Egypt
Egypt is a country in Africa, located in its northeast corner, and includes the Sinai Peninsula that belongs to the Asian continent. The greater part of its surface is made up of the Sahara desert, only inhabited around the oases. Its capital is Cairo.
Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa, most of which sits on the banks of the Nile River and in the delta where the areas of fertile land are. Almost half of the Egyptians live in urban areas, especially in the densely populated centers of Cairo and Alexandria.
Egypt is famous for its ancient civilization and its monuments, such as the pyramids and the great sphinx; The southern city of Luxor contains a large number of ancient remains, such as the Karnak Temple and the Valley of the Kings. Today Egypt is an important political and cultural center of the Middle East.
Egyptian history
The regularity and wealth provided by the annual flooding of the Nile River, together with the absence of large enemy villages, due to its isolation, because the Nile Valley is located between two large desert areas, allowed the development of one of the first and most dazzling civilizations in the history of mankind.
The first settlers of Egypt reached the banks of the Nile, then a conglomerate of marshes and a focus of malaria, escaping the desertification of the Sahara. The first communities made the country habitable, and were structured in regions called nomos. Time passed and after times of agreements and disputes the nomos were grouped into two proto-nations, Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt. Egypt is unified around 3200 BC. C., from Pharaoh Menes.
The history of Ancient Egypt is divided into three empires with intermediate periods of internal conflicts and domination by foreign rulers. The Old Empire was characterized by the flourishing of the arts and the construction of immense pyramids. During the Middle Kingdom (2050-1800 BC), after a stage of decentralization, Egypt experienced a period of splendor in its economy. In the New Empire (1567-1085 BC) the Egyptian monarchy reached its golden age conquering neighboring towns and expanding their domains under the direction of the pharaohs of the 18th dynasty. The last dynasty was overthrown by the Persians in the year 341 a. C., who in turn were replaced by Greek and Roman rulers, period that began around the year 30 a. C. as a result of the defeat of Marco Antonio in the battle of Actium, and that brought seven centuries of relative peace and economic stability. Since the mid-fourth century, Egypt was part of the Eastern Empire, which became the Byzantine Empire
In 642, the Arab invasion takes place, which assumes the government of the country with the approval of the Coptic Christians. The Arabs introduced Islam and the Arabic language in the seventh century and ruled the next six centuries. At the end of the 10th century, for a short time the Fatamids took over the government. Next comes the time of Saladin that will be a cultural and economic revival favored by the spirit of Jihad, holy war in response to the Christian crusades. Between 1250 and 1517, the Mamluks, who were part of a local military caste, took control of the government around 1250, defeated the Mongols in their unstoppable advance through Asia, but were unable to prevent the occupation of the country and control of the government by the Ottoman Turks in 1517.
Under the Ottoman government, Egypt was relegated to a marginal position within the great Ottoman Empire. Although the Mamluks regained power for a brief period, in 1798 Napoleon’s army occupied the country. Nor did the French occupation last long, which barely left a mark although it marked the beginning of Egyptian studies on ancient culture.
The Battle of the Nile, 1789. Luny Thomas
After the departure of French troops, there were a series of civil wars between Ottomans, Mamluks and Albanian mercenaries, until in 1805 Egypt achieved independence, being named Sultan Mohamed Ali, who had arrived in the country as viceroy to reconquer him in the name of the Empire Turkish, and that would lead a pro-Western foreign policy undertaking a series of reforms that combined traditional strategies of centralization of power with the importation of European models for the creation of new military, educational, industrial and agricultural structures, including irrigation plans, which they were continued and extended by their grandson and successor Ismail Pachá, the first Jedive.
After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt became an important communications center, but in turn fell into a strong debt. The British took control of the government in the form of a protectorate around 1882, which was strongly protested declaring independence again in 1922, with a new constitution and a parliamentary regime. Saad Zaghlul was elected as prime minister of Egypt in 1924, and in 1936 the so-called Anglo-Egyptian treaty terminated him. The continuing British interference maintained a political instability until in 1952 a coup d’etat forced King Faruk I to abdicate and led Colonel Gamal Abd El Nasser to the government, as President of the new government.
Nasser declared the public ownership of the Suez Canal which meant a significant improvement for the Egyptian Treasury, although for this he had to face militarily in 1956 the French, English and Israeli joint troops who tried to overthrow the government without succeeding. This military victory placed Nasser at the head of the leaders of the Middle East and as an example to be followed by the Arab world to get rid of foreign interference.
Between 1958 and 1961 Egypt, during the presidency of Gamal Abdel Nasser, was part, together with Syria, of the United Arab Republic.
The defeat of the Arab forces by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War, deprived Egypt of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, only recovered after the defeat by the Israelis in the 1973 war, to which followed by the signing, by Nasser’s successor, Anwar el-Sadat, of the Camp David agreement, in 1979. In 1981 Sadat was killed and succeeded by Hosni Mubarak, who maintained the policies of his predecessor.
Cairo
Capital of Egypt, the country’s main destination and the largest Arab city in the world, are three ways of saying Cairo. Cairo is a city that combines attractions of a very different nature. On the one hand, the lights of the big city, the luxury and brightness of its immense shops and its lavish hotels. On the other, the magic of the buildings of the old town: churches, mosques, facades of majestic architecture.
Also, how to skip them, the wonders built by the ancient Egyptians: the pyramids of Giza, the Great Sphinx and the valleys of Luxor, both mystical and fascinating. But what about the Nile and its natural environment, that resplendent scenario in which we can imagine the history of Egypt passing before our eyes.
The Pyramids of Giza
Of the more than one hundred pyramids that are cut against the Egyptian sky, those of Giza are the most famous, as they are the largest. Awarded with the World Travel awards as the main tourist attraction worldwide, they are an unavoidable emblem of ancient culture in Egypt. They are located on the outskirts of Cairo, and were built by three pharaohs who gave them their names: Cheops, Chephren and Micerinos.
The Pyramids of Giza
Nasser declared the public ownership of the Suez Canal which meant a significant improvement for the Egyptian Treasury, although for this he had to face militarily in 1956 the French, English and Israeli joint troops who tried to overthrow the government without succeeding. This military victory placed Nasser at the head of the leaders of the Middle East and as an example to be followed by the Arab world to get rid of foreign interference.
Between 1958 and 1961 Egypt, during the presidency of Gamal Abdel Nasser, was part, together with Syria, of the United Arab Republic.
The defeat of the Arab forces by Israel in 1967 during the Six Day War, deprived Egypt of the Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip, only recovered after the defeat by the Israelis in the 1973 war, to which followed by the signing, by Nasser’s successor, Anwar el-Sadat, of the Camp David agreement, in 1979. In 1981 Sadat was killed and succeeded by Hosni Mubarak, who maintained the policies of his predecessor.
Pyramids of Giza, Egypt
These last two are often believed to be part of a complex that constitutes one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, but that is only true for the greatest of them, Cheops.
Kefrén, on the other hand, was considered for some time as the largest pyramid, since it is in a plane higher than the others, but later it was discovered that it measures three meters less than Cheops. It is easily recognizable because its cusp retains remnants of the original limestone coating, from which its sisters no longer exhibit a sample.
Myrtle Pyramid, Giza, Egypt
In the enclosure corresponding to his burial chamber is a black sarcophagus. In 1818 it was discovered by the Egyptologist Giovanni Belzoni, who found only cow bones inside.
The Pyramid of Micerino, built to the pharaoh of Dynasty IV, of the same name, was known in remote times as “The Divine Pyramid”. It is the only one that has satellite pyramids: they are three and belong to queens of antiquity. Inside Micerino a basalt sarcophagus was found, which contained a smaller one, made of wood. In the latter was a mummy, which at first was assumed to be the body of Micerino. But scientific studies determined that the remains did not belong to the pharaoh.