Figure 1
The map below shows the main tourist destinations of Egypt. These destinations include various cultural universals which can be found in the country. The city of Jerusalem highlights religious culture, and is viewed as the religious center of the world. The map also shows various pyramid sites, which demonstrate the architectural culture of ancient Egypt. Temples and burial sites further demonstrate the culture of the country by showing the ancient traditions which formed the country.
The Culture of Food
Egyptian dishes contain a large amount of beans and lentils. They also tend to have a heavy amount of vegetables, especially onions. Many dishes are primarily vegetarian as Egyptian find meat to be too expensive. The only exception to small amounts of meat is fish. As a costal country, fish is more common in dishes. Most Egyptian dishes are served with the bread Aish, which is similar to pita bread. Egyptians sometimes use Aish to eat their food rather than using utensils ("Typical Food of Egypt," 2014). Although pita is common throughout the Middle East, Aish is unique to Egypt. The following recipe is for Aish Baladi, the 100% whole wheat version of Aish.
Aish Baladi (16 servings)
("Egyptian Pita," 2014)
Food is extremely important as a religious aspect of Egypt. Almost 90% of Egyptians are Muslim and practice the Islamic religion. Their religion includes a month long holiday known as Ramadan. During this month, the people do no eat between sunup to sundown. After sunset, families come together for a large feast. After Ramadan, the Islamic people then partake in a three day long feast. Food is extremely important to these people as they believe it humbles them and helps them grow stronger community ties ("Food in Every Country," n.d.).
Aish Baladi (16 servings)
- 2 teaspoons of dry yeast
- 2.5 cups lukwarm water
- 5-6 cups whole wheat flour
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
("Egyptian Pita," 2014)
Food is extremely important as a religious aspect of Egypt. Almost 90% of Egyptians are Muslim and practice the Islamic religion. Their religion includes a month long holiday known as Ramadan. During this month, the people do no eat between sunup to sundown. After sunset, families come together for a large feast. After Ramadan, the Islamic people then partake in a three day long feast. Food is extremely important to these people as they believe it humbles them and helps them grow stronger community ties ("Food in Every Country," n.d.).
Country Demographic Data
Geography: Egypt is more than 8 times the size of Ohio
Nationality: Only 0.4% of permanent residents are non of native birth
Religion: 90% of Egyptians are Muslim
Urbanization: 43.2% of the country is urbanized
Contraception: Only 60.3% of women use contraception regularly
Infant Mortality Rates: .477% of infants die
Geography: Egypt is more than 8 times the size of Ohio
Nationality: Only 0.4% of permanent residents are non of native birth
Religion: 90% of Egyptians are Muslim
Urbanization: 43.2% of the country is urbanized
Contraception: Only 60.3% of women use contraception regularly
Infant Mortality Rates: .477% of infants die
How Egypt Has Changed
The decrease of infant mortality rates, increase of females in school, and increase in access to clean water shows that Egypt has an increasing quality of life. Infant mortality rate decrease shows that the country is beginning to become more aware of health standards, although they still have far to go in order to match the United States. The increase of females in schools in comparison to males demonstrates the increased tolerance for women. However, women still have far to go in order to achieve equality in Egypt. Finally, Egypt's clean water access is immensely higher than its neighboring countries in Africa. Based on these graphs, it is easy to conclude that quality of life in Egypt is increasing.
Religion in Egypt
Since 700 A.D Egyptian people have primarily followed the teachings of Islam. Islam began to rise to power shortly after the death of Muhammad, Islam’s founder. After Muhammad's death, newly united Arab tribes sought to spread the Islamic religion even further. The Arabs conquered Egypt, causing Egypt to be under the Arabic rule of Western Asia. Egyptian people began to convert from Christianity to Islam.The Egyptian people began to speak Arabic. North Cairo was then developed as the new Islamic capital in Egypt (Carr, 2014). As seen figure 3 below, the majority of Egypt remains Muslim with as little as six to ten percent of the population following Christianity or other religions (Mahoney, n.d.). Generations later, Egypt was conquered by the Islamic Ottoman Empire, which solidified Islamic influence in the country until the present (Carr, 2014).
Religion heavily influences the social culture of Egypt. Regardless if an Egyptian follows Islam, most Egyptian people follow certain customs which stem from the religion. As a result of the heavy Muslim influences, Egyptian people have strong family values and are expected to be completely faithful to all their family - see figure 1. In addition to traditional family values, most businesses are closed on Friday and sometimes Thursday. This is due to the Muslim holy day, which falls on Friday. During the month of Ramadan, a month of worship for Muslims, Muslim-Egyptian people are only allowed to work for six hours a day and are required to fast. Non-Muslim Egyptians are legally not allowed to eat, drink smoke, or chew gum in public during Ramadan (Mahoney, n.d.).
Holy land is extremely important to Muslims. The most important Islamic sacred land is the city of Mecca, also known as “The Holiest city in Islam" (see Figure 2). Mecca, Saudi Arabia is home to The Ka’ba, a mosque believed to be the first place created on earth and the place where “heavenly bliss and power touches the earth directly” (“The Holiest City in Islam,” n.d.).Although Mecca is not located in Egypt, its location is important to all Muslims, as they are required to pray in the direction of Mecca. Although Mecca is the primary holy land, many religious sites are found in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. Cairo’s religious culture attracts people of many different religions, including: Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Egypt contains many ancient Mosques and Synagogues, such as Al-Azhar and Chaar Hashamayim, respectively . Christian people are attracted to Cairo’s ancient churches, such as the Hanging Church which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In addition, Cairo has one of the most impressive Islamic buildings in the world - the Sultan Hassan Mosque built in 1363 (Wenner, n.d.).
Egypt’s constitution calls for the freedom of all people without discrimination based on religion or belief. However, freedom of belief and worship are limited by government. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom labeled Egypt as a “country of particular concern” in 2011 and 2012 after attacks on religious minorities and the murder of 27 Egyptian Christians. Egypt is declared as a Islamic country, which frequently fuels discrimination on religious minorities. Government favoritism toward Muslims is seen primarily through financial aid, which is heavily given to Muslim communities and not to non-Muslims. As a result of a primarily Muslim country, Egypt’s government frequently supports Muslims over religious minorities (“Religious Freedom in Egypt,” n.d.).
The role of religion in Egypt is extremely important to the culture. Religious intolerance has led to a variety of conflict in Egypt’s culture, which continues into the present day. On the other hand, religion gives the people of Egypt a common ground to create strong communities. Religion facilitates all factor of Egyptian people’s lives in some aspect.
Religion heavily influences the social culture of Egypt. Regardless if an Egyptian follows Islam, most Egyptian people follow certain customs which stem from the religion. As a result of the heavy Muslim influences, Egyptian people have strong family values and are expected to be completely faithful to all their family - see figure 1. In addition to traditional family values, most businesses are closed on Friday and sometimes Thursday. This is due to the Muslim holy day, which falls on Friday. During the month of Ramadan, a month of worship for Muslims, Muslim-Egyptian people are only allowed to work for six hours a day and are required to fast. Non-Muslim Egyptians are legally not allowed to eat, drink smoke, or chew gum in public during Ramadan (Mahoney, n.d.).
Holy land is extremely important to Muslims. The most important Islamic sacred land is the city of Mecca, also known as “The Holiest city in Islam" (see Figure 2). Mecca, Saudi Arabia is home to The Ka’ba, a mosque believed to be the first place created on earth and the place where “heavenly bliss and power touches the earth directly” (“The Holiest City in Islam,” n.d.).Although Mecca is not located in Egypt, its location is important to all Muslims, as they are required to pray in the direction of Mecca. Although Mecca is the primary holy land, many religious sites are found in Egypt’s capital, Cairo. Cairo’s religious culture attracts people of many different religions, including: Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Egypt contains many ancient Mosques and Synagogues, such as Al-Azhar and Chaar Hashamayim, respectively . Christian people are attracted to Cairo’s ancient churches, such as the Hanging Church which is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. In addition, Cairo has one of the most impressive Islamic buildings in the world - the Sultan Hassan Mosque built in 1363 (Wenner, n.d.).
Egypt’s constitution calls for the freedom of all people without discrimination based on religion or belief. However, freedom of belief and worship are limited by government. The US Commission on International Religious Freedom labeled Egypt as a “country of particular concern” in 2011 and 2012 after attacks on religious minorities and the murder of 27 Egyptian Christians. Egypt is declared as a Islamic country, which frequently fuels discrimination on religious minorities. Government favoritism toward Muslims is seen primarily through financial aid, which is heavily given to Muslim communities and not to non-Muslims. As a result of a primarily Muslim country, Egypt’s government frequently supports Muslims over religious minorities (“Religious Freedom in Egypt,” n.d.).
The role of religion in Egypt is extremely important to the culture. Religious intolerance has led to a variety of conflict in Egypt’s culture, which continues into the present day. On the other hand, religion gives the people of Egypt a common ground to create strong communities. Religion facilitates all factor of Egyptian people’s lives in some aspect.
Recommended Sources for "Culture and Traditions"
Egypt Culture and Traditions. (n.d.). Retrieved September 12, 2014, from http://www.ask-aladdin.com/Egypt-Travel-Tips/egypt_culture.html
Although this website is intended for commercial uses, it contains accurate and helpful information about ancient and modern Egyptian culture. The website's main purpose is to encourage tourism in Egypt, so it does display bias by highlighting the most interesting facts of Egyptian culture. The website also includes interesting facts on how to interact properly with Egyptian people and how to respect their culture; a key component of cultural tolerance can be learned through this website.
Eternal Egypt. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://chnm.gmu.edu/worldhistorysources/r/241/whm.html
Eternal Egypt is a website created specifically with the goal of educating the public on aspects of Egypt. The site focuses on enrichment and understanding of culture. The site is easy to read and would mostly be appropriate for 5th grade and higher. The site includes great detail, but is easily broken into larger topics for a broad understanding of Egyptian culture
Recommended Sources for "The Culture of Food"
Egyptian Pita. (2011, October 30). Retrieved September 12, 2014, from https://breakurfast.wordpress.com/2011/10/30/egyptian-pita-aish-baladi/
Food in Every Country. (n.d.). Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.foodbycountry.com/Algeria-to-France/Egypt.html
Typical Food of Egypt. (2014, January 10). Retrieved October 11, 2014, from http://www.egypt.cl/typical-food.htm
Sources for "Religion in Egypt"
Egypt. (2014, June 22). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html
Abdelgawad, W. (2010, September 9). The Meaning of Eid. Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.zawaj.com/the-meaning-of-eid/
Carr, K. (2014, January 1). Islamic Egypt. Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.historyforkids.org/learn/egypt/history/islamic.htm
Egypt. (2014, June 22). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html
Mahoney, J. (n.d.). The Culture of Egypt. Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://traveltips.usatoday.com/culture-egypt-32949.html
Mecca: The Holiest City in Islam. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.religionfacts.com/islam/places/mecca.htm
Religious Freedom in Egypt. (n.d.). Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/essays/religious-freedom-in-egypt
Wenner, A. (n.d.). Cairo, Egypt. Retrieved December 8, 2014, from http://www.sacred-destinations.com/egypt/cairo