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Egypt History in Brief
Egypt has unique attractions that visitors from around the world flock to see generation after generation. The country’s legacy of historical sites is unparalleled in its magnificence. There is nothing else grouped together in one place in that equals such a heritage from the ancient world as the Pyramids, the Sphinx, the Temples of Luxor and Karnak, the Valley of the Kings and Queens, Philae and Abu Simbel. Its history goes back some 5,000 years with the Pharaonic Era divided into three main periods.
The
Ancient
Kingdom:
The capital of the
Ancient
Kingdom was Menf (
Memphis), which was founded by King Mina, the first king of the 1st dynasty, who united Upper and
Lower Egypt.
One of the famous kings of that dynasty was Zoser, who built the Sakkara Pyramid, the first large-scale stone structure in history.
The Middle Kingdom:
The capital of the Middle Kingdom was
Thebes. This was a period characterized by an artistic renaissance, agricultural projects and trade exchange with Bilad el Sham and the Sudan.
Luxor is a part of ancient
Thebes – the one hundred – gated city at it was called by the renowned Greek historian Homer. The city grew over the years and the Arabs, impressed by its beautiful palaces and huge edifices, renamed it
Luxor – City of
Palaces.
The
New Kingdom:
The
New Kingdom begins with the 18th Dynasty, founded by King Ahmos. Its capital was
Thebes, except for a short period when King Akhenaton moved his capital to Tel-El-Amarna. Among the eminent rulers of the
New Kingdom was King Ramses II, who left a great architectural patrimony, the most important was the two Temples of Abu Simbel. The first and largest of the temples is dedicated to the sun god Ra-Harakhte while the second was dedicated by Ramses II to his beautiful wife, Nefertari. The Greater Abu Simbel Temple is unique, as the sun shines directly of the Holiest of Holies tow days a year – February 21, the Kings Birthday, and October 22, the date of his coronation.
Alexander Arrives:
The Pharaonic Era ended in 332 BC with the arrival of Alexander the Great. And the foundation of a new capital bearing his name marked the beginning of the period of renewed sophistication, and the dynasty of the Ptolemy’s.
Empires Come And Go
Thereafter, following the death of
Cleopatra,
Egypt’s most famous Queen, Augustus took possession of the country in the name of
Rome in 30 BC. For six-and-a-half centuries afterwards the Romans used
Egypt as there empire’s granary and ruled with forceful efficiency.
During the fourth century AD
Byzantium replaced
Rome as ruler and then, in 640, the Arab army under the command of Amr Ibn el-Aas invaded and El Fustat was established as the capital in part of what is now Cairo.
The city continued its growth following a Tunisian invasion in 969 and, in general, the country prospered, but there was decline under the country’s next set of rulers, the Mamlukes.
The Mamlukes were slaves within the previous regime but their powers increased as that of their masters declined. They ruled from 1250 to 1517, when they were overthrown by the Turks, who brought
Egypt into the Ottoman Empire.
For nearly 300 years, until 1787, the Turks treated
Egypt as a backwater and the country lost its prominence on the main trade routes.
Then, in July 1798, Napoleon arrived in
Alexandria and
Egypt was rather abruptly brought into contact with
Europe. But, following the emperor’s defeat and capture by the British, the French withdrew. Their departure led to a power struggle, which ended in Muhammad Ali being recognized as sultan in1805.
A passionate believer in European ways, he encouraged its influences. This trend was continued by its successor and, under the leadership of one of them, Ismail, the
Suez Canal was opened in 1869.
Modern
Egypt:
Thirteen years later, following another internal battle for supremacy, the British arrived, staying until 1936, when the Anglo-Egyptian Treaty was signed. The reins of power were then put in the hands of the king Farouk, who was overthrown in 1952 by the free officers led by Gamal Abdel-Nasser.
In 1954, Nasser emerged as the full leader of
Egypt and between 1960 and 1970, the year of his death; his presided over the building of the famous
Aswan dam, which was financed by the Soviet Union.
It was his successor and vice-president, Anwar el Sadat, who was seen as a world class statesman. He had begun his rule by defeating a challenge to his authority and expelling Soviet military personnel.
Some years later, he took part in historic talks with
Israel that were to lead to the signing of the Camp David
Treaty in the presence of the then
America President, Jimmy Carter.
Since 1981, President Mohamed Hosni Mubarak has been the leader of the United Arab Republic.
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