Four distinct settlement layers at the site show eras of use all the way into the Coptic Byzantine era of the third through seventh centuries A. But why was it abandoned during the brief reign of Akhenaten? All rights reserved. Share Tweet Email. Read This Next Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London Love them or hate them, there's no denying their growing numbers have added an explosion of color to the city's streets.
India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big. Environment Planet Possible India bets its energy future on solar—in ways both small and big Grassroots efforts are bringing solar panels to rural villages without electricity, while massive solar arrays are being built across the country.
Epic floods leave South Sudanese to face disease and starvation. Travel 5 pandemic tech innovations that will change travel forever These digital innovations will make your next trip safer and more efficient. But will they invade your privacy? Go Further. Animals Wild Cities This wild African cat has adapted to life in a big city. Animals This frog mysteriously re-evolved a full set of teeth. Animals Wild Cities Wild parakeets have taken a liking to London.
Animals Wild Cities Morocco has 3 million stray dogs. Meet the people trying to help. Animals Whales eat three times more than previously thought. Egypt was unified in the fourth millennium BC. Conquered by the Arabs in the seventh century, Egypt was part of the Ottoman Empire from to and held by the British from to In , in the city of Ismailia, Hassan Al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood - a Sunni Islamist organization - which grew to be one of the most powerful and influential Islamist organizations in the Arab world.
In Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser became President, and in the early s began shaping Egypt into a socialist republic. From President Anwar Sadat followed opposing policies to those of Nasser by promoting peace with Israel, economic liberalization and Egyptian nationalism.
In Muslim fundamentalists assassinated Sadat. He had favoured accommodation with the Muslim Brotherhood while cracking down on more radical armed Islamic groups. His successor, Hosni Mubarak, maintained the ban on the Muslim Brotherhood, and occasionally linked them to the militant 'terrorist organization' al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya.
Gama'a's low-level guerrilla war underwent a resurgence from August , with attacks on Egyptian Copts, prominent secularists and tourists. The government used incommunicado detention, torture and severe force to contain Islamic militants, and several hundred people were killed, mainly police and militants.
Gama'a's political manifesto remains vague, but grievances include government corruption and incompetence, especially in the neglected south of the country. There were low turn-outs in the and multi-party elections, and the government has been accused of using the crackdown on militants to stifle wider opposition.
Significant numbers of Islamic militants were reportedly summarily executed through a shoot-to-kill policy. In November a military court convicted fifty-four senior members of the Muslim Brotherhood, a move widely seen as the climax of a campaign to ensure another overwhelming majority for the ruling National Democratic Party NDP in the country's elections.
Most Egyptian political parties, including secular ones, denounced the trial. The Brotherhood rejects violence and insists on its belief in parliamentary democracy. The government's approach tended to reinforce extremist positions by closing all political avenues and dialogue, thus making violence an alternative avenue for those concerned about corruption, mismanagement and poverty. Although a military crackdown by the Mubarak regime reduced the frequency of terrorist attacks allegedly conducted by Gama'a, such as the killings of 58 tourists near Luxor, it also served to further consolidate the government's authoritarian grip on power, as well as to justify the continuation of the emergency laws, without fear of significant criticism from the West.
Western support, especially the enormous development and military aid received from the United States, has put the government further out of touch with the political sentiment of the Egyptian population.
This was particularly the case following the US-led invasion of Iraq in The divide between Mubarak and the Egyptian population has played into the hands of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist opponents. Nevertheless, there was some international pressure for reform. Political repression in Egypt received more attention following the arrest in of human rights activist and government critic, Saad Eddin Ibrahim.
Such pressure led Mubarak to announce some reforms at the end of , and promise multi-candidate elections for However, Mubarak's concessions to reform were limited, and only insofar as they did not challenge his hold on power. His regime continued to be characterized by repression and a lack of transparency. The two main opposition parties, the Muslim Brotherhood and Wafd, boycotted the second round vote after alleging widespread fraud in the first ballot.
The poll was criticized by the United States and the EU. As many as eight people died in election related violence. The beginning of July saw the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, the first elected head of state in Egypt's history, by army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.
Morsi, a leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, was accused of adopting an authoritarian approach once taking power and of imposing an Islamist agenda that many Egyptians strongly opposed. However, the perception among some of Morsi's supporters that the Coptic community had backed his removal resulted in an increasing number of attacks on Christians in Egypt. The attacks by Muslim Brotherhood supporters worsened following the forced dispersal of the Rabea al-Adaweya and An-Nahda sit-ins in mid-August , where protesters were calling for Morsi's reinstatement: at least of whom, but probably more than 1,, lost their lives at the hands of Egyptian security personnel violently dispersing them.
In the wake of these atrocities, Copts across various governorates in Egypt were killed and nearly 50 houses of worship, as well as numerous businesses, schools and homes, were burned, damaged or looted. Having escalated a violent crackdown against protestors and dissidents, Sisi first installed an interim government under the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and then ran as a candidate, emerging victorious in a presidential election in May Prior to this, in January , a new Constitution was passed via a referendum.
The Constitution prohibits political parties based on religion, with 98 per cent of participants voting in approval, though opposition groups complained of intimidation and partisan media coverage. For the country's most vulnerable communities, however, the drafting process at least provided an opportunity to promote a more inclusive environment for Egypt's diverse religious and ethnic population.
In the preceding months, representatives of long-marginalized minorities such as Amazigh and Nubians were able to meet with members of the drafting committee to advocate for various amendments to the text.
The approved version was generally regarded as an improvement on the Constitution, passed under former President Mohamed Morsi and widely criticized by rights groups for its lack of protections for many minorities. Furthermore, the Constitution finally recognized 'incitement to hatred' as a crime, tasking the future legislative body with the creation of a special commission to implement the provision.
However, the Constitution has also been criticized for perpetuating many of the shortcomings of its predecessor. More generally, there is continued scepticism about the government's willingness and ability to tackle the broader context of discrimination towards minorities in a country where Islam is still elevated as the state religion and Sharia principles form the main source of legislation. Following the suppression of religious freedoms and civil rights during Morsi's presidency, Sisi's rule has itself been characterized by escalating authoritarianism and widespread human rights abuses, including arbitrary arrests, torture and forced disappearances, particularly of perceived supporters of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood.
There are now as many as 60, political prisoners in Egypt. Since Morsi's overthrow, Sisi has used countering extremism and 'terrorism' as a pretext to target not only the Sinai-based affiliate of the Islamic State and other militant groups that have in fact grown stronger largely as a result of his rule. Rather, he has instead placed priority on repressing those who pose a more significant challenge to his power: the Muslim Brotherhood as well as other activists of all kinds.
This has been enabled by measures such as the anti-protest law, anti-terrorism law and NGO law. The latter, which could have severe repercussions for minority rights activists, was advanced through a bill passed by Parliament in November and restricts the activities of NGOs, effectively seeking to ban all human rights and development work not mandated and closely monitored by state authorities. Historians believe that the first modern European explorer to discover the city of Thebes was a Jesuit, Claude Sicard who visited the area in When he went back home and shared his findings, he got his fellow Europeans excited and curious about the new land, Egypt.
A group of European explorers then headed to Egypt to see the city for themselves, this group was part of the Napoleon army. The explorers them measured and took records of the Temple of Luxor in the early 19 th century.
During their expedition they came across the Rosetta stone that has inscriptions of a decree that was issued in Memphis Egypt, it was written in hieroglyphics. Other than Britain, Paris also owns one of two pillars that were erected at the back of the courtyard of the Temple of Luxor. The pillars, made of red granite, are both 25meters long and are more than three thousand years old. One still stands at the Temple while the other is the centre of Place de la Concorde.
Muhammad Ali Pasha, the ruler of Ottoman Egypt, gifted it to France in in exchange for a French mechanical clock that was discovered to be faulty. The clock was mounted at the clock tower at Cairo Citadel, it still does not work. The ancient Temple of Luxor had 6 massive statues of the pharaoh Ramesses the Great. He was the third pharaoh of the 19th-century reign. Presently, only two of the statues are still intact. These two were discovered between and after excavation by archaeologist Dr Mohamed Abdel-Kader.
The statues however disintegrated and the Egyptian government decided to restore them using its original red granite stone although this raised a lot of controversies. In one of the huge halls in the Temple of Luxor, is a granite shrine that was dedicated to Alexander the Great.
The shrine is surrounded by two rows of papyrus columns to replicate the papyrus plant in the bud. The shrine was initially dedicated to Amun-re and is also known as the Antechamber. Alexander the Great reconstructed the shrine. The representation in the shrine of Alexander the Great is him standing before figures of the ithyphallic Amun.
Discover Walks contributors speak from all corners of the world - from Prague to Bangkok, Barcelona to Nairobi. We may all come from different walks of life but we have one common passion - learning through travel. Whether you want to learn the history of a city, or you simply need a recommendation for your next meal, Discover Walks Team offers an ever-growing travel encyclopaedia. Happy travels! To support our blog and writers we put affiliate links and advertising on our page. Read more.
Facebook Instagram Search.
0コメント