As one of the first great civilizations the earth has ever seen, Egypt has been drawing in and fascinating traders, travelers and archeologists for generations.
Few of us will need introduction to Egypt of old: Pyramids, the Sphinx and multiple bad movies about Mummies, but there is much more to Egypt than its ancient history.
Ancient Egypt became Roman Egypt, which in turn led to the area being ruled and influenced by various different Empires. In 1517, it was to come under the Ottoman Caliphate– although it had been Islamic for almost 6 centuries already.
During this time, Egypt remained semi-autonomous until French forces under Napoleon invaded. This led eventually to the The Muhammad Ali dynasty –not to be confused with the boxer–taking control.
Egypt was a de-facto independent state until 1914 as the Khedivate of Egypt. From 1914 until 1953, Egypt was essentially a part of the British Empire, from which it also ruled Sudan in condominium.
In 1953, the Free Officers Movement under Nasser took over the country. Nasser was to turn Egypt into a major regional player for the first time in centuries, with his own firebrand ideology of Nasserism. Nasser sought to unite the Arab World, something he briefly achieved with the United Arab Republic. The UAR, a union with Syria, was to last from 1958-61.
Following the death of Nasser, the country was eventually to drift back into the western sphere, particularly whilst ruled under the iron fist of Mubarek. He was to be overthrown in what is now known as the “Arab Spring”. There was one year of brief Islamic Rule before the old status quo was revived under a military dominated government. This also brought back some stability.
Whilst there have been a steady rise in terrorist attacks over the years, Egypt has been courting tourists for centuries. They have beach resorts, Nile cruises, and of course the Pyramids; the main draw for people wanting to visit Egypt.
But, there is much more to Egypt than its ancient past, and that is what YPT wants to help you explore.
Welcome to our Egypt guide!
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