UNESCO Help to Egypt

46 requests Approved with amount of $ 954,207

Some of which are:

• First International Seminar on Serial Nomination of Properties connected with Astronomy Approved Amount: $29,900 on 14-Apr-2009 
• Preparation of a management plan as a prelude for the inscription of the Gebel Qatrani area on the World Heritage List Approved Amount: $ 17,000 – on 09-Jun-2005
• The Egypt MAB Bulletin. Publication of two double issues of 2004. Approved Amount: $2,000 on 26-Nov-2003
• Proceedings of the Conference on Heritage Management Mapping. Approved Amount $10,000 – on 10-Jun-2003
• Heritage Management Mapping. Approved Amount: $10,000 on 11-Aug-2002
• Preparatory assistance for natural sites in the Oases of the Northwestern Desert of Egypt. Approved Amount $19,600 on 03-Jun-2002
• Regional Training Workshop to prepare Tentative Natural Heritage. Approved Amount: $29,500 on 11-Apr-2002
• Revision of the Tentative List of Egypt. Approved Amount: $16,880 on 12-Feb-2002
• Technical advice on ground water related problems at the World heritage sites of Ancient Thebes and Abu Mena. Approved Amount $14,000 on 08-Aug-2001
• Seminar on Desert Landscapes and Oasis Systems in the Arab Region,Kharga Oasis, Egypt. Approved Amount $20,000 USD on 23-Mar-2001
• Ras Mohammed Coastal Area South Sinai, Egypt. Approved Amount: $15,000 on 01-Mar-2001
• Revision of the nomination file of St Catherine Area, south Sinai as Mixed Cultural/Cultural Landscape and Natural World Heritage Site. Approved Amount:$19,500 on 17-Dec-1999
• Rehabilitation Program for Islamic Cairo. Approved Amount: $80,000 on 03-Dec-1999
  

 

Bibliography

• http://whc.unesco.org/en/intassistance/1925

Egyptian Food, Dining, and Song

Egyptian Food:

  Egyptian food depends heavily on vegetables, for example, beans and lentils and in addition vegetables and onions showing up in many dishes. Vegans regularly have no issue getting by in Egypt since meat has traditionally been costly and consequently less common. Around the Egyptian coast you will discover more fish in the meals.

Some typical Egyptian dishes:

• Aish: Aish is the Egyptian traditional pocket bread similar to pita bread. It is made by mixing wheat flour, water and salt then baked.
• Falafel – (or ta’amiya) is a well-known dish in the Middle East thought to have originated in Egypt. It consists of balls of fava beans (broad beans) or chickpeas that have been deep fried.
• Ful medames – Mashed Fava beans (broad beans) that are cooked with oil, chopped parsley, garlic, lemon juice and salt added to them. Traditionally eaten with pita bread and onions with some pickled vegetables and fresh rocket leaves on the side. At breakfast time you may find it accompanied by an egg.
• Koshary – (Also known as Kushari) Considered one of the most famous dishes of Egypt, this vegetarian meal contains rice, spaghetti, macaroni, black lentils, chick peas, garlic, and is topped with a spicy tomato sauce (sometimes Chilli sauce) and fried onions. You will find Koshary being sold cheaply at street stalls and also in restaurants, some only specializing in this dish. So basically, you can’t leave Egypt without trying this.
• Mahshi – (stuffed vegetables) A healthy vegetarian meal made by stuffing vegetables such as cabbage leaves, tomatoes, green peppers, aubergines, and courgettes with rice seasoned with herbs and spices. This is then placed in a pot and topped with tomato sauce and lemon

Egyptian desserts:

– Roz Be Laban – rice pudding with a hint of vanilla

• Umm Ali – Layers of bread soaked in milk with raisins and sometimes topped with nuts. It is served hot.

Meal times in Egypt

At restaurants, lunch is normally served between 1 and 4pm while dinner is usually from 8pm to midnight.

Music in Egypt:

 

     Egyptian music has been an integral part of Egyptian culture since ancient times. Egyptian music probably had a significant impact on the development of ancient Greek music, and via the Greeks was important to early European music well into the Middle Ages. The modern music of Egypt is considered Arabic music as it has been a source for or influence on other regional styles. The tonal structure of Arabic music is defined by the maqamat, loosely similar to Western modes, while the rhythm of Arabic music is governed by the iqa’at, standard rhythmic modes formed by combinations of accented and unaccented beats and rests.Since the 1970s, 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 was a way to communicate social and class issues. Among some of the most popular Egyptian pop singers today are Mohamed Mounir and Amr Diab. Egyptian music began its recorded history in the 1910s, around the time composers such as Seyyid Darwich were incorporating western musical forms into their work. Some of the Middle East’s biggest musical stars have been Egyptian. Um Kalthoum was especially popular, and is considered the most successful Egyptian recording artist in history. Most of these stars, including Um Kulthoum, were part of the classical Egyptian and Arabic music tradition. Some, like Abdilhaleem Hafez, were associated with the Egyptian nationalist movement in 1952. some examples of the Egyptian music:Saidi (Upper Egyptian),  nubian, Sha’abi.

Work cited:

http://www.egypt.cl/typical-food.htm

http://www.traditionalarabicmusic.com/music_of_egypt.html 

Gender Roles and Cultural Assumptions

Gender role in Egypt:

  

    Ancient Egyptian women were viewed primarily as the domesticated. Women were expected to bear and raise children and tend to their husbands. Women’s inferior place in culture is seen through the art from Ancient Egyptian civilizations. Sculptures of women are rarely seen independently, and they are commonly seen within a group consisting of men. The male dominated society showed men as inherently superior to women. Hatsheput became the first female Pharaoh and enjoyed all the respect of a male Pharaoh. However, she did try and hide her feminine features in order to encourage respect and assert her power.  Egyptian women were typically pleased with their place in society, especially while compared to the other civilizations of the era. Ancient Egyptian men were seen as the leaders of society during all ancient dynasties. Men were considered superior physically and mentally. Men were not only responsible for stereotypical male work, but also for artistic work. Men wrote poetry, an act which women were rarely involved in. The majority of authors were men and the majority of narrators were also men.  Women were to take care of the daily needs of their families; men interpreted this as women serving them. Mostly, men are known for going out in the world and are responsible for providing financially for the family.  Gender roles in Egypt derive much of their legitimacy from the Qur’an. Nowadays, Egyptian women are more respected than the past. women have the right to vote, more gender equality.  The rule of Gamal Abdul Nasser was characterized by his policy of stridently advocating women’s rights through welfare-state policies, labeled as state feminism. Women were guaranteed the right to vote and equality of opportunity was explicitly stated in the 1956 Egyptian constitution, forbidding gender-based discrimination. Labor laws were changed to ensure women’s standing in the work force and maternity leave was legally protected. At the same time, the state repressed independent feminist organizations, leaving a dearth of female political representation.

Work Cited:

http://family.jrank.org/pages/439/Egypt-Gender-Family.html

http://www.reshafim.org.il/ad/egypt/people/gender.htm

Tourism Versus Terrorism in Egypt

In the year 2014 , the tourism market designated Luxor in Egypt as of the top travel destination in the world. Especially for British tourists . However, these travel destinations including Egypt have been affected by Political , social and economic unrest.

The highest number of tourists arrived to Egypt was recorded in the year 2009 and 2010. However, during the Arab Spring , the number has dramatically fell down

In the year 2013 and in less than one year after the first democratic election in Egypt and after projections of some sort of political and economic stability in the country, it has witness a growing number of tourists  and visitors. However, these number can never be compared to the ones before the 2011 revolution.

“Foreign Office advice for UK citizens,” it added. Egypt, which has experienced several years of political unrest, saw an average annual decline in UK visitor numbers of 18.5% from 2010 to 2014, according to the Office for National Statistics. But no other major tourist destination frequented by Britons suffered in the same way. British visitors to Tunisia dropped from 423,000 in 2010 to 360,000 in 2011, the year of the so-called Arab Spring, in which pro-democracy activists toppled several countries’ governments. The figure has since picked up, reaching 440,000 last year. However, the amount spent by UK tourists fell from £178m to £143m from 2010 to 2014. “A very good way of getting people to go to destinations which have suffered at the hands of terrorists is to cut prices,” says Simon Calder, travel editor of The Independent. “It does seem to lure the British back and I don’t say that at all disparagingly. We can make a cost-risk analysis . As long as we know the risks, that’s a reasonable thing to do.” “Look at it as a mathematical equation,” says Morakabati. “Sometimes the attractiveness of a destination is higher than the level of risk.”

References:

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-33310217

Egypt’s Ethnic

 

 

Egypt’s Religion

   

 

        Egypt is predominantly Muslim with an important Christian minority. Islam was defined as the state religion in 1980, before this the state was defined as secular. of the Ancient Egyptian religion no adherents still exist, but numerous concepts and rituals derived from it survive in modern in Christianity and Islam. Some modern practices are direct reenactments of ancient cults. The majority religion is Islam, of which the Sunnis are the largest sect. The 1971 constitution declares Islam to be the state religion. According to official estimates, 90% of the population are Muslim and 8% to 10% are Christian. According to the Constitution of Egypt, any new legislation must at least implicitly agree with Islamic law.Article 45 of the Constitution extends freedom of religion to the three Abrahamic religions (Islam, Christianity and Judaism), but only those three.

        The remainder of Egyptians, numbering between 10% and 20% of the population, mostly belong to the native Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria,Christianity in Egypt is totally dominated by the coptic church, which is a native church to Egypt, with its own pope residing in Alexandria. The Coptic church has an offspring, the coptic catholic church . There is no real tension between the two. The other Christian groups of Egypt are mainly located to the northern parts of the country, being a result of centuries of international trade and other forms of migrations. Oriental Orthodox Christian Church.

      Because most of the people who live in Cairo are Muslim, there are mosques all over the city, ranging from very big ones like the Mosque of Ibn Tulun to small neighborhood mosques. Muslims are supposed to pray five times every day. They gather at the mosque for the noon prayer on Friday, which is the holy day in Islam. Accordingly, businesses, schools and offices close on Friday. 

 

 

 

work cited:

http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/Africa/Egypt-RELIGIONS.html

https://www.laits.utexas.edu/cairo/modern/religion/religion.html

Egypt’s politics

 

        The politics of Egypt is based on republicanism. The Egyptian political system refers to the rules, regulation and practices, its political structure and fundamental laws, all which shows how the government, its state power and relationship between the state and society works. Egypt being a Republic with a democratic system outlines the political system and defines its public authorities. The Constitution of the Arab Republic of Egypt, adopted in 1971 and amended in 1980, has its roots in the English Common Law and the Napoleonic Code . It declares Egypt as an Arab Republic with a democratic system .Considering the president elections, the President is usually elected for two four-year terms while the Parliament appears to be unicameral. The President also can designate up to 5% of the whole amount of seats in Parliament as well as can dissolve the same candidates(BBC News). On the other hand, Parliament has a right to impeach the chosen President. Political parties in Egypt are numerous and exceeds 100 parties; The formation of political parties based on religion, race or gender is prohibited by the Constitution.   The permanent headquarters for the League of Arab States (The Arab League) is located in Cairo. The Secretary General of the League has traditionally been an Egyptian. Former Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abu El Ghet is the present Secretary General of the Arab League. The Arab League moved out of Egypt to Tunis in 1978 as a protest at the peace treaty with Israel, but returned in 1989.

Bibliography:

• BBC News. “Egypt Referendum: ‘98% Back New Constitution'”. BBC News, 2014, http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-25796110.

Egypt’s Language and Culture

      Egypt’s history and culture date back millenniums of years. While lots of ancient traditions continue to be evident, contemporary Egypt has evolved considerably because of impacts of immigrants from various Arab nations. At present, there are about 67 million people live in the country. The official language is Arabic. Nevertheless, there are a variety of languages spoken in Egypt, but Egyptian Arabic appears to be the most widely spread. Interestingly, the Egyptians adopted Arabic after the Arab intrusion in Egypt(History.com). Also, almost all of the Egyptian people have some roots in Eastern Hamitic. This fact involves ancient Berbers, Bedouins, and Egyptian. The absolute minority of the Egyptian population(about 1 percent) is comprised of Nubian, Greek, Armenian, French, and Italian ethnicity while the majority is placed around both the Nile Delta and the Nile River Valley. Speaking about nations inhabiting Egypt, approximately 90 percent of the citizens are Sunni Muslims, the rest 10 percent consists of Jewish, Coptic Christians, and other Christian denominations(Allonsy). Furthermore, in the Middle East, this country is the most progressive in the field of media(Allonsy). Film, television, journalism, music and the arts are of greatest significance in Egyptian culture. Egypt is the only Arab country with a video industry and which has been shooting movies since the 1930s.

Bibliography:

• Allonsy, Amelia. “The Culture Of Egypt”. Traveltips.Usatoday.Com, http://traveltips.usatoday.com/culture-egypt-32949.html.

 

• history.com. “Ancient Egypt”. HISTORY.Com, 2009, http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/ancient-egypt.

Egypt’s Economy

 

      Regarding the economy, Egypt was a profoundly centralized, planned, and economy centered on import replacement under the rule of President Gamal Abdel Nasser. At the end of the 20th century, a number of International Monetary Fund arrangements along with huge external debt relief arising from the participation in the Gulf War alliance assisted Egypt in improving its macroeconomic condition. Since 2000, the velocity of structural reforms, including monetary policies, fiscal, taxation, new business legislations, and privatization boosted foreign investment and made it possible to move towards a more market-focused economy. Hence, both the policies and reforms have bettered annual macroeconomic growth that averaged 8% yearly from 2004 to 2009. Nevertheless, the government failed to distribute the wealth equitably and, thus, the advantages of growth have declined to trickle down to better economic conditions. After the revolution occurred in 2011, Egypt’s foreign exchange reserves decreased from $36 billion to only $16.3 billion in 2012(“S&P Downgrades Egypt’s Credit Rating”). Additionally, in February 2012 Standard & Poor’s rating firm reduced the country’s credit rating in the long-term. Soon, In 2013, this agency lowered Egypt’s credit rating even more on worries concerning the country’s ability to maintain social peace and meet the financial targets more than two years after expelling its president in an ushering, and uprising, in a new period. Even at present, economy of the country remains unstable.

Egypt

 

Brief

Egypt, officially the Arab Republic of Egypt. Its location is in Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Libya and the Gaza Strip, and the Red Sea north of Sudan, and includes the Asian Sinai Peninsula. Egypt is one of the most populous countries in Africa and the Middle East, and the 15th most populated in the world. Its monuments, such as the Giza pyramid complex and its Great Sphinx, were constructed by its ancient civilization, which was one of the most advanced of its time. The economy of Egypt is one of the most diversified in the Middle East, with sectors such as tourism, agriculture, industry and services at almost equal production levels. Egypt is considered to be a middle power, with significant cultural, political, and military influence in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Muslim world.