July . 2012 1

Egyptian Tourism Promotion AuthorityEGYPT THIS MONTH

Issue 36June 2012 www.egypt.travel

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THE RED SEA LIKE NEVER BEFORE

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Accommodation:Of the luxurious hotels in Sahl Hasheesh, The Oberoi Sahl

Hasheesh definitely stands out. Awarded “The Most Exclusive Hotel in the World” by The Most Exclusive Hotels in the World Guide Book 2001, among other awards, it occupies 48 acres of an all-suite resort.

Resembling a contemporary Arabian palace, all with the pristine marble spaces, domes, columns, arches, atriums, and fountain pools, the resort is an architect’s heaven.

You are walking along a shaded corridor of palatial grounds. Through the marble colonnade to your right, you can see the palms gently swaying against the sand-colored domed pavilions of your exquisite Arabian palace. On your left is your private pool, and on your right, your helpers are preparing your sea view dining pavilion for the guests you are expecting tonight. As you approach the door, you are greeted with relaxing aromas of exotic incense, and you can hear mystical oriental music. Inside, you take a moment to look around you. Your spacious, lavishly appointed suite succeeds to delight you as always. A while later, you are soaking in your sunken marble bathtub, rose petals around you.

Situated just 20 km south of Hurghada, Sahl Hasheesh is one of Egypt’s best-kept secrets. It is a luxurious Red Sea resort, embraced by the Red Sea and the Eastern Desert. If you have a desire to feed your visual, relax and be pampered; this is the place to be. It is a great place for a honeymoon, a romantic get-away or a luxurious relaxing vacation. It’s also great if you have young children. This is one of a few places in Egypt where you can get your own private pool.

Sahl Hasheesh, which encompasses an area of approximately 41 million square meters, offers everything from a sunken city to an 18-hole golf course, not to mention a fabulous white sandy beach.

The Sahl Hasheesh International Resort Community is located approximately 18 km south of Hurghada, and is set to become the largest fully integrated resort community on the Red Sea.

AngelinA Jolie And BrAd Pitt’s Visit to egyPt

The two movie stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie vis-ited Upper Egypt at the beginning of June where they arrived to Aswan Airport on a private jet and were received in the VIP lounge of the terminal. The couple stayed at Aswan’s Old Cataract Hotel.

The trip entailed visiting Philae Temple, and the Nubian Museum and eating at the Nubian Beach restaurant. The following day they visited Kom Ombo and Edfu Temples, expressing their admiration of the Ancient Egyptian monuments.

Following the visit to Aswan, they went to Luxor where they stayed at the Winter Palace Hotel and vis-ited the Western and Eastern Banks of the Nile, Valley of The Kings and Valley of The Queens, King Tut Ankh Amun’s Tomb and Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple, in addition to Abu Simbel Temple.

It is worth mentioning that Angelina Jolie is preparing to star as Queen Cleopatra soon. She will be com-ing to Egypt once more next August to visit the sites of Cleopatra and the Minister of Tourism, H.E. Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, promised all assistance and facili-ties on her next visit.

She said of her visit, “I’m converted completely on Egypt, this would be my hideaway place.”

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt concluded their visit with an invitation by the Minister of Tourism for dinner on a boat on Aswan’s Nile.

Ministries of tourisM And enVironMent sign A

cooPerAtion Protocol with cedAr tree foundAtion for

eco lABels

In line with the constant effort of the Ministry of Tourism exerted in the field of ecology, H.E. Mr. Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, Minister of Tourism, signed a protocol of cooperation in the field of Eco-Label with the Ministry of Environment and the Euro-Arab Organization for Environment, whose CEO is Dr. Nadia Makram Ebeid .

This agreement stresses on the importance in the empowerment of Egyptian hotels to meet the chal-lenges facing the tourism sector, as one of the main requirements of the European tourism sector is to deal with hotels bearing the Eco Labels.

This protocol will help raise awareness on environ-mental requirements regarding waste management, water and electricity rationalization, and most importantly, will help change the concepts regard-ing the importance of preserving the environmental requirements.

It will apply international environmental standards in the Egyptian hotels and encourage them to preserve the environment by reducing carbon emissions, waste treatment and energy saving.

Two other protocols of cooperation were signed between Cedar Tree Foundation and the Egyptian Chamber of Tourism Establishments and CEDAR and the travel agencies.

The implementation of such protocols will contribute mainly to the development of sustainable tourism in Egypt as it would be a major factor in the develop-ment of green tourism, which is currently an important factor in attracting tourists, added Mr. Hisham Zaazou, First Deputy Minister of Tourism.

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The Old Town of Sahl Hasheesh is a thriving locale with plenty to offer potential visitors. Situated perfectly next to the pristine beach, the architecture conveys a sense of tasteful charm that definitely catches the eye. Two shore-side access roads provide plenty of room for pedestrians to stretch their legs near the bay and sample world-class shopping. Some of the town’s largest resorts and housing projects are also based here.

After you finish your visit to the old town, head to the boardwalk known as the pier. It is filled with people that want to catch a beautiful view of the sunset.

At the end of the day, pamper yourself with a treatment at the spa run by Banyan Tree, located at the Oberoi Sahl Hasheesh.

The suites are all spacious and elegant, and have luxurious bathrooms with separate shower stalls. Their sunken marble baths overlook a private open-air walled garden.

Peace, privacy, and luxury are the keywords here. The place itself is romantic, but if you need more inspiration, you can dine at the honeymoon corner. Choose a night with a full moon; sit at a table strewn with rose petals, on brown and beige striped, hand woven camel hair Bedouin rugs, on the silky sand. Enjoy your candlelit meal while your children sleep soundly with a babysitter from the hotel.

Other lodging options include Premier Le Reve, Old Palace Resort, Tropitel Sahl Hasheesh and many more.

FoodMost restaurants are located inside the hotels, while some

can be found in the Old Town. Among the popular ones are La Regina, located in the Old Palace and offers Italian lunch and dinner, featuring Italian music in the background; Jaipur, located in Premier Romance and offers Indian cuisine and the Mexican Restaurant, located in Tropitel.

Activities around the townIf you can get yourself to leave your suite, head first for the

beach. If you’ve been to the Red Sea before, then you know that it’s a diver and snorkeler’s paradise. The reef close to the shore is still alive and spectacular. Furthermore, you can book a private boat for exploring farther reefs.

lAunch of cAiro / tABA flights to Boost doMestic tourisM sec-

tor in tABA And nuweiBA

H.E. Mr. Mounir Fakhry Abdel Nour, Minister of Tourism and H.E. Mr. Hussein Massoud, Minister of Civil Aviation, attended the signing ceremony for the launch of regular flights between Cairo and Taba operated by EGYPTAIR Express.

This is part of the ongoing efforts to resolve the prob-lems faced by tourism in Taba and Nuweiba, declared H.E. Abdel Nour, confirming the importance of domestic tourism. The Taba / Cairo route aims to offer competi-tive prices on airline tickets and hotel accommodations to attract tourists to this region.

Egyptair Express will operate twice a week on a 76-seat plane capacity for a period of two years starting August 19th. In addition, Egyptair Express will be mar-keting the tickets through the international reservation systems, travel agencies, in addition to the company’s official website.

coMPletion of MAnesterly PAshA PAlAce restorAtion

The Manesterly Palace in El Rawda Island in Cairo underwent a complete facelift and is now ready to receive visitors. The palace embraces the legendary singer Um Kulthum’s museum with a collection of her personal valuable belongings. It also holds festivals, cultural and artistic activities.

The project was initiated because of deteriorat-ing conditions due to its proximity to the Nile water. The restorations included all Rococo Ottoman style architectural and floral designs on the walls and ceil-ings, which characterized Egypt’s buildings during the Khedive Ismail’s reign.

The palace dates back to 1851, under the rule of Khedive Abbas, and was home to Fouad Pasha Al Manesterly who served as interior minister at the time. It is an architectural masterpiece built on El Malek El Saleh Street on an area of 1000 meters. It is notewor-thy to mention that it is the last of a group of buildings established by Hassan Fouad Manesterly Pasha in 1851 AD, a native of Monastir - the State of Macedonia.

“ swiMMing Beyond Borders “ Under the auspices of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism

& the Egyptian Tourist Authority, Taba resort has wit-nessed an important event on June 21st.

The French quadruple amputee “Philippe Croizon” & the able-bodied “Arnaud Chassery” crossed the Red Sea from Taba (Egypt) to Aqaba (Jordan) to connect the two continents - Africa & Asia.

The two swimmers have joined forces to meet an incredible challenge and that is connecting 5 con-tinents with 4 swims aiming to convey a genuine message of peace & solidarity among the people of these five continents, regardless of origin or culture. They also plan to show that, in these days, there should no longer be any difference between the able-bodied & people with disabilities.

The adventures of the two ambassadors of “Handicap International” Organization started in May 2012 by swimming between Papua New Guinea & Indonesia to connect Oceania-Asia & should end in August 2012 by swimming the Bering Strait between the USA & Russia connecting America with Asia. In July 2012, the two adventurers should accomplish their third swim, connecting Africa with Europe via the Strait of Gibraltar.

internAtionAl woMen tennis chAMPionshiP held in

shArM el sheikh

The Tennis Championship sponsored by the Egyptian Tourist Authority started on June 18th and will con-tinue until July 7th, 2012. The games are played on the Maritime Jolie Ville Hotel tennis courts in this lovely resort town, with the participation of 150 inter-national players representing 25 countries including Holland, Spain, Switzerland, Romania, Hungary, Russia, Germany, Croatia, Serbia, Hong Kong, India, Ukrania, Armenia, France, Austria, Poland, Italy, Norway, England, Bulgaria, Belgium, Japan and others.

The championship is under the auspices of the International Federation for Tennis and the Egyptian Federation for Tennis and is held three times a year during the months of February, June and November.

hilton worldwide sweePs the AwArds BoArd in egyPt

A record number of Hilton Worldwide properties in Egypt were awarded TripAdvisor Awards of Excellence in the latest round of honors announced by the world’s biggest online travel community website. A total of 13 hotels, more than two thirds of the Hilton Worldwide hotel portfolio in Egypt, received the highly contested and sought-after “Award of Excellence” accolade, with all Hilton Worldwide hotels rated four and above.

The “Trip Advisor Awards of Excellence” list of honor includes Hilton Luxor Resort & Spa, Hilton Taba and Nelson Village, Hilton Pyramids Golf Resort, Hilton Sharm Dreams Resort, Ramses Hilton, Hilton Sharks Bay Resort, Hilton Hurghada Plaza Resort, Hilton Nuweiba Coral Resort, Hilton Dahab, Conrad Cairo, Hilton Hurghada Resort, Hilton Sharm El Sheikh Fayrouz Resort and Hilton Alexandria Green Plaza.

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sAlAdin citAdel is now oPen to Visitors

Restoration works at Saladin Citadel on Pharaoh’s island in Taba South Sinai were completed.

The work carried out included the renovation of the external fortress walls to keep them from erosion and collapse due to strong waves, particularly in win-ter. Signboards with detailed information have been added. In addition, a secured for the visit of the fortress top, as well as, a complete lighting system was added. The lighting system will make of the island a beautiful site at night, visible to the neighboring countries and an inviting touristic and cultural site. The project also includes the establishment of a diving center.

He also discussed with the concerned Authorities a comprehensive plan to secure the island and the roads leading to, noting that the idea of linking the island to the land of the Sinai Peninsula through a tubu-lar will be considered, to facilitate the visit of the island.

Saladin Citadel in Taba is one of the most promi-nent archaeological treasures in the heart of the Aqaba Gulf that offers the visitors the opportunity to enjoy both architectural and archaeological beauty together with the blue Gulf waters, which hide some of the rarest aquatic treasures and Coral reefs around the island that made of this area one of the most renown diving ones.

Saladin chose a strategic location in the Pharaoh’s island and built his castle on a hill high above sea level on a a steep difficult climb, also water tanks are dug into the rock to ensure full means of protection and sustenance, thus representing the best choice of the past, present and future.

What to see:

coptic Monasteries of st. Anthony and st. Paul

You would think the Eastern desert was totally empty, but these Coptic Christian monasteries, which are the oldest in Egypt, are well hidden in the cliffs. Built during the 4th century AD, they represent the beginning of the Christian monastic tradition. Although in a straight line, they are only 35 km from each other, the rugged topography makes them 82 kms apart by road.

This is a full-day excursion, and English-speaking monks personally conduct guided tours if desired.

el gouna

Mingle with the rich and the famous. Enjoy open-air amphitheaters, golf courses, exquisite dining options overlooking the marina and shopping malls. A half hour’s drive from Sahl Hasheesh.

giftun island

Located north of the Oberoi hotel, Giftun Island is known for its brilliant coral reefs and exotic marine life. Stops on the reef for snorkelling followed by an oriental lunch on board the boat to return to mainland by sunset. If you’re trying to avoid crowds, this is not a good option for you. Many other hotels send excursions here. A visit to the island is a full-day excursion.

desert safari

For the adventurous, this is an experience out of this world. Encounter the other extreme to the cooling colorful waters of the Red Sea. Drive into the heart of the desert and its rough terrain to the south of Hurghada to reach the Shaieb El Benot Mountain, standing 2182 m above sea level. A further drive leads to a Bedouin settlement, where you are invited to tea in a traditional tent. This is your chance to learn all about Bedouin life. Enjoy a starlit barbeque while listening to their traditional music and songs. A full-day excursion.

luxor teMPle hosts the lAst oPerA By MozArt; “the MAgic flute”in octoBer 2013

The idea for this project was conceived a few years ago after the publication of an important book by the Dutch scholar Dr. Tjeu van den Berk, who wrote a very comprehensive study about The Magic Flute, the last opera by Mozart, an Alchemical Allegory. While the music has moved thousands, the story has divided many for a long time. Van den Berk gives, in this study, a remarkable contribution to the unveiling of the opera story. He also claims the story is set in an imagined ancient Egypt.

Five musical events will be organized on this occa-sion. The first event is the original performance of the opera where there will be eight performances at the Luxor Temple by the Dutch Combattimento Consort Amsterdam, conducted by Jan Willem de Vriend.

The second event is the musical premiere of Mozart in Egypt which combines Mozart’s music and old Egyptian music. This is a famous musical project directed by Ahmed El Maghraby and will be held in Luxor Temple and in the open air area of the Cairo Opera House.

Over and above, an international conference will be organized and scientists from around the world will be invited to attend and/or speak at the conference which will take place in one of the Luxor hotels.

Workshops will also be arranged in New Hermopolis Village in central Egypt. This Cultural Village is founded at Tuna el-Gebel, not far from El Minia.

Mozart lovers all over the world would like to attend this event and the Dutch travel organization, Ghazala Reizen, will organize a unique Mozart in Egypt Tour. Besides attending the two concerts, the tour partici-pants will visit some sites in Egypt related to ‘Mozart in Egypt’. The highlight of this trip will be a visit to the temple of Abydos.

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Adam Miller ft. Dawan Muhammad.

Miller is an outstanding guitarist. He has played

an array of international and local festivals,

including the Montreal Jazz Festival and Austra-

lian Blues Festival.

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 8 pm

10th

Arabic Pop Rock

Mariam and Abou

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 8 pm

13th

Music Festival

Jesuits Cultural Center, Alexandria

298 Port Said St. Alexandria

Tel: (03) 542 3553

Time: 8 pm

13th

Rock Music

Andromeda Band

El Sawy Cultural Wheel, end 26 July St. Zamalek

Tel: 2736 8881

Time: 8.30 pm

15th

Rhythmic Latin Jazz

Eleonora Lannotta.

Italian vocalist Eleonora and her all star band

deliver another performance with their rhythmic

Latin jazz, samba and bosso nova arrangements.

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 9 pm

17th

Live Uplifting House

Soopar Lox/DJ Ouzo

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 10 pm

19th

Vocal Deep House

DJ Misty and Hafez

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 9 pm

Ballet

1st

Flamenco

Inauguration of Opera Summer Festival (Spain)

Main Hall, Cairo Opera House

Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

4th & 6th - 9th

Zorba and El Leila El Kebira

One Act Performances

Main Hall, Cairo Opera House

Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

Film Screening

2nd

Austrian Film Screening

“The Unintentional Kidnapping of Mrs. Elfriede

Ott.” A fi lm by Andreas Prochaska. Film with

English subtitles

Austrian Cultural Forum, 1103 Corniche El Nil, (next

to Shepheard Hotel). 1st floor, Apt. 7, Garden City.

Time: 6.30 pm

Tel: (02) 3570 2975

4th

Austrian Film Screening

“The Third Man”. A fi lm by Carol Reed. Film in

English with German subtitles

Austrian Cultural Forum, 1103 Corniche El Nil, (next

to Shepheard Hotel). 1st floor, Apt. 7, Garden City.

Tel: (02) 3570 2975

Time: 7 pm

5th - 14th

Japanese Film Festival 2012

Kurosawa’s Masterpieces

6th - Humanist Films Night starting at 5 pm

8th - Samurai Films starting at 6 pm

9th - Ed McBain and Shakespeare starting at 6

pm

10th - Hero Night Films starting at 6 pm

11th - Films on Justice and Compassion start-

ing at 6 pm

12th - Variety fi lms starting at 6 pm

13th & 14th - Samurai fi lms starting at 5 pm

Artistic Creativity Center, Cairo Opera Grounds

Tel: (02) 2739 0132

7th

Japanese Film Festival 2012

Literary Figures Night - Dostoyevsky and

Akutagawa

Sawy Cultural Wheel, end of 26 July St. Zamalek

Time: Starting at 5 pm

16th

Austrian Film Screening

Animation Film Night. Seven Award winning fi lms

which all tell different stories. English subtitles.

Austrian Cultural Forum, 1103 Corniche El Nil, (next

to Shepheard Hotel). 1st floor, Apt. 7, Garden City.

Tel: (02) 3570 2975

Time: 7 pm

17th - 18th

Japanese Film Festival 2012

Literary Figures Night - Dostoyevsky and

Akutagawa

Al Horreya Center for Creative Art

Alexandria

Tel: (03) 480 0138

Ethnic

14th

Modern Folkloric

Basheer Group

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 10 pm

Special Events

7th

International Nubian Day Festival

Toushky Folkloric Art Ensemble

Main Hall, Cairo Opera House

Tel: (02) 2739 0132

Time: 8 pm

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Art

1st - 13th

Artists Rania El Hakim and Wafaa Nashashibi

Wafaa’s oil paintings express the essence of

mankind in spite of all the varied challenges,

emotions and fulfi llments that people individu-

ally encounter. Rania is a long-time devotee to

art and art history and her paintings capture a

melange of relationships and establishes a dia-

logue between the static and dynamic, the visi-

ble and invisible and show their connections as a

refl ection of the human soul.

The Gallery, 6 Salah El Din St. Zamalek.

Tel: (02) 2736 5772

Time: Opening hours 10.30 a, to 9 pm daily.

Closed Fridays

1st - end September

“Summer Exhibition 2012“

Works by: Hisham El Zeiny, Dina Fadel, Reem

Hassan, Hany Rashed, Amr Fekry, Amr Khedr.

The works will be on display on two fl oors and

can be seen by appointment.

4 D, El Gezira Street, 11211 Zamalek, Cairo

Tel.: +202 273 99 503/ 0122 6539 396

3rd - September 16th

“The Collective Exhibition 2012”

Sixty artists exhibiting their most recent paint-

ings using different media, styles and tech-

niques. Guest of honor is late artist Nerman

Sadek, who is famous for her beautiful fl owers

and landscapes.

Duroub Art Gallery, 4 Latin America Street,

Garden City.

8th - August 1st

“The Pick 5”

Seven artists, who are current students or recent

graduates from Cairo universities, will come

together for the semi-annual survey of emerging

artists. They will present media including paint-

ing, sound, video, performance, animation, pho-

tography and textiles.

Townhouse Gallery of Contemporary Art,

First Floor Gallery

10 Nabrawy Street off Champollion Street,

Downtown - Cairo

Tel: (0 2) 2576 8086

Music

3rd

Rock

The Jailbirds

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 8 pm

4th

Jazz and Trip Hop

Hungarian artist Marge

El Sawy Cultural Wheel, end 26 July St. Zamalek

Tel: 2736 8881

Time: 8 pm

5th

Jazz, Pop, Folk

Eve Fleishman sings with a soft, sultry voice that

harkens back to an earlier time. Her songs refl ect

a mysterious mood and a sense of longing.

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 8 pm

7th

World Music

Malaleem ft. Ahmed Yassin, Adham Kafafy and

Kareem Hossam

Cairo Jazz Club, 197, 26th July St. Agouza

Tel: (02) 3346 1071

Time: 10 pm

8th

Modern Fusion Jazz

CALENDARJuly 2012

Mostafa Rahma, Duroub Art Gallery

+++ Movie Monday +++ German with English Subtitles

+++ +++ Movie Monday ++++++German with English Subtitles

When: July 2nd, 2012 at 6.30 pm Where: austrianculturalforum/cairo 1103 Corniche El Nil (next to Shepheard Hotel) 1st floor, Garden City

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