Egypt

About the country

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula
Population: 81,713,520 (July 2008 est.)
Language: Arabic (official), English and French widely understood by educated classes
Capital city: Cairo
Climate: Desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Currency: Egyptian Pound (EGP)
Learn more: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/print/eg.html

National traditions

Holidays:
- National Holidays: January 7th ( Coptic Christmas ), April 25th ( Sinai Liberation Day ), May 1st ( Labor Day ), July 23rd ( Revolution Day ), October 6th ( Armed Forces Day )
- Movable Holidays: Sham El Nesseim, Islamic New Year, Ramadan Feast, Sacrifice Feast.
- Other Holidays: January 1st ( New Year’s Day ), March 1st ( Sportsmen’s Day ) March 21st ( Mother’s Day ), June 18th ( Evacuation Day ), August 15th ( Flooding of the Nile ), October 21st ( Egyptian Naval Day ), October 24th ( Suez Day / Popular Resistance Day ), December 23rd ( Victory Day )

Food: Ful Mudammas ( Broad beans in sauce ), Koushari ( Lentils, Macaroni, Rice, and Chickpeas ), Gebnah Makleyah ( Over-Fried Cheese ), Molokhiyya ( A Thick Soup Made Of Chopped Molokhiyya Leaves in Chicken Broth )
Sweets: Balava ( Filo Dough, Honey, and Nuts ), Umm Ali ( Raisin Cake Soaked in Milk and Served Hot ), Egyptian Rice Pudding ( Topped with Pistachios ), Bassbousa, Kenafa
Drinks: Hot Drinks: Tea with mint, Sahlab ( A thick liquid that tastes like a cross between Ovaltine and Oatmeal ), Kakakoow Bil Laban ( Hot Chocolate ), Karkadeh (a clear, bright red drink made by steeping dried hibiscus flowers, sweetened to taste, and served either hot or cold ).
Cold Drinks: Sugar Cane Juice, Carob Juice, Kamar El Din (Thick Aprciot Juice)

Advantages

Very good climate, diversity of historical sites and monuments, Mediterranean and Red sea beaches, exotic cuisine.

IADS member info

Type of membership: Full Country Membership
Association: Dental Students Scientific Association ( DSSA-Egypt )
Address: 4th Floor, Faculty Of Dentistry , Champollion St., Alexandria, Egypt
Telephone: +20122337449
Website: www.dssa-egypt.org
Contact: neo@dssa-egypt.org
Registration date at IADS: 2006
Number of Dental schools: 10
Number of students: 750

NEO Contact details:

Name: Belal Heddaya
E-mail: belal.heddaya@gmail.com

Exchange Programme General Info

Availible cities/universities:
Faculty Of Dentistry University Of Alexandria, Pharos
University Of Alexandria, Faculty Of Dentistry University Of Tanta.

Best period for exchange:
During the school year from October 1st till December 1st and from February 1st till March 15th.
During the summer holiday starting from the first week in September .

Exams period: end of December till end of January and beginning of May till end of June
Exchange duration: 1 to 3 weeks
Language requirements: English
Deadline for applications: May 2011
Form of application required: Regular paper signed or stamped by the NEO and scanned to be emailed
Deadline for confirmation: 1 month in advance
Type of exchange: Unilateral or Bilateral

Bilateral contracts:

Number incomings accepted per year: Unlimited
Clinical work possibilities: Clinical practice is possible as well as observing and assisting
Social program: Organised by LEO, NEO, or NEO team

Estimated cost of exchange:

accommodation: About 100 L.E. per night
food: About 30 L.E. per meal
pocket money: 50 L.E. per day
spare time costs: cinema 35 L.E., disco 150 L.E.

Insurance deposit system requirements: not yet
Insurance policy requirements: none
Sponsorship possibilities: Sometimes there are subsidized entrance fees for sightseeing
Remarks: Accommodation for students is at a hotel since we do not have student hostels.

Exchange programme detailed info

ALEXANDRIA

The second largest city in Egypt, Alexandria, al-Iskandareyya(h) (الإسكندرية) known as “The Pearl of the Mediterranean”, has an atmosphere that is more Mediterranean than Middle Eastern; its ambience and cultural heritage distance it from the rest of the country although it is actually only 225 km. from Cairo.

Founded by Alexander the Great in 331 BC, Alexandria became the capital of Graeco-Roman Egypt, its status as a beacon of culture symbolized by Pharos, the legendary lighthouse that was one of the Seven Wonders of the World. The setting for the stormy relationship between Cleopatra and Mark Antony, Alexandria was also the center of learning in the ancient world. But ancient Alexandria declined, and when Napoleon landed, he found a sparsely populated fishing village.

From the 19th century Alexandria took a new role, as a focus for Egypt’s commercial and maritime expansion. This Alexandria has been immortalized by writers such as E-M- Forster and Cavafy. Generations of immigrants from Greece, Italy and the Levant settled here and made the city synonymous with commerce, cosmopolitanism and bohemian culture.

Alexandria is a city to explore at random. It’s as important to enjoy the atmosphere as it is to see the sights.

The Royal Library of Alexandria in Alexandria, Egypt, was once the largest library in the world. It is generally thought to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC, during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt. It was likely created after his father had built what would become the first part of the Library complex, the temple of the Muses — the Museion, Greek Μουσείον (from which the modern English word museum is derived).

The Bibliotheca Alexandrina, a modern project based on reviving the ancient Library of Alexandria.

It has been reasonably established that the Library, or parts of the collection, were destroyed by fire on a number of occasions (library fires were common and replacement of handwritten manuscripts was very difficult, expensive, and time-consuming). To this day the details of the destruction (or destructions) remain a lively source of controversy. The Bibliotheca Alexandrina was inaugurated in 2003 near the site of the old Library.

TANTA

Tanta is Egypt’s fifth largest city (the largest in the Delta) and is located 94 km (59 miles) north of Cairo and 130 km (81 miles) southeast of Alexandria, in the heart of the Gharbiya province. It is that governorate’s capital. There are about 335,000 people in Tanta and a major university is located here. Tanta is reached by the Damietta branch of the Nile and northwest and by way of Birket el-Sab.
Tanta has cotton ginning factories and textile industries, and is also a university town, with an institute attached to the El-Azhar University in Cairo and a medical school associated with Alexandria University, Detail of the Mosque at Tantaas well as the seat of a Metropolitan of the Coptic Church.

This city comes to life in late October at the end of the cotton harvest. About two million people from around the Delta and other parts of the Arab world come for the Moulid of Sayid Ahmed el-Badawi, which is an eight day celebration. The moulid is centered around the Mosque and Tomb of Sayid Ahmed el Badawi. El Badawi was the founder of one of Egypt’s largest Sufi orders called Badawiya. He was born in Morocco, but emigrated to Arabia. He was sent to Tanta in 1234 as a representative of the order from Iraq. He was given permission to start a new order in Tanta and it soon flourished. His tomb was destroyed in the mid-nineteenth century but another was built and is the center of the festival. During the festival many sugar-coated nuts called ‘hubb el Azziz’ (‘seeds of the Beloved Prophet’) are eaten. They have been considered a delicacy since ancient times. The Museum of Tanta contains collections from the present day back to Pharaonic times.

CAIRO

Cairo, Egypt, the Triumphant City, known officially as al-Qāhirah is one of the world’s largest urban areas and offers many sites to see. It is the administrative capital of Egypt and, close by, is almost every Egypt Pyramid, such as the Great Pyramids of Giza on the very edge of the city. But there are also ancient temples, tombs, Christian churches, magnificent Muslim monuments, and of course, the Egyptian Antiquities Museum all either within or nearby the city.

Cairo, Egypt is an amazing city full of life and movement, and it is that way almost 24 hours every day, with the noisy honking of horns, children playing in the streets and merchants selling their wears and services. And here, the Egyptians are most at home in this powerful, modern and ancient city Cairo, Egypt provides great culture, including art galleries and music halls, such as the Cairo Opera House, as well it should, being one of the largest cities in the world. It also provides some of the grandest accommodations and restaurants in the world, such as the Four Seasons and the Cairo Marriott.

Cairo offers an incredible selection of shopping, leisure and nightlife activities. Shopping ranges from the famous Khan el-Khalili souk, (or bazaar) largely unchanged since the 14th century, to modern air-conditioned centers displaying the latest fashions. All the bounty of the East can be here. Particularly good buys are spices, perfumes, gold, silver, carpets, brass and copperware, leatherwork, glass, ceramics and mashrabiya. Try some of the famous street markets, like Wekala al-Balaq, for fabrics, including Egyptian cotton, the Tentmakers Bazaar for appliqué-work, Mohammed Ali Street for musical instruments and, although you probably won’t want to buy, the Camel Market makes a fascinating trip. This is, and has been for over a thousand years, truly a shopper’s paradise.