-week holiday.
Egypt is a feeling
You can wake up in the morning, open your window and feel the warm air.
You can walk outside wearing clothes that would be completely inappropriate for winter in Europe.
You can sit in a café for an hour with a cup of tea while watching people pass by.
And somehow, nobody seems to be in quite the same hurry as you might expect.
Then, five minutes later, you can find yourself in complete chaos.
Cars everywhere.
People talking.
Someone honking for absolutely no apparent reason.
A motorbike appearing from somewhere you were convinced was physically impossible.
And somehow…
it all works.
Well, most of the time.
Egyptians are part of the experience
One of the things that surprised me most about Egypt was the people.
Egyptians can be incredibly social.
A simple conversation can turn into a long conversation.
A quick coffee can become dinner.
And sometimes a person you've only just met will start asking questions about your family, where you're from, whether you're married and what you think about Egypt.
At first you might think:
"Why is this person asking me so many personal questions?"
Then you realize that this is often simply the way people communicate.
They are interested.
They want to talk.
They want to connect.
And once you get used to it, it can actually be very nice.
Food is another story
If you think Egyptian food is only about falafel and kebabs, you have a lot to discover.
There is koshari, ful, ta'ameya, molokhia, mahshi, different types of grilled meat and fish, fresh bread, Egyptian desserts and so much more.
And then there is the eternal Egyptian question:
"Have you eaten?"
Because apparently, if you've been in Egypt for more than five minutes, someone needs to make sure you have eaten something.
And if you say yes?
They may still offer you food.
Just in case.
And then there is the sea
This is the part of Egypt that completely changed my idea of the country.
When people imagine Egypt, they often imagine deserts and ancient monuments.
But Egypt also has an incredible coastline.
The Red Sea is one of those places where you can stand on the beach and think:
How is this real?
Clear blue water.
Coral reefs.
Colorful fish.
Warm weather.
And sunsets that make you stop whatever you're doing just to look.
For me, living near the Red Sea is one of those everyday things that can easily be taken for granted.
You can see something beautiful every day and eventually stop noticing it.
Until one day you stop and think:
"Wait… I actually live here."
Egypt is also chaos
Let's be honest.
Egypt isn't perfect.
There are traffic jams.
Noise.
Dust.
Bureaucracy.
Things don't always happen when you expect them to happen.
Sometimes you make a plan for 10:00 and discover that Egyptian 10:00 and European 10:00 are two completely different concepts.
You may have a very simple task that somehow becomes a three-hour adventure.
And sometimes you'll ask yourself:
"Why does everything have to be so complicated?"
But then something happens.
Someone helps you.
Someone makes you laugh.
Someone invites you for tea.
And suddenly the whole situation doesn't seem quite so terrible anymore.
Egypt has layers
This is perhaps what I love most about Egypt.
You can walk through a modern city and suddenly find yourself next to something hundreds or thousands of years old.
You can see ancient temples, Islamic architecture, Coptic churches, traditional markets and modern shopping centers all within the same country.
Egypt isn't just one story.
It's thousands of stories happening at the same time.
Ancient Egypt.
Islamic Egypt.
Coptic Egypt.
Modern Egypt.
The Egypt of farmers along the Nile.
The Egypt of fishermen on the coast.
The Egypt of people living in huge cities.
The Egypt of Bedouin communities in the desert.
The Egypt tourists see.
And the Egypt that only becomes visible when you stay longer.
🇪🇬 The Egypt you don't see on postcards
Maybe that's the real Egypt.
Not just the pyramids.
Not just the temples.
Not just the beaches.
It's the woman buying vegetables in the morning.
The man sitting outside a café drinking tea.
Children playing football in the street.
The fisherman going out before sunrise.
The taxi driver who has an opinion about absolutely everything.
The family eating together.
The shopkeeper who remembers your name.
The neighbor who suddenly br