Such professional guides can be useful at major sites , like the Valley of the Kings, where they will be able to ease your way through queues at the tombs. If you feel intimidated by the culture, too, you might welcome an intermediary for the first couple of days' sightseeing. In general, however, there's no special need to employ anyone: they tend to have enough work already with tour groups.

Far more common are local, self-appointed guides , who fall into two main categories. At ancient sites, there are always plenty of hangers-on, who will offer to show you "secret tombs" or "special reliefs", or just present themselves in tombs or temples, with palms outstretched. They don't have a lot to offer you, and encouragement makes life more difficult for everyone following. You can usually get rid of them by reading aloud from a guidebook.

The other kind - most often encountered in a small town or village - are people who genuinely want to help out foreigners, and maybe practise their English at the same time. They are often teenagers. Services offered could be escorting you from one taxi depot to another, or showing you the route to the souks or to a local site. The majority of people you meet this way don't expect money - children included - and you could risk offence by offering. If people want money from you for such activities, they won't be shy about asking.

An official version of this kind of guiding is offered by members of the Tourist Friends Association , who often approach lost-looking foreigners at bus and train stations, and will swiftly produce their identity cards. They are generally students, very friendly and helpful, and not on the make. Be courteous even if you don't want their help.

Ancient monuments
Egypt's ancient sites and monuments are maintained by the Egyptian Antiquities Organization ( EAO ). Most are kept open on a daily basis, with caretakers on hand to unlock tombs and point you towards the salient features. Local opening hours are detailed in individual entries.

If you're a committed Egyptologist and want to visit sites that are under excavation or closed for repairs, you may want to contact the local branch of the EAO for a special permit . This is usually quite routine and you'll just be given a scrawled note in Arabic to show to the guards on site. A few sites - such as the Dahshur Pyramids - are in areas under military control, and require permission from the army; details are given in the text where appropriate.

Mosques and monasteries
Most of the mosques and their attached madrassas (Islamic colleges) that you'll want to visit are in Cairo, and, with the exception of the El-Hussein and Saiyida Zeinab mosques, are classified as "historic monuments". They are open routinely to non-Muslim visitors, although anyone not worshipping should avoid prayer times, especially the main service at noon on Friday. Elsewhere in the country, mosques are not used to seeing tourists and locals may object to your presence. Tread with care and if at all possible ask someone to take you in.

At all mosques, dress is important. Shorts (or short skirts) and exposed shoulders are out, and in some places women may be asked to cover their hair (a scarf might be provided). Above all, remember to remove your shoes upon entering the precinct. They will either be held by a shoe custodian (small baksheesh expected) or you can just leave them outside the door, or carry them in by hand (if you do this, place the soles together, as they are considered unclean).

Egyptian monasteries (which are Coptic, save for Greek Orthodox St Catherine's, in Sinai) admit visitors at all times except during the Lenten or other fasts (local fasts are detailed in the guide where appropriate). Similar rules of dress etiquette to those for mosques apply, though unless you go into the church itself you don't need to remove your shoes.