Egypt

Table of Contents

Introduction & Quick Facts
Land
- Relief
  - The Nile valley and delta
  - The Eastern Desert
  - The Western Desert
  - Sinai Peninsula
- Drainage
- Soils
- Climate
- Plant and animal life
People
- Ethnic groups
- Languages
- Religion
- Settlement patterns
  - Rural settlement
  - Urban settlement
- Demographic trends
Economy
- Agriculture and fishing
- Resources and power
- Manufacturing
- Finance
- Trade
- Services
- Labour and taxation
- Transportation and telecommunications
Government and society
- Constitutional framework
  - Local government
  - Justice
  - Political process
  - Security
- Health and welfare
- Housing
- Education
Cultural life
- Cultural milieu
- Daily life and social customs
- The arts
- Cultural institutions
- Sports and recreation
- Media and publishing
History
- From the Islamic conquest to 1250
  - Period of Arab and Turkish governors (639–868)
    - The Arab conquest
    - Early Arab rule
    - Egypt under the caliphate
  - The Ṭūlūnid dynasty (868–905)
  - The Ikhshīdid dynasty (935–969)
  - The Fāṭimid dynasty (969–1171)
    - Islamization
    - Arabization
    - Growth of trade
    - The end of the Fāṭimid dynasty
  - The Ayyūbid dynasty (1171–1250)
    - Saladin’s policies
    - Power struggles
    - Growth of Mamluk armies
- The Mamluk and Ottoman periods (1250–1800)
  - The Mamluk rulers (1250–1517)
    - Political life
    - Contributions to Arabic culture
    - Religious life
    - Economic life
  - The Ottomans (1517–1798)
    - The Ottoman conquest
    - Ottoman administration
    - Mamluk power under the Ottomans
    - Expansion
    - Culture
    - Religious affairs
- From the French to the British occupation (1798–1882)
  - The French occupation and its consequences (1798–1805)
  - Muḥammad ʿAlī and his successors (1805–82)
    - Military expansion
    - Administrative changes
    - ʿAbbās I and Saʿīd, 1848-63
    - Ismāʿīl, 1863–79
    - Renewed European intervention, 1879–82
- The period of British domination (1882–1952)
  - The British occupation and the Protectorate (1882–1922)
    - ʿAbbās Ḥilmī II, 1892–1914
    - World War I and independence
  - The Kingdom of Egypt (1922–52)
    - The interwar period
    - World War II and its aftermath
- The revolution and the Republic
  - The Nasser regime
  - The Sadat regime
  - The Mubarak regime
  - Unrest in 2011: January 25 Revolution
  - Transition to an elected government
  - The June 30 Revolution
  - Return to authoritarianism

References & Edit History Facts & Stats

Images, Videos & Interactives

Giza, Egypt: pyramids

Physical features of Egypt

Giza, Egypt: outfitted camel

Egypt: Ethnic composition

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An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

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Egypt: Media

Videos

Nile River

Nile River

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Explore mosques and Coptic, Catholic, Protestant, Maronite, and Eastern Orthodox churches in Egypt

Explore mosques and Coptic, Catholic, Protestant, Maronite, and Eastern Orthodox churches in Egypt

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Explore traditional Egyptian irrigation methods and tools including shaduf, water screw, and waterwheel

Explore traditional Egyptian irrigation methods and tools including shaduf, water screw, and waterwheel

Video: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Learn how Cleopatra used her influence over Julius Caesar to stay in power

Learn how Cleopatra used her influence over Julius Caesar to stay in power

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz

Journey of the Nile: The longest river in the world

Journey of the Nile: The longest river in the world

Video: Contunico © ZDF Studios GmbH, Mainz; Thumbnail © Dmitry Pichugin/Dreamstime.com

Images

Egypt

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egypt

Egypt

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Giza, Egypt: pyramids

Giza, Egypt: pyramids

© Digital Vision/Getty Images

Egypt

Egypt

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Cairo

Cairo

© Mikael Damkier/Dreamstime.com

Physical features of Egypt

Physical features of Egypt

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Giza, Egypt: outfitted camel

Giza, Egypt: outfitted camel

Manrico Mirabelli/Index Open

Al-Baḥr al-Aḥmar governorate, Egypt: seminomadic camp

Al-Baḥr al-Aḥmar governorate, Egypt: seminomadic camp

Kurt Scholz/Shostal Associates

Cairo: Blue Mosque

Cairo: Blue Mosque

Mathias Oppersdorff

Al-Qaṣr, Egypt

Al-Qaṣr, Egypt

Georg Gerster/Photo Researchers

Cairo: house

Cairo: house

© Halit Sadik/Shutterstock.com

Population density of Egypt

Population density of Egypt

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Cairo: farmland

Cairo: farmland

©Robert Holmes

Dandarah, Egypt: sugarcane

Dandarah, Egypt: sugarcane

Bob Burch/Bruce Coleman Inc.

Suez Canal

Suez Canal

Hubertus Kauns/SuperStock

Luxor, Egypt: feluccas on Nile River

Luxor, Egypt: feluccas on Nile River

Robert Frerck/Odyssey Productions

Suez Canal

Suez Canal

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egyptian fellah (agricultural worker)

Egyptian fellah (agricultural worker)

©1992 Bill Lyons

Luxor: temple complex

Luxor: temple complex

© Jose Ignacio Soto/stock.adobe.com

Cairo: Egyptian Museum

Cairo: Egyptian Museum

© Mohamed Ahmed Soliman/Dreamstime.com

Mosque of Aḥmad ibn Ṭūlūn

Mosque of Aḥmad ibn Ṭūlūn

Bright/M. Grimoldi

Saladin

Saladin

Fine Art Images/Heritage Images Partnership Ltd./Alamy

Cairo: citadel of Saladin

Cairo: citadel of Saladin

Katherine Young/Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Ottoman Empire

Ottoman Empire

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Selim I

Selim I

Sonia Halliday

Selim III

Selim III

Sonia Halliday

Muḥammad ʿAlī

Muḥammad ʿAlī

Courtesy of the trustees of the British Museum; photograph, J.R. Freeman and Co. Ltd.

Egypt under Muḥammad ʿAlī and Ismāʿīl

Egypt under Muḥammad ʿAlī and Ismāʿīl

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nūbār Pasha

Nūbār Pasha

Courtesy of the Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris

Saad Zaghloul

Saad Zaghloul

AP

Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser

IBL/REX/Shutterstock.com

Muhammad Naguib

Muhammad Naguib

Camera Press/Globe Photos

Suez Crisis: British occupation of Port Said

Suez Crisis: British occupation of Port Said

Fox Photos—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Yom Kippur War

Yom Kippur War

Daniel Rosenblum—Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Camp David Accords

Camp David Accords

Jimmy Carter Library

Hosni Mubarak

Hosni Mubarak

Office of the Presidents of the Italian Republic

Arab Spring: Egypt's January 25 Revolution

Arab Spring: Egypt's January 25 Revolution

monasosh

Arab Spring: Egypt's January 25 Revolution

Arab Spring: Egypt's January 25 Revolution

monasosh

Cairo: Tahrir Square protests

Cairo: Tahrir Square protests

monasosh

Great Sphinx and pyramid of Khafre

Great Sphinx and pyramid of Khafre

© Goodshoot/Jupiterimages

Nile River basin and its drainage network

Nile River basin and its drainage network

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

The Sahara.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egyptian hieratic numerals

Egyptian hieratic numerals

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egyptian hieroglyphic numerals

Egyptian hieroglyphic numerals

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egypt

Egypt

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Audio

National anthem of Egypt

Interactives

Egypt: Ethnic composition

Egypt: Ethnic composition

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egypt: Religious affiliation

Egypt: Religious affiliation

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egypt: Urban-rural

Egypt: Urban-rural

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egypt: Age breakdown

Egypt: Age breakdown

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egypt: Major import sources

Egypt: Major import sources

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Egypt: Major export destinations

Egypt: Major export destinations

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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