LITERATURE OF EGYPT

EGYPT -Arab Republic of Egypt,

-a country linking northeast Africa with the Middle East, dates to the time
of the pharaohs
The Great Pyramid of Giza - oldest and largest of the three pyramids in the
Giza Necropolis bordering Cairo, Egypt.

LOCATION: Egypt is in north-eastern Africa and the Middle East with its

capital located in its largest city, Cairo. Egypt also extends into Asia by virtue
of holding the Sinai Peninsula.
Capital: Cairo- home to Ottoman landmarks like Muhammad Ali Mosque and
the Egyptian Museum, a trove of antiquities
Currency: Egyptian pound (EGP)
Official languages: Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic
Population: 78,887,007(July 2006 estimate)

FACTS ABOUT EGYPT

1. Christianity - main religion in Egypt between the Fourth and Sixth
Centuries.
2. Ancient Egyptians- worshiped over 1,400 different gods and
goddesses.
3. Toilets - found in many ancient Egyptian tombs.
4. The World's Oldest Dress was found in Egypt and it is 5,000
years old.
5. Written language was invented independently by the Egyptians,
Sumerians, Chinese, and Mayans.
6. Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt.
7. Steppe eagle- national animal of Egypt.
8. Statue of Liberty - intended for Egypt.
9. The pyramids were built by paid laborers.That's a myth by Herodotus,
the Greek historian.
10.The lost Egyptian city of Heracleion was found after 1200 years
under the sea.
11.Ancient Egyptians - slept on pillows made of stones.
The world's largest pyramid is not in Egypt but in Mexico.
 12. The tradition of exchanging wedding rings goes back to ancient Egyptian
times.
13. Ancient Egyptians shaved off their eyebrows to mourn the death of their
cats.
14. Egypt is the most populated country in Middle East and has the
world's largest Arab population.
In Ancient Egypt, killing a cat, even accidentally, incurred the death penalty.
15.Cleopatra, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, was actually Greek, not Egyptian

16.The ancient Egyptians wrote works on papyrus as well as walls, tombs,

pyramids, obelisks and more.
17.Story of Sinuhe- the best known example of ancient Jehiel literature

CONTRIBUTION OF EGYPT TO THE WORLD

1. Papyrus- invented in Egypt and it made writing easier.
2. Clock- it told the Ancient Egyptians the time of the day.
3. Calendar- This helped tell them the date and also when the floods from
the Nile would come.
4. Alphabet- it showed how they communicated and made writing easier.
5. Mummification- shows us how they buried their dead.

GREAT PHARAOHS OF EGYPT

1. Hatshepsut (1473 - 1458 BC)
- Hatshepsut who was the first wife Thutmose II.
- For 20 years she ruled Egypt and during that time the economy
was great.
- She disappeared after Thutmose III reclaimed the throne, and
what became of her is a mystery.
2. Thutmose III (1479 - 1425 BC)
- responsible for the mysterious disappearance of Hatshepsut, but
he was still a great ruler
- has been called the Napoleon of ancient Egypt
- was a national hero and he was respected throughout Egyptian
history.
 3. Tutankhamen (1336 - 1327 BC)
- At the age of nine Tutankhamen (Tutankhamun) became pharaoh
- Tut married Ankhsenoomun.
- Tutankhamen died at 18.
- His body was found with his skull bashed in

4. Ramesses II (1279 - 1213 BC)

- one of the longest ruling pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
- He was called Ramesses the Great
- ruled for 67 years
- lived for over 80 years
- He had over a dozen wives and more than 100 children.

5. Cleopatra
- Cleopatra VII Philopator, known to history as Cleopatra
- last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt, briefly survived as
pharaoh by her son Caesarion.

FESTIVALS
1. Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr
- is a month of fasting during daylight hours in which Muslims refrain
from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunup to sunset.

2. Leylet en Nuktah
- Ancient Egyptians worshiped the Nile because of the yearly bounty it
brought, and beautiful women were sacrificed to appease the gods and
bring on the flooding.

3. Coptic Christmas
- Coptic Christians celebrate Christmas on January 7, and most Egyptians
regardless of religion join in the festivities, especially in Cairo and other
Coptic regions.
CULTURE AND TRADITION

For millennia, Egypt maintained a strikingly unique, complex and stable culture that
influenced later cultures of Europe. After the Pharaoic era, Egypt itself came under
the influence of Hellenism, for a time Christianity and later, Islamic culture.
The culture and tradition of Egypt is like a melting pot where multiple culture and
ethnic tradition have created a new concept of living hale and hearty and a mentality
that embraces new and advanced for creating a liberal ambiance around. This liberal
attitude is being displayed in Egyptians friendly behavior toward the foreigners and
tourists. If asked, people of Egypt will always share their service and enthusiasm with
the people whom hardly they know. In Egypt, besides it excellent travel attractions
and cultural ambiance, the smiling faces of the locales are an added charm. All these
sweet fragments are the best part of visit to Egypt program, which will remain with
you as a memory forever. The Egypt culture immense the traditions,
languages, history & civilizations at ancient places.

FAMOUS WRITERS

1. Naguib Mahfouz
- became the Arab world's first Nobel laureate in literature, has
authored roughly sixty books covering virtually every style and genre of
fiction.
- also produced numerous movie scripts and scenarios, including for
many of the top films in Arab cinema history. (1911-2006)
MOVIES:

A). Chitchat on the Nile B). The alley of Miracles C). Cairo 30
2. Taha Hussein
- one of the most influential 20th-century Egyptian writers and
intellectuals
-figurehead for The Egyptian Renaissance
-modernist movement in the Middle East and North Africa.
Born: 15 November 1889, Maghagha, Egypt
Died: 28 October 1973, Cairo, Egypt
Spouse: Suzanne Bresseau (m. 1917–1973)
Movies: The Nightingale's Prayer
Children: Amina Hussein, Moenis Hussein
 Notable works:
-“The Days” -“Fi al-shiʾr al-Jāhilī”
-“The Future of Culture in Egypt” -“An Egyptian Childhood”
-“Ayyām, Al- -“A Passage to France”

3. Tawfiq al-Hakim
- a prominent Egyptian writer.
- one of the pioneers of the Arabic novel and drama.
- born in Alexandria, Egypt, the son of an Egyptian wealthy judge and a
Turkish mother.
- Born: 9 October 1898, Alexandria, Egypt
- Died: 26 July 1987, Cairo, Egypt
- Parents: Isma'il al-Hakim
- Movies: The Message, A Bullet in the Heart
- Nominations: Neustadt International Prize for Literature
- Books:
- The Return of the Spirit The Sultan’s Dillema
- A sparrow from the east The return of counciousness

POETRY
1. Sister without Peer
2. My Brother Torments My Heart

TOURIST SPOTS
1. Great Sphinx of Egypt
2. Abu Simbel temple
3. Karnak
4. Valley of the Kings
5. Lake Nasser
6. Pyramid of Djoser