A Tour of Egypt 17Farming in Upper Egypt generally tends to be small scale,
often family subsistence farming. The landscape of Upper
Egypt is dotted all along the Nile with small traditional
villages and several small- to medium-sized cities. Large
villas, markets, shops, streetlights, several universities, small
hospitals and large apartment blocks distinguish the urban
areas from the poorer fellahin (small-scale farmers) and
Nubian villages.
Middle Egypt
Although the whole area from Cairo south is called Upper
Egypt, many also recognise a distinction in the centre of the
country called Middle Egypt which includes the area around
the governorates of Minya, Assiut, and Qena (Qina). However,
most people from this area of Egypt also consider themselves
to be Upper Egyptians.
Bani Hasan al Shurraq
If you are interested to fi nd out more, read my article about a
not-so-visited, but very interesting, Middle Kingdom site at Bani
Hasan al Shurraq near el-Minya at:
http://www.touregypt.net/featurestories/banihasan.htm.Suez Canal
Located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia and Africa, the
Suez Canal is one of the world’s most important artificial
waterways. It connects the Indian Ocean via the Red Sea
and the Gulf of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea. The city
of Port Said is located at the northern terminus on the
Mediterranean Sea. Ismailia, the administrative headquarters,
is about midway through the Canal. The southern terminus
is at the city of Suez.
Prior to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, the
Suez Canal held centre stage in several confrontations. The
Canal provides the single largest source of foreign currency
in Egypt’s economy. Going through the Canal shortens
the distance from the Far East to Europe by 8,047 km
(5,000 miles), thus vitally affecting commercial shipping.