Turkey vs Egypt

Computer Sci

I am currently saving up money for a holiday in the summer to go to either one of these two countries, and was curious if anyone has been to both of them. One of my motives for going on holiday to this part of the world is to experience Islamic culture, architecture, food, religion etc. and was curious which of these two nations would be a better venue for the Islamic way of life? I was in Seville a few years ago, and was impressed with the Islamic heritage and architecture of the city, and would wish to experience and learn about Islamic culture by visiting either Turkey or Egypt, but cannot decide on which one to visit. Also, which city would be cheaper in terms of accommodation, transport, sights and food - Istanbul or Cairo?

mel.b

I've been to both and loved both. I might be generalising, but I think people normally go to Egypt for the Egyptian history rather than Islamic culture. Certainly when I was there I didn't visit any mosques, although I did go to the Coptic area, whereas in Instanbul you have the Blue Mosque and the Hagia Sophia, both of which are amazing.

I found Cairo to be cheaper for accomodation, meals etc than Istanbul. IMO Istanbul is more 'western' than Cairo, although the Grand Baazar in Istanbul was a shock to the system as that was my first experience of anything like that. However it made Khan-el-Khalili easier to deal with when I went to Cairo. The Cairo traffic has to be seen to be believed:eek:

I would say it depends on what else you want to see and do. Do you have any interest in Egyptian history? To me the pyramids were ok, much like what you expect, but I loved visiting the early pryamids in Saqqara and Dahshur and the Karnak temple in Luxor was amazing. When in Turkey we saw a number of Roman ruins also which surprised me (Ephesus is great) as I wasn't expecting them and the Cappadocia region is just spectacular and shouldn't be missed.

I think you'll love which ever on you go to.

Shellytara

Hi there two pals heading to turkey or Greece on holiday on may... Where would you suggest is nicer and where?? Haven't done a package hol in years as family in states so usually head there for hol. Looking for decent place on beach....any advice please as hard to tell from brochure tks

spank_inferno

Agree with the poster, although Cairo has many large and beautiful mosques, its the ancient egyptian culture that draws tourists.

I know its a generalisation, but I've no problem saying that Cairo is an almighty sh*ithole!

I found Istanbul nicer by comparison, much more westernised, and though muslim for centuries, still has a great mix of Byzantian/roman feel to the architecture.

ardmacha

Istanbul should do the trick. Apart from the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia which are wonderful, but essentially museums, there are several 16th and 17th century mosques in use as mosques. Lots of Byzantine stuff too to see. Istanbul is pleasant enough to be in, Cairo is hopelessly polluted and somewhat unstable right now.

Naked Lepper

having been to Egypt, Turkey, and Greece for that matter I have to say that Egypt is BY FAR the best out of the lot.

Loved everything about Egypt from the historical sites, scuba diving, beaches, food, culture and scenery.

Turkey was good but i just preferred egypt.

mum2be

Why limit yourself to just the city? There is so much more to both countries outside the cities that you really should consider venturing further afield.
I found Egypt in general to be quiet hostile to westerners and single women so if you're looking for that authentic Islamic experience, Egypt it might be very different to what you're expecting. Cairo was very cheap but apart from the pyramids, bazaar and museum, there isn't much else to do there. The temples, pyramids, etc in Egypt are amazing and unforgettable. The temp in the middle of the summer can be unbearable so if you can travel later in the year that would be preferable. I got very sick while in Egypt and it was very difficult to shrug it off and it meant I had to miss some sights. If you go to Sinai, the diving is great, very cheap, and Mt. Sinai is also worth climbing to see the sunrise or set.
There is so much to see and do in Turkey and I've only been there once that it's on my to do list to go back sometime. Istanbul is a great city, it's very exciting, great atmosphere. I travelled through the centre of the country, through Capadocia and found it spectacular, well worth going out of your way to get to. It didn't have the same tourist crowds there and the food was great.