Matthew D.

Firestone, Michael
c
 Benanav, Thomas Hall, Anthony
Sallen

a
c 

Former Turkish Sultanate [Constantinople now Istanbul] in S. E Europe, W. Asia and N. Africa
including at greatest extent Turkey, Syria, Mesopotamia, Palestine, Aribaca, Egypt, Barbary
states, Balkans, e parts of Russia, and Hungry.

Coptic Christianity: Egyptian Christians are known as Copts. The term is the western form of the
Arabica µquibt¶, derived from the Greek aegption (Egyption). Before the arrival of Islam,
Christianity was the predominant religion in Egypt.


 


Earliest human traces in Egypt. The valley is surrounded by Savanna, provided ample food for
groups of hunter gatherers until climate change turns lush countryside to desert and forces
settlement along the fertile Nile.

 

Legend credits a pharaoh (pharo- a palinsula near Alexendria) named Narmer with linking the
people between Mediterranean and the first cataract at Aswan. Mempis emerges as the first
capital of a united Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.

   

This period of great pyramid building at Giza and Saqqara suggests that for at least part of each
year, when the Nile Flooded a substantial was available for civic projects.

   

Thebes emerges as capital of Upper Egypt and ax the preeminent seat of religious power. When
the Thebes rural Montuhotep II defeats his mother rival and established the Middle Kingdom,
Thebes becomes its Capital.


   

The Hyksos- Western Asian tribes who settled in Northern Egypt establish control over the
Egyptian Nile Valley ushering in the Second Intermediate period. It was a time of great
technological innovation.

  

p
 Matthew D. Firestone, Michael
c
 Benanav, Thomas Hall, Anthony
Sallen

Ahmose, Prince of Thebes defeats the Hykosos in 1532 BC and begins a period of expansion
into Nubia and Palestine. Over the next two centuries, Tuthmosis III and his new kingdom
successors expanded the empire.

 

Akhenaton establishes a new monotheism and a short lived capital at Akhetetan. But the death of
his heir, Tutankhamen in 1327 BC Thebes is again the capital and power is restored to the priests
of Amen.

 

Seti I restores some of the empire and also initiated a period of neo-conservatism. His temple at
Abydos copies styles of the old kingdom. He then constructs the finest tomb in the Valley of the
Kings.

  

Seti¶s son Ramses II constructs more buildings than any other Pharao. He makes Avaris, the old
Hyksos capital and his hometown, the center of Egyptian trade but adds to the glory of Thebes.

 

Ramses III provided a stable moment in an unstable century controlling the Lybians, defeating
the µSea People¶ a mix of Mediterranean tribes and suppressing internal dissent. After his death,
power slips from the throne.

 

Lybian settlers become increasingly powerful in the Delta, eventually taking power as the 22nd
and 23rd dynasties, but the Egyptian Nile is divided among a series of princes.



After a series of diplomatic and military confrontations, Ashurbanipal, King of the Assyrians
attacks Egypt, sacks Thebes and loots the temple of Amen. Devastated Egypt is ruled by Lybian
princess from Sais in Delta.

 

Late period Pharaoh Necho encourages foreign trade by strengthening ties (and his navy) in the
Mediterranean cutting a canal to the red sea and sending an expedition to sail around Africa.



[
 Matthew D. Firestone, Michael
c
 Benanav, Thomas Hall, Anthony
Sallen

The Persian king Camlayses makes Egypt part of his empire and rules as Pharaoh launching an
attack against Nubia desert and then on Siwa, in which his army disappears into the desert.

 

Camlayses successor Darius I (*one Darius visited India once) visits Egypt, completes the canal
to the Red Sea and introduces the canal which transforms the possibilities of desert travel and the
experience of modern visitors to Egypt.

 

Alexander visits Egypt and visits the capital, Mempis and the oracle of Siwa. He then lays out a
city Alexandria that will become the pivot of a new Hellenic culture in the Mediterranean.

On Alexander¶s death in Babylon, his general Ptolemy is given a control of Egypt. Alexander¶s
body is buried in Alexandria, Ptolemy¶s new capital. Ptolemy builds the mausoleum and the
library and perhaps also the Pharos.

  

Under Ptolemaic patronage and with access to a library of 700,000 written works, scholars in
Alexandria calculated the earth¶s circumference, discovered it circles the sun and wrote the
definitive edition of Homer¶s work.

 

Ptolemy III Ewrgetes II¶s reign is characterized by violence, but also by the opening of the Edfu
Temple and by building a Philae and Kom Ombo.

 

After Antony and Cleopatra are defeated at Actium, the queen commits suicide, bringing an end
to the Poleis and the start of the Roman rule with Egypt initially the personal property of the
Octavian (the future emperor Augustus Caesar)



According to Coptic tradition St. Mark arrived in Alexandria this year and converted the first
Egyptian, an Alexandria cobbler, to Christianity. The new religion was certainly established in
Egypt by the end of the century.

 

 
 Matthew D. Firestone, Michael
c
 Benanav, Thomas Hall, Anthony
Sallen

St. Anthony begins his retreat from the world. Leaving home near Beni Suef and living in a cave
in the Eastern Desert. He soon attracts others, whom he organizes into a loose community and
Christianity¶s first month.

 

Fifty years after the Byzantine emperor Constantine spoke against the religion of the pharaohs,
his successor Theodosius maxes pragmatism a treasonable offence and Alexandria¶s temple of
Serapes¶ burns, along with it¶s literary of scrolls.

 

Manluk slave warriors most of Turkish or Kurdish origin, Size control of Egypt, although their
rules was obtain harsh and anarchic, they graced the capital with some of its most impressive and
beautiful monuments.



The Manluk Sultan Qaitbey beings a 27 years reign that brings stability and wealth to the
country. Qaitbey is a prodigious builder, constructing a notable tons complex in Cairo and a fast
on the site of the Pharos in Alexandria.

 

Turkish sultan Selim I takes Cairo, executes the last Mamluk Sultan and makes Egypt a Turkish
province for almost 300 years, it will be ruled however weakly, from Istanbul.



Napoleon invades, bringing a group of scholars, who produce the first full description of Egypt¶s
antiquates. The British force the French to lave but their legacy, a fascination with ancient Egypt,
lives on.

 

An Albanian mercenary, Mohammad Ali, exploits the power vacuum left by the French to seize
the power and establish a new µEgyptian¶ dynasty. He begins a modernization programme and
transforms the country.



Africa¶s first railway, between Tanta and Cairo is built by British engineer Robert Stephenson.
The line extended to Suez in 1858 and was popular with Europeans heading to India and the far-
east until the opening of the Suez Canal in 1858.

´
 Matthew D. Firestone, Michael
c
 Benanav, Thomas Hall, Anthony
Sallen



Khedive Ismail, Mohammad Ali¶s grandson, opens the Suez Canal. The British, who ha
preferred a railway, soon take control of the water way as the quickest route to the empire in the
east.



British troop s invaded to suppress nationalist elements in the army. Although they officially
restore power to the Khedive, Britain effectively rules Egypt in what becomes µVeiled in
Protectorate¶.

 

Inauguration of the Aswan Dam, the world¶s largest at that time and Asyut barrage which
controls the Nile flood. The Egyptian Museum also opens on what is now Cairo¶s Midan Tahrir.

 

When Turkey sides with Germany in the war, Britain moves to make Egypt an official British
Protectorate. A new ruler, Hussain Kammal takes the title of Sultan of Egypt.



British ends the protectorate and grants Egypt Independence But reserves the right to defend
Egypt, its interests in Sudan and most importantly Suez canal, where Britain continua¶s to
maintain a large military presence.

Howard Carter discovers the tomb of Tutankhamen. The first great Egyptological discovery in
the age of mass media, the tomb contains more than 3000 objects, which take 10 years to record
and remove.



Anti British Sentiment leads to many foreign buildings in Cairo being burned. By the Summer
Nasser and his fellow Free officers have overthrown King Farouk and established the republic of
Egypt.



Egypt, Syria and Jordon are defeated by Israel in what becomes known as The Six day war.
Egypt loves control of The Sinai peninsula and Nasser resigns, only to be returned to power by
popular demand.

r
 Matthew D. Firestone, Michael
c
 Benanav, Thomas Hall, Anthony
Sallen

 

Fifty years old Gamel Abdul Nasser, Egyptian president since 1956 dies of a heart attack and is
replaced by his fellow revolutionary Anwar Sadat.

 

The Anwar High Dam is completed Eleven years in the making it extends Lake Nasser to some
510 Km. forces the relocation of 50,000 Nubians and many Monuments and extends Egypt¶s
firm land by 30 feet.



In October, Egyptian forces attack and cross Israeli defenses along the Suez Canal. Although the
Egyptians are repulsed and Israel threatens Cairo, the war is seen as an Egyptian success.

 

President Sadat was assassinated, an event precipitated by his having signed the Camp David
Peace Accord with Israel in 1978. He is replaced by Vice-President Hosni Mubarak.



Naguib Mahfouz wins the Nobel Prize for literature. Although many Egyptians feel he is not the
best of the writers, his nomination, the first for an Arab writer is the cause of great national pride.

 

After a highly controversial Presidential Election, in which American pressure forces the
acceptance of the candidates, President Mubarak wins a fifth term (25th year) in office.

 

Street protests, riots and clashes at bakeries break out across Cairo in response to soaring food
prices.

ca 


µHEROGLYPHS¶ meaning µseveral carvings¶ in Greek, are the pictorial script used by the
ancient Egyptians, dating to around 3250 BC. This is the earliest form of writing, yet found,
even predating Mesopotamia.

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 Matthew D. Firestone, Michael
c
 Benanav, Thomas Hall, Anthony
Sallen

Islam is predominant religion of Egypt. 90% of population is Uszlim. It shares its roots with
Judaism and Christianity. Adam, Abraham (Mashim), Noch corresponds closely to the µTokah¶
(the foundation book of Judaism and the Christian gospels).

Egyptian Christians are known as µCopts¶. (aegyphos > Quibt > Copts)
Greek Arabic Modern