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I spent two months hitchhiking around Egypt in 2008, after coming down from Europe and passing through the countries along the way. I found Egypt to be by far t

I spent two months hitchhiking around Egypt in 2008, after coming down from Europe and passing through the countries along the way. I found Egypt to be by far the most Salafist-leaning of the countries I passed through, far stricter in its understanding of Islam than Turkey or the Levant. When mentioning the Ancient Egyptian past to the average Egyptian (i.e. not some Cairo elites), the response was usually that even talking about all that was haram. So, when a person's firsthand experience of Egypt was like that, naturally one of the first things that will come to mind is “Hmm, I wonder how the local Egyptian people felt about this procession.” I do find it hard to believe that the population has become less strict in its interpretation since 2013, even if their room for applying their beliefs politically has narrowed.

Ozzie_osman 6y ago
Sorry you had that experience. I grew up in Egypt and don't think it's representative. Some regions might be like that, or you may have gotten unlucky. A non-trivial part of the Egyptian population is employed in tourism. It's not all about Ancient Egypt, but that's the main attraction, so many people not only are OK discussing it, they're making a living out of it. Ancient Egyptian history is taught in public school curriculum, etc. Even the national soccer team's nickname is the "Pharaohs".
- Mediterraneo10 6y ago
  I feel my experience was representative, because Egypt clearly consists mainly of a somewhat freethinking elite around the capital and a conservative proletariat within the capital's poorer districts and everywhere else in the country. The elite might have the power to decide the public school curriculum, for example, and if you spent all your time within the elite it might seem like a whole world in itself. Nevertheless the religious masses still vastly outnumber them. I was told by Cairo elites that a major change in Egypt since the 1990s or so was the increasing pressure the masses were putting on the elites. For example, if you ran a business and you did not have the prayer bump on your forehead, your customers might question your religiosity and take their business elsewhere. And the stricter veiling of urban Egyptian women compared to accounts from the mid-20th-century was obvious. Again, I don’t know what might have changed in that regard since the revolution. That people are employed in tourism to the Ancient Egyptian past does not necessarily mean acceptance of the Ancient Egyptian past. There are a number of Muslim countries that derive income from tourism that is at odds with a strict understanding of Islam, but devout Muslims are willing to look the other way (and perhaps tell themselves that this is just a temporary thing until the great sharia future ushers in an equitable economy for everyone).
  - simlevesque 6y ago
    > I feel my experience was representative Everyone does.
- dotancohen 6y ago
  Do contemporary Egyptians consider the current Egyptian state to be a successor state to the ancient Egyptians? Do they consider their culture to be a development of the ancient culture? Serious question from someone who has been to Egypt but not fully digested the culture or the people. Thanks.
  - doktorhladnjak 6y ago
    It's complicated. Copts (about 20% of the population) in Egypt are the most direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Greeks, Arabs, Ottomans, British, French invaded and took control at various points in between. Arabs brought Islam and Arabic language to Egypt with most Copts being Christian and no longer speaking Coptic (a language descended from ancient Egyptian) today, there's additional tension and politics.
    - dotancohen 6y ago
      Thank you, I did not know that the Copts are descended from ancient Egyptians. Does any of the ancient culture survive with them? You mention that the language is almost gone, but how about foods or clothing? Methods of construction, or methods of keeping cool in summer, or crafts?
    - JetAlone 6y ago
      Coptic is still used as a liturgical language, but yes there are very few speakers of it.
    - selimthegrim 6y ago
      There were Arabs living in eastern Egypt for centuries before the Islamic conquest
    - akhenptah 6y ago
      Not exactly. “Copt” means Egyptian and was used by the Turkish decedents ruling class to refer to Egyptians regardless of religion. So all Egyptians are Copts. Some Copts are Christian The church, sometimes referred to as the Coptic church literally meant “the Egyptian church” and played a key role and maybe to this day, for example with a bishop sent to Ethiopia. As for “who think of themselves as a descendant of those mummies?” Pretty much all Egyptians do, the national soccer team is often referred to in Africa as “the pharaohs”. Of course some Arabs Turks Greeks Armenians British and French stayed over the 1000s of years but given the population was already well established over confined space(3% of Egypt is populated, mainly around the Nile and coast) the influx couldn’t overtake the indigenous population. This is not just some fantasy / wishful thinking either. If you observe farming habits, certain traditions, specific tools, fishing, sailing etc, you can see a very long and continuous way of being. It is called “maat” Some studies concluded 98% genetic makeup overlap between the ancient and modern Egyptians. There is such a thing as “Egyptian ethnic group”. Travel through the streets and you will see the resemblance. TV shows? Not so much. With that said, the Egyptian constitution of 1920s declared “the Egyptian is anyone who wishes to declare themselves Egyptian”.

Ozzie_osman 6y ago

Sorry you had that experience. I grew up in Egypt and don't think it's representative. Some regions might be like that, or you may have gotten unlucky. A non-trivial part of the Egyptian population is employed in tourism. It's not all about Ancient Egypt, but that's the main attraction, so many people not only are OK discussing it, they're making a living out of it. Ancient Egyptian history is taught in public school curriculum, etc. Even the national soccer team's nickname is the "Pharaohs".

Mediterraneo10 6y ago
I feel my experience was representative, because Egypt clearly consists mainly of a somewhat freethinking elite around the capital and a conservative proletariat within the capital's poorer districts and everywhere else in the country. The elite might have the power to decide the public school curriculum, for example, and if you spent all your time within the elite it might seem like a whole world in itself. Nevertheless the religious masses still vastly outnumber them. I was told by Cairo elites that a major change in Egypt since the 1990s or so was the increasing pressure the masses were putting on the elites. For example, if you ran a business and you did not have the prayer bump on your forehead, your customers might question your religiosity and take their business elsewhere. And the stricter veiling of urban Egyptian women compared to accounts from the mid-20th-century was obvious. Again, I don’t know what might have changed in that regard since the revolution. That people are employed in tourism to the Ancient Egyptian past does not necessarily mean acceptance of the Ancient Egyptian past. There are a number of Muslim countries that derive income from tourism that is at odds with a strict understanding of Islam, but devout Muslims are willing to look the other way (and perhaps tell themselves that this is just a temporary thing until the great sharia future ushers in an equitable economy for everyone).
- simlevesque 6y ago
  > I feel my experience was representative Everyone does.
dotancohen 6y ago
Do contemporary Egyptians consider the current Egyptian state to be a successor state to the ancient Egyptians? Do they consider their culture to be a development of the ancient culture? Serious question from someone who has been to Egypt but not fully digested the culture or the people. Thanks.
- doktorhladnjak 6y ago
  It's complicated. Copts (about 20% of the population) in Egypt are the most direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians. Greeks, Arabs, Ottomans, British, French invaded and took control at various points in between. Arabs brought Islam and Arabic language to Egypt with most Copts being Christian and no longer speaking Coptic (a language descended from ancient Egyptian) today, there's additional tension and politics.
  - dotancohen 6y ago
    Thank you, I did not know that the Copts are descended from ancient Egyptians. Does any of the ancient culture survive with them? You mention that the language is almost gone, but how about foods or clothing? Methods of construction, or methods of keeping cool in summer, or crafts?
  - JetAlone 6y ago
    Coptic is still used as a liturgical language, but yes there are very few speakers of it.
  - selimthegrim 6y ago
    There were Arabs living in eastern Egypt for centuries before the Islamic conquest
  - akhenptah 6y ago
    Not exactly. “Copt” means Egyptian and was used by the Turkish decedents ruling class to refer to Egyptians regardless of religion. So all Egyptians are Copts. Some Copts are Christian The church, sometimes referred to as the Coptic church literally meant “the Egyptian church” and played a key role and maybe to this day, for example with a bishop sent to Ethiopia. As for “who think of themselves as a descendant of those mummies?” Pretty much all Egyptians do, the national soccer team is often referred to in Africa as “the pharaohs”. Of course some Arabs Turks Greeks Armenians British and French stayed over the 1000s of years but given the population was already well established over confined space(3% of Egypt is populated, mainly around the Nile and coast) the influx couldn’t overtake the indigenous population. This is not just some fantasy / wishful thinking either. If you observe farming habits, certain traditions, specific tools, fishing, sailing etc, you can see a very long and continuous way of being. It is called “maat” Some studies concluded 98% genetic makeup overlap between the ancient and modern Egyptians. There is such a thing as “Egyptian ethnic group”. Travel through the streets and you will see the resemblance. TV shows? Not so much. With that said, the Egyptian constitution of 1920s declared “the Egyptian is anyone who wishes to declare themselves Egyptian”.