EGYPT

EGYPT

 It derives from the GreekAegyptos,which in

turn probably comes from ancient Egyptian
words referring to the land (Hut-ka-ptah,or
"house of the essence [ka] of Ptah," a local
god). Western names derive from this, as
does the word "Copt" (in Arabic,qibt).
"Copt" can be taken to mean "Egyptian" in
general, but now commonly means an
Egyptian Christian, technically one belonging
to the majority Coptic Church.
Egypt has an area of 385,229 square miles
(1,001,000 square kilometers).

 In Arabic, the name isMisr.This

name is older than the Muslim
conquest, but is attested to in the
Koran. It can refer to either the whole
country or the capital city. The name
itself is an icon, spoken, written, or
sung.

 The population of Egypt is relatively

homogeneous. The overwhelming majority (over
90 percent) are Arabic-speaking Sunni Muslims.
About 6 percent are Christians, who are
indistinguishable in other respects from the
Muslims. Most of the Christians belong to
theCoptic OrthodoxChurch, the historic church
of Egypt, but minorities within the minority are
Catholic or Protestant, or derive from the
churches of the Levant (Maronite, Greek
Orthodox, Greek Catholic).

Egyptian literature
Egyptian literaturetraces its
beginnings to ancient Egypt and is
some of the earliest known literature.
The Egyptians were the first culture
to develop literature as we know it
today, that is, the Book.

 The ancient Egyptians wrote works

onpapyrus as well as :
walls
tombs
pyramids
obelisks.

 Best known example of ancient Jehiel

literature is theStory of sinuhe ;other well
known works include theWestcar Papyrus
and theebers papyrus as well as the
famousBook of the Dead. While most
literature in ancient Egypt was so-called
"Wisdom literature. " there also existed
myths, stories and biographies solely for
entertainment purposes. The autobiography
has been called the oldest form of Egyptian
literature.

 TheNile had a strong influence on the

writings of the ancient Egyptians,as
didGreso-Roman poets who came
toAlexandria to be supported by the many
patrons of the arts who lived there, and to
make use of the resources of theLibrary of
alexandria . Many great thinkers from around
theancient word came to the city,
includingCallimachusofLibya andtheocritus
ofSyracu se. Not all of the great writers of
the period came from outside ofEgypt,
however; one notable Egyptian poet was
Apollinius of Rhodes.

Islamic
Egyptian
literature

 Many tales of theOne Thousand and

One Nights(Arabian Nights) can be
traced to medieval Egyptian
storytelling traditions. These tales
were probably in circulation before
they were collected and codified into
a single collection. MedievalEgyptian
folklore was one of three distinct
layers of storytelling which were
incorporated into theNightsby the
15th century, the other two being
ancientIndianandPersianfolklore,
and stories fromAbbasid-

 By the eighth century Egypt had been conquered by

theMuslim Arabs. Literature, and especially libraries,
thrived under thenew Egypt brought about by the
Muslim conquerors.Several important changes
occurred during this time which affected Egyptian
writers. Papyrus was replaced by clothpaper,
andcalligraphy was introduced as a writing system.
the focus of writing shifted almost entirely toIslam.
The earliestnovelwritten in Egypt wasIbn alNafis'Theologus Autodidactus, the earliest example of
a science fiction andtheological novel.The concept
of a "brief statement praising a literary product", now
known as ablurb, also dates back to medieval
Egyptian literature from the 14th century, and was
known astaqrizin medievalArabic literature.

Modern Egyptian
literature

 In the late nineteenth and early

twentieth centuries, theArab world
experiencedal-Nahda ,
aRenaissance-esque movement
which touched nearly all areas of life,
including literature.One of the most
important figures from this time
wasNaguib Mahfouz, the first
Egyptian to win theNobel Prize in
Literature. In 1914Muhammad
Husayn Haykal wroteZaynab,
considered the first modern Egyptian
as well as Islamic novel.

Notable Egyptian
writers

Taha Husayn
November 15, 1889 October 28, 1973),
(Egyptian Arabic: was one of the most
influential 20th centuryEgyptian writers
and intellectuals, and a figurehead for
theThe Egyptian Renaissance and
themodernist movement in the Middle
East and North Africa. Hissobriquetwas
"The Dean of Arabic Literature"

Ysuf Idrs
He sought to put the
foundations of a modern
Egyptian theatre based on
popular traditions and folklore,
his main success in this quest
was his most famous work, a
play called "Al-Farafeer"
depicting two main
characters: the Master and
the "Farfour" . For some time
he was a regular writer in the
famous daily newspaper AlAhram. It is known that he
was nominated several times
to win the Nobel prize for
literature.

Sonallah Ibrahim
known for his leftist and nationalist
views which are expressed rather
directly in his work. His novels,
especially later ones, incorporate
many excerpts from newspapers,
magazines and other political
sources as a way to enlighten the
people about a certain political or
social issue. Because of his political
opinions he was imprisoned during
the 1960s; his imprisonment is
featured in his first book, a
collection of short stories titledThat
Smellwhich was one of the first
writings inEgyptian literatureto
adopt a modernist tinge. His last

Tawfiq al-Hakim
Tawfiq al-HakimorTawfik elHakim(October 9, 1898 July 26, 1987)
Tawfq al-akm) was a prominent
Egyptianwriter. He is one of the
pioneers of the Arabic novel and drama.
The triumphs and failures that are
represented by the reception of his
enormous output of plays are
emblematic of the issues that have
confronted the Egyptian drama genre as
it has endeavored to adapt its complex
modes of communication to Egyptian
society.

Naguib Mahfouz
was anEgyptian writer who won the
1988Nobel Prize for Literature. He is
regarded as one of the first
contemporary writers ofArabic
literature, along withTawfiq el-Hakim,
to explore themes
ofexistentialism.He published 34
novels, over 350 short stories, dozens
of movie scripts, and five plays over a
70-year career. Many of his works
have been made intoEgyptian and
foreign films.

Nawal El Saadawi

anEgyptian feministwriter, activist,

physician and psychiatrist. She has
written many books on the subject
ofwomen in Islam, paying particular
attention to the practice offemale
genital mutilation in her society.

Tourist
attraction

Valley of the Kings

The Valley of the Kings near Luxor is a valley where, for a period of nearly
500 years from the 16th to 11th century BC, tombs were constructed for
the kings and privileged nobles of the New Kingdom. The valley contains
63 tombs and chambers, ranging in size from a simple pit to a complex
tomb with over 120 chambers. The royal tombs are decorated with
scenes from Egyptian mythology and give clues to the beliefs and
funerary rituals of the period. All of the tombs seem have been opened
and robbed in antiquity except for the famous tomb of Tutankhamun.

Red Sea Reef

The Red Sea, off the coast of Egypt, is one of the most beautiful places in the world to
go diving. The waters of the Red Sea are renowned for their spectacular visibility and
features some of the most exotic seascapes. With its wide expanse of coral formation
on the reefs, it is home to thousands of different sea creatures. Red Sea beach resorts
are located on both sides of the sea, on the east side and part of the Sinai peninsula is
the long established Sharm el Sheikh and its neo-hippy counterpart, Dahab. On the
west coast of the Red Sea lies relatively old and touristy Hurghada and a cluster of
new resort towns

Karnak
Although badly ruined, few sites in Egypt are more impressive than Karnak. It
is the largest ancient religious site ever built, and represents the combined
achievement of many generations of Egyptian builders. The Temple of Karnak
actually consists of three main temples, smaller enclosed temples, and
several outer temples located about 2.5 kilometers north of Luxor. One of
most famous structures of Karnak is the Hypostyle Hall, a hall area of 5,000
m2 (50,000 sq ft) with 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows.

Abu Simbel
Abu Simbel is an archaeological site comprising two massive rock-cut temples in
southern Egypt on the western bank of Lake Nasser. The twin temples were
originally carved out of the mountainside during the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses
The Great in the 13th century BC, as a lasting monument to himself and his queen
Nefertari. The complex was relocated in its entirety in the 1960s, when the
temples were threatened by submersion in Lake Nasser, due to the construction of
the Aswan High Dam. Abu Simbel remains one of Egypts top tourist attractions.

Giza Necropolis
The Pyramids of Giza, situated in the immediate vicinity of the
southwestern suburbs of Cairo are the undisputable top attractions in
Egypt. The pyramids at Giza were built over the span of three
generations by Khufu, his second reigning son Khafre, and
Menkaure. The Great Pyramid of Khufu is an awe-inspiring 139
meters (455 feet) high making it the largest pyramid in Egypt,
although nearby Khafres Pyramid appears to be larger as it is build

Religion

 Religious Beliefs.Egypt is a country of "everyday piety."

The central belief in Islam is in the oneness of God, whose
truths were revealed through the prophet Muhammad.
The statement of this basic profession of faith is one of the
five pillars of the religion. The other four are the Ramadan
fast, the pilgrimage to Mecca, the five daily prayers, and
the giving of alms. For many Muslims these five pillars
sum up the belief system and indicate the practices.
Egyptians frequently invoke the notion of God and his
power. Any statement about the future, for instance, is
likely to contain the injunction, "God willing," showing that
the ultimate determination of the intention is up to God.

In Egypt, there are other possible elaborations.

For some, who focus on God as all-powerful,
religious practice involves seeking God's help in
over-coming problems and seeking favorable
outcomes, for instance, with regard to recovery
from disease or misfortune. Around this notion
has grown up a series of practices involving visits
to shrines.

 Also very common in Egypt are associations of mystics

(Sufi brotherhoods). These male-dominated groups are
under the leadership of ashaykh, or a hierarchy of
shaykhs, devoted to helping their members attain a
mystical experience of union with God. This mystical
experience is often attained through collective rituals,
proper to each order, calledzikr.There are nearly one
hundred officially recognized associations, plus
numerous unrecognized ones, and they claim around
six million members (about one third of the adult male
population).

 The two top religious leaders in Egyptian

Islam are the Shaykh al-Azhar, who heads
the religious bureaucracy, and the Grand
Mufti, who offers authoritative
interpretations of the Koran. The
individuals in these posts have been
known to take different positions on some
issues.