The history of Egypt is rich with fascinating events and captivating stories. Join us as we embark on a journey through this enchanting past to gain a deeper understanding of its wonders.

Egypt, officially known as the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country stretching from the Sinai Peninsula in southwest Asia to Nubia in northeast Africa. Cairo serves as the capital and largest city, while Alexandria is the second-largest city and a major center for industry and tourism. Egypt shares borders with Sudan to the south, Libya to the west, the Red Sea to the east, the Gaza Strip of Palestine to the northeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north.

Prehistory to Ancient Egypt: Prehistoric and Predynastic Eras

Extended from the earliest period of human settlement till the start of the Early Dynastic Period (3100 BC). That period of time was represented mainly in Upper Egypt and began when the Nile River’s silt was more densely deposited in the Delta region, burying the majority of Delta sites with the aid of the first Pharaoh, who was known as Hor-Aha by some Egyptologists and Narmer by others.

 

Ancient Egypt:

It was centered along the lower parts of the Nile River, following prehistoric Egypt, when King Narmer united Upper and Lower Egypt together politically. Ancient Egypt’s history was classified into three stable kingdoms that were spaced out by intermediate periods of relative instability: the Old Kingdom (the Early Bronze Age), followed by the Middle Kingdom (the Middle Bronze Age), and finally the New Kingdom (the Late Bronze Age). This pivotal period in the history of Egypt gave rise to the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms, each contributing to the country’s rich cultural heritage.

 

Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt:

Extended from southern Syria in the east to Cyrene in the west and the frontier with Namibia in the south, it was a stronghold of the Hellenistic era where Alexandria was the capital hub for Greek trade and culture. Subsequent Ptolemies adopted Egyptian customs, religious activities, attire and style as presented on public monuments.‎ Explore the history of Egypt under foreign rule and the assimilation of Egyptian customs into these civilizations.

 

The History of Egypt in Middle ages:

Jewish civilization

It is one of the world’s oldest and youngest Jewish communities, and the majority of the Rabbanites, Sephardi, and Karaites made up the ancient Jewish community in Egypt.‎ Even though Egypt already had a Jewish population of its own. As business opportunities grew following the burial of the Suez Canal in 1869, the number of these immigrants increased dramatically. Consequently, Jews began to settle in Egypt’s major towns. In addition, Ashkenazi immigrants started to come into Cairo’s Darb al-Barabira in the later half of the 1800s.‎

 

Christian civilization

In the first century, Saint Mark who introduced Christianity to Egypt in the period of (284–305 CE), Egypt turned from the Roman to the Byzantine era, when many Egyptian Christians faced persecution. After that, the New Testament had been translated into the Egyptian language.‎

 

Islamic civilization

Discover the history of Egypt during the Islamic era. Under the leadership of Umar, the second Muslim caliph, Amr ibn al-As, entered Egypt in 646, where Fustat was the early capital of Egypt that was established by the Arabs and later destroyed by fire during the Crusades. Later, in 986, Cairo was constructed and became the second-richest and greatest city in the Arab caliphate after Baghdad.‎

 

 

Modern Egypt

Egypt is the third-most populous African country as a regional economic Muslim power in North Africa and the fourteenth most populous country globally as a medium power worldwide. Egypt is a magnificent land that has seen the rise and fall of numerous civilizations, each leaving its mark. It was a founding member of the World Youth Forum, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, the African Union, the Non-Aligned Movement, the United Nations and even a recent member of the BRICS. Modern Egypt stands as a testament to the history of Egypt.

 

Journey along Egypt’s Regions:

Sinai Peninsula:

The Sinai Peninsula (of area about 61,000 km²), is the Asian portion of Egypt that geographically has a triangle form divided from the Eastern Desert by the Gulf of Suez. The northern Gulf region is home to a large amount of porous sandstone (90m-150m thick) that dates from the Upper Jurassic to the Lower Cretaceous. ‎ These sandstone possesses hydrologic aquifer characteristics and is covered in a series of Upper Cretaceous through Upper Eocene limestones, dolostones, chalks, and marls. In addition, Sinai region is known for its surface-level thermal manifestations, which are typified by a collection of hot springs with temperatures ranging from 35°C to 72 °C. There have been descriptions of four significant thermal water therapy sites in Sinai, which are situated on the eastern shore of the Gulf of Suez: Oyun Mousa, Ras Sidr, Hammam Pharaoun, and Hammam Mousa.‎

 

Coastal cities:

The Northern Coast of Egypt :

It is well-known for having snow-white sand beaches and pristine sea, and it is one of the longest Mediterranean coastlines. Alexander the Great chose the city of Alexandria in the 14^th century BCE at the centre of Egypt’s Mediterranean coastline. Among other places of the Mediterranean coastline, are villages and resorts in Sidi Abdel Rahman, El Alamein, and Ras El Hekma. For more than 2,300 years, the North Coast has served as the main hub for maritime travel between the Mediterranean Sea and the Nile Delta, where Egyptians typically head to the North Coast in the summer to escape the heat in other Egypt Cities and Towns.

 

Egypt’s Mediterranean coast can be differentiated into:

Western North Coast: It has more snowfall and rain and a lower temperature than the other sections. It lacks lakes but has a greater amount of forested terrain. This area is facing both Crete and Greece. Between Marsa Matruh and Alexandria, there are several summer resorts; those west of El Alamein have grown in popularity recently. ‎It has cities, towns and villages such as El Salam, the nearby fishing village of Baqiqi, Sidi Barrani, Shammas, Zawyet Umm El Rakham, Marsa Matruh, Fuka, El Dabaa and Sidi Abdel Rahman, which is a recently developed coastal town popular with tourists, including several renowned resorts as Hacienda Bay and White, Marassi (a creation of Emaar), Lazorde, Amwaj, and Diplo.‎

Central North Coast: Egypt’s southernmost Mediterranean coast, forming a large gulf. There are no lakes there. This subregion has Turkey’s west as its neighbour. It contains a number of cities, towns, and villages, including El Alamein, Marina, Alexandria, Sidi Kreir and New Borg El Arab.

 

Eastern North Coast: It gets the least amount of precipitation, yet its towns and cities are quite significant from a geopolitical and economic standpoint. The eastern portion of it is colder than the other. This subregion also includes the two northern Egyptian lakes, Lake Manzala and Lake Bardawil. This subregion is bordered by Turkey and Cyprus. It features towns, cities, and villages such as Arish, Port Said, and Rafah.

Egypt’s Red Sea Riviera: It is 400m along Marmarika Plateau, it covers the western most part of the region’s below the Mediterranean shoreline, which is otherwise completely plain. Additionally, it is characterized by the presence of Egypt’s five northernmost lakes. The area is similar to the Mediterranean land and associated marine life, besides pleasant climate of both hot summer and mild winter temperatures. This area gets the highest rainfall, with uncommon wintertime occurrences of sleet and hail. Certain inland towns and areas see snowfall.‎

 

Listed in geographic order, from north to south:

On the Sinai Peninsula:

The following places: Sharm El Sheikh, Dahab, Nuweiba, Ras Muhammad National Park, Ras Sedr, Straits of Tiran and Taba.

Sinai’s nearby islands include:

The Island of Pharaoh, Island Sanafir and Island of Tiran.

On the Western Red Sea shore:

The following places: Abu Shar, Abu Soma, Abu Tig (El Gouna), Ain Sukhna, Quiseir, Coraya Bay, El Gouna, Foul Bay, Gamsha Bay, Guilder Strait, Hamata, Hurghada, Makadi Bay, Marsa Alam, Tarabin Town, Port Ghalib (fr), Ras Banas, Ras Gharib, Safaga, Samhl Hasheesh, Serrenia, Shini Bay, Soma Bay and Wadi Gimal.

Red Sea islands include:

The islands of Abu Minqar, Green Island (Egypt), Mukawwa, Rocky, Shadwan, and St. John’s Island, Egypt.

Popular foods:

Excellent seafood dishes that include a variety of fish species (from freshwater, brackish, and saltwater populations), mollusks, sea otters, crabs, edible algae and other valuable organisms like lotus flowers.

 

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Delta’s region:

It has the Nile Delta, which has wintertime sleet and hail. Crops and other agricultural plants can occasionally be destroyed by frost and frozen ground during cold nights. There are higher cities with three lakes in Egypt’s northern region: Lake Mariout, Edko Lake, and Lake Burullus. Delta’s North Coast region includes Baltim, Rosetta, where Rashid’s Nile branch and Mediterranean meet (also known as Rashid), Gamasa, Ras El Bar and Ezbet El Borg.

 

 

Popular foods:

Fetir meshaltet A very delicious layered pastry that is flaky and can be filled with a variety of savoury or sweet ingredients like raisins, cheese, minced beef, chocolate, or halawa. That meal has a pharaonic origin, since it was frequently offered to the gods in temples. Nowadays it is still offered on religious holidays, weddings, and other such social occasions.‎ The savoury filled version of fetir meshaltet is served with sliced tomatoes, cucumbers, and a cup of tea; the sweet filled version is typically eaten on its own or with fruit jams and cream. The plain fetir meshaltet is offered with both sweet and savoury sides, such as fruit jams, honey, cheese, and green olives.

The best fetirs, according to rumours, are created by farmers’ wives in the countryside, despite the fact that this pastry is served in many Egyptian restaurants.‎

 

Koshary Is a well-liked Egypt’s national street snack. This dish combines pasta, vermicelli, brown lentils, and Egyptian fried rice. It is topped with a spicy tomato sauce, garlic vinegar and yummy crispy fried onions. Garlic juice is frequently drizzled over it. As well, spicy sauce and garlic vinegar are optionally added.‎

 

Mulukhiyah Is a type of jute plant and a dish produced from the leaves of Corchorus olitorius. It is also known as ewedu. It can be consumed as a vegetable in countries as: Egypt, the Levant (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan), Sudan, Cyprus, Libya, Tunisia, and Algeria. When boiled, it produces a thick, extremely mucilaginous slimy delicious soup. ‎ Typically, mulukhiyah is consumed cooked rather than raw. Traditionally, mulukhiyah is served with white rice and lemon or lime wedges. It is made with chicken, or at least chicken stock, for flavour.‎

 

Hawawshi Is a customary street fast meal from Egypt. It is a baladi bread filled with ground beef and seasoned with parsley, onions, and sometimes chiles. The two main variations of Hawawshi are Alexandrian and “baladi” (standard). It is prepared throughout much of Egypt by stuffing the minced meat mixture into flat Egyptian bread and baking it in the oven. In Alexandria, the contents are baked in an oven sandwiched between two circular layers of dough. Additionally, Alexandrian hawawshi typically use unique seasonings and hot spices. With some variation, it is cooked with hot peppers in the Levant and is filled with saj bread. In addition to being prepared often in Egyptian homes, hawawshi is occasionally offered as takeaway in restaurants. Restaurant costs vary from £E10 to £E30, based on the type and quantity of meat served.

 

Nubia region (Upper Egypt):

Is a section of the Nile that includes, more precisely, Al Dabbah, the area between the Blue and White Nile’s confluence at Khartoum, central Sudan, and the first cataract of the Nile, which is located just south of Aswan in southern Egypt. The Kerma culture, one of the first civilizations in ancient Africa, settled there (from approximately 2500 BC) till being overthrown by the New Kingdom of Egypt led by Pharaoh Thutmose I (in 1500 BC).‎ Numerous empires once controlled Nubia, chief among them the Kingdom of Kush, which overthrew Egypt in the 8^th century BC during Piye’s rule and established the country’s 25^th Dynasty before the native Egyptian 26th Dynasty took over a century later.‎ Large main cities in Upper Egypt are Beni Suef, El Fashn, Minya, Mallawi, Beni Mazar, Asyut, Tahta, Sohag, Girga, Dairut, Nag Hammadi, Edfu, Aswan, Luxor, and Qena.

 

At the end of the journey Along The History Of Egypt

From the sands of time to the present day, Egypt’s history continues to inspire and amaze. As we conclude our journey through its storied past, may the secrets uncovered ignite a passion for exploration and discovery in all who dare to delve into its ancient mysteries.