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HISTORY
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Egypt
The regularity and richness
of the annual Nile River flood,
coupled with semi-isolation
provided by deserts to the east
and west, allowed for the the
development of one of the world's
great civilizations. A unified
kingdom arose around 3200 B.C.
and a series of dynasties ruled
in Egypt for the next three
millennia. The last native dynasty
fell to the Persians in 341
B.C., who in turn were replaced
by the Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines.
It was the Arabs who introduced
Islam and the Arabic language
in the 7th century and who ruled
for the next six centuries.
A local military caste, the
Mamluks, took control about
1250 and continued to govern
after the conquest by Egypt
by the Ottoman Turks in 1517.
Following the completion of
the Suez Canal in 1869, Egypt
became an important world transportation
hub, but also fell heavily into
debt. Ostensibly to protect
its investments, Britain seized
control of Egypt's government
in 1882, but nominal allegiance
to the Ottoman Empire continued
until 1914. Partially independent
from the UK in 1922, Egypt acquired
full sovereignty following World
War II. The completion of the
Aswan High Dam in 1971 and the
resultant Lake Nasser have altered
the time-honored place of the
Nile River in agriculture and
the ecology of Egypt. A rapidly
growing population (the largest
in the Arab world), limited
arable land, and dependence
on the Nile all continue to
overtax resources and stress
society. The government has
struggled to prepare the economy
for the new millennium through
economic reform and massive
investment in communications
and physical infrastructure.
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Cairo
Cairo was founded in 969 AD as the
royal enclosure for the Fatimid caliphs,
while the actual economic and administrative
capital was in nearby Fustat. Modern
Cairo encompasses Fustat, as well
as other previous capitals —
Al-Askar and Al-Qatta'i. Fustat was
established by Arab military commander
'Amr ibn al-'As following the conquest
of Egypt in 641, and took over as
the capital which previously was located
in Alexandria. Al-Askar, located in
what is now Old Cairo, was the capital
of Egypt from 750 to 868. Ahmad ibn
Tulun established Al-Qatta'i as the
new capital of Egypt, and remained
the capital until 905, when the Fustat
once again became the capital. After
Fustat was destroyed in 1168/1169
to prevent its capture by the Crusaders,
the administrative capital of Egypt
moved to Cairo, where it has remained
ever since. It took four years for
the General Jawhar Al Sikilli (the
Sicilian) to build Cairo and for the
Fatimid Calif Al Muizz to leave his
old Mahdia in Tunisia and settle in
the new Capital of Fatimids in Egypt.
After Memphis, Heliopolis, Giza and
the Byzantine fortress of Babylon-in-Egypt,
Fustat was a new city built as a military
garrison for Arab troops. It was the
closest central location to Arabia
that was accessible to the Nile. Fustat
became a regional center of Islam
during the Umayyad period. It was
where the Umayyad ruler, Marwan II,
made his last stand against the Abbasids.
Later, during the Fatimid era, Al-Qahira
(Cairo) was officially founded in
969 as an imperial capital just to
the north of Fustat. Over the centuries,
Cairo grew to absorb other local cities
such as Fustat, but the year 969 is
considered the "founding year"
of the modern city.
In 1250, the slave soldiers or Mamluks
seized Egypt and ruled from their
capital at Cairo until 1517, when
they were defeated by the Ottomans.
Napoleon's French army briefly occupied
Egypt from 1798 to 1801, after which
an Ottoman officer named Muhammmead
Tsar Ali made Cairo the capital of
an independent empire that lasted
from 1805 to 1882. The city then came
under British control until Egypt
attained independence in 1922.
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| TESTIMONIAL |
Radhakrishan
Chennai |
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"I am quite convinced that no body
offers Egypt like the way 365 tours, This being our
first trip for all the 8 of days we had complete tour
of entire egypt. Their personalized and flexible itineraries
are simply amazing."
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| Egypt |
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| Egypt has lots
to offer than just Pyramids, here is a quiz on ancient
Egypt one of the most fascinating civilizations in history |
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