Egypt

The public instruction system in Egypt consists of three degrees: the basic instruction phase for 4-14 old ages old: kindergarten for two old ages followed by primary school for six old ages and preparative school for three old ages. Then, the secondary school phase is for three old ages, for ages 15 to 17, followed by the third degree. Education is made compulsory for 9 academic old ages between the ages of 6 and 14. Furthermore, all degrees of instruction are free in any authorities tally schools. Harmonizing to the World Bank, there are great differences in educational attainment of the rich and the hapless, besides known as the “ wealth spread. ” Although the average old ages of school completed by the rich and the hapless is merely one or two old ages but the wealth spread reaches every bit high as nine or ten old ages. In the instance of Egypt, the wealth spread was a modest 3 old ages in the mid1990s [ Overall, the composite instruction Index in the MENA Flagship Report: The Road Not Traveled showed promising consequences of Egypt ‘s comparative educational accomplishments. Of the 14 MENA states analyzed, Egypt achieved the cosmopolitan primary instruction and has besides reduced the gender spread at all degrees of direction, but there is still a demand to better the quality of instruction.

Promotional scrutinies are held at all degrees except in classs 3, 6 and 9 at the basic instruction degree and the classs 11 and 12 in the secondary phase, which apply standardised regional or national tests.

The Ministry of Education is responsible for doing determinations about the instruction system with the support of three Centers: the National Center of Curricula Development, the National Center for Education Research, and the National Center for Examinations and Educational Evaluation. Each centre has its ain focal point in explicating instruction policies with other province degree committees.On the other manus, the Ministry of Higher Education supervises the higher instruction system.

There is besides a formal instructor ‘s making path in topographic point for basic and secondary instruction degrees. The instructors are required to finish four old ages of pre-service classs at university to come in the instruction profession. Specifically with regard to teacher ‘s professional development to raise mathematics, scientific discipline and engineering instruction criterions, the Professional Academy for Teachers offer several plans. Local instructors besides take portion in the international professional preparation plans.

Get downing in 2007, the Ministries of Education, Finance, and Local Development ( and others ) started informal treatments to experiment with the decentalisation of instruction. Working groups were established to do more formal proposals. Proposals included thoughts for get downing with recurrent outgos, utilizing a simple and crystalline expression for transporting out financial transportations, and doing certain that transportations would make the school itself.

During 2008 design was carried out, three pilot governorates ( Faiyum, Ismailia, and Luxor ) were chosen, and monitoring and capacity edifice procedures and manuals were agreed upon. The expression is rather simple, and includes registration, poorness, and phase of instruction as drivers.

During 2009 support was decentralized all the manner to the school degree, and schools began to have support. As of late 2009, the pilot showed few if any jobs, and the expected consequences were happening rather good, in footings of exciting community engagement, leting schools to pass more expeditiously and measure their ain precedences, and increasing the earnestness of school-based planning by making a agency to finance such programs, among other expected consequences. An informal appraisal of the pilot revealed that the support expression money precipitated an addition in community contributions. The study consequences show that the ratio of the average values of community contributions of the pilot twelvemonth to the old twelvemonth was 2.20. Parallel to these attempts in the instruction sector, other sectors ( for illustration, certain facets of lodging and municipal services ) in Egypt are be aftering to deconcentrate decision-making and disbursement, now nation-wide ( without a pilot phase in limited governorates ) , in a phased attack. Education programs to be one of the lead sectors in this procedure. In add-on to administrative and fiscal decentalisation, there is an increasing accent on affecting elected local popular councils ( which exist at governorate and territory degree ) in the horizontal inadvertence of outgo and planning across the decentralizing sectors, and as they come on watercourse in the decentalisation procedure. Within the instruction sector, as of late 2009 programs are being made to deconcentrate certain lines of support and planning for capital equipment and substructure, in all governorates, all the manner to school degree in the instance of smaller units of capital equipment, or degrees higher than the school for points such as new substructure. The instruction sector does anticipate to go on to utilize the original 3 pilot governorates as a particular observatory to measure and understand how good the procedure is continui

Government Schools

By and large talking, there are two types of authorities schools: Arabic Schools and Experimental Language Schools.

Arabic Schools, provide the governmental national course of study in the Arabic Language. A governmental English linguistic communication course of study is taught get downing at first Primary twelvemonth and French is added as a 2nd foreign linguistic communication in Secondary Education.

Experimental Language Schools, teach most of the authorities course of study ( Science, Mathematics and Computer ) in English, and adds Gallic as a 2nd foreign linguistic communication in Preparatory Education. An Advanced English linguistic communication course of study is provided in all Educational phases. Social Studies are taught in Arabic. Students are admitted into first class at age seven ; a twelvemonth older than Arabic schools.

Private Schools

By and large talking, there are four types of private schools:

Ordinary schools, their course of study is rather similar to that of the authorities schools, but the private schools pay more attending to the pupils ‘ personal demands and to the school installations.

Language schools, teach most of the authorities course of study in English, and add Gallic or German as a 2nd foreign linguistic communication. They are expected to be better than the other schools, because of the installations available, but their fees are much higher. Some of these schools use Gallic or German as their chief linguistic communication of direction, but it may be hard for the pupil to analyze in governmental universities in Arabic or English subsequently.

Religious Schools, are sacredly oriented schools as Azhar schools or Catholic schools.

International Schools, are private schools that follow another state ‘s course of study, like a British, American, or Gallic system, and the grades earned from them acquire official enfranchisement from the Ministry of Education, to be eligible to inscribe in Egyptian universities, such schools offer even better installations & A ; activities than regular private schools with higher fees, but are criticized to be supplying a much easier instruction degree compared to the general course of study, and some Egyptian universities require higher classs than those of regular schools pupils as a lower limit for registration, or an excess high school certification like SAT Many of the private schools were built by missionaries, are presently affiliated with churches and provide quality instruction.

Many private schools offer extra educational plans, along with the national course of study, such as the American High School Diploma, the British IGCSE system, the Gallic baccalaureat, the German Abitur and the International Baccalaureate. These are the types of private schools in Egypt.

Basic Education

The basic instruction consists of pre-primary, primary and preparative degrees of instruction. In Egypt, the Ministry of Education coordinates the preschool instruction. In 1999-2000 the entire registration rate of pre-primary pupils was 16 per centum and that increased to 24 per centum in 2009. Irrespective of private or province tally, all preschool establishments come under Ministry of Education. It is the Ministry ‘s responsibility to choose and administer text editions. Harmonizing to the Ministry ‘s guidelines, the maximal size of a preschool should non transcend more than 45 pupils. Ministry of Education is besides acquiring support from the international bureaus, such as the World Bank to heighten the early childhood instruction system by increasing entree to schools, bettering quality of instruction and edifice capacity of instructors At the primary degree pupils could go to private, spiritual or authorities schools. Presently, there are 7.8 per centum of pupils enrolled at primary degree in private schools as of 2007.The entire registration of pupils at primary degree is 105 per centum in 2007. The scrutinies at class 3 are on territory ( edara ) level The 2nd grade of basic compulsory instruction is the preparative phase or lower secondary which is three old ages long. Completion of this grade grants pupils the Basic Education Completion Certificate. The importance of completion of this degree of instruction is to safeguard pupils against illiteracy as early bead outs at this phase easy recede into illiteracy and finally poorness. Secondary instruction consists of three paths: general, vocational/technical and the dualsystem vocational instruction which represented I Mubarak Kohl schools. The general secondary phase includes 3 old ages of instruction, whereas the secondary vocational path could be for 3-5 years.And 3 old ages for the double system vocational education.To enter the secondary degree, the pupils must go through a national test which is given at terminal of the secondary phase. As of twelvemonth 2004 the 77.3 per centum of pupils finishing preparatory phase are estimated to be enrolled in secondary education.At this degree, pupils have formative and summational appraisals during the first twelvemonth and the norm of the terminal of twelvemonth national standardised tests for twelvemonth two and three qualifies the pupils to take the Certificate of General Secondary Education-Thanawiya Amma, which is one of the demands for admittance into the universities. So far attempts are afoot with the support of many-sided organisations to do the general and vocational secondary system less stiff and supply equal chances to pupils of assorted wealth quin tiles in the two paths to choose for higher instruction. This is besides being implemented by the World Bank led secondary sweetening undertaking in Egypt.

A Secondary Education

Secondary instruction consists of three paths: general, vocational/technical and the dualsystem vocational instruction which represented I Mubarak Kohl schools. The general secondary phase includes 3 old ages of instruction, whereas the secondary vocational path could be for 3-5 years.And 3 old ages for the double system vocational education.To enter the secondary degree, the pupils must go through a national test which is given at terminal of the secondary phase. As of twelvemonth 2004 the 77.3 per centum of pupils finishing preparatory phase are estimated to be enrolled in secondary instruction.At this degree, pupils have formative and summational appraisals during the first twelvemonth and the norm of the terminal of twelvemonth national standardised tests for twelvemonth two and three qualifies the pupils to take the Certificate of General Secondary Education-Thanawiya Amma, which is one of the demands for admittance into the universities. So far attempts are afoot with the support of many-sided organisations to do the general and vocational secondary system less stiff and supply equal chances to pupils of assorted wealth quintiles in the two paths to choose for higher instruction. This is besides being implemented by the World Bank led secondary sweetening undertaking in Egypt.

Secondary instruction consists of three different types: general, proficient or vocational.

Technical/Vocational Secondary Education Technical instruction, which is provided in three-year and five-year plans, includes schools in three different Fieldss: industrial, commercial and agricultural. The UN and other many-sided organisations are working towards bettering the proficient and vocational preparation system in Egypt. It is recommended to the Ministry of Education to present wide vocational accomplishments in the course of study of general secondary schools. In this manner pupils will be able to derive enfranchisement in practical accomplishments needed in the occupation market The Ministry of Education ( MoE ) controls pre-tertiary, school-based plans that can get down after grade 6 and that enroll the largest figure of pupils in TVET-over 2 million pupils. The Ministry of Higher Education ( MoHE ) controls the in-between proficient institutes ( MTIs ) . These draw their registrations from MoE ‘s general secondary schools or proficient schools and have much smaller registration Numberss. Graduates o f the MoE ‘s vocational plans can come in vocational preparation centres ( VTCs ) From the 2004 information, it is estimated that 30 per centum of the secondary pupils have opted for the vocational track Government of Egypt has undertaken some assuring enterprises to beef up the direction and reform of the TVET system.In 2006 the Industrial Training Council ( ITC ) was created through a ministerial edict with a authorization to better coordination and way of all preparation related entities, undertakings and policies in the Ministry.This will decide the issue faced by most houses to use skilled work force.According to the Enterprise Surveys in 2007, 31 per centum of the houses in Egypt place labour skill level as the major restraint of making concern in the state.

Al Azhar Education System

Another system that runs in analogue with the public educational system is known as the Al-Azhar system. It consists of six old ages of primary phase, a three twelvemonth preparatory phase and eventually three old ages of secondary phase. The Ministry of instruction reduced the figure of secondary school old ages from four to three old ages in 1998, so as to aline the Al Azhar system with the general secondary instruction system. In this system every bit good, there are separate schools for misss and male childs. Al Azhar instruction system is supervised by the Supreme Council of the Al-Azhar Institution. The Azhar Institution itself is nominally independent from the Ministry of Education, but is finally under supervising by the Egyptian Prime Minister.Al Azhar schools are named “ Institutes ” and include primary, preparatory, and secondary phases.All schools in all phases teach spiritual topics and non-religious topics, to a certain degree- non every bit intensively as the province schools. The majority of the course of study, nevertheless, consists of spiritual topics as described below. All the pupils are Muslims, and males and females are separated in all phases. Al-Azhar schools are all over the state, particularly in rural countries. The alumnuss of Al-Azhar secondary schools are eligible to go on their surveies merely at the Al-Azhar University. As of 2007 and 2008, there are 8272 Al-Azhar schools in Egypt. In the early 2000s, Al-Azhar schools accounted for less than 4 % of the entire enrollment.The alumnuss of this system are so automatically accepted into Al-Azhar University.In 2007, the Pre-University registration in Al- Azhar institutes is about 1,906,290 pupils.

Higher Education System

Egypt has a really extended higher instruction system. About 30 % of all Egyptians in the relevant age group go to university. However, merely half of them alumnus. Harmonizing to The Economist, criterions of instruction at Egyptian public universities are “ abysmal ” .

The Ministry of Higher Education supervises the third degree of instruction. There are a figure of universities providing to pupils in diverse Fieldss. In the current instruction system, there are 17 public universities, 51 public non-university establishments, 16 private universities and 89 private higher establishments. Out of the 51 non -university establishments, 47 are biennial in-between proficient institutes ( MTIs ) and four are 4-5 old ages higher proficient institutes ‘ . The higher instruction cohort is expected to increase by close to 6 per centum ( 60,000 ) pupils per annum through 2009

In 1990, a statute law was passed to supply greater liberty to the universities17. But still the instruction substructure, equipment and human resources are non in topographic point to provide to the lifting higher instruction pupils. Gross registration in third instruction increased from 27 per centum in 2003 to 31 per centum in 2005.But there has non been a similar addition in passing on bettering the higher instruction system in footings of debut of new plans and technologies.Both at national degree ( inspection systems, scrutinies ) and at local degree ( school degree pupil appraisals ) steps of the success of instruction schemes and the public presentation of the system are weak. The inspectorate system does non supply either solid proficient support to school staff, nor an effectual monitoring mechanism for neglecting schools. The scrutiny system at the terminal of preparatory and secondary levels-Thanawiya Awwa, does non mensurate higher-order thought accomplishments, but concentrates instead on rote memorisation. Tonss can therefore be raised significantly by test specific tutoring, hence, pupils with more resources can afford private tutoring which helps them to hit higher on the national standardised tests and hence are accepted in top universities in Egypt. Hence, this competitory procedure of choice restricts pupils ‘ grade options and consequences, therefore doing pupils choose for plans and callings which are of small involvement to them

The Egyptian third instruction is steered by a centralised system with establishments holding small control on the determinations of the course of study, plan development and deployment of staff and module. Bettering system administration and efficiency is an imperative that takes on added urgency given that a important population bump has reached the higher instruction system.The existent figure of pupils come ining higher instruction grew by 17 per centum per twelvemonth between 1992/93 and 1997/98. The effect was a crisp diminution in per pupil disbursement of around 40 per centum in existent footings over that period. The higher instruction cohort is projected to go on to increase by close to 6 per centum ( 60,000 pupils ) per annum through 2009. This means that important efficiencies will necessitate to be introduced into the system merely to keep quality at its current unequal degree. The public presentation and quality of higher instruction is presently badly compromised by excessively centralized order to better the already out-of-date system, stiff course of study and instruction patterns. Bettering system administration and efficiency is an imperative that takes on added urgency given that a important population bump has reached the higher instruction system.The existent figure of pupils come ining higher instruction grew by 17 per centum per twelvemonth between 1992/93 and 1997/98. The effect was a crisp diminution in per pupil disbursement of around 40 per centum in existent footings over that period. The higher instruction cohort is projected to go on to increase by close to 6 per centum ( 60,000 pupils ) per annum through 2009. This means that important efficiencies will necessitate to be introduced into the system merely to keep quality at its current unequal degree [ The Government of Egypt recognizes that there are existent challenges to be faced in the sector, foremost amongst which are the demand to significantly better sector administration and efficiency, increase institutional liberty, significantly better the quality and relevancy of higher instruction plans, and maintain coverage at bing degrees. Recent Government actions to construct political consensus on issues critical to reform hold created a clime that is mature for alteration. The Ministry of Higher Education ( MOHE ) acts as a title-holder for reform. The Minister, appointed in 1997, rapidly established a commission for the reform of higher instruction ( known as the HEEP Committee ) which drew in a broad scope of stakeholders including industrialists and Parliamentarians. A National Conference on higher instruction reform was held in February 2000, and a Declaration for action emanating from the Conference was endorsed by the President and the Prime Minister. The Declaration identified 25 specific reform enterprises. The Bank agrees with, and supports, the Declaration. A scope of many-sided and bilateral bureaus, including the World Bank, besides concur with the Declaration ‘s proposals, and are committed to back uping assorted facets of the reform procedure, The Government ‘s Higher Education Reform Strategy Egyptian higher instruction reform scheme included 25 undertakings turn toing all the reform domains, is implemented over three stages until 2017, and corresponds to the authorities ‘s five twelvemonth programs as follows:

First stage from 2002 to 2007

Second stage from 2007 to 2012

Third stage from 2012 to 2017

Precedence has been given to 12 undertakings in the first stage of execution ( 2002-2007 ) and were integrated into the undermentioned six undertakings: HEEP Six Priority Projects ( 2002-2007 )

Higher Education Enhancement Project Fund ( HEEPF ) ,

Information and Communications Technology Project ( ICTP ) ,

Egyptian Technical Colleges Project ( ETCP ) ,

Faculty of Education Project ( FOEP ) ,

Faculty Leaders Development Project ( FLDP ) ,

Quality Assurance and Accreditation Project ( QAAP ) .

In August 2004, HEEP strategic precedences were adjusted to go antiphonal to the demands of quality and accreditation and to match to the authorities ‘s attack to bettering scientific research. The accommodation added two more dimensions: foremost, developing station alumnus surveies and scientific research and second, turn toing pupils ‘ extra-curricular activities in add-on to the continued execution of the six prioritized plans during the first stage. Due to the dynamic nature of the reform scheme, which entails reconsidering precedences for each period, a Strategic Planning Unit ( SPU ) was established for the MOHE to guarantee the sustainability of planning and undertaking monitoring during the three stages and for future 1s. A Students ‘ Activity Project ( SAP ) was besides initiated as portion of plan accreditation similar to scientific research and station alumnus surveies. There are both private and public establishments of higher instruction in Egypt. Public higher instruction is free in Egypt, and Egyptian pupils merely pay enrollment fees. Private instruction is much more expensive.

A Education and the Community

There were a few efforts for positive impact and reform from the civil community in Egypt but those attempts remained really limited on their impact on the educational procedure. Education crisis in Egypt is really complicated, public instruction is non capable of supplying quality instruction are barely any instruction with the deficit in installations, deficiency of trained pedagogues and rising prices in categories. Private ( including International ) is still incapable of reform for the deficiency of involvement, deficit in trained pedagogues, faulty course of study, commercialisation of instruction and eventually a customized accreditation system that involves the irrevokable licensure of International schools based on campaigning for accreditation while campaigning for accreditation is originally based on the initial efficiency of the school in supplying the educational services including its position as a legal instruction supplier that it does n’t acquire to acquire unless its a campaigner school, which is puting the cart before the Equus caballus.

No community attempts have been done to turn to the crisis of instruction in Egypt until 2008, when the [ International-Curricula Educators Association O¬U…O?USO© U…O?U„U…US O§U„U…U†O§U‡O¬ O§U„O?U?U„USO© ( ICEA ) ] . was established with modest fiscal resources but great outlooks.

The Community addressed itself to lending to work outing the educational jobs in Egypt including the deficit in research, statistics and entrepreneurship in the field of instruction.

On 2009 it ‘s started affecting voluntaries through the UNV plan and has successfully began to develop its scope of not-for-profit services to turn to several demands of the educational community in Egypt get downing from low-cost certified instructor preparation and traveling doing its manner through all the needed pupil activities exciting citizenship whether on the local or the planetary degree.

Challenges

Although important advancement has been made to increase human capital base through improved instruction system, still the quality of instruction experience is low and unevenly distributed. Due to miss of good quality instruction at the basic and secondary degrees, there has been a mushrooming market for private tutoring. Now to take private tuition has become more of an duty than a remedial activity. Harmonizing to the Egypt Human Development Report ( 2005 ) , 58 per centum of surveyed households stated that their kids take private tutoring. The CAPMAS ( 2004 ) study showed that families spend on norm about 61 per centum of entire instruction outgo on private tutoring. In add-on, per family outgo of the richest quintile on private tutoring is more than seven times that of the poorest. Among the issues is the deficiency of sufficient instruction in public schools and the demand for private tuition. As of 2005, 61-70 % of Egyptian pupils attend private tuitionOther common issues include: larceny of public educational financess and escape of exams..

Egypt besides has a deficit of skilled and semi-skilled workforce.But there has been an copiousness of low-skilled labourers. Even if there are any high-skilled workers available, their quality of preparation is rather hapless. This is largely a job in small-medium companies and big public industries that work in “ protected ” domestic markets. The mean gross production per worker is lower than other North African states: Maroc and Tunisia. Youth unemployment is besides really high, chiefly due to deficiency of instruction system in supplying necessary preparation under TVET plans.

A survey conducted by UNESCO on educational equity in universe ‘s 16 most thickly settled states placed Egypt in the in-between scope in footings of equity of primary and secondary registrations across governorates in Egypt But when the wealth constituent is added to education attainment, the consequences are non really encouraging. There are significantly higher registration rates in wealthier parts at both the primary and secondary degrees. This confirms that more attempts are needed to cut down the wealth spread in educational attainment

This narrative proved to be overblown and ultimately the clash of civilizations thesis has been discarded. However, a decade on, the fast-paced events of the Arab Spring have once again revived the question as to whether we are witnessing a clash of collocations Does the Arab Spring reflect a clash of civilizations On the face of it, the Arab Spring appeared to be heading into clash of civilizations territory as Western-backed dictators fell like nine pins, and the revolts appeared to be pre)-lilacs, anti-Western and anti-liberal.

Recently, a violent string of protests across the middle east against a us-made film, which was held to denigrate the prophet Mohamed, culminated in a deadly arson attack that killed the US ambassador to Libya. Once again, some commentators have framed these events as a clash of cultures and a pivotal moment in Western and Islamic relations. However, the evidence suggests that the clash of civilizations thesis is exaggerated.

So in relation to the Arab Spring, it is more helpful to see it as a clash between people and governments within the Arab world, caused in large part by incompetent governance and an inability to listen to what the people want. Contrary to the clash argument, the Arab Spring is not a clash between Islamic radicalism and the west. Looking closely at the region reveals that each upheaval has Its specific characteristics, each country its own history and ethnic mix. In Bahrain, for example, the Arab Spring has manifested itself in an explosion of long-held tensions between Sunnis and Shih Muslims.

There Is some interesting polling that popular concerns about democracy In Bahrain have decreased since the start of the troubles, while encores about Iran have increased. In Egypt, people simply wanted a change Embark was self-evidently time-expired and the longer the military try to hold on to power (prompted in part by their large stake in the economy), the lower their popular support becomes. Similar, although more extreme, concerns apply In Libya, exacerbated by the tribal nature of Libyan society (a really big determinant).

Its also instructive to note what is happening in Tunisia, which seems to be providing a very Arab/North African take on democracy but which seems to be working nonetheless. So In essence, the Arab Spring Is not really clash of civilizations territory at all. The role of Islam in the Arab Spring Jane Simonton, Chatham Houses middle east expert, comments in relation to Tunisia and Egypt that The vague, catch-all term Salamis belies the diversity of movements that seek to draw inspiration, values and legitimacy from Islam. There are enormous differences In thinking both between different Salamis groups, and wealth them.

Crucially, this diversity Is likely to Increase as a result of the new-found political opening in the Arab world. Salamis movements OFF uprisings in Egypt and Tunisia succeeded precisely because they avoided the divisions of ideology, class and, in Egypt, religion that have traditionally fractured and weakened opposition movements in the Arab world. Certainly Salamis movements were more successful than any other parties in the recent parliamentary elections in Egypt and Tunisia, prompting some observers to accuse them of stealing the revolutions.

The protests that drove political changes in 2011 hoisted slogans with universal appeal calling for freedom, dignity, social Justice more than they referred specifically Islamic slogans. They were not Salamis, anti-legalist or non- Salamis protests Psalmists participated alongside secularists, liberals and leftists and there were striking images of Muslims and Christians guarding each others prayers in Their Square. Neither Salamis movements nor other existing political parties can claim credit for these youth-led, spontaneously swelling street movements.

Thus, what we are seeing is far from the rise of a monolithic civilizations identity, but rather an intra-civilizations splintering over political and economic ideas. Conclusion clash within the Arab world The Arab Spring is not so much to be seen as a clash of civilizations but rather a power struggle motivated by pollarded sectarian differences within Arab countries. TTY McCormick in the Huffing Post argues It is clear that a clash within civilizations helps to explain the Arab Spring more than a clash between them.

William Misacts writing in the Journal, Foreign Affair, also questions the clash of civilizations thesis On 9/1 1, the global Jihads movement burst into the worlds consciousness, but a decade later, thanks in part to the Arab Spring and the killing of Osama bin Laden, it is in crisis. With Western-backed dictators falling, al Qaeda might seem closer than ever to its goal of building Islamic states. But the revolutions have empowered the groups chief rivals instead Salamis parliamentarians, who are willing to use ballots, not bombs.

Activities (1) Follow on discussion To what extent is does the Arab Spring constitute a clash of civilizations Given that this topic is in many ways Just a footnote to the wider debate over the clash of civilizations thesis, it might be worth asking groups to draw up precise lists of points both for and against this action. (2) Arab Spring mint-presentations allocate members of the class to one of the Arab Spring countries (Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Bahrain, Syria etc. ) and ask them to do a one-slide presentation outlining key events etc.

Mesopotamia vs. Egypt A civilization is a society in advanced state of social development. Mesopotamia and Egypt are some of the oldest civilizations on history. One of the most important steps taken for a civilization to occur was the agricultural revolution. This was when man stopped being nomadic and begun to settle down permanently or for long periods of time in one specific area and began living off the lands and raising animals, this as we know is known as the agricultural revolution. Other steps that helped towards the occurrence of civilizations were suitable geographical locations.

They needed a reliable water and food source and sometimes good areas for defense or they built their own. The geographical location of both Mesopotamia and Egypt were very important to its success. Both Egypt and Mesopotamia were both located around a river. Not only that both their fertile land was caused because of the rivers, but the difference is that Mesopotamia was located in an area of land between two rivers which caused the land between the rivers to become fertile where as Egypt was located around a river and because of its seasonal flooding fertile soil was dumped onto the backs of the river; perfect for planting crops.

The big difference between Mesopotamia and Egypt was that Egypt had excellent natural defense because of its sea to the north, deserts to the east and west, and rapid and mountains to the south. Whereas Mesopotamia had flat land all around the resulting in no natural defense what so ever. Egypt and Mesopotamia both had similar religions. Both societies believe in many gods for example the sun god, river god, fire god and so on. So both civilizations were polytheistic. In the case of Egypt, there were supreme gods such as the sun god Ra, Amon, and Osiris.

Each male god had a female goddess consort. Osiris, the god of the dead and of fertility, was married to Isis, the goddess of magic and love. They had a son, named Horus. The Mesopotamian cultures had religions that had many gods and goddesses as well. Male and female divinities, gods and goddesses of war. Ishtar is a major divinity in Mesopotamian religions. Another similarity between the major culture areas religions is that their gods and goddesses often have a human form, and an animal form.

When talking about warfare and the wheel the cities of Mesopotamia were walled, to protect themselves from conquest from their neighbors. Warfare developed and became more sophisticated in Mesopotamia. The wheel was developed in Mesopotamia, but the Egyptians never invented it! The Hyksos, who invaded Egypt about 1750 BC, introduced both the wheel and the horse, in the form of the chariot. Egypt developed rather late in terms of the art of war. I conclude that Mesopotamia both have similarities and differences but ultimately affect the way we live today.

Thanks to the ideas and trial and error of the ancient civilizations we can live the life we have today. For example, Mesopotamia invented the wheel. Thanks to them we have things such as bikes, cars, trains, airplanes, wheel-barrels and much more. Also, the Hebrew religion was created tens of thousands of years ago and affects many religions today such as Christianity. So I conclude that both Egypt and Mesopotamia played a major role in the development of society and civilization today.

Problem Solution Essay-3rd draft Increase of Vegetables Prices * The Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) stated that inflation has risen to 11. 7%, an increase of 0. 2 % this year over last” (Abdel Moniem, 2010). Prices of tomatoes, green beans, cucumber & green pepper’s prices have increased to be 15LE, 16LE, 6LE, and 8LE per kilo respectively. Affording basics necessities has become difficult for the middle & lower class families in view of such high inflation.

Nadia, works as a house cleaner; she is a widow and a mother of three children. “One plate of salad for a family comprised of four members, used to cost 3 LE in the past few months. Now it costs more than 10 LE. We have to eat foul & eggs instead. Now, I cannot buy vegetables every day like before”. says Nadia. The gravity of this problem implores us to explore short and long-term solutions. Immediately, the Egyptian government should direct over the increasing prices of the vegetables as a short-term solution, and re-distribute the farmlands on the long –term.

Government officials from Agriculture & the Economic Development ministries attributed the sudden increase of the vegetables prices to a wide array of reasons. The first reason is the ghastly climate change during the summer. ”This year’s heat waves caused Egypt’s tomato production to plummet from 40 tons per acre to 15 tons per acre this year. ” (Abdel Moniem, 2010). The second reason is the spread of the white flies & pests that attacked and devoured most of the crops. The third reason is the bad transportation. The fourth reason is the lack of appropriate packing of the vegetables.

The final factor is the random increase in prices by the intermediary sellers. Apparently, the soaring increase in the prices of the vegetables may lead to a number of effects on the consumption rates of Egyptian family. Some housewives enforce diet programs to their family. Other families boycott vegetables, or eat them once a week as a method of controlling their budget. Furthermore, in order to save money for food, most of the families skipped going out, traveling on holidays, or even having friends’ gathering at home. How can we avoid all these?

Instantaneously, interaction from the Egyptian government should be done to solve the crisis of escalating prices of the vegetables. Egypt is ranked as the second largest country worldwide in producing tomatoes. This season a 55% of whole harvest was damaged. (Abdel Momiem, 2010). However, government should keep an eye on those issues. In fact, when the crisis happened in September 2010, the Agriculture ministry tried to help people finding the vegetables in affordable prices. As a swift solution, the ministry opened some vegetables’ outlets in different areas in Giza & Cairo with cheaper prices.

Even though, the ministry provided 10000 tons of each kind of vegetables into these outlets with prices less than those available in the markets, yet they are not as cheap as before (Nagib, 2010). For instance, in the market, people can find the tomatoes with 12 LE/Kilo; however, the outlet sells it with 4. 50LE, but originally it was 2. 00LE/kilo a few months ago. These outlets could be a quick solution from the ministry of agriculture, but it is not an effective one. Is this quantity enough for the Egyptian residents? The government must carry out the following steps in order to deal with this crisis.

First, the Ministry of Agriculture should provide sufficient quantities of vegetables in both reasonable prices and good quality. In coordination with the neighboring countries, the ministry of Agriculture could import the needed quantities of vegetables. Importing process is expensive; however, the government should bear any extra costs, and provide the market with these commodities at affordable prices. Second, storage facilities must be well maintained, to prevent damage of the goods. For instance, storehouses, fridge trucks and domestic transfer trucks must work properly with the appropriate temperatures.

Finally, government officials should have a firmer grip on the mid sellers, so they can avoid manipulating prices. In addition, severe penalties should be applied on those mid sellers if they trade with more than the official prices. Financially, these steps might cost the Egyptian government alot, but in cooperation with the ministry of finance, they can be viable. This could be a helpful band-aid approach to help decrease prices. Government should solve this problem by re-distributing the farmland according to its quality, size and nature of the soil. Food & Agriculture Organization ( FAO) statistics stated that the agriculture land size in the year of 1970 was 4842 HA. Today those lands’s size is 3542HA. After shrinkage in the agriculture lands has occurred, the harvest quality & quantity has also decreased significantly. Re-distributing the farmland and utilizing it in efficient way might need some implementations. First, government should determine the needs and consumptions of the people in each kind of vegetables. So, Ministries of Agriculture & Population can provide the accurate rates of vegetables’ consumption in Egypt.

Second execution is determining the farmlands that are suitable for each kind of crops. For instance, Delta lands are the most suitable areas for planting tomato because of its richly fertilized soil. On the contrary, the sugar-cane needs high temperature, so Upper Egypt is the perfect location for it. Third, to reclaim unexploited constructions lands into productive agriculture areas. Recently, vegetables’ production had decreased especially in Delta area because the buildings, bridges, and factories are occupied large-scale of the agriculture land pieces.

Fourth, increase the farmers’ awareness of the climate change, so take the fundamental precautions to save the crops. Nowadays, the weather forecast’s equipment improves rapidly, and could predict the climate change in advance. Finally, sufficient fertilizers, pesticides & high mechanics should be supplied to the farmers in reasonable prices. In order to put into practice this provision, Ministry of Agriculture must distribute those pesticides & fertilizers among the farmlands equally.

Definitely, these steps require incessant cooperation between different ministries: Agriculture, Health & Population, Housing & Development and the Scientific Research. Unfortunately, this process may take years to be implemented; moreover, it needs abundant budget. Nevertheless, this long-term solution is an effective way to solve the high increase of vegetable prices in Egypt. Vegetables are the most essential nutrients that provide human bodies with the basics vitamins; to maintain a good health, and raise immunity.

Unexpected rise of vegetables prices forced people to boycott or quit purchasing these products, as they cannot afford. Government should enforce a quick strategy to reduce prices, and plan the farmlands according to the crop’s type in order to solve this problem. The government should proactively work on facilitating people’s life, and providing them with the basic needs. Treacherously, the impact of the vegetables prices raise may reach the peak very soon. Hence, the scale of poverty will elevate, and criminals’ ratios will widely expand into the Egyptian Society.

The Egyptian government should consider the vegetables prices inflation as a major crisis not as a commonplace problem. * Abdel Moniem, A (2010,October ,14/20). Food prices shooting up. retrieved October 22 2010, from Al Ahram Weekly Online Web Site: weekly. ahram. org. eg * Anonymus, Food & Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. (n. d) retrieved October 22 2010, from http://faostat. fao. org/site/377/default. aspx#ancor * Naguib, Y (2010,October,16). Agriculture outlets& markets contribute in solving the crisis. retrieved October 22 2010, from Akhbar El Youm News paper *

Over the years, Ancient Egypt has had many cultural accomplishments in art, architecture, and different philosophies which are still cherished today. Egypt is located in the northeastern corner of Africa, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east. Religiously speaking the ancient Egyptians are polytheistic and believe in multiple deities or gods. They overall believe that there are divine forces that rule the Earth and the afterlife. The ancient Egyptians have gone through a long and interesting line of rulers.

The ancient Egyptians went through many turning points from the Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms. The most important events were when the Egyptians were getting invaded and taken over by many different people, including the Persians, Alexander the Great and his men, and for the longest period of time, The Romans.

During these times ancient Egypt was stripped down from some of their freedoms and traditions and also some cultural diffusion was forced upon them.

Geography/Location

As you read in the “Thesis Statement”, Egypt is located in the northeastern corner of Africa, bordering on the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Red Sea to the east. The Egyptians most important natural resource was the Nile River, which flows from the Mediterranean Sea. They believed that they were blessed by the Nile and believed that the river was a gift from the Gods. The ancient Egyptians geographically ivided their land into two types, the “black land” and the “red land”. The “black land” was considered the fertile land on the banks of the Nile. Ancient Egyptians used this land for growing crops. This was the only land in Egypt that could be farmed because a layer of rich, black silt was spread on the land every year after the Nile flooded. The “red land” was the barren desert that protected Egypt on two sides. These deserts 3 protected ancient Egypt from nearby countries and invading armies. They also provided the ancient Egyptians with a source for different kinds of metals and stones.

Egypt’s proximity to the Nile River enabled the Egyptians the trade, farm, make clothing, and ultimately use the river to its fullest. The ancient Egyptians use to sing a hymn of praise to the Nile for nourishing their land, these are the lyrics… “If the Nile smiles, the Earth is joyous, Every stomach is full of rejoicing, Every spine is happy, Every jawbone crushes its food”.

Political Characteristics

The Ancient Egyptian Government was dominated by a single man, the Pharaoh. The Egyptians believed that the ruler was more a man, but that he was a god. This gave the Pharaoh absolute control over affairs of the Empire and its people. Ancient Egypt was also considered as a theocracy, which was controlled by the clergy. The Pharaoh’s advisors and ministers were almost all priests, who were considered the only ones worthy and able to carry out the god-king’s commands. In most of the religious ancient societies, priest has a special status above the rest of the citizens. The governmental officials included the prime minister, the chief treasurer, the tax collector, the minister of public works, and the army commander.

These officials were directly responsible to the Pharaoh. The land itself was divided up into provinces called nomes. Each nome had a governor, and was appointed by the Pharaoh, and responsible to the prime minister. Taxes were paid in goods and labor. Citizens were drafted into the army and forced labor for periods of time to pay the labor tax. Slaves, mercenaries, and draftees were often used in the army. It is believed, 5 however, that Egyptian slaves were not used to construct sacred monuments, such as the Pyramids.

Egyptologist were led to this conclusion by recent finding of worker burial grounds near such monuments. The workers received proper Egyptian burials, where as slaves did not. The majority of Egyptian people were peasants who worked he land along the fertile Nile flood basin. These people had no voice in the government, and accepted the fact because it was backed by their religion. This aspect of the Egyptian’s religion helped keep Egypt so powerful and centralized during its high points. One of the most powerful rulers of ancient Egypt was the mighty Ramses II.

Ramses was very ambitious and looked to expand the Egyptian empire northward as far as Syria. He constructed many temples and monuments and boasted of his conquest. In a battle against the Hittites, Ramses had outstanding bravery and prevented himself from a crushing defeat. Ramses was well respected and went in history for his achievements. His tomb is located in the Valley of the Kings, and his mummy is thought to be one of the most best-preserved mummies ever found. Another greatly respected pharaoh of Egypt was King Menes.

Menes was actually known as the first true leader of Egypt. He accomplished much, including the unification of the Upper and Lower Kingdoms of early Egypt. After Menes united the Kingdoms the Egyptian monarchy lasted in a recognizable form for over three thousand years.

Economy

There were many aspects to the Ancient Egyptian economy. The Egyptians traded, educated, and farmed. The Egyptians had a large range of resources at their disposal varying from food and cloth, to metals and gems. Some of Egypt’s agricultural products were grain, vegetables, fruit, fish, attle, goats, pigs and fowl which were the primary food resources and flax was also grown to be spun into linen. A large proportion of grain was used for beer production. In ancient Egypt there was a good variety of metals, but only a small number were used including copper, bronze, and iron. Gems for the upper classes and the pharaoh and much stone were used for the construction of temples and of course the pyramids. The majority of the population more than nine tenths lived on the land in mostly village 8 communities.

The land they worked in belonged in theory to the gods and in particularly the gods “Osiris” and “Horus” and his earthly incarnation or “avatar”, the pharaoh. The ancient Egyptian economic system was called a “command economy”. Administrators, priests, traders, and craftsmen lived mostly in the cities along the Nile. Some of the most commercial cities or capitals of ancient Egypt were Zawiyet el-Mayitin, Abydos, Naqada, el-Kula, Edfu, Seila and the island of Elephantine in the Nile River at modern Aswan. These provincial capitals were popular religious and economic centers serving the surrounding countryside.

In ancient Egypt, a major part of the taxes imposed on the 9 people were used to keep the society running smoothly. Grain was one of the most taxed resources as it could be stored relatively easy and was very vital in years of bad harvests. Three thousand years of development pointed out just how effective this economy was. With the help from transportation by the Nile River, the Egyptians sold their products sold on the market. The Egyptians set up trade routes to reach distant countries.

They often visited the countries along the Mediterranean Sea and the near the Upper Nile River because they were immediately adjacent to Egypt and contained materials that the Egyptians desired. These visited countries included Cyprus, Crete, Greece, Syro-Palestine, Punt, and Nubia. Some of the items that the Egyptians would bring back to Egypt would be leopard skins, giraffe tails, monkeys, cattle, ivory, ostrich feathers/eggs, and gold. When the Egyptians visited Punt, there a major source for incense, also Syro-Palestine provided ceder, oils, unguents, and horses.

Horses were originally used in 10 ancient Egypt, and then the domesticated camel was introduced at around 500 BC. The economy in ancient Egypt was overall mainly very stable and structured over the years. 11 Religious Beliefs Religion was very important to the Ancient Egyptians. Their religion was strongly influenced by tradition, which caused them to resist change. Egyptians did not question the beliefs which had been handed down to them; they did not desire change in their society.

Their main aim throughout their history was to emulate the conditions which they believed had existed at the dawn of creation. The Egyptians were polytheistic people that believed in multiple gods/deities. The god represented various forces of nature, thought patterns and power, and expressed by the means of complex and varied archetypes. These deities were worshipped with offerings and prayers in local household shrines, as well as in formal temples managed by priests. Different gods were prominent at different periods of Egyptian history, and the myths associated with them hanged over time, so Egypt never had a coherent 12 hierarchy of deities or a unified mythology. The religion of the Egyptians, however, contained many overarching beliefs. Among these were the divinity of the pharaoh, which helped to politically unify the country, and the complex beliefs about an afterlife, which gave the Egyptians’ elaborate burial customs concluding the process of mummification. Ancient Egyptians had many deities, here are some examples of the most important and famous ones. Amun – The Egyptians believed that this god created himself in the beginning of time.

They also believed him to be the father of the pharaohs. This god looks like a man with a beard, feathered crown, and shown as a ram or a ram-headed man. His name means the hidden one. Geb – Geb was a bearded god with a goose on his head. He was known as the healer and provider of crops. The Egyptians believed that when that Geb laughed that’s what caused the earthquakes. Egyptians had feared he might imprison the dead.

Mut

Mut is Egyptian goddess, also known as the mother of all living things. Her hieroglyphic symbol is the vulture. She is a woman wearing a vulture headdress sometimes. She also sometimes wears a double crown to represent lower and upper Egypt. Osiris – Orsiris was a strong element in Egyptian mythology. He was one of the five children born from the god of earth and the goddess of skies. He was inherirted to the throne of Egypt. Ra – The God Ra is the Egyptian god of the sun, light, heat, and the supreme judge. Also he was known as “Re- Horakhty”, which means Horus of the Horizon. A god with a sun disk around his head, he is worshipped all along Egypt. Egyptians believed he created the world, and the rising sun is the symbol of creation. The sun rising and setting meant renewal.

He is ultimately known as the master of life.

Social Structure

In the ancient times of Egypt the top of the social importance was the pharaoh, then the government officials such as the nobles priests, next were the soldiers, then scribes, merchants, artisans, farmers, and lastly slaves/ servants. The pyramid has been used as a visual metaphor to describe the social structures of ancient Egypt. The position of an individual in the social pyramid was determined by birth circumstances such as class, gender, race, and the relationship among social groups were determined by their occupations.

Ancient Egypt was ruled by a very small rich upper class who enjoyed power and wealth while the large masses of Egyptian workers and peasants struggles to subsist. The ruling class depending on a social system of administrators, who organized the work force, managed resourced and taxed the surplus production. For their services, these government officials received favors and could rise to the highest ranks in the administration.The upper class of Egypt despised the lower classes as inferiors, and many instances of abuse were committed, but peasant and farmers were not slaves.

They had property rights and servants could inherit their master’s possessions when is they died without children. Other members of the working class, artisans, were their own masters. They owned property and land, and could freely buy and sell their products in the market. Education in ancient Egypt was not very advanced. At a young age children were mainly taught by their parents. Most parents would try to instill in their kids various educational principles, moral attitudes, and views of life from a tender age. For girls, they would always stay with their mothers.

Very few careers were open to most women. While most woman trained for motherhood and how to be a good wife, some girls could train to be dancers, entertainers, weavers, or bakers. Only the daughters of wealthy nobles received an education in reading or writing. The boys were mainly raised by their fathers. Son usually followed the same trade that their fathers practices. Some of the boys at this time attended a general village school while others attended a school 16 designed for a specific career such as a priest or a noble.

Schools taught writing, reading, math, and sports as well as morals and manors. At the age of fourteen, the sons of farmers or craftsmen joined their dads in their profession. Those children whose parents had higher status careers continued their education at special school usually attached to temples or government centers. The educational experiences in ancient Egypt had both similarities and differences compared to the present education in the U. S. A. It was similar because most parents like in ancient Egypt teach their kids moral values and educational principles. Unlike Egypt, in America it is a law that all American children must go to school and get an education. The selective school in Egypt taught similar subjects to the children, but it America present time , there is a lot more variety and opportunities for the future. 17 Achievements/Accomplishments There were many achievements of the ancient Egyptians including the quarrying, surveying and constructional techniques that facilitated the building of monumental pyramids, temple, and obelisks. They also established a system of mathematics, a practical and effective system of medicine, irrigation systems and agricultural production techniques.

They had the first known ships, Egyptian faience and glass technology, new forms of literature, and the earliest known peace treaty. Egypt truly left a lasting legacy. Their art and architecture were widely copied, and sent around the world today. Egypt’s monumental ruins have inspired the imaginations of travelers and writers for centuries. In the mathematical area, Egyptians used a numbering system based on ten. They used vertical tally marks to represent the numbers one through nine, then they used symbols for larger numbers.

For example, a heel stood for 10, a crook was 100, a flower was 1000, a finger was a 10,000, and a tadpole represented 100,000. 18 In the science department, the Egyptians believed that “Thoth”, in the form of an ibis, was the inventor of astrology and mathematics, he was known as the god of wisdom and magic. The Egyptians had many outstanding cultural achievements concluding mainly art and architecture. The Egyptian art was highly symbolic and a painting or sculpture was not meant to be a record of as the result of subtle changes, not as altered conception of arts or its role in society.

The pyramids of Egypt are the most famous and mind-blowing structures built by the Egyptians. The Egyptian also had some literature mostly written on papyrus, also contains elements of art. The writings included hymns to the gods, mythological and magical texts, and mortuary texts.

Decline Egypt

Was once one of the most powerful civilizations on the planet. The decline of Egypt started at around 1000 BC when there was struggle for power by priests and nobles and the country started to spilt up. Rich people wanted to take over Egypt and hired men to conquer certain areas of Egypt.

As there was a struggle for power, enemies from other countries invaded Egypt. The Cushites ruled Egypt from about 767 BC until they were defeated by the Assyrians in 671 BC and then Egypt took back their country in 525 BC. In 343 BC, the Persians took over Egypt as a part of their conquest. Later, a man named Alexander the Great conquered most of Europe and Africa including Egypt. Alexander became the Pharaoh of the Egyptian Empire and he was loved by the Egyptian people. He was committed to the well being of people so he chose not to change their ways.

After Alexander died, his generals each ruled areas he conquered, this period of Alexander lasted for 20 300 years until the Romans took it over. The Romans ruled Egypt for seven centuries, Egypt was a great source of wealth to the Romans. The Romans brought Christianity to Egypt. The Roman period of Egypt was peaceful even though the ancient religion of Egypt was taken over by the fast spread of Christianity. The period of ancient Egypt lasted from 3000 BC – 639 AD, was at the end when Arabs brought the religion of Islam to Egypt. The fall of this rich civilization is probably one of the most interesting parts, in not just Egyptian history, but ancient history in general, since Egypt was the most powerful civilization in the world at the time.

Personal Observations

I truly think Egypt is one of the most amazing ancient civilizations of all time. I choose Egypt for my research paper because I believe that they have so much unique culture and mind-blowing accomplishments. From this research paper I have learned many new things about ancient Egypt that I never knew before.

I thought that all the monuments and pyramids were very impressive. Also the architectural design of the Egyptians is truly creative and inspiring. I hope that people in our modern time can learn how to appreciate the integrity of the Egyptians, and hopefully by reading this research paper it well help.

Bibliography

1. The school textbook of world history, “Egyptian art” by Cryril Aldred, “Egypt” by DK Publishing
2. www. wsu. edu,
3. www. ancientegypt. co. uk,
4. www. kingtutone. com,
5. www. reshafim,
6. www. ancient-egypt. org 23

This achievement was done because of their positioning in Africa which gave them better trade networks. More, the Gush broke for Egyptians and moved to More in 590 BCC. They lived several hundred years off of farming, iron, mining and trading. Oromo, The Oromo people spent lot of time looking for better land to settle. Finally they conquered land ruled by the Gaze and Solomon, they became very wealthy depending on trade of coffee. Great Zanzibar, The amalgamation of the Bantu helped Great Zanzibar. Along with other cities they prospered by sending goods to the

Indian cost. The people of Zanzibar relied not only on trading but also cattle herding, and agriculture. Exam Oromo More Great Zanzibar Social First: king Second Nobles, soldiers Third: citizens Last: slaves Gad system, which helped all citizens First: king or queen Second: priest, soldiers Third: Merchants, Artisans, Farmers. Last Enslaved people. Very strict and marrying somebody In a different class was not liked. Economic traded Ivory, exotic animal skins, gold and more with other countries Mainly agriculture of several crops Paid taxes annual to the king. Anomy based on cattle husbandry, crop cultivation, and the trade of gold political Used their gained power from trading to keep a centralized state and their people tightly controlled. Gad government developed by citizens, we do not know when the system emerged. Different from Egypt. Political freedom Some political problems was the Racial divide and economic interest. Religious descendants of the Hebrews, and adopted Christianity There are three main religions in Oromo, Roomier, (their traditional religion), Islam and Christianity.

Greatly influenced by Egyptians , but also introduced their own Gods, most important Epidermal, a lion God A firm monotheistic faith. Landmarks or Monuments More; Pyramids of Sudan= located in the North-East of Sudan near the banks of the Nile, almost 200 pyramids in a relatively small area. Exam; Stella= built for a religious purpose. Most likely a funeral monument Horn of Africa= peninsula in the East of Africa National Monument= approximately 30 km from Amassing Summary Exam, a combination of Arabs and Africans who settled in the Red Sea Exam became err powerful even being the wealthiest of the kingdoms in the first century.

This conquered land ruled by the Gaze and Solenoids, they became very wealthy depending on trade of coffee. Great Zanzibar, The migration of the Bantu helped Images Historic Importance All four cities are so important for what they have in their past. What they left us with, like the Exam with the Stella. “An old man or old woman die is like losing a library. ” Learning how our ancestors survived and worked together is important to never forget. Visiting this places is something you will never forget and never regret.

Jenny Di Bowler 5th Period AP World History Comparative Essay 07 September 2010 The geography of Egypt and Mesopotamia helped shaped their economies, social structures, and religions. In these two societies, the rivers they depended upon played central roles in all parts of society. The Tigris and Euphrates Rivers surrounding Mesopotamia and the Nile River, in the middle of the desert, produced two polytheistic, ancient civilizations.

Although Egypt and Mesopotamia both have similar economies which center on agriculture and include heavy trading, they differ in their religions and social structures because the geographical features in each region altered the people’s beliefs and views. The two civilizations views on religion were also affected by the geography of the area, more specifically the flooding of the two rivers. The Mesopotamians believed in a dark and cruel afterlife where everyone was sentenced to after death, while Egyptians thought that they would be judged by the god of the underworld, Osiris.

He would determine if they could pass on to the good afterlife or not. The Mesopotamians view of gods as uncaring was most likely due to capricious nature of their rivers. The direct result of the gods’ capriciousness was said to have lead to the unpredictable flooding. The rulers of Mesopotamia could not claim to be gods or have divine powers because they could not predict or control the floods, while the Egyptian kings were unquestionably divine.

The Egyptians had a very fond view of their gods and tried to keep their cycles of life continuing, including the continuation of divine kings, while Mesopotamians feared their gods and did everything possible to gratify them. The consistent cycle of floods in the Nile brought bountiful harvests. Rebirth occurred all around them and the Egyptians trusted in this cycle. They put a lot of effort in order to ensure “rebirth” and went through many rituals, such as mummification, in order to preserve their bodies for the afterlife.

They also trusted and provided for their gods so that the floods would continue to bring them with bountiful crops and wealth. The Mesopotamians did not trust their gods, but relied on meeting all of their needs so as to not anger them and cause ruin to their landscape. Egypt’s location was quite isolated and guarded due to its surrounding deserts, while Mesopotamia was open to invaders due to its flat plains. Warriors were important and therefore high on the social ladder due to Mesopotamia’s vulnerable location. On top of the warriors in the social structure were the priest and kings, while underneath was everybody else.

The priests stayed in control of the population and on top by threatening death. The fear of death was prevalent because the religious belief of the time concerned a dark, dreary, underworld that people went for eternity once they were dead. Mesopotamia’s rulers were not gods, whereas Egypt’s society was led by pharaohs claimed to be gods on earth, in fact the sons of the sun god Re and incarnations of Horus. They were the centers of the Egyptian state and could determine whether or not the people of Egypt would go to the good afterlife or the bad.

The pharaoh also ensured the fortune and well-being of the state by predicting when the floods would come. Therefore the lower classes of peasants and artisans all looked to please and obey their rulers. Both h The economies of the two different civilizations were very similar because they both depended heavily on agriculture. Both were centered on rivers. Theses rivers would flood and provide fertile silt for the crops to grow on, however each region did not always have all the resources necessary. Because of that, trade was also very vital and played an important role in the economy.

In Mesopotamia, the land surrounding the urban centers would all be irrigated and taken care of by farmers. They would plant crops (wheat and barley flourished here) and all the surplus would go to those inside the cities who were artisans, officials, etc. In Egypt, most people were farmers. They planted things like lettuce, wheat, barley, dates, grapes, melons and cucumbers. The two societies also relied on trade. Mesopotamia did not have many natural metals. They traded barley, vegetable oils and textiles in return for metals, timber and stone. Egypt did much trading with its southern counterparts.

Egypt traded with Nubia for gold and precious stones, but was more interested in conquering lands in order to gain access to resources. In the second millennium BCE Egyptians invaded Nubia and took control over its gold fields. If these two civilizations had been in any other region in the world, their religion, social structure and economy would differ from what they were. The behavior of the rivers and land features of Mesopotamia and Egypt caused the differences in religion and social structure, while the presence of the rivers that brought fertile silt to the croplands and lack of certain resources are what made the economies so similar.