Capital: Cairo - the capital of Egypt with a daytime population of over 17 million

Population: 56.4 million people

Ethnic groups: Egyptian, Bedouin, Arab, Nubian

Religions: Sunni Muslim, Coptic Christian

Languages: Arabic (official), English, French

Geography: Egypt is about the size of Texas, Oklahoma and Arkansas combined. The Nile river runs from south to north. The southern part is Upper Egypt, the northern part is Lower Egypt.

Average summer temperatures:

• Cairo: 71/96
  
• Luxor: 74/106
  
• Aswan: 76/108
  

Currency
The Egyptian pound(£E) comes in bills of 1, 5, 10, 50 and
100. The pound is divided into 100 piastres of 5, 10, 20,
25 and 50. Coins are rarely seen. The exchange rate was
$1.00US = £3.41

1. Declaration of Faith "I bear witness that there is no deity except God and I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

2. Prayer (Salah). Muslims pray five times a day; at dawn, noon, afternoon, evening and night

3. Fasting (sawm). Muslims perform a month-long fast combined with intensive devotional activities. This period is called Ramadan, and occurs in the ninth lunar month of the year. The fast of Ramadan involves abstinence from all food, drink and sexual relations throughout the daylight hours.

4. Poor due (zakah) . Money is given to those in need, to help build or repair mosques, religious schools and hospitals.

5. Pilgrimage (Hajj). The pilgrimage to Mecca must be completed at least once in the person's lifetime, provided that he/she can afford it and it is safe.

Source: "What Everyone should know about Islam and Muslims," by Suzanne Haneef. An excellent book explaining the Islamic faith and culture.

Another book I enjoyed was, "Daughters of Another Path; Experiences of American Women Choosing Islam." by Carol L. Anway. Though the author's daughter was raised as a Christian, she married a Muslim man and converted to Islam. The book is the story of the author's struggle to understand her daughter's conversion.