Egypt Do’s and Don’ts: 10 Unwritten Rules That Every Egyptian Knows

Roughly 90 percent of Egyptians are Sunni Muslims, so conservative dress will make life much, much easier for them and for you. What works on a private hotel beach or in a high-end Cairo club will absolutely not cut it at the Giza Pyramids, your local koshary joint, or—god forbid!—the taxi home.

Long, loose, opaque clothing that covers all the key areas (shoulders, chest, belly, upper arms, and legs to the knee) is the way forward, while many find sunglasses help avoid unwanted eye contact. Women will want to bring a shawl or scarf to cover their hair while visiting the mosque. Heading to a hot Cairo club? Do like the locals do and hire a driver for the night.

In Egyptian culture, the right hand is used for all things clean and good—handing over gifts, eating from the communal dish—and the left hand for everything dirty and impure (yes, the dreaded bum gun). Never eat with your left hand, and always hand over money or gifts with your right or both hands.

Most visitors to Egypt will want to bag a desert safari, but it’s well worth checking temperatures before you make your plans. Egypt is famously hot, but desert temperatures yoyo wildly. In summer, inland deserts can range from a foot-scalding 109°F (43°C) during the day to a bracing 45°F (9°C) at night. Mt. Sinai sometimes sees snow during the winter months, making the overnight climb for sunrise a chilly experience.

You’ll notice that Egyptians often remove their shoes, not only when visiting the mosque, but also when entering a private house or Bedouin tent. However, when sitting barefoot, tuck your feet under or beside you. It’s considered rude to point any part of your feet at someone.

If you’re shopping for a significant purchase (or even a small souvenir such as a shisha pipe), bargaining is absolutely expected, and vendors will often start at double or more the rate they’ll actually accept. Enter with a set price in your head (online shopping research can often help provide a baseline) and work towards it.

Related: How to Haggle in Egypt

Punctuality is not really a thing in Egypt, and the sooner you accept this, the happier your visit will be. Show up at the arranged time, in the arranged place, and be ready to wait. And wait. And wait some more.

Tipping is expected in Egypt, but not at the high percentages Americans usually pay. Carry small coins for the people who look after your shoes at the mosque, and leave a few coins (or 5 percent or so) at restaurants, even where service is included. (In super-luxe spots, tip as you would in a venue of the same caliber back home.)

In some cultures, it’s polite to empty your plate when dining at their home. In Egypt, that indicates you’re still hungry. Unless you are starving (unlikely given most hosts’ portion sizes), leave a little bit of food on the side of your plate to show your chef that they’ve more than met your needs.

Most Egyptians are religious in some shape or form, and disrespecting Islam can cause huge offense—although the country’s blasphemy laws tend to be used against internal dissidents, not irritating tourists. Complaining about the volume of the call to prayer or dressing disrespectfully for the mosque are obvious no-nos, as is offering alcohol unless you know someone drinks it.

Egypt’s record on LGBTQ rights is extremely poor, so same-sex or gender-diverse couples will want to research carefully before visiting. Even cishet couples, however, will find that anything livelier than holding hands or kissing on the cheek can attract everything from death stares to abuse.