Pillars of Current Egyptian Culture

Language

The Ancient Egyptian language, which formed a separate branch among the family of Afro-Asiatic languages, was among the first written languages, and is known from hieroglyphic inscriptions preserved on monuments and sheets of papyrus. The Coptic language, the only extant descendant of Egyptian, is today the liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church.

Arabic came to Egypt in the seventh century and Egyptian Arabic has since become the modern speech of the country. Of the many varieties of Arabic, it is the most widely spoken second dialect, probably due to the influence of Egyptian cinema throughout the Arabic-speaking world.

Literature

Ancient Egyptian literature dates back to the Old Kingdom, in the third millennium BC. The oldest extant Egyptian literature are the Pyramid Texts: the mythology and rituals carved around the tombs of rulers. The later, secular literature of ancient Egypt includes the 'wisdom texts', forms of philosophical instruction. The Instruction of Ptahhotep, for example, is a collation of moral proverbs by an Egyptian administrator. In time, the Pyramid Texts became Coffin Texts (perhaps after the end of the Old Kingdom), and finally the mortuary literature produced its masterpiece, the Book of the Dead, during the New Kingdom.

The Middle Kingdom was the golden age of Egyptian literature. During the Greco-Roman period (332 BC − AD 639), Egyptian literature was translated into other languages, and Greco-Roman literature fused with native art into a new style of writing. The great city of Alexandria boasted its famous Library of almost half a million handwritten books during the third century BC. Alexandria's centre of learning also produced the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, the Septuagint.

During the first few centuries of the Christian era, Egypt was the ultimate source of a great deal of ascetic literature in the Coptic language. Egyptian monasteries translated many Greek and Syriac works, which are now only extant in Coptic. Under Islam, Egypt continued to be a great source of literary endeavour, now in the Arabic language. In 12th century Egypt, the Jewish Talmudic scholar Maimonides produced his most important work.

In contemporary times, Egyptian novelists and poets were among the first to experiment with modern styles of Arabic literature, and the forms they developed have been widely imitated. The first modern Egyptian novel Zaynab by Muhammad Husayn Haykal was published in 1913 in the Egyptian vernacular. Egyptian novelist Naguib Mahfouz was the first Arabic-language writer to win the Nobel Prize in Literature. Many Egyptian books and films are available throughout the Middle East. Other prominent Egyptian writers include Nawal El Saadawi, well known for her feminist works and activism, and Alifa Rifaat who also writes about women and tradition. Vernacular poetry is perhaps the most popular literary genre amongst Egyptians, represented most significantly by Bayram el-Tunsi, Ahmed Fouad Negm (Fagumi), Salah Jaheen and Abdel Rahman el-Abnudi.

Religion

Ancient Egyptian religion was a polytheistic system that saw the world as in conflict between forces of order and chaos. Coptic Christianity became popular in the Roman and Byzantine periods, and Egypt was indeed one of the strongest early Christian communities.

Art

Early Egyptian art is characterized by absence of linear perspective, which results in a seemingly flat space. Early Egyptian artists did have a system for maintaining dimensions within artwork. Egyptian art in modern times

Modern and contemporary Egyptian art can be as diverse as any works in the world art scene. Egyptian mathematics

Egyptology

In modern times, archaeology and the study of Egypt's ancient heritage as the field of Egyptology has itself become a major scientific pursuit in the country itself. The field began in Arab Egypt during the Middle Ages, but was later led by Europeans and Westerners in modern times. The discovery of the Rosetta Stone, a tablet written in ancient Greek, Egyptian Demotic script, and Egyptian hieroglyphs, has partially been credited for the recent stir in the study of Ancient Egypt. Greek, a well known language, gave linguists the ability to decipher the mysterious Egyptian hieroglyphic language.

Sports

The most played most-watched sport in Egypt is Football (Soccer). Egyptian Soccer clubs especially El Ahly and El Zamalek are known throughout the Middle East and Africa and enjoy the reputation of long-time champions of the sport regionally. Among the most-watched sports in Egypt are basketball, handball, squash and tennis. Handball has become another growingly popular sport among Egyptians as well. Local sports clubs receive financial support from the local governments, and many sporting clubs are financially and administratively supported by the government.

Cinema

Egyptian cinema is a flourishing film industry, since 1930s, with a long history. As a result, the Egyptian capital has been dubbed the "Hollywood of the Middle East", where the world-renowed Cairo International Film Festival is held every year which has been rated by the International Federation of Film Producers' Associations as being among the 11 top class film festivals worldwide.

Due to the simplicity of the Egyptian Arabic, most of Arab TV and cinema has been affected notably by the Egyptian Arabic.

Music and dance

Egyptian music is a rich mixture of indigenous Egyptian, Arabic, African and Western influences.

Percussion and vocal music became important at this time, and has remained an important part of Egyptian music today.

Contemporary Egyptian music traces its beginnings to the creative work of luminaries such as Abdu-l Hamuli, Almaz and Mahmud Osman, who were all patronized by Khedive Ismail and who influenced the later work of Sayed Darwish, Umm Kulthum, Mohammed Abdel Wahab, Abdel Halim Hafez and other Egyptian music giants.

From the 1970s onwards, Egyptian pop music has become increasingly important in Egyptian culture, particularly among the large youth population of Egypt. Egyptian folk music is also popular, played during weddings and other festivities. The most popular Egyptian pop singer is Amr Diab.

Belly dance, or Raqs Sharqi in Arabic, may have originated in Egypt, and today the country is considered the international center of the art.

Cuisine of Egypt

Egyptian cuisine consists of local culinary traditions such as Ful medames, Kushari and Molokhia.