The recorded history of Egypt goes back for at least a thousand years, as is evident from the ruined monuments, pyramids and temples.It was the Romans who overshadowed the Egyptian dynasties, Egypt then lapsed into relative obscurity and it remained this way until the armies of Islam overran the country following the death of the Prophet Mohammed.
Cairo shortly became one of the greatest centres of Islamic culture.
Egypt later became part of the Turkish Empire, the Sultans becoming virtual recluses inside the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul.
The Janissaries led Egypt into autonomous rule, these were mercenary troops of the Turks. The country declined under corruption and cultural decline.
It was not until the late 19th century when the British took over, that the corruption ended. The British took over due to Egypt's inability to finance her foreign debts.
In the 19th century there was a period of rivalry between the British and the French for political control and trading concessions in Egypt.
During the 19th century also, de Lesseps conceived of and built the Suez canal. This has profited the country greatly, but due to the fact that it was privately owned up to the 1950s by the British and French shareholders, a large percentage of its income by-passed the Egyptian economy.
In 1952 there was a military coup which overthrew the corrupt monarchy. The coup was led by Colonel Abdel Nasser, a nationalist and a tough negotiator. He was one of the most outstanding politicians in the less developed world. Using rivalry between the Americans and Russians he attracted the aid he needed for the construction of the Aswan dam, and also obtained the military hardware required for wars against Israel.
During his period of rule there were many attempts at federation or unification with other Arab states, these did not succeed.
There have also been proposals to merge with Libya and Sudan but nothing has come of this.
Relations have remained tense between Egypt and Libya, due to the Camp David peace treaty in 1978.
There have been many wars with Israel causing a devastating effect on the country's economy due to the need for development of military hardware. The wars resulted in the closure of the Suez canal also the occupation of Sinai, rich in oil wells.
Nasser was succeeded by Sadat who was responsible for putting together a peace treaty with Israel. Egypt has now an open border and trade links with Israel but a closed border and no trade links with Libya.
Sadate was assassinated during a military parade by members of the Muslim Brotherhood, radical Islamic fundamentalists.
Mubarak took over from Sadat and clamped down heavily on the Muslim Brotherhood and improved relations with Jordan.
People rely upon the annual flood from the river Nile to fertilise land to grow crops. The other 95 percent of the country is completely barren. The building of the Aswan dam has stopped the annual flood and the fertility of the land is deteriorating although the dam does allow irrigation, it also generates hydro-electric power and so has proved to be a mixed blessing.
The fishing industry has also deteriorated but a factor that has been increasing is the disease Bilharzia, both in lake Nasser and in the lower Nile valley.
