Kara Gutormson

Engineering professors Alfred and Madeleine Andrawis will lead an upcoming tour of “Modern and Historic Egypt” May 12- 30.

Along with the SDSU community, this year’s tour offers a great opportunity to another audience: the public. Interested SDSU students, faculty and Brookings community members are encouraged to participate.

Both professors received their bachelor’s degrees at Alexandria University in Egypt, and each have a Doctorate in the field of electrical engineering. After coming to SDSU, they wanted to give others a glimpse of where they came from.

“It’s such a pleasure to share the culture of our old country with the people of our new country,” said Madeleine Adrawis.

The professors led their first tour to Egypt in 2002. It was given to SDSU faculty members. Students have been a part of the tour ever since 2003.

A presentation featuring photos, commentary and a short film took place in the Brookings Public Library on Jan. 28.

Madeleine Andrawis began the presentation detailing the background of the Egyptian gods and how they influenced daily life.

The belief in life after death was a major concept, which led to the age of the mummies and the construction of pyramids. Those who are part of the tour caravan will see the mummies and pyramids in Cairo, which is the site of the Sphinx, as well as the world famous Giza Pyramids.

For the second half of the program, Alfred Andrawis spoke about modern day life and what tourists can expect in Egypt today. He mentioned that Egypt has the same three branches of government as the U.S.-executive, judicial and legislative-and a Parliament. The current president of Egypt, Hosni Mubarak, has been in office for 26 years. Mubarak won re-election in 2005 with 88 percent of the vote.

Although a democratic state, Egypt is home to palaces, some still used by royalty today. The group will stay in a four star hotel that is on the grounds of King Farouk’s palace.

Riding camels, sailing on the Nile River and swimming in the Mediterranean Sea are all planned activities on the tentative tour schedule. Participants will also visit Elephantine Island and spend a day walking and sightseeing in the botanical gardens. An entire day is devoted to shopping for souvenirs and exploring the area.

The professors feel that interested SDSU students should take advantage of this opportunity to travel.

“I’ve noticed that students excited from experiencing an entirely different culture from their own have more confidence in many things, especially international travel,” said Alfred Andrawis.

For more information regarding the cost of the tour and the itinerary, contact Madeleine Andrawis at [email protected]

The South Dakota Council on World Affairs (SDCWA) is sponsoring this trip. The mission of the SDCWA is to generate interest and discussion about international relations and global cultures. All SDSU students are welcome to become members, and for a small membership fee of $5, they can receive emails about the upcoming guests and speakers, as well as social events. The SDCWA may be particularly helpful for those majoring in global studies looking for international contacts. For more information about the SDCWA, contact Harriet Swedlund at [email protected].