36 CultureShock! Egypt
Egyptian religion. Christianity finally dealt the death blow
of Egypt’s ancient religion, beginning when Constantine
declared it to be the official religion of the empire in AD 333.
As can be expected, the new religion took its fastest and
firmest hold in the north, where Alexandria became a centre
of Christianity. It took some two hundred years before the
last of the Isis cult died on the island of Philae.Egyptian Coptic Church
The Egyptian Coptic Church was one of the earliest organised
Christian Churches in the world. Today’s Copts are considered to be
direct descendants of the ancient Egyptians. When Arab invaders
in the 7th century brought Islam to Egypt, they were welcomed by
the Copts living there. In return, Arab Islamic leaders did not require
conversion to Islam. Instead, they protected the Copts, respecting their
Christian heritage. Many Copts did eventually convert. They remain
the principal minority in Egypt today. Until very recently, Egypt also
had a small but established Jewish community. They were treated
with similar respect under Islamic rule. However, most of Egypt’s
Jewish community immigrated to Israel after its establishment as an
independent state in 1948.Recent History
Following the Islamic armies, numerous nomadic Arabs
settled in the Nile Valley. Egypt came under the rule of the
Muslim caliphs (‘successors’ of the Prophet Muhammad)
until the 10th century. At this time, a Shia group broke away,
forming a separate government. This group established a
new capital, al-Qahirah, in the desert south of Alexandria.
During the 16th century, Egypt came under the control of
the Ottoman Empire, then under the rule of the Mamluks.
Originally slaves or prisoners, the Mamluks were eventually
freed, subsequently forming a military aristocracy. The
Ottomans essentially ceded control of Egypt to the Mamluks,
requiring only periodic tribute and taxes from the citizens.
It was during the 18th century that Egypt became
embroiled in European political dynamics. By this time,
the French and British challenged each other for control of
trade in the Mediterranean and sea routes to India. In 1798,
Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt. However, the British