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81-535: A kantar is the official Egyptian weight unit for measuring cotton . It corresponds to the US hundredweight, and is roughly equal to 99.05 pounds , or 45.02 kilograms . It is equal to either 157 kilograms of seed cotton or 50 kilograms of lint cotton. This standards - or measurement -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Culture of Egypt The culture of Egypt has thousands of years of recorded history . Ancient Egypt

162-516: A CT scan had revealed a deep knife wound in the mummy's throat, indicating that Ramesses was indeed killed by the conspirators. He died in Thebes in the 32nd year of his reign and was succeeded by Crown Prince Ramesses IV . A number of raids by the Libyans and the sea people, more dangerous than those during the reign of Ramses III , drew the kingdom to more weakness. This increased the influence of

243-619: A distinctive new style (see Amarna Period ). By the end of the Eighteenth Dynasty, Egypt's status had changed radically. Aided by Akhenaten's apparent lack of interest in international affairs, the Hittites had gradually extended their influence into the Levant to become a major power in international politics—a power that both Seti I and his son Ramesses II would confront during the nineteenth Dynasty. The last two members of

324-654: A new style of writing. From this period comes the Rosetta Stone , which became the key to unlocking the mysteries of Egyptian writing to modern scholarship. The city of Alexandria boasted its Library of almost half a million handwritten books during the third century BC. Alexandria's center of learning also produced the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible , the Septuagint . During the first few centuries of

405-516: A peak in Egypt's power and wealth during the reign of Amenhotep III. The term pharaoh , originally the name of the king's palace, became a form of address for the person who was king during his reign ( c.  1479 –1425 BC). Widely considered a military genius by historians, Thutmose III conducted at least 16 campaigns in 20 years. He was an active expansionist ruler. He is recorded to have captured 350 cities during his rule and conquered much of

486-487: A separate branch among the family of Afro-Asiatic languages , was among the first written languages and is known from the hieroglyphic inscriptions preserved on monuments and sheets of papyrus . The Coptic language , the most recent stage of Egyptian written in mainly Greek alphabet with seven demotic letters, is today the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church . The "Koiné" dialect of

567-403: A statue of Ramses II was erected. Thus he recaptured Qadesh and northern Amurru. Nevertheless, like Seti I, he found that he could not permanently hold territory so far from base and after years of conflict, a peace treaty was concluded between the two states. Egypt was able to obtain wealth and stability under the rule of Ramesses, for more than half a century. His immediate successors continued

648-419: A transition period between the reign of Horemheb and the powerful pharaohs of this dynasty, in particular, his son Seti I and grandson Ramesses II, who would bring Egypt to new heights of imperial power. Seti I fought a series of wars in western Asia, Libya, and Nubia in the first decade of his reign. The main source for knowledge of Seti's military activities are his battle scenes on the north exterior wall of

729-687: Is an Egyptian chemist , and the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on femtochemistry . Born in Damanhur (60 km south-east of Alexandria ) and raised in Disuq , he moved to the United States to complete his PhD at the University of Pennsylvania . He was awarded a faculty appointment at Caltech in 1976, where he has remained since. Zewail's key work has been as

810-551: Is an Egyptian. New Kingdom of Egypt In 1845, the concept of a "New Kingdom" as one of three "golden ages" was coined by German scholar Christian Charles Josias von Bunsen ; the original definition would evolve significantly throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. The later part of this period, under the Nineteenth Dynasty (1295–1189 BC) and the Twentieth Dynasty (1189–1069 BC), is also known as

891-580: Is best known for its hymns to and its mortuary texts. The oldest extant Egyptian literature is the Pyramid Texts : the mythology and rituals carved around the tombs of rulers. The later, secular literature of ancient Egypt includes the "wisdom texts", forms of philosophical instruction. The Instruction of Ptahhotep , for example, is a collation of moral proverbs by an Egto (the middle of the second millennium BC) seem to have been drawn from an elite administrative class, and were celebrated and revered into

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972-420: Is best known for its monumental temples and tombs built in stone, including its famous pyramids , such as the pyramids of Giza . These were built with a distinctive repertoire of elements including pylon gateways , hypostyle halls, obelisks , and hieroglyphic decoration. The advent of Greek Ptolemaic rule , followed by Roman rule , introduced elements of Greco-Roman architecture into Egypt, especially in

1053-466: Is his Geography . This too is a compilation, of what was known about the world's geography in the Roman Empire in his time. In his Optics , a work which survives only in an Arabic translation, he writes about properties of light , including reflection , refraction and colour . His other works include Planetary Hypothesis , Planisphaerium and Analemma . Ptolemy's treatise on astrology,

1134-528: Is indicated through the use of tiered space , where more distant objects are drawn higher above the nearby objects, but in the same scale and with no overlapping of forms. People and objects are almost always drawn in profile. Painting achieved its greats height in Dynasty XVIII during the reigns of Tuthmose IV and Amenhotep III . The Fragmentary panel of the Lady Thepu, on the right, dates from

1215-650: Is spoken by about 20,000 speakers. Other minorities include roughly two thousand Greek speakers in Alexandria and Cairo as well as roughly 5,000 Armenian speakers. Many Egyptians believed that when it came to a death of their Pharaoh, they would have to bury the Pharaoh deep inside the Pyramid. The ancient Egyptian literature dates back to the Old Kingdom , in the third millennium BC. Religious literature

1296-429: Is the work of Aziz Pasha Abaza . He came from Abaza family which produced notable Arabic literary figures including Ismail Pasha Abaza, Fekry Pasha Abaza , novelist Tharwat Abaza , and Desouky Bek Abaza, among others. About 85-95% percent of Egypt's population is Muslim , with a Sunni majority. About 5- 15% percent of the population is Coptic Christian ; other religions and other forms of Christianity comprise

1377-550: Is usually labelled by the general public as one of the easiest and fastest to learn, mainly due to the huge amount of accessible sources (movies, series, TV shows, books, etc.) that contribute to its learning process. Egypt's position in the heart of the Arabic speaking world has made it the centre of culture and its widespread dialect has had a huge influence on almost all neighbouring dialects, having so many Egyptian sayings in their daily lives. The Egyptian language , which formed

1458-591: Is viewed to be the founder of the eighteenth dynasty. He continued the campaigns of his father Seqenenre Tao and of Kamose against the Hyksos until he reunified the country once more. Ahmose would then continue to campaign in the Levant, the home of the Hyksos, to prevent any future invasions on Egypt. Ahmose was followed by Amenhotep I , who campaigned in Nubia and was followed by Thutmose I . Thutmose I campaigned in

1539-609: The Tetrabiblos , was the most popular astrological work of antiquity and also enjoyed great influence in the Islamic world and the medieval Latin West . Ptolemy also wrote influential work Harmonics on music theory. After criticizing the approaches of his predecessors, Ptolemy argued for basing musical intervals on mathematical ratios (in contrast to the followers of Aristoxenus) backed up by empirical observation (in contrast to

1620-708: The African Cup of Nations a record 7 times (in 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006 (on home soil), 2008 and 2010). Egypt was the first African country to join FIFA , but it has only made it to the FIFA World Cup three times, in 1934, 1990 and 2018. Egypt also won the World Military Cup five times and finished as runners-up twice. Other popular sports in Egypt are basketball , handball , squash , and tennis . The Egyptian national basketball team holds

1701-587: The Egyptian Arabic dialect or Masri is the official spoken language of the people. Of the many varieties of Arabic, the Egyptian dialect is the most widely spoken and the most understood, due to the great influence of Egyptian cinema and the Egyptian media throughout the Arabic-speaking world. Today many foreign students tend to learn it throughout Egyptian songs and movies, and the dialect

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1782-592: The Grand Collar of the Nile . In modern times, archaeology and the study of Egypt's ancient heritage as the field of Egyptology has become a major scientific pursuit in the country itself. The field began during the Middle Ages , and has been led by Europeans and Westerners in modern times. The study of Egyptology, however, has in recent decades been taken up by Egyptian archæologists such as Zahi Hawass and

1863-575: The Greek language was important in Hellenistic Alexandria, and was used in the philosophy and science of that culture, and was later studied by Arabic scholars. In the upper Nile Valley, southern Egypt, around Kom Ombo and south of Aswan , there are about 300,000 speakers of Nubian languages ; mainly Noubi , but also Kenuzi-Dongola. In Siwa Oasis, there is also the Siwi language that

1944-735: The Kushites , who led raids into Egypt during the Second Intermediate Period, the rulers of the New Kingdom felt compelled to expand far into Nubia and to hold wider territories in the Near East , particularly on the Levantine frontier. The Eighteenth Dynasty included some of Egypt's most famous kings, including Ahmose I , Hatshepsut , Thutmose III , Amenhotep III , Akhenaten , and Tutankhamun . Ahmose I

2025-589: The Levant and reached as far as the Euphrates , thus becoming the first pharaoh to cross the river. During this campaign, the Syrian princes declared allegiance to Thutmose. However, after he returned, they discontinued tribute and began fortifying against future incursions. Hatshepsut was one of the most powerful pharaohs of this dynasty. She was the daughter of Thutmose I and the royal wife of Thutmose II . Upon

2106-553: The Near East from the Euphrates to Nubia during seventeen known military campaigns. He was the first pharaoh after Thutmose I to cross the Euphrates, doing so during his campaign against Mitanni . He continued north through the territory belonging to the still unconquered cities of Aleppo and Carchemish and quickly crossed the Euphrates in his boats, taking the Mitannian king entirely by surprise. The wealthiest of all

2187-850: The New Kingdom (to the end of the second millennium). In time, the Pyramid Texts became Coffin Texts (perhaps after the end of the Old Kingdom), and finally, the mortuary literature produced its masterpiece, the Book of the Dead , during the New Kingdom. The Middle Kingdom was the golden age of Egyptian literature. Some texts include the Tale of Neferty, the Instructions of Amenemhat I ,

2268-667: The Ottoman conquest of 1517 , when Egypt became an Ottoman province . Egypt's cultural contributions have included great works of science , art , and mathematics , dating from antiquity to modern times. Considered to be the first engineer, architect and physician in history known by name, Imhotep designed the Pyramid of Djoser (the Step Pyramid ) at Saqqara in Egypt around 2630 – 2611 BC , and may have been responsible for

2349-519: The Ramesside period . It is named after the eleven pharaohs who took the name Ramesses, after Ramesses I , who founded the Nineteenth Dynasty, and his grandson Ramesses II , who was its longest-reigning monarch. Possibly as a result of the foreign rule of the Hyksos during the Second Intermediate Period, the New Kingdom saw a historic expansion into the Levant , thus marking Egypt's greatest territorial extent. Similarly, in response to attacks by

2430-581: The Royal Library of Alexandria was once the largest in the world. It is usually assumed to have been founded at the beginning of the 3rd century BC during the reign of Ptolemy II of Egypt after his father had set up the Temple of the Muses or Museum . The initial organization is attributed to Demetrius Phalereus . The Library is estimated to have stored at its peak 400,000 to 700,000 scrolls . One of

2511-728: The Sea Peoples invaded Egypt by land and sea. Ramesses III defeated them in two great land and sea battles (the Battle of Djahy and the Battle of the Delta ). He incorporated them as subject peoples and is thought to have settled them in Southern Canaan, although there is evidence that they forced their way into Canaan. Their presence in Canaan may have contributed to the formation of new states, such as Philistia , in this region after

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2592-558: The Second Intermediate Period , thereby building the wealth of the Eighteenth Dynasty. She oversaw the preparations and funding for a mission to the Land of Punt . After her death, having gained valuable experience heading up the military for Hatshepsut, Thutmose III assumed rule. Thutmose III expanded Egypt's army and wielded it with great success to consolidate the empire created by his predecessors. This resulted in

2673-546: The Supreme Council of Antiquities he leads. The discovery of the Rosetta Stone, a tablet written in ancient Greek, Egyptian Demotic script, and Egyptian hieroglyphs, has partially been credited for the recent stir in the study of Ancient Egypt. Greek , a well-known language, gave linguists the ability to decipher the mysterious Egyptian hieroglyphic language. The ability to decipher hieroglyphics facilitated

2754-817: The Tale of Sinuhe , the Story of the Shipwrecked Sailor and the Story of the Eloquent Peasant. Instructions became a popular literary genre of the New Kingdom , taking the form of advice on proper behavior. The Story of Wenamun and the Instruction of Any are examples from this period. During the Greco-Roman period (332 BC − AD 639), Egyptian literature was translated into other languages, and Greco-Roman literature fused with native art into

2835-470: The priests of Amon which finally led to the control of the great priests on the throne. Ramesses III's death was followed by years of bickering among his heirs. Three of his sons ascended the throne successively as Ramesses IV , Rameses VI , and Rameses VIII . Egypt was increasingly beset by droughts, below-normal flooding of the Nile , famine, civil unrest, and corruption of officials. The power of

2916-425: The 11 top-class film festivals worldwide. The Egyptian film industry is the largest & most developed within Arabic-speaking cinema. Egyptian music is a rich mixture of indigenous Egyptian and Western influences. As early as 4000 BC , ancient Egyptians were playing harps and flutes , as well as two indigenous instruments: the ney and the oud . However, there is a little notation of Egyptian music before

2997-509: The 1970s onwards, Egyptian pop music has become increasingly important in Egyptian culture, particularly among the large youth population of Egypt. Egyptian folk music is also popular, played during weddings and other festivities. In the last quarter of the 20th century, Egyptian music was a way to communicate social and class issues. The most popular Egyptian pop singers are Amr Diab , Tamer Hosny , Mohamed Mounir , Angham and Ali El Haggar . Electronic music composers, Halim El-Dabh ,

3078-525: The 2020 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship and the 2020 FIBA Africa Under-18 Championship for Women . The Pharaohs , as they are commonly known, won 16 medals at the African Championship . Since the early 1990s, the Egyptian national handball team has won regional and continental tournaments as well as reaching fourth place internationally in 2001. The Junior national handball team won

3159-565: The 7th century AD, when Egypt became part of the Muslim world . Percussion and vocal music became important at this time and has remained an important part of Egyptian music today. Contemporary Egyptian music traces its beginnings to the creative work of Abdu-l Hamuli, Almaz, Sayed Mikkawi, and Mahmud Osman, who were all patronized by Khedive Ismail and who influenced the later work of Sayed Darwish , Umm Kulthum , Mohammed Abdel Wahab , Abdel Halim Hafez and other Egyptian musicians. From

3240-505: The Aten as his personal deity is often interpreted as history's first instance of monotheism . Akhenaten's wife, Nefertiti , contributed a great deal to his new direction in the Egyptian religion. Nefertiti was bold enough to perform rituals to Aten. Akhenaten's religious fervour is cited as the reason why he and his wife were subsequently written out of Egyptian history. Under his reign, in the fourteenth century BC, Egyptian art flourished in

3321-729: The Christian era, Egypt was a source of a great deal of ascetic literature in the Coptic language . Egyptian monasteries translated many Greek and Syriac words, which are now only extant in Coptic. Under Islam , Egypt continued to be a great source of literary endeavor, now in the Arabic language . In 970, al-Azhar University was founded in Cairo, which to this day remains the most important center of Sunni Islamic learning. In 12th-century Egypt,

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3402-534: The Egyptian Empire in Asia. The severity of the difficulties is indicated by the fact that the first known labour strike in recorded history occurred during the twenty-ninth year of Ramesses III's reign. At that time, the food rations for Egypt's favoured and elite royal tomb-builders and artisans in the village of Deir el Medina could not be provisioned. Air pollution limited the amount of sunlight penetrating

3483-465: The Eighteenth Dynasty— Ay and Horemheb —became rulers from the ranks of officials in the royal court, although Ay might also have been the maternal uncle of Akhenaten and a fellow descendant of Yuya and Tjuyu . Ay may have married the widowed Great Royal Wife and young half-sister of Tutankhamun, Ankhesenamun , in order to obtain power; she did not live long afterward. Ay then married Tey , who originally, had been wet-nurse to Nefertiti. Ay's reign

3564-457: The Hittites thanks to the arrival of the Ne'arin (possibly mercenaries in the employ of Egypt). The outcome of the battle was undecided, with both sides claiming victory at their home front, and ultimately resulting in a peace treaty between the two governments. He campaigned later in the Levant capturing Edom and Moab . New kingdom Egyptian stelae from this period have been found in Jordan . Later, Egyptians conquered Qatna and Tunip where

3645-423: The Hittites, Ramesses II had to deal with a raid by the Sherden sea people whom he defeated and incorporated into his army. His campaigns against the Hittites culminated in the Battle of Kadesh , where he led Egyptian armies against those of the Hittite king Muwatalli II . Ramesses was caught in history's first recorded military ambush, although he was able to rally his troops and turn the tide of battle against

3726-428: The Jewish Talmudic scholar Maimonides produced his most important work. In contemporary times, Egyptian novelists and poets were among the first to experiment with modern styles of Arabic-language literature, and the forms they developed have been widely imitated. The first modern Egyptian novel Zaynab by Muhammad Husayn Haykal was published in 1913 in the Egyptian vernacular . Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz

3807-408: The Karnak Hypostyle Hall, along with several royal stelas with inscriptions mentioning battles in Canaan and Nubia. The greatest achievement of Seti I's foreign policy was the capture of the Syrian town of Kadesh and neighboring territory of Amurru from the Hittite Empire. Egypt had not held Kadesh since the time of Akhenaten . Seti I was successful in defeating a Hittite army that tried to defend

3888-484: The archaeological complex of Abu Simbel , and the Mortuary temple known as the Ramesseum. He built on a monumental scale to ensure that his legacy would survive the ravages of time. Ramesses used art as a means of propaganda for his victories over foreigners, which are depicted on numerous temple reliefs. Ramesses II erected more colossal statues of himself than any other pharaoh, and also usurped many existing statues by inscribing his own cartouche on them. Ramesses II

3969-494: The architectural styles of subsequent periods. Saladin , who overthrew the Fatimids and founded the Ayyubid dynasty in the 12th century, was responsible for constructing the Cairo Citadel , which remained the center of government until the 19th century. During the Mamluk period (13th–16th centuries), a wealth of monumental religious and funerary complexes were built, constituting much of Cairo's medieval heritage today. The Mamluk architectural style continued to linger even after

4050-408: The atmosphere, affecting agricultural production and arresting global tree growth for almost two full decades, until 1140 BC. One proposed cause is the Hekla 3 eruption of the Hekla volcano in Iceland, but the dating of this remains disputed. Near the end of Ramesses III's reign, one of his secondary wives plotted to assassinate the king in her quest to place her son on the throne. Palace personnel,

4131-465: The capital city of Alexandria . After this came Coptic architecture , including early Christian architecture , which continued to follow ancient classical and Byzantine influences. Following the Muslim conquest of Egypt in the 7th century, Islamic architecture flourished. A new capital, Fustat , was founded; it became the center of monumental architectural patronage thenceforth, and through successive new administrative capitals, it eventually became

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4212-413: The collapse of the Egyptian Empire (In the reign of Ramses III himself, Egyptian presence in the Levant is still attested as far as Byblos ). He later was compelled to fight invading Libyan tribesmen in two major campaigns in Egypt's Western Delta in his sixth year and eleventh year respectively. The heavy cost of this warfare slowly drained Egypt's treasury and contributed to the gradual decline of

4293-416: The death of her husband, she ruled jointly with his son by a minor wife, Thutmose III , who had ascended to the throne as a child of about two years of age, but eventually she ruled in her own right as king. Hatshepsut built extensively in the Karnak temple in Luxor and throughout all of Egypt and she re-established the trade networks that had been disrupted during the Hyksos rule of Lower Egypt during

4374-433: The first known use of columns in architecture . The Egyptian historian Manetho credited him with inventing stone-dressed building during Djoser's reign, though he was not the first to actually build with stone. Imhotep is also believed to have founded Egyptian medicine , being the author of the world's earliest known medical document, the Edwin Smith Papyrus . The silk road led straight through ancient Alexandria. Also,

4455-511: The harem, government officials, and army officers participated in the plot . A special court of 12 judges was formed to try the defendants who were sentenced to death. Written sources show that the coup failed and that the conspirators were successfully tried. However, it is not clear from the documents whether Ramses survived the assassination attempt. The king's mummy showed no visible wounds, and questions about his fate were left open to speculation for many years. In 2012, researchers announced that

4536-407: The kings of this dynasty is Amenhotep III , who built the Luxor Temple , the Precinct of Monthu at Karnak and his massive Mortuary Temple . Amenhotep III also built the Malkata palace, the largest built in Egypt. One of the best-known eighteenth dynasty pharaohs is Amenhotep IV, who changed his name to Akhenaten in honour of the Aten , a representation of the Egyptian god, Ra. His worship of

4617-449: The local governments, and many sporting clubs are financially and administratively supported by the government. In 1940, Egyptian cinema has flourished since the 1930s. As a result, the Egyptian capital has been dubbed the "Hollywood of the Middle East", where the world-renowned Cairo International Film Festival is held every year. The festival has been rated by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations as being among

4698-433: The military campaigns, although an increasingly troubled court—which at one point put a usurper ( Amenmesse ) on the throne—made it increasingly difficult for a pharaoh to effectively retain control of the territories. Ramesses II built extensively throughout Egypt and Nubia, and his cartouches are prominently displayed, even in buildings that he did not construct. There are accounts of his honor hewn on stone, statues, and

4779-450: The modern city of Cairo . Early Islamic architecture displayed a mix of influences, including classical antiquity and new influences from the east such as the Abbasid style that radiated from the Abbasid Caliphate 's heartland in Mesopotomia (present-day Iraq ) during the 9th century. In the 10th century, Egypt became the center of a new empire, the Fatimid Caliphate . Fatimid architecture initiated further developments that influenced

4860-407: The over-theoretical approach of the Pythagoreans). He presented his own divisions of the tetrachord and the octave, which he derived with the help of a monochord. Ptolemy's astronomical interests appeared in a discussion of the music of the spheres. Tributes to Ptolemy include Ptolemaeus crater on the Moon and Ptolemaeus crater on Mars. Ahmed Zewail ( Arabic : أحمد زويل ) (born February 26, 1946)

4941-473: The pioneer of femtochemistry . He developed a method using a rapid laser technique (consisting of ultrashort laser flashes), which allows the description of reactions at the atomic level. It can be viewed as a highly sophisticated form of flash photography In 1999, Zewail became the third Egyptian to receive the Nobel Prize , following Anwar Sadat (1978 in Peace) and Naguib Mahfouz (1988 in Literature). In 1999, he received Egypt's highest state honor,

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5022-438: The purge of the Arian heresy, Not surprisingly, the Great Library became a symbol of knowledge itself, and its destruction was attributed to those who were portrayed as ignorant barbarians , often for purely political reasons. A new library was inaugurated in 2003 near the site of the old library. The Lighthouse of Alexandria , one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World , designed by Sostratus of Cnidus and built during

5103-506: The reasons so little is known about the Library is that it was lost centuries after its creation. All that is left of many of the volumes are tantalizing titles that hint at all the history lost due to the building's destruction. Few events in ancient history are as controversial as the destruction of the Library, as the historical record is both contradictory and incomplete. Its destruction has been attributed by some authors to, among others, Julius Caesar , Augustus , and Catholic zealots during

5184-441: The record for best performance at the Basketball World Cup and at the Summer Olympics in Middle East and Africa. Egypt hosted the 2017 FIBA Under-19 Basketball World Cup and is the only African country to host an official basketball world cup at junior or senior level. Further, the country hosted the official African Basketball Championship on six occasions. Egypt also hosted multiple continental youth championships including

5265-572: The reign of Ptolemy I Soter served as the city's landmark, and later, lighthouse. Alexandria , being the center of the Hellenistic world, produced a number of great mathematicians, astronomers, and scientists such as Ctesibius , Pappus , and Diophantus . It also attracted scholars from all over the Mediterranean such as Eratosthenes of Cyrene . Ptolemy is one of the most famous astronomers and geographers from Egypt, famous for his work in Alexandria . Born Claudius Ptolemaeus (Greek: Κλαύδιος Πτολεμαίος; c.  85  – c.  165 ), he

5346-481: The reign of Ay, leaving the opportunity for Horemheb to claim the throne next. Horemheb also died without surviving children, having appointed his vizier, Pa-ra-mes-su, as his heir. This vizier ascended the throne in 1292 BC as Ramesses I , and was the first pharaoh of the Nineteenth Dynasty . The Nineteenth Dynasty was founded by the Vizier Ramesses I , whom the last ruler of the eighteenth dynasty, Pharaoh Horemheb, had chosen as his successor. His brief reign marked

5427-417: The remaining three percent. Sunni Islam sees Egypt as an important part of its religion due to not only Quranic verses mentioning the country, but also due to the Al-Azhar University, one of the earliest of the world universities. It was created as a school for religion studies and works. The Egyptians were one of the first major civilizations to codify design elements in art . The wall painting done in

5508-439: The remains of palaces and temples —most notably the Ramesseum in western Thebes and the rock temples of Abu Simbel . He covered the land from the Delta to Nubia with buildings in a way no king before him had. He also founded a new capital city in the Delta during his reign, called Pi-Ramesses . It previously had served as a summer palace during the reign of Seti I. Ramesses II constructed many large monuments, including

5589-453: The service of the Pharaohs followed a rigid code of visual rules and meanings. Early Egyptian art is characterized by the absence of linear perspective , which results in a seemingly flat space. These artists tended to create images based on what they knew, and not as much on what they saw. Objects in these artworks generally do not decrease in size as they increase in distance and there is little shading to indicate depth . Sometimes, distance

5670-492: The theme of many exhibitions in Cairo in recent times. There has also been a tendency to use the World Wide Web as an alternative outlet for artists and there is a strong Art-focused internet community on groups that have found origin in Egypt. There have been many architectural styles used in Egyptian buildings over the centuries, including Ancient Egyptian architecture , Greco-Roman architecture , Islamic architecture , and modern architecture . Ancient Egyptian architecture

5751-399: The throne seems to have been disputed by his half-brother Amenmesse , who may have temporarily ruled from Thebes. Upon his death, Seti II's son Siptah , who may have been afflicted with poliomyelitis during his life, was appointed to the throne by Bay , a chancellor and a West Asian commoner who served as vizier behind the scenes. Siptah died early and throne was assumed by Twosret , who

5832-700: The time of the latter king. Early Egyptian artists did have a system for maintaining dimensions within artwork. They used a grid system that allowed them to create a smaller version of the artwork, and then scale up the design based upon proportional representation in a larger grid. Modern and contemporary Egyptian art can be as diverse as any works in the world art scene. Some well-known names include Mahmoud Mokhtar , Abdel Hadi Al Gazzar , Farouk Hosny , Gazbia Sirry , Kamal Amin , Hussein El Gebaly , Sawsan Amer and many others. Many artists in Egypt have taken on modern media such as digital art and this has been

5913-538: The town and erected a victory stela at the site which has been found by archaeologists. Kadesh, however, soon reverted to Hittite control because the Egyptians did not or could not maintain a permanent military occupation of Kadesh and Amurru which were close to the Hittite homelands. Ramesses II sought to recover territories in the Levant that had been held by the 18th Dynasty. In his second year, before confronting

5994-558: The translation of hundreds of the texts and inscriptions that were previously indecipherable, giving insight into Egyptian culture that would have otherwise been lost to the ages. The stone was discovered on July 15, 1799, in the port town of Rosetta , Egypt, and has been held in the British Museum since 1802. Football is the most popular sport in Egypt. Egyptian football clubs, especially Zamalek and Al Ahly are known throughout Africa. The Egyptian national football team won

6075-429: The world title in 1993 and it hosted the tournament in 2010. In the 1930s and 1940s, Egypt was a powerhouse in weightlifting , boxing , and wrestling with several Olympic and world championship medals. Roller hockey is also a popular sport in Egypt. The Egyptian national roller hockey team has taken part in many world competitions, but didn't win any as of now. Local sports clubs receive financial support from

6156-472: Was a geographer , astronomer , and astrologer . Ptolemy was the author of two important scientific treatises. One is the astronomical treatise that is now known as the Almagest (in Greek Η μεγάλη Σύνταξις , "The Great Treatise"). In this work, one of the most influential books of antiquity, Ptolemy compiled the astronomical knowledge of the ancient Greek and Babylonian world. Ptolemy's other main work

6237-577: Was also famed for the huge number of children he sired by his various wives and concubines ; the tomb he built for his sons (many of whom he outlived) in the Valley of the Kings has proven to be the largest funerary complex in Egypt. The immediate successors of Ramesses II continued the military campaigns although an increasingly troubled court complicated matters. He was succeeded by his son Merneptah and then by Merneptah's son Seti II . Seti II's right to

6318-472: Was among the earliest civilizations in the world. For millennia, Egypt developed strikingly unique, complex and stable cultures that influenced other cultures of Europe , Africa and the Middle East . Arabic is currently Egypt's official language. It came to Egypt in the 7th century, and it is the formal and official language of the state which is used by the government and newspapers. Meanwhile,

6399-399: Was short. His successor was Horemheb, a general during the reign of Tutankhamun, whom the pharaoh may have intended as his successor in the event that he had no surviving children, which came to pass. Horemheb may have taken the throne away from Ay in a coup d'état . Although Ay's son or stepson Nakhtmin was named as his father or stepfather's Crown Prince, Nakhtmin seems to have died during

6480-701: Was the first Arabic-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature . Many Egyptian books and films are available throughout the Middle East . Other Egyptian writers include Nawal El Saadawi , known for her feminist works and activism, and Alifa Rifaat who also wrote about women and tradition. Vernacular poetry is said to be the most popular literary genre amongst Egyptians, represented by Bayram el-Tunsi , Ahmed Fouad Negm (Fagumi), Salah Jaheen and Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi . An example of modern poetry in classical Arabic style with themes of Pan-Arabism

6561-481: Was the royal wife of his father and, possibly, his uncle Amenmesse's sister. A period of anarchy at the end of Twosret's short reign saw the enthronement of Setnakhte , establishing the Twentieth Dynasty . The last "great" pharaoh from the New Kingdom is widely considered to be Ramesses III , a Twentieth Dynasty pharaoh who reigned several decades after Ramesses II. In the eighth year of his reign,

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