There is currently an Internet boom in Egypt, both in terms of access and in the number of Egyptian Web sites. New servers are constantly being added to cope with demand, even as competing Web sites merge or disappear altogether - we've listed those that look most likely to survive. The biggest index of Egyptian sites is at ce.eng.usf/pharos/home.html. Internet access is available in almost all the main tourist destinations, with Internet cafés sprouting everywhere and hotels providing computers for guests to use. The charge for access is roughly £E10-15 an hour, although five-star hotels may charge up to £E60 an hour.

 

Egypt Tourism Net
www.tourism.egnet.net
Government-run tourism site with a database that includes hotels, embassies, airlines and car-rental agencies. Although mainly listing five-star establishments, it does include some budget places and could be useful if you're looking for accommodation outside of the main tourist centres.

The Official Ministry of Tourism Site
touregypt.net/
Pretty similar to Egypt Tourism Net, though snazzier and more high-tech with its virtual dive centre, discussion groups and "virtual Khan el-Khalili", which escorts you through Cairo's famous bazaar.

The Egyptian State Information Service Site
www.sis.gov.eg
As well as letting you down-load the Egyptian National Anthem, this site gives information on festivals and special events happening in Egypt. It also has a rundown on the history, culture, media and politics of the country - though it's hardly impartial.

Guardian's Egypt
guardians.net/egypt/gardcont.htm
Non-commercial site run by an American Egypt enthusiast, and a good one to visit for information on Ancient Egypt and the latest archeological finds. Masses of links, including to the Supreme Council of Antiquities and many of the museums that have Egyptian collections.

Essential Egyptology
www.newton.cam.uk/egypt
If you're serious about Egyptology, this site from the Newton Institute in Cambridge has helpful academic articles and links.

Egypt Sphinx Pyramids
www.nauticom.net/users.ata/egypt.html
This site takes you through the various theories of who built Egypt's most famous monuments - from Atlantis-dwellers to Martians.

The Egyptian Press
www.worldwidenews.com/egypt.htm
Links you up to all the Egyptian publications that have Web sites, with the advantage that you can read articles - including those critical of the Egyptian government - before the censors get to them.

Egypt Today
www.egypttoday.com
One of the best monthly English-language magazines, with news, arts and culture sections and an especially good listings page.

Human & Constitutional Rights in Egypt
www.hrcr.org/national/c_f/egypt.html
A Web page that shows you something of what life can at times be like for the ordinary Egyptian, including material that you won't find in the tourist brochures. Links to a wide range of sites about human rights abuses, women's issues and torture in Egypt.