Egypt

1. Egypt From Pharaoh to Mubarak

2. Classic Egyptian Civilization • Egypt is one of the oldest civilizations in human history • It goes back at least 7000 years • The Greeks, Romans, Arabs and Europeans have all left their mark on Egypt • Egypt is one of the Middle East’s main cultural centers today • Egypt is the cultural heart of the modern Arab world

3. Built by the Egyptians, not space aliens!

4. The Pyramids of Giza • Built around 25 centuries before common era • Built by 3 Pharaohs as burial chambers • Only one of the 7 wonders of the world left standing • Largest of the 3 took more than 20 years to build • Built by workers who were paid, not by slave labor! • Some of the individual blocks of stone weigh up to 80 tons • The pyramids were built without the use of the wheel

5. The Nile

6. The River of Life • Simple, no Nile, no Egypt! • Most of the 79 million people in Egypt live close to the Nile • The Nile brings water and allows farming • It is also important for travel

7. Nasser • Took power in 1954 with a policy of a secular state, anti-Israeli activism, socialist economics, Egyptian nationalism and pride. • Tried to crush all opposition, especially the radical Islamic parties. He had Sayyid Qutb executed • Got Egypt into the 1967 War against Israel, caused Egypt to lose the Sinai to Israel • Seen as a leader in the Arab world but died of a heart attack in 1970. • Anwar Sadat took over after his death

8. Sadat • Considered one of the most influential Arab leaders in modern times • Signed a peace treaty with Israel. Got the Sinai beck for Egypt • Allied Egypt closer to the USA • Lead a political crackdown on all opponents after internal criticism for the treaty and not bringing enough economic prosperity to Egypt • Assassinated in 1981. Lead to the imprisonment of more than 300 people, including future Al-Qaeda member Ayman al-Zawahiri

9. Mubarak • President for Life of Egypt • One of the most powerful men in the Middle East • Is considered a fierce opponent of Islamic extremism, but is also accused of using torture and violence to keep power. Also, there is a large degree of censorship in Egypt and little in the way of political rights • His son is accused of corruption and gaining influence because of who his father is • He is a strong ally of the USA and gains billions of dollars in Aid because of his ties to the USA • Has ruled with help of an emergency law that has been in place since 1981. This allows the government to jail people with not charge for as long as it likes • Has allowed US prisoners in the war on terror to be “interrogated” in Egypt.

10. Terrorism in Egypt • There are a variety of groups that are accused of using and supporting terrorism. The Most well known is the Muslim Brotherhood. The M.B. has been banned in Egypt since 1952, but its supporters hold many seats in Egypt’s Parliament, running as independents. • The M.B has dedicated itself to establishing a religious based government with Sharia Law as its guide. • Some westerners see the M.B. as the spiritual root of all terrorist organizations in the Muslim world • M.B. supports blame terrorism on the Wahabi movement in Saudi Arabia • The M.B. has followers and political parties in much of the Middle East • Many Egyptians feel the M.B. offers an alternative to Mubarak and his supposed corruption and human rights abuses

11. Sayyid Qutb • Considered the father of modern radical Islamic terrorism. His books have inspired Al-Qaeda • Saw the west as evil, corrupt and a danger to Islam that must be destroyed. He also hated Jews • Spent time in the USA and opposed individualism, freedom of religion, consumerism and women’s rights • Felt that Arab governments needed to be overthrown and replaced with strict Islamic ones • He was executed by Nasser in 1966 • Qutb also justified killing of Muslims that didn’t agree with him, because he felt they were not real Muslims and should be treated as infidels

12. Enough of the Violence, let’s learn some Egyptian Culture!

13. Ancient Egypt • Egypt was first unified by Menes around 3000 years BCE • The Egyptians built a civilization that has influenced many others and inspires imagination even today • They built the pyramids, sphinx and other massive temples • They used a system of writing called hieroglyphs, where each picture represented a sound • Perhaps the most famous ancient Egyptian is King Tutankhamen, the boy king whose treasures are on display this spring in Philadelphia • His tomb was discovered in the 1920’s and it’s the only known tomb of the pharaohs that was never robbed

14. Mr. Viquez was here when he was 8 years old. This is the tomb of king Tut in the Valley of the Kings

15. Egyptian mummies Hollywood mummy

16. Modern Egypt

17. Cairo Capital of Modern Egypt

18. Facts and Stats about Cairo • Means the vanquisher in Arabic • Around 16 million people live there • Most populated city in Africa • Home to many international and Egyptian Universities • Center of Arabic culture and learning

19. Cairo International Film Festival • Started in 1976 • First Film fest in the Middle East • Features movies from the Arab world and Western world • Egyptians are movie buffs and Cairo is considered the Hollywood of the Middle East

20. Nawal El Saadawi • Famous Feminist writer in Egypt • She is critical of the status of women in many religions • She was forced to undergo female circumcision at a young age • Her work brought political punishment from the state and threats of violence from religious radicals • She now lives in the USA

21. Religion in Egypt • Between 90-95% of Egyptians are Sunni Muslims • Islam in Egypt is usually not interpreted strictly, but the veil and head covering of women is more common today than in the past. But many Egyptian women are modern in their dress and culture • This could be a political statement or a cultural change • Between 5-10% are Coptic Christians. This is one of the oldest Christian communities in the world • There was once about 60,000 Jews in Egypt. Many left after the start of the Arab-Israeli wars. There 100 or so Jews in Egypt today.

22. Traditional and Modern Egyptian Women • On the left, we have Ms. Egypt 2006 posing with Ms. Israel • On the right, we have more traditionally dressed Egyptian women.