Culture

Egyptian culture: what to expect, and how to behave

Egyptian culture is warm, direct and more conservative than most visitors expect outside the Red Sea resorts. Almost nothing about it is difficult, but a handful of habits make the difference between being treated as a guest and being treated as a wallet.

Egyptian culture starts with how you dress

Cover shoulders and knees away from the beach. That applies to men and women, and it matters more in Cairo, Luxor and Aswan than in Hurghada or Sharm el-Sheikh, where resort dress is normal within the resort.

Loose and light beats tight and covering — it is cooler as well as more appropriate. Women should carry a scarf for mosques, where hair must be covered, and everyone removes shoes to go inside. Nobody will be rude if you get it wrong, but you will be treated differently if you get it right.

Hospitality, and where it shades into sales

Egyptian hospitality is genuine and often overwhelming. Tea appears constantly, invitations are frequent, and refusing outright can be awkward. Accept where you can; it is usually exactly what it looks like.

It is also true that around the major sites, friendliness is sometimes an opening move. Someone who tells you a site is closed, offers to show you a shortcut, or presses a small gift into your hand is generally selling something. Neither of these facts cancels the other, and learning to tell them apart quickly makes the trip far more pleasant.

Tipping and haggling

Baksheesh runs through everything. It is not a bonus for exceptional service, it is part of how people in tourism are paid, and budgeting around ten euros per person per day for it saves a great deal of awkwardness. Carry small notes.

Haggling is expected in markets and for taxis without a meter, and is not expected in shops with marked prices, hotels or restaurants. Start well below the asking price, stay good-humoured, and be prepared to walk away. If you would be happy at the price, take it rather than grinding for the last few pounds.

Religion, Ramadan and the working week

Egypt is majority Muslim with a significant Coptic Christian minority, and both are visible in daily life. The call to prayer punctuates the day, and Friday is the main prayer day, so the working week runs Sunday to Thursday.

During Ramadan, many Egyptians fast between dawn and sunset. Restaurants in tourist areas stay open and nobody expects visitors to fast, but eating, drinking or smoking conspicuously in the street during daylight is poor manners. The upside is that evenings become genuinely festive. Ramadan moves earlier by about eleven days each year, so check the dates against your trip.

Photography, and photographing people

Ask before photographing anyone, and accept a refusal. In some places a small tip will be expected afterwards, which is reasonable enough. Photographing women without asking is a straightforward way to cause offence.

Military and police installations, bridges and some government buildings should not be photographed at all. Inside tombs and museums, rules vary and are enforced: some sites charge a camera ticket, some ban flash, and the Tutankhamun galleries have their own restrictions. Your guide will know the current position, which changes more often than published guides suggest.

Common questions

Do women need to cover their hair in Egypt?+

Not in general, and not in the street. A headscarf is required to enter a mosque, so carry one. Outside religious buildings, covering shoulders and knees is the practical standard rather than covering hair.

Is alcohol available?+

Yes, in hotels, licensed restaurants, cruise boats and resorts, and there is a domestic beer and wine industry. It is not sold openly in most street-level shops and public drunkenness is badly received. Egypt is relaxed about it in the right settings and not elsewhere.

Should I learn any Arabic?+

A few words go a long way. Shukran for thank you, min fadlak for please, la shukran for no thank you — that last one, said pleasantly, is the most useful phrase you will learn around the major sites.

Is it rude to refuse tea or an invitation?+

Not if you decline warmly. Putting a hand to your chest as you say no thank you softens it considerably. Accepting where you have the time is usually rewarded, because a great deal of what makes Egypt memorable happens in those conversations.