Sinai Bay 

Useful Information

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Egypt in brief

- Surface area: 1,001,449 sq km
- Capital: Cairo
- Official language: the official language is Arabic, but the spoken language is Egyptian (an Arabic dialect)
- Currency: Egyptian pound
- Religions: Sunnite Muslim (90%), Christianism (9%)
Useful facts for your stay at El Gouna Red Sea Club Med

● Main public holidays and events in Egypt
- in January: New Year (1 January) / Coptic Christmas (7 January) / Epiphany (19 January) / National Police Day (25 January)
- in February: Day of Unity (22 February)
- in March: Annunciation Day (mobile date) / Coptic Easter (between March and May) the most important Coptic celebration of the year / Cham-el-Nessim, Spring Festival (Coptic Easter Monday)
- in April: Sinai Liberation Day (25 April)
- in May: Labour Day (1 May)
- in June: Evacuation Day (18 June)
- in July: Revolution Day: anniversary of the 1952 Revolution (23 July)
- in October: Armed Forces Day (6 octobre) / Suez Day (24 October)
- in December: Victory Day (23 December).

● Calendar of Muslim religious festivals

Muslim festivals are based on the Hejira lunar calendar (Christian Easter is also based on the lunar calendar). The dates vary from one year to the next.
Muslim New Year (Muharram) is the 1st day of the first month of the Hejira calendar.
Achura is the 10th day of the month of Muharram (this commemoration does not have the same meaning for Shiite and Sunnite Muslims).
Mouled-el-Nabi is the commemoration of the birth of the prophet a 2-day family holiday).
Ramadan is the 9th month of the Muslim calendar, a period of fasting and abstinence, from sunrise to sunset.
Eid al-Fitr is a 3-day celebration of the end of Ramadan
Eid al-Adha the Feast of the Sacrifice, falls 70 days after Ramadan.

● Egyptian culinary specialities

Egyptian cuisine is based on the concept of the « mezze », with lots of dishes all brought to the table at the same time. So there is no real division between first and second courses, just a notion of specialities:
- Tehina (tahini and lemon paste), hummos (puree of chick peas with tahini) and baba ganoush (aubergine puree with tahini)
- Salata baladi (salad of cucumber, tomatoes and onions with or without lettuce), salata zabadi (mixture of yoghourt, garlic, cucumber and a hint of mint), taboule (bulgur salad with lemon, parsley and mint)
- Tumeyya (garlic puree with mayonnaise), torshi (pickled vegetables), and fried aubergines with garlic
- Foul (fava beans), koshari (mixture of rice, lentils and pasta with tomato sauce), wara’enab (stuffed vine leaves)
- Molokheyya (soup, served with rice and grilled chicken), shorbet ads (coral lentil soup)
- Meat: kebab (chunks of grilled lamb), shish kebab, kofta (minced lamb kebab on a skewer)
- Fish: samak (local fish), gambari (large shrimps)
- Desserts: Mehallabeyya (rice flour and rose water cream), om’ali (an Egyptian bread pudding with condensed milk and coconut)

● Flora and fauna in Egypt

- Flora: lotus, papyrus, palm trees, tamari, acacia, jacaranda, poinciana, mangroves…
- Fauna: hundreds of species of birds, including storks, many species of mammals including camels, donkies and gazelles, snakes, scorpions

● Shopping in Egypt

- Craftwork: jewelry, leather, objects made of copper, brass and alabaster, cotton, papyrus, carpets, basketwork, blown glass
- Local produce and spices: cumin, coriander, pepper, curry, cardamon, saffron, aniseed, cloves, ginger, karkade, henna

● A few useful expressions for your stay in Egypt

- Hello (in the morning): sabah al-khair, to which you reply: sabah en nour
- Hello (in the afternoon): mesa al-khair, to which you reply: mesa en nour
- Goodbye: maa salama
- Thankyou: shukraan
- Yes: aiwa
- No: laa

Places of interest to discover in the area surrounding Sinai Bay Club Med

Make the most of your stay at Sinai Bay Club Med to discover the natural beauty and fascinating culture of the region.
Sinai Bay Club Med is located:

- 5 minutes from Taba Heights, a small village with restaurants and a few shops. Shuttle from Club Med
- 30 km from Eilat; in the far south of Israel, this seaside resort is known for its numerous attractions such as the "Coral World" underworld observatory. The shops on the Eilat promenade are open until midnight.
- 180 km from St Catherine's Monastery, in the south of the Sinai Peninsula, one of the oldest monasteries in activity.
- 320 km from Jerusalem, a fascinating city that has a major role in the Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions
- 230 km from Sharm El-Sheik, a holiday resort with its lively new quarters and its old town, still the best bet for shopping. The Ras Mohammed National Park is a few kms south of the town
- 528 km from Cairo, capital of Egypt, with its numerous monuments, mosques and souks and the biggest Egyptian Museum in the world. Gizeh and the necropolis of Memphis and Saqqara are further west.

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Climate

The climate in Egypt

The region has a dry, tropicval climate. In summer the temperatures are high during the day but a light breeze cools the air in the evening. In winter the days are pleasant and nights cool.

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Time difference

Time difference: ● Summer: GMT + 3 ● Winter: GMT + 2

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WEATHER

Météonews provides live weather news for this Resort and forecasts for the next 5 days.

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