Questions tagged [egypt]
The questions concerning modern-day Egypt and its history from 7th century AD to present. For questions about ancient Egypt, use the [ancient-egypt] tag instead.
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What language did Gaius Julius Caesar speak with Cleopatra?
What language did Gaius Julius Caesar (GJC) speak with Cleopatra?
My thoughts:
GJC spoke Latin.
Cleopatra spoke many languages, including Arabic, Aramaic, Hebrew, Egyptian, Greek.
Or did they need a ...
- 447
35
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2
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How kind were the Muslim occupations of North Africa?
I grew up in Egypt and although I was raised in Muslim-majority country, I am atheist now. In history classes we were told a doubtful story:
The Muslims would have been kind and merciful invaders ...
- 482
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9
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What is the earliest evidence of contact between Ireland and Egypt?
There is a folk tale of an Egyptian princess in Ireland around 1700 BC. Is there credible evidence of early contact between the two places?
- 695
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Why did the Arabs start the 1973 War during Ramadan, and did it affect their performance?
The Arab-Israeli War in 1973, besides the Jewish Holiday, also took place during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which practicing Muslims observe mandatory daytime fasting. Did this affect ...
- 1,388
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How did Napoleon evade the British fleet and return to France?
After the defeat of the French fleet off the coast of Egypt in 1798, Napoleon's army was cut off in a far away and hostile country.
One year later, after eluding the British fleet, he made it safely ...
- 5,696
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6
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What was the estimated population living in Egypt around 1446 BC?
The biblical narrative in Exodus 11 tells that all firstborn sons of Egypt died in a single night. While maybe there's no historical evidence of that, it would be interesting to know what was the ...
- 425
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1
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When did the Egyptians stop wrapping their dead in bandages?
I'm curious as to when the Egyptians stopped wrapping their dead in thin strips of fabric and transitioned to burial shrouds. Any historical speculation as to the reasons for this transition would be ...
- 851
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1
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Gazan attitudes to Egyptian rule 1948-1967
Was Egyptian rule viewed favourably by the population? Were there uprisings?
Another related question: were there travel restrictions of some form (i.e. could Gazans travel freely in Egypt)?
UPDT: ...
- 25.4k
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6
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Is there an example of Egypt recording defeat?
Some defenders of the Torah's historical accuracy respond to a lack of evidence for the exodus from Egypt with the claim that Egypt simply didn't make records of its negative events. For example, ...
- 789
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4
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How did Egypt become a protectorate of the British empire?
How did Egypt become a protectorate of the British empire in 1914?
(Feel free to add more content to this question)
- 3,527
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1
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Since when is the Nile Delta known as "Delta"?
It is common knowledge that the Nile delta looks roughly triangular in form, hence roughly like a greek capital delta (especially when on a map oriented with the south on top). According to wikipedia, ...
- 7,760
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Could senators visit Roman Egypt?
I recall reading that there was an unwritten rule to the effect that Roman Senators under the Empire were forbidden to visit Egypt without an express permission from the Emperor, on pain of death.
...
- 25.4k
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2
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How much Ancient Egyptian survived into modern Coptic & Egyptian Arabic?
The Egyptian spoken language has evolved dramatically due to influences from the many foreign powers who ruled Egypt over the ages. Coptic is an Egyptian language with strong influences from Greek, ...
- 249
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4
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Why did a lot of major cities around the world obtain obelisks?
I am just wondering the significance of this. There is a large one in Washington DC and an old Egyptian one in New York. They have them in France, England, Spain, Canada, Australia etc. Wikipedia has ...
user2597
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What is the anomaly in drawing of the Great Pyramid by National Geographic?
In the chart below, which comes from this page, there is a gray outline of another shaft and room behind the Queen's chamber description text. Does anyone know anything about this room or where it ...
- 191
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What did Cleopatra's nose look like?
After some general searches in reference to the subject, I found that 'her beauty ... was in itself not altogether incomparable' and that 'She was a woman of surpassing beauty', as Plutarch and ...
- 1,171
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Did the Ottoman Empire lose some control over Egypt during the Crimean War?
What were the effects of the Crimean War on the relationship between the British and Ottoman empires? Did they lose partial control over Egypt?
- 3,527
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Why were there "Tributary States" to the Ottoman Empire?
Here's something that's always puzzled me:
Whenever there was agitation for independence in the territories struggling for independence from the Ottoman Empire, a lot of times the places concerned ...
- 809
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3
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What were the six Mubarak assassination attempts?
Today there's a story about Mubarak in the hospital. He ruled Egypt since 1981 but was overthrown in 2011. Wikipedia says he survived six assassination attempts during that 30-year period, however it ...
- 5,869
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3
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Who was Nimet Eloui Bey's father?
Nimet Eloui Bey was a famous Egyptian model in the 1920s and 1930s, whom I'm researching at the moment. Although now largely forgotten, she is still mentioned from time to time due to being the first ...
- 1,231
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1
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Why did the Arab League re-admit Egypt in 1989?
During the years 1979-1989, Egypt was suspended from the Arab League
in the wake of President Anwar Sadat's visit to Jerusalem and 1978
Camp David Peace Accords between Egypt and Israel. (See also:...
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1
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When did Sultan Saif ad-Din Qutuz escape from Mongol swords?
In Wikipedia, it is mentioned that Hulagu Khan sent the following letter to Sultan of Egypt, Saif ad-Din Qutuz in 1260:
From the King of Kings of the East and West, the Great Khan. To
Qutuz the ...
- 8,153
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1
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Why did Egypt forbid entry of Israeli ships into the Suez canal in 1956?
In 1956, as a response to withdrawal of American aid for the High Aswan dam, Nasser nationalized the Suez canal giving freedom of transit through it to all countries except Israel. Why did they do ...
- 169
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Contemporary opinions on Caliph Omar's burning of the library of Alexandria?
I read that his reasons were, "If those books are in agreement with the Quran, we have no need of them; and if these are opposed to the Quran, destroy them." How were his actions viewed by others?
- 1,652
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Why and when were ancient Egyptian hieroglyph phonograms used?
There are writings on the walls of some Egyptian temples of Hellenistic period written in Egyptian hieroglyph phonograms. However it was strange for me to know that these are Greek texts actually.
...
- 161
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3
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What type of workers were there who built the pyramids in Egypt? [duplicate]
What type of workers were there who participated in building the Pyramids. What were they called and what was their role? Also, what sort of treatment did they get?
- 313
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Do Egyptian mummies contain DNA? If so, was it viable enough to analyzed it? [closed]
I just had my DNA completed with 23andme and was wondering if we have any information regarding the ancestry of Epyptian mummies.
- 209
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1
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Did the avenue of the Gods exist? [closed]
In the recent movie, Exodus: Gods and Kings a scene is shown, presumably in Memphis(?) depicting an avenue of the gods, terminated in a pylon. Did such a place actually exist?
- 37.7k
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What is so unique about ushabti that makes them valued and popular?
I know what a shabti is, but what is the uniqueness in shabti that makes it valuable. I tried searching shabti, but all I got is: "They are small man like clay figures who come to life to serve their ...
- 313
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Why did Anwar Sadat establish diplomatic relationship with Israel and did that decision pay off?
Why did Egypt establish diplomatic relationship with Israel and did that decision pay off?
As far as I recall, Anwar Sadat was able to convince his people and his followers that establishing ...
user13279
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1
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Could Egyptian hieroglyphs accurately record conversational day-to-day discussion?
Whenever I see Hieroglyphs reproduced and read the translation provided it always strikes me that the text appears very stilted and un-natural.
Could hieroglyphs be used to transcribe a normal ...
- 1,954
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2
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Primary annalistic sources for ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt
Are there any surviving dynastic annals from any of the various civilizations of ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt that provide an authoritative record of their rulers and historical events?
This is in ...
- 41
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2
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Where was the Temple of Onias located?
Josephus writes that the Temple of Onias (Chonyo) in Egypt was built in Heliopoils, however the Talmud (Menahot 109b) seems to understand that the temple was built in Alexandria, not in Heliopolis?
4
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1
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Did Machimoi fight in Phalanx formation?
The 'Machimoi' were low ranking Egyptian foot soldiers, pressed into service by the Ptolemaic Dynasty during a period of manpower shortage.
The term Máchimoi... ...commonly refers to a broad ...
- 187
3
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1
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Are the Egyptians homogeneous? [closed]
I don't know whether this is a myth, but I've run into this in various publications, and a few Egyptians I know personally have confirmed it: that the Egyptians of today and those who lived in the ...
- 3,315
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7
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What is a difference between the revolution in Egypt that sprung recently and the Russian Revolution of 1917
What is a difference between the revolution in Egypt that sprung recently and the Russian Revolution of 1917
i need to find a difference between the revolution that happened recently in Egypt, ...
- 193
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1
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When did blackouts occur in Cairo during WW2?
In what date was Cairo blackout lifted in WW2?
Was the date celebrated in the following years?
And, not less important: what notable events were in December 21st 1944?
A little background:
Someone I ...
- 185
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1
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What machine technology did the Egyptians have to build the great pyramids?
Reading the "Account of Egypt" by Herodotus, it says of the great pyramid of "Cheops" (Macauley translation):
This pyramid was made after the manner of steps which some called
"rows" and others "...
- 37.7k
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Were any Egyptian pyramids designed to be half an octahedron? [closed]
Are there Egyptian pyramids which were modeled to resemble half an octahedron? Do the angles of some pyramids correspond to angles of an octahedron?
For those who don't know what an octahedron is: ...
- 139
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0
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How did Egypt turn from "Breadbasket of the Mediterranean" to second-biggest importer of grain?
Egypt is currently undergoing a severe economic crisis. One key reason is that it is importing much of the grain needed to feed its population (and livestock), and this has become expensive/difficult ...
- 1,098
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0
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How were Ceasar's troops supplied with food during the Siege of Alexandria?
During the Siege of Alexandria, Julius Ceasar and a few thousand troops were stuck in the royal quarter of Alexandria for several months, with a local army surrounding them.
Did the royal quarter have ...
- 550
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What are some of the Egyptian pyramid building theories? [closed]
What were some of the theories of how the Egyptian pyramids were built? I know about the one about placing logs under the stones to move them into place, but what are some other theories? Will there ...
- 313
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3
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What would've been the outcome of the Yom Kippur War had the UN not intervened? [closed]
As a kid growing up in Egypt, we obviously had things in our official history textbooks that said that we "totally won that war", and I'm very sure that it's the exact opposite in Israel. So please, I ...
- 133
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To what extent did the "Arab Spring" protesters meet their goals?
Too what extent did the protesters throughout the Arab spring in Tunisia, Libya and Egypt achieve their aims?
What happened after the various regimes resigned, what has changed and what would the ...
- 193
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What was the area of the Mamluk Sultanate?
Both in the Baḥrī period and the Burjī period. I've been trying to find an answer for about 30 minutes and I've found nothing, so if you know, a source would be good too.
- 153
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1
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What is the diplomatic record on President Sadat's 1971 peace offer to Israel?
I have seen a lot of talk in the Israel-Palestine debate about the 1971 peace offer, but I can't find any original sources on it. Even Wikipedia's brief paragraph about it says "citation needed."
...
- 329
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Was Mansa Musa's gold as serious an inflationary problem in Mamluk Egypt as is portrayed, and, if so, how did the Mamluks recover from it?
There are numerous sources claiming that Mansa Musa, King of Mali, was one of the richest people alive (#1, #2). Essentially, these claim that Musa was one of the richest people in the history of the ...
- 10.7k
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Was the inequality of wealth in 1950s in Egypt the result of the Ottoman Empire's former power in Egypt?
One of Nasser's more historic changes he enacted was land reform. This took the form of placing limits on land ownership in terms of feddans, nationalization of large amounts of land, and the issuance ...
- 980
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Are the Egyptians the only ones to have carved the dead's biography on the coffin?
I know that Egyptians did it. (See Hornedjitef's coffin)
It is very interesting to me that they carved a biography on the coffin that was to be buried - not to mention that it was the inner coffin, ...
- 21
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What kind of bird is Horus? [closed]
Recently I was reading Brugsch's History of Egypt and he describes the figure of Horus as being that of a "sparrowhawk". Now, I have the greatest respect for Brugsch and consider him the best ...
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