Egypt:The Rough Guide

This new edition has been published since the end of the Gulf War. It covers the ancient sites of the country, but it also gives a rundown on everything from hiring a felucca to disabled access, from snorkeling to camel trekking. This guide looks at all the options of getting to Egypt, from Thomas Cook to hitchhiking. It explains how to manage hustlers and bureaucrats - with an insider's grasp of the etiquette - including "Egypt from a woman's perspective". It gives advice on health and transport, driving in Egypt, eating and drinking, phoning home and staying on to work. The book counts nearly 200 pages on Cairo alone, including over 20 maps and plans, and accounts and advice about everything from the metro to the perfume bazaar, from opera to jazz clubs, from where to eat to how to visit the pyramids, all supported by background features on history and culture. There are also chapters on little-known parts of the country - the oases of the Western Desert, the Red Sea coast (all the details on diving), the Suez canal, and Sinai - as well as full coverage of Alexandria, the Delta and 150 pages on the Nile Valley.
An article on Egyptian music is written by the record producer and broadcaster, David Lodge. The guide also includes information on how to go, or why not to go to Israel, Libya or Sudan and there are sections on language, history and Islam.