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84-571: The word literally means "from Ṣa‘īd" (i.e. Upper Egypt), and can also refer to a form of music originating there, or to the dialect spoken by Sa‘idis. The Arabic word Ṣa‘īd , as a geographical term, means "highland, upland, plateau". The suffix -i forms an adjective. The word Ṣa‘īdi is pronounced in the dialect itself as [sˤɑˈʕiːdi] or [sˤɑˈʕiːdej] and the plural is [sˤɑˈʕɑːjda] or [sˤɑˈʕɑːjde] , while pronounced in Egyptian Arabic (Northern Egyptian) as [sˤeˈʕiːdi] and

168-587: A main Egyptian cluster. The lowest value for genetic distance was found between the Greater Cairo and Delta populations. A different study which focused on 265 unrelated individuals inhabiting five governorates in Upper Egypt using similar methodology, found that based on the frequency of similar molecular data, no differences were observed in comparison with the general population from Cairo in any of

252-654: 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

336-613: A particular church or an exalted local Muslim figure. Muslim mulids are related to the Sufi zikr ritual. The Egyptian flute , called the ney , is commonly played at mulids. The liturgical music of the Alexandrian Rite also constitutes an important element of Egyptian music and is said to have preserved many features of ancient Egyptian music. Egyptian folk music , including the traditional Sufi dhikr rituals in Egypt, are

420-407: A population sample from Adaima. Mohamed, T et al. (2009) in their study on nomadic Bedouins featured a comparative study with a worldwide population database to infer genetic structure. Their analysis discovered that both Upper Egyptian populations (Muslim Egyptians and Coptic Christians), showed a distinct "North African" cluster at 63% and 65% respectively, when compared to other Arab populations in

504-436: A regular on the world music scene, while Mohamed Mounir 's social criticism and sophisticated pop have made him a star among Nubians, Egyptians, and other people worldwide. Ahmed Mounib , Mohamed Mounir 's mentor, was by far the most notable Nubian singer to hit the Egyptian music scene, singing in both Egyptian Arabic as well as in his native Nobiin . Hamza El Din was another popular Nubian Egyptian artist, well known on

588-487: 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

672-469: A sofa) was the most common form of ensembles in the early 20th century before the adoption of more orchestral instruments which were introduced by composers such as Mohamed El Qasabgi , Riad El Sunbati and Mohammed Abdel Wahab . One of the most respected early electronic music composers, Halim El-Dabh , is an Egyptian. Active at the same time, or perhaps earlier than, the French electronic pioneers from

756-626: Is a transcontinental country containing substantial ethnic, cultural, and linguistic diversity among its people. A paper in 2019 looking to characterize the genetic variation in Egyptians used 15 STR loci on 814 unrelated individuals from Northern Coast, Delta, Greater Cairo, Canal governorates, Northern Upper Egypt, Southern Upper Egypt, and Sinai. The most differentiated populations were found between Sinai and Southern Upper Egypt who plotted separately. In contrast, Northern Coast, Delta, Greater Cairo, Canal governorates and Northern Upper Egypt were all in

840-687: 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

924-580: 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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1008-420: 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

1092-466: 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,

1176-528: 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

1260-788: Is more securely attested in the Old Kingdom when arched harps , flutes and double clarinets were played. Percussion instruments and lutes were added to orchestras by the Middle Kingdom . Cymbals frequently accompanied music and dance, much as they still do in Egypt today. Early Middle Eastern music was influenced by Byzantine and Roman forms, which were themselves heavily influenced by earlier Greek, Semitic, and Ancient Egyptian music. Egyptians in Medieval Cairo believed that music exercised "too powerful an effect upon

1344-591: 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

1428-478: 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 is usually labelled by the general public as one of

1512-612: Is the popular 1998 film Ṣa‘īdi fil-Gama‘a al-Amrikiya ("A Ṣa‘īdi in the American University") starring Mohamed Henedi , whose main character is portrayed as less fashionable than the other Egyptian students of the American University in Cairo . The Upper Egyptians follow Islam and Christianity as Upper Egypt has a significant Christian population and a rich Coptic Christian history . For instance, Sahidic

1596-429: 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

1680-609: 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

1764-708: 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

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1848-592: 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

1932-575: 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

2016-910: 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 ,

2100-616: 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

2184-581: 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

2268-569: The Sinawis and the Nubians . Mixtures of folk and pop have also risen from the Cairo hit factory. Since the Nasser era, Egyptian pop music has become increasingly important in Egyptian culture, particularly among the large youth population of Egypt. Egyptian folk music continues to be played during weddings and other traditional festivities. In the last quarter of the 20th century, Egyptian music

2352-463: The Studio d’Essai , he is one of, if not the, earliest composer of purely electronic music. In 1944 he composed the earliest known work of tape music , or musique concrète , called The Expression of Zar, which he composed in Egypt, while still a student in Cairo, by capturing sounds from the streets of Egypt on a wire recorder. The Egyptian electronic music scene has gained a mainstream foothold in

2436-546: 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

2520-817: 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

2604-425: 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

Sa'idi people - Misplaced Pages Continue

2688-584: The 1940s is a long cultural trend in the community, especially in the Hamradoum and Nag Hammadi areas. Weapons smuggling from Libya and Sudan is also notable in the area. Ṣa‘īdis and their dialect are the subject of numerous Egyptian stereotypes and ethnic jokes , mainly from the upper-class Egyptians who own businesses in Egypt's major cities and used to hire Upper Egyptian workers in construction fields . They are popularly assumed to be rural simpletons by other Egyptians . An example of such stereotyping

2772-509: 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 ,

2856-525: 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

2940-565: 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

3024-466: The 9 loci compared, or with Coptic Christians from Cairo. However, 1 out of 8 loci showed a difference in comparison with a population from El-Minya. At the molecular data level, there was also a weak difference when Upper Egyptians were compared with Egyptian Muslims from Tanta, albeit with a non significant value in an exact test of population differentiation. However, highly significant differences were observed in comparisons with Berbers from Siwa and with

3108-544: The Abbasid and Ottoman dynasty Egypt was one of the main musical hubs in the middle east and therefore after the fall of the Ottoman Empire in 1923 Egypt became the capital of music in the Arabic-speaking world where classical instruments such as the oud , qanun , and ney were widely used. The typical takht (ensemble) consisted of an Oud player, qanun player, ney player and violin player. The takht (literally meaning

3192-705: The Arabic system of music is the division of tones into thirds," although today Western musicologists prefer to say that Arabic music's tones are divided into quarters. The songs of this period were similar in sound and simple, within a small range of tones. Egyptian song, though simple in form, is embellished by the singer. Distinct enunciation and a quavering voice are also characteristics of Egyptian singing. Male professional musicians during this period were called Alateeyeh (plural), or Alatee (singular), which means "a player upon an instrument". However, this name applies to both vocalists as well as instrumentalists. This position

3276-677: 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,

3360-493: 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

3444-647: The Middle-East and Europeans. Music of Egypt#Saidi (Upper Egyptian) Music has been an integral part of Egyptian culture since antiquity in Egypt . Egyptian music had a significant impact on the development of ancient Greek music , and via the Greeks it was important to early European music well into the Middle Ages. Due to the thousands of-years long dominance of Egypt over its neighbors, Egyptian culture, including music and musical instruments,

Sa'idi people - Misplaced Pages Continue

3528-1010: The Nile; who became known to Alain Weber in 1975), are the most popular Sa ‘ī di group, and were chosen by the government to represent Egyptian folk music abroad. They spent over three decades touring Europe performing at various festivals and musical events and in 1983 after their performance in the World of Music and Dance Festival, they were signed to Peter Gabriel's label Real World-Carolina and went on to feature on his Album Passion. Other performers include Shoukoukou, Ahmad Ismail, Omar Gharzawi, Sohar Magdy and Ahmed Megahid. In Egypt , Nubians are native to southern part of Aswan , though some live in Cairo , Alexandria and other cities. Nubian folk music can still be heard, but migration and intercultural contact with Egyptian and other musical genres have produced new innovations. Ali Hassan Kuban 's efforts had made him

3612-718: 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

3696-465: 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

3780-584: The closest contemporary music genre to ancient Egyptian music, having preserved many of its features, rhythms, and instruments. The 20th century has seen Cairo become associated with a roots revival . Musicians from across Egypt are keeping folk traditions alive, such as those of rural Egyptians ( fellahin ), the Saii'da , and to a lesser extent minorities like the Siwa people , the Egyptian Romani ,

3864-481: The country's northern coast from the Nile valley in the 19th century by Egyptian workers in the Suez Canal . Well known Egyptian bands that feature the simsimiyya as a main instrument include el-Tanboura , which uses other ancient Egyptian instruments. Egyptian musicians from Upper Egypt play a form of folk music called Ṣa‘īdi which originates from Upper Egypt. Metqal Qenawi's Les Musiciens du Nil (Musicians of

3948-399: The early 21st century, Egyptian musicians and musicologists led by the Egyptian musicology professor Khairy el-Malt at Helwan University in Cairo had begun to reconstruct musical instruments of ancient Egypt, a project that is ongoing. Culture of Egypt The culture of Egypt has thousands of years of recorded history . Ancient Egypt was among the earliest civilizations in

4032-445: 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

4116-556: The end of World War I, some of the Middle East's biggest musical stars have been Egyptian . Contemporary classical Egyptian music traces its beginnings to the creative work of traditiondal classical Egyptian musicians Abdu El Hamouly, Almaz, and Mahmud Osman, as well as the later work of the 20th century's most important Egyptian composers and singers, like Sayed Darwish , Umm Kulthum , Mohammed Abdel Wahab , Abdel Halim Hafez , and Baligh Hamdy . Most of these stars, including Umm Kulthum , Abdel Halim , Fawzi and many others were part of

4200-433: 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,

4284-468: The forms of techno , trance , and dance pop DJs such as Aly & Fila . In the 2010s, Mahraganat music, an Egyptian form of electronic music which often contains political lyrics, gained popularity both inside and outside Egypt. In the 20th and early 21st centuries, interest in the music of the pharaonic/ancient Egyptian period began to grow, inspired by the research of such foreign-born musicologists as Hans Hickmann , who lived and worked in Egypt. By

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4368-562: The goddess Bat and the god Ihy with the invention of music . The cult of Bat was eventually syncretised into that of Hathor because both were depicted as cows. Hathor's music was believed to have been used by Osiris as part of his effort to civilise the world. The lion-goddess Bastet was also considered a goddess of music in ancient Egypt . In prehistoric Egypt , music and chanting were commonly used in magic and rituals. Rhythms during this time were unvaried and music served to create rhythm. Small shells were used as whistles. During

4452-456: The harem, but in an elevated room that was concealed by a screen so as not to be seen by either the harem or the master of the house. The female Awalim were more highly paid than male performers and more highly regarded than the Alateeyeh as well. Lane relates an instance of a female performer who so enraptured her audience that she earned up to fifty guineas for one night's performance from the guests and host, themselves not considered wealthy. In

4536-449: 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

4620-450: 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

4704-407: 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)

4788-470: The passions, and leading men into gaiety, dissipation and vice." However, Egyptians generally were very fond of music. Though, according to E.W. Lane, no "man of sense" would ever become a musician, music was a key part of society. Tradesmen of every occupation used music during work and schools taught the Quran by chanting. The music of Medieval Egypt was derived from Ancient Egyptian and Byzantine traditions. Lane said that "the most remarkable peculiarity of

4872-519: The piano and violin were gradually adopted by Egyptians. Opera also became increasingly popular during the 18th century, and Giuseppe Verdi 's Egyptian-themed Aida was premiered in Cairo on December 24, 1871. By the early 20th century, the first generation of Egyptian composers, including Yusef Greiss , Abu Bakr Khairat , and Hasan Rashid , began writing for Western instruments. The second generation of Egyptian composers included notable artists such as Gamal Abdelrahim . Representative composers of

4956-473: 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,

5040-547: The plural is [sˤɑˈʕɑjdɑ] . In the Sahidic (Upper Egyptian) dialect of Coptic, the name for a person from Upper Egypt is ⲣⲉⲙⲣⲏⲥ (pronounced rem/rīs) meaning "person of the South" or ⲣⲉⲙ(ⲡ)ⲙⲁⲣⲏⲥ (pronounced rem/pma/rīs or rem/ma/rīs) "person of (the) place of the south (i.e. Upper Egypt)". Approximately 40% of Egyptians live in Upper Egypt, and 80% of Egypt's severe poverty is concentrated in Upper Egypt. The settling of family disputes and blood feuds by firearms (often antiquated, such as Mauser rifle ) since at least

5124-516: The political influence Egypt has on its neighboring countries, as well as Egypt producing the most accomplished musicians and composers in the region, especially in the 20th century, many of them are of international stature. The tonal structure music in the East is defined by the maqamat , loosely similar to the Western modes, while the rhythm in the East is governed by the iqa'at , standard rhythmic modes formed by combinations of accented and unaccented beats and rests. The ancient Egyptians credited

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5208-416: The predynastic period of Egyptian history, funerary chants continued to play an important role in Egyptian religion and were accompanied by clappers or a flute . Despite the lack of physical evidence in some cases, Egyptologists theorise that the development of certain instruments known of the Old Kingdom period, such as the end-blown flute, took place during this time. The evidence for instruments played

5292-438: 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

5376-506: 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

5460-441: 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

5544-572: 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

5628-417: 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

5712-449: The second half of the 19th century, the Egyptian folk street music band Hasaballah , a genre of popular improvisational brass band folk music emerged, initiated by clarinettist Mohamed Hasaballah and his band based on the traditional music of the Egyptians, and is shortly called Hasaballah, a band playing in Cairo's music and entertainment quarter on Mohammed Ali Street. The typical line-up of trumpet , trombone , bass and snare drums ,

5796-453: 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

5880-492: 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

5964-407: The third generation are Ahmed El-Saedi and Rageh Daoud . In the early 21st century, even fourth generation composers such as Mohamed Abdelwahab Abdelfattah (of the Cairo Conservatory) have gained international attention. Religious music remains an essential part of traditional Sufi Muslim and Coptic Christian celebrations called mulids . Mulids are held in Egypt to celebrate the saint of

6048-700: 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

6132-594: The traditional Egyptian music. Some, like Abd el-Halim Hafez, were associated with the Egyptian nationalist movement from 1952 onward. Cairo-born Fatma Said was the first Egyptian soprano to sing at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan . and from 2016 to 2018 took part in BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists scheme. Western classical music was introduced to Egypt, and, in the middle of the 18th century, instruments such as

6216-558: 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

6300-657: The world music scene and has collaborated with the Kronos Quartet . A typical early 20th century Egyptian ensemble comprising the Oud, qanun, violin, ney, and cello. Many of the modern day instruments, both in the East and the West, trace their roots back to ancient Egypt, and many ancient Egyptian instruments are still used in Egypt today, such as the darbuka , the simsimiyya , the Egyptian ney , among other instruments. During

6384-429: 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

6468-470: 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, the Egyptian Arabic dialect or Masri

6552-472: 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

6636-486: Was a way to communicate social and class issues. Among some of the most popular Egyptian pop singers today are Sherine Abdel-Wahab , Mohamed Mounir , and Amr Diab . Sawahli (coastal) music is a type of popular Egyptian music from the country's northern coast, and is based around ancient Egyptian instrumentals, mainly the simsimiyya , which is an indigenous Egyptian stringed instrument that has its roots in ancient Egypt, it---the simsimiyya---was probably introduced to

6720-423: Was considered disreputable and lowly. However, musicians found work singing or playing at parties to entertain the company. They generally made three shillings a night, but earned more by the guests' givings. Female professional musicians were called Awalim (pl) or Al’meh, which means a learned female. These singers were often hired on the occasion of a celebration in the harem of a wealthy person. They were not with

6804-527: Was popular, such as at family events, for well over a century, and is still played. Egyptian music began to be recorded as early as in the 1910s. The Egyptians have always expressed themselves and daily lives and even struggles with their music and traditional folk music. By the 1930s, Egypt's classical musical tradition was already thriving, centered on the city of Cairo. In general, modern Egyptian music blends its rich indigenous traditions, with some western elements that helped create Egyptian pop music. Since

6888-701: 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

6972-403: Was the leading Coptic dialect in the pre-Islamic period. In the last few decades the high proportion of Coptic Christians in Upper Egypt has enabled some Christians to hold prominent political posts there. For instance, Qena Governorate had a Coptic Christian governor in 2011. Sahidic dialect of Coptic is used as a liturgical language by the clergy and among Sa'idi Coptic Christians . Egypt

7056-485: Was very influential in the surrounding regions; for instance, the instruments claimed in the Bible to have been played by the ancient Hebrews are all Egyptian instruments as established by Egyptian archaeology . Egyptian modern music is considered as a main core of Middle Eastern and Oriental music as it has a huge influence on the region due to the popularity and huge influence of Egyptian cinema and music industries, owing to

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