Sitting on the North-eastern tip of Africa is Egypt, bordering Sudan in the South, Libya in the West and Israel in the East, as well as having coastline along the Red Sea in the East and the Mediterranean in the North. Most of the country is flat desert, devoid of much in the way of life,  but the areas of the country that are home to lush greenery are also home to around 90 percent of the population. Egypt is one of the oldest tourist destinations in the world, with visits to the monuments dating back to 430BC when the Greeks and Romans came to gawk at the already thousands of year old attractions.

The history of Egypt certainly goes back a long, long way and the legacy of the ancient Egyptians still stands to this day as a testament to the amazing constructions they brought to the world. It was on the banks of the Nile where the world’s first nation state was created over 5,000 years ago, bringing with it the creation of writing and the dynasty of the pharaohs. From the first pyramids of 27^th Century BC through every other of the thousands of monuments, the Egyptians certainly made an impression on the world around them. Through the thousands of years of pharaohs and the dozens of dynasties, Egypt went from being a dominant and powerful nation, building wonders for the entire world to admire, to being overrun by foreign powers – Alexander the Great was the ultimate downfall of the pharaoh dynasties in 331BC. Egypt enjoyed centuries of peace and stability as a wing of the Roman Empire until 640AD when a weakened state, under siege from the Persians, saw the Arabs and with them Islam arrive, and another chapter in the morass of influences the country has seen over the millennia began. Eventually falling under Turkish Ottoman rule in the early 16^th Century, Egypt was the subject of a Napoleonic invasion in 1798 which brought the country back to the attention of European states – the British came and ousted Napoleon, and tried to set up camp only to be ousted themselves by a newly independent Egypt in 1805, under the rule of Sultan Muhammad Ali. The British weren’t finished though, and came back to occupy the country from 1879 after the Suez Canal ran into financial troubles, keeping a grip on power until 1952 when, spurred on by the constraining grip of the British, revolution occurred lead by Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser. Nasser soon established himself as leader of Egypt, but his reign was not one of peace, and included the Six Day War with Israel in 1967, which saw Sinai under Israeli control. By 1970 Nasser had passed away, and his successor Anwar Sadat went about re-establishing Egypt – first launching a surprise counter attack on Israelis occupying Sinai, and eventually making peace with the Israelis, seeing them leave the region and Egypt officially recognise Israel as a nation state in 1978. This act, however, was seen as a betrayal on Sadat’s part and he was assassinated in 1981. Sadat’s successor, Mubarak, soon took over and has been in charge of Egypt ever since – the president has taken huge strides in strengthening ties with the West and this continues to this day.

Egypt is an incredibly popular country with tourists and has been for a shocking amount of time. Whilst investment in the region is also popular, it isn’t as big a market as one would assume – this means the door is wide open for any potential off plan investor to get their foot in and bag themselves a bargain. With thousands of years of history, some wonderful natural beauty and a guaranteed tourist market for, well, ever – Egypt is a country that certainly shouldn’t be overlooked.

The standards of healthcare in Egypt are of a good standard in main towns and cities, but more rural and out of the way regions are not guaranteed to have much in the way of facilities. Private health insurance is highly recommended, including emergency repatriation if necessary.

Mobile phone coverage stretches across the main towns and cities, and quality of connection cannot be guaranteed in other areas. Landlines are widely available in towns and cities and lines are of a decent standard. Internet cafes are available in most towns and cities and from a number of service providers.