I know a few people who have bought houses here, if you pass on your email I can ask them to get in touch with you

Salam

There will be a 1 bedroom flat free from the beginning of June (Area 8) but the rent will be approximately 2000J. If anything else opens up I'll inform you InshAllah

Asalamu aleikom wa rahmatoelah
We are looking for a home (to buy) in Egypt, if possible the new part of Cairo or other ..for a family with kids.. is there anyone who knows a home or maybe internet sites to search ??
Barakalovic.. wa salaam aleikom wa rahmatoelah

Asalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi!

Thank you ya akhi for sharing your experiences as well as your advice for potential students wishing to study this amazing language.

I just wanted to add a couple of points as I have been to Egypt twice and wanted in on the Hasanaat. (Not reducing any from yours of course! LOL!)

I would say that your monthly tuition fees of £165 for 110 hours is on average correct (approximately 16.5 junaihan at 11 junaihan per pound) but this is most probably due to the fact that you have paid for a substantial duration of time at one sitting or have contracted in on staying with that teacher for a “lengthy” period of time.

For those only going for a month or so, you should expect maybe 20 junaihan per hour for a very good teacher on a one-to-one basis. (I have known of a person paying 25 junaihan last summer!)

In terms of rent, please bear in mind that this is on a shared basis and one would expect this to increase if one was to stay on their own. Also, be aware that some prices are excluding gas and electricity.

I think what you stated for food is about right (22 junaihan per day). Please not that when eating out, 30 junaihan per meal is enough. However, it as advisable to start learning to cook!

Finally, as the brother mentioned, do stay focused as your primary target is to wet your mouths with the flavours the Arabic language rather than to make friends. However, please do socialise a little and sip from the ample juice bars in Egypt as this can lighten the stress and make for a more enjoyable trip.
I have come across a few brothers who have "burned" themselves out. Thus, not achieving what they could have if they were to sit amongst the brothers (or sisters! PS. Only if you are a sister!) for a little while. We are all human! Plan your time effectively!

Thayyib. I think that is all I want to say for now. I pray that you all have both productive and pleasant journeys on your quest towards attaining the language of the Muslims... ameen.

Wasalam.

Monjur

As-salaam u alilkum,

I will be travelling to Egypt in the first week of June for a 6 week period. Brother Farhad, do you know of any brothers who have a room to let - I am desperately searching for suitable accommodation. Area 7-9 is preferable, not fussed if it is not very near to Fajr.

Your reply will be appreciated.

im there now..i reckon 3k is more than enuff,,if u sharin flats... if this sis wants to share i know a sister goin on may 6..khair ensha llah

Assalamu aleukum

Can anyone give info about Umm-al Quraa Arabic Language Institute?

About admissions *when, how*
And when is admission

Thank you

W'salam

I have been here for three and a half month now and my cost has been approximately £1000 (GBP) so for the WHOLE year it will be approximately £4000 (but I'd like to stress that this is what MY personal budget is expected to be). But there are a few factors you need to take into consideration

1) The first few months tend to be more expensive due to the fact that you will require various things for your house and also it takes a month or so to get used to the foreign currency and general price of food/commodity.

2) Nationwide Building Society offer commision free money withdrawal, so if you open an account with them, you can withdraw money from any cash point free of charge, this will save you a lot of money over the course of your stay.

3) If you come for a year and take out a year contract for a flat, rent will be a lot cheaper.

4) Finally, Cooking is cheaper than eating out!

All in all it 3000 BRITISH POUNDS for the duration of the year is enough for a fairly comfortable stay.

Salam

My sincere apologies for the late reply, I hope you made it out here safely. If you need any help, please drop me a mail.

As for advice, work hard and drink a lot of water!

salaam bro..

jazakhAllah for this info..

i am also wanting to go to Cairo to study Arabic, and was wondering about the prices you have posted. You said 3,500 - 4,000 pounds..

1) is this for the whole year??

2) is this in English or Arabic pounds??

Salma

salamu alaikum wr wb
I will be arrivin in Cairo on April 14 and am in need of any advice/assistance youmay provide, in shaa Allah

Salam

Here are my monthly costs

Tuition (11o hours) - £165
Rent - £65
Food - £60
Extras - £20

So I'm looking at around £3500 - £4000

But My flat ALhamdulillah is very nice and well equipped hence I'm paying more (sharing with a bro), I'm doing 5 hours of tuition a day plus 2 hours of Fiqh in the weekend so my cost of studying is slightly higher.
It is not impossible to live on £2500 in Egypt, £3000 is more than enough.

If you want save money, learn to cook and concentrate on the studies and avoid wasting time going out and socialising. You will find many brothers here spending there evenings going out regularly and generally wasting time, rememember you're here for studies and not to make friends!

Spend your time with those who speak Fusha that way even if you are 'wasting time' you are still benefitting from their presence.

May Allah make it easy for you

W'salam

Farhad

Salam

Firstly may Allah make it easy for you. My email is farhad_aklas@hotmail.com. I know of a place in Madinatul Nasr (15 minutes from Fajr) that you may be able to stay in. It's 3 bedrooms and there are 2 British brothers and 1 American residing there now. Please get in touch if you need anything.

W'salam

Farhad

salam alaikom

how much would u say u need to live and study for a year?

2-3000 pounds?

assalaam alaikom, i just came cos this site masha allah, im also hoping to stufy in egypt within the next 2 weeks, im from the uk, bother would it be possible to take ur contact details, im looking for a flat, to share with someone i havent managed to organise this yet, im also gonna be in medina nasr, most likely with al-fajr...my email is husnykhan@yahoo.com

jazak allah khair,hope to hear from u soon

Its excellent to hear that arrived safely Farhad. I hope that you are doing well there.

Please do send my salaam to Mohammed Hasan, and his brother Abdul-Aziz and Mahmood, and of course all the other teachers at Markaz al Bayaan. I had the pleasure of studying there for 3 months.

Please ask Ustaadh Mohammed to take a look at the listing of Markaz al Bayaan on the site and provide more information as required.

Salaam By the mercy and grace of Allah, I safely arrived in Cairo on 10/01/08 at 23:45 and had my first lesson today (13/01/08) . Here are my first impressions and some advice. If you read my first post, you'd remember my advice about purchasing a visa in the UK. This is not necessary; as soon as you land you can buy the visa at the airport for a cheaper price of GBP10. I would still buy it in the UK though just in case they refuse to issue a visa at the airport (highly unlikely, but if you have a bit of facial hair.....)

I'm currently residing in Madinat-ul-Nasr, which is where many foreign students reside, now this can work against you or for you; I personally like this as I can practice my Fusha with other students, Alhamdulillah even after 3 days I have picked up many new words and expressions simply by conversing with other students. It is a very nice place with access to good shops for all your needs.

 I am studying in Markaz Bayan under Mohammed Hasan. I phoned him whilst I was in the UK, and as soon as I arrived I arranged for a meeting with him on Friday evening. Over some tea at his house I discussed with him what I wanted to study and what I wanted to achieve during my stay, to which he replied "Farhad, are you a student or a tourist?" (in Arabic). I pray to Allah that I am student seeking knowledge for His pleasure alone.

If you need to make international calls, use Skype. It is cheap, efficient and found on any PC at any internet cafe. As for mobiles, you there are many companies here offering pay as you go service similar to that in the UK. You might rerquire a photocopy of your passport to purchase a sim.

The most important advice I would give at this stage is not to be shy. Let it all out in Arabic, if they laugh at you then remember you are speaking the language of the Qur'an!

 Finally, if I am late in my replies to any of your questions, please forgive me, this is because I am very busy and do not have internet access at home.

W'salam

Salaam

 You can always try institutes such as Ibn Jabal and Tayyibun (renowed institutes in the UK for the teaching of the Arabic language), I'm sure they'll be more than happy to help out if they can.

Salaam,

Thanks for the advice. Out of curiosity, are there organisations/individuals in the UK who have the contacts and can help with arranging a study programme for a trip to Egypt?

Assalaamu alaikum.

Thanks for the info and advice. I also studied at Egypt for a few months a year ago. I really must emphasise from my experience getting accomodation sorted beforehand is vital. In my trip, I left it until I got there and ended up not having a place to stay for a week. Alhumdulillah, I met brothers who put me up and helped my look around, I don't know where I'd be without them, as I didn't know the language or have any contacts.

With regards to the taxi from the airport, be careful not to get overcharged if you can help it, we payed about 50 Egyption pounds to Haya Aashar, Nasr City; but I guess anything up to 75 pounds is reasonable for the convenience and assurance that you have somewhere to go after landing.

Where will you be studying Farhad?