The official religion is Islam and the spirit of tolerance and amity prevails among the Egyptian people, Muslims and Christians.

Islam in Egypt

Cairo's unique cityscape with its ancient mosques

Islam is the state religion in Egypt, and its adherents number between 80-90% of the population. The vast majority of Egyptian Muslims are Sunni, with a small Shi'ite community making up the remainder. A significant number of Sunni Egyptians also follow native Sufi orders. Egypt hosts the most important Sunni institution in the world, Al-Azhar University. It is the oldest Islamic institution of higher studies (founded around 970 C.E.), and is considered by many to be the oldest extant university in the world .

Egypt's various social groups and classes apply Islam differently in their daily lives. The literate theologians of Al-Azhar generally reject the popular version of Islam practised by religious preachers and peasants in the countryside, which is heavily Sufi-influenced. Sufism has flourished in Egypt since Islam was first adopted. Most upper- and middle-class Muslims believed either that religious expression is a private matter for each individual or that Islam should play a more dominant role in public life. Islamic religious revival movements, whose appeal cuts across class lines, have been present in most cities and in many villages for a long time .

According to the constitution of Egypt, any new legislation must at least implicitly agree with Islamic law. The mainstream Hanafi school of Sunni Islam is largely controlled by the state, through Wizaret Al-Awkaf (Ministry of Religious Affairs). Al-Awkaf controls all mosques and supervises Muslim clerics. Imams are trained in Imam vocational schools and at Al-Azhar. The ministry supports Sunni Islam and has commissions authorised to give Fatwā judgements on Islamic issues .

Christianity in Egypt

More than 95% of Egypt's Christians are members of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, an Oriental Orthodox Church, established in the 1st century C.E. by Saint Mark. The Coptic Orthodox Church claims a membership of about 13 million in Egypt and another 3-4 million in the diaspora. Significant minorities within Egypt's Christian community include the following denominations :

The Coptic Evangelical Church (a Protestant Church) has between 750,000 and 800,000 members in Egypt .

The Coptic Catholic Church (an Eastern Catholic Church) has about 700,000 members in Egypt and roughly 50,000 adherents abroad. It is in union with the Pope in Rome. It is headed by the Coptic Catholic Patriarch of Alexandria, currently Antonios Naguib .

The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria (an Eastern Orthodox Church) has between 250,000 and 300,000 adherents in Egypt, out of whom approximately 45,000 are of Greek (Hellenic) descent. The Church has another 1.5 million adherents in Africa and between 10,000 and 15,000 ex-patriates in Europe, North and South America. The current Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria is Pope Theodoros II .

The Melkite Greek Catholic Church (an Eastern Catholic Church) has about 125,000 members in Egypt. The eparchy of Egypt is looked after by a Protosyncellus, and has between 35,000 and 50,000 ex-patriates in Europe, North and South America, and Australia .

The Armenian Apostolic Church (an Oriental Orthodox Church) has between 45,000 and 50,000 adherents in Egypt. Most of them follow the Holy See of Echmiadzin in Armenia, rather than the Holy See of Cilicia in Lebanon .

The Roman Catholic Church has between 15,000 and 18,000 adherents in Egypt. Most are citizens born in Egypt but of foreign descent, like Italians, Maltese and French, or members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Egypt. There are very few native Christian Egyptians who adhere to the Roman Catholic Church, and those who do (several hundreds) do so mainly through marriage .

The Episcopal Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East (a Protestant Church known in Egypt as the Anglican Church) has between 10,000 and 15,000 members in Egypt .

The Maronite Church (an Eastern Catholic Church) has between 9,000 and 11,000 adherents in Egypt .

The Armenian Catholic Church (an Eastern Catholic Church) has about 6,500 adherents in Egypt .

The Chaldean Catholic Church (an Eastern Catholic Church) has about 4,500 members in Egypt .

The Syriac Catholic Church (an Eastern Catholic Church) has about 1,500 adherents in Egypt

The Syriac Orthodox Church (an Oriental Orthodox Church) has a very small population in Egypt, numbering between 450 and 500. Most are students of the Catechetical School of Alexandria, or foreign students studying in Egyptian universities .

Other Protestant churches also exist in Egypt, bringing the total number of Protestant denominations in Egypt to 17. In addition, some Egyptians are followers of the Seventh-day Adventist Church, which was granted legal status in the 1960s .

 

The official language is Arabic. A considerable percentage of the Egyptians command foreign language, foremost among them are English and French.

The official language of Egypt is Standard Arabic and is used in most written media. Egyptian Arabic is the national and spoken language, and is occasionally written. English and French are also widely spoken and used in business and educated circles.

The Egyptian languages (also known as Copto-Egyptian) consist of ancient Egyptian and Coptic, and form a separate branch among the family of Afro-Asiatic languages. The Egyptian language is among the first written languages, and is known from hieroglyphic inscriptions preserved on monuments and sheets of papyrus. The Coptic language, the only extant descendant of Egyptian, is today the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

The "Koiné" dialect of the Greek language was important in Hellenistic Alexandria, and was used in the philosophy and science of that culture, and was also studied by later Arabic scholars.

Arabic languages

Main articles: Egyptian Arabic, Standard Arabic, and Varieties of Arabic

Arabic came to Egypt in the seventh century, and Egyptian Arabic has become the modern spoken language of the Egyptians. Of the many varieties of Arabic, Egyptian Arabic is the most widely understood first dialect in the Middle East-North Africa, probably due to the influence of Egyptian cinema throughout the Arabic-speaking world.

A Bedouin Arab minority speaks a variety of Bedouin Arabic mostly in the Sinai Peninsula. Sudanese Arabic is also spoken by a number of Sudanese refugees.

Berber languages

The Berber languages are represented by Siwi, spoken by about 5,000 in the Siwa Oasis.

Nubian languages

In the Upper Nile Valley, around Kom Ombo and Aswan, there are about 300,000 speakers of Nubian languages, mainly Nobiin, but also Kenuzi-Dongola.

Other languages

Approximately 77,000 speakers of Beja live in the Eastern Desert and along the coast of the Red Sea.

Some 234,000 (2004) Dom speak the Domari language (an Indo-Aryan language related to Romany) and are concentrated north of Cairo and in Luxor.

There are also about 42,000 (2004) speakers of Greek in Alexandria, and a comparable number of Armenian speakers, mostly in Cairo.

Egypt's currency is the Egyptian pound. One pound is made up of 100 piastres. Coins come in denominations of 5, 10, 20, 25 and 50 piastres, while bill denominations are 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, and 100 pounds. The government imposes no restrictions on the import or export of foreign currency as long as the visitor declares the amount on a customs form. When it comes to the local currency, you can only bring out a maximum of 1000 pounds.

Credit Cards
Many major shopping centers have ATMs, and most shops and establishments in Cairo accept major credit cards such as MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club and Visa. If you plan to go shopping in one of the town bazaars, paying in cash will help you get a better bargain.

The banking system comprises 57 state owned commercial banks. This includes 28 commercial banks, four of which are state-owned, 26 investment banks (11 joint venture banks and 15 branches of foreign banks), and three specialized banks. Although private and joint venture banks are growing, many remain relatively small with few branch networks.
Egypt’s banking system has undergone major reforms since the 1990s and today we are faced with a liberalized and modernized system which is supervised and regulated according to internationally accepted standards.
The Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) has improved the Egyptian banking systems in the following ways:

1. Introduction of laws giving more independence to the CBE, and an electronic signature law
2. Regulation of connected and related party lending
3. Management reforms of the four public sector banks, making clear the responsibilities of managers and boards of directors
4. Development of an automated credit risk information system (CRIS), from which participants would be able to gain online access to clients' credit profiles.

However, Egyptian banks are still behind other Western banks in supplying a good range of mortgage products to their clients. Although this is soon to change, the mortgage market is underdeveloped in Egypt and as yet foreigners cannot yet obtain a mortgage for a property in Egypt. In the near future, a new mortgage law will enable purchasers to take out property loans. This will open up the market considerably and create a storm of development and real estate activity in the near future.
Currency in Egypt is the Egyptian pound. 100 piastres equal one Egyptian pound (£E). Notes range from 25 pieastres up to a 1,000 pound notes. The most commonly found notes will be 1,5,10, 20 and 50 Egyptian pound notes, while coins are rarely used as their worth is so small.
Bank opening times are 8.30am to 2pm daily, closed Fridays, Saturdays and most holidays.
You will also be able to change money easily at big hotels and cruise boats. You will receive an official receipt when exchanging money and this should be kept for possible inspection. Cash point machines are also available where you can withdraw cash.

All visitors are required to have a visa and a valid passport that's not due to expire within six months. Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Libya, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen are exempted from the visa requirement. Nationals of European countries, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the U.S. can obtain entry visas upon arrival in Egypt. You can expect to pay around US$ 30 for your visa, which will remain valid for three months. Visa extensions can be obtained.

Egypt Travel Guide - Passport/Visa Passports

Passport valid for at least six months required by all nationals referred to in the chart above.

Passport Note

Visitors from all countries, except nationals of the EU and the USA, must register with the police within one week of arrival in Egypt, although this service is normally undertaken by hotels.

Visas

Required by all nationals referred to in the chart above except the following:
(a) 1. EU nationals travelling to Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Newiba or Taba resorts for up to 14 days, who will receive an entry permission stamp on arrival;
(b) those continuing their journey to a third country within 24 hours and remaining in the airport, provided holding confirmed onward tickets.

Visa Note

(a) Those in possession of a residence permit to Egypt are not required to obtain an entry visa if they leave Egypt and return within the validity of their residence permit or within six months, whichever period is less. (b) Visitors of Egyptian origin or married to an Egyptian are entitled to obtain a multiple-entry visa free of charge. (c) Nationals not referred to in the chart above are advised to contact the consulate/embassy to check visa requirements (see Contact Addresses).

Types of Visa and Cost

Tourist and Business (single- and multiple-entry). Cost varies according to nationality. For UK nationals: Tourist: £15 (single-entry); £18 (multiple-entry). Business: £53 (single-entry); £91 (multiple-entry). Processing fees for other nationals vary considerably; nationals are advised to contact the consulate/embassy to check cost (see Contact Addresses). 

Validity

Single- and multiple-entry visas are valid for six months from date of issue for a maximum stay of three months. Visas cannot be post-dated. Extensions are available from the ministry of foreign affairs in Egypt.

Applications to:

Consulate (or consular section at embassy); see Contact Addresses.

Working Days Required

Postal applications, within seven days. Visas are issued on the same day if applied for in person. One person may apply on behalf of others.