Five Favourite Egyptians

Feb 12, 2011 14:32

In honour of yesterday, five of my favourite Egyptians throughout history:

1) Hatshepsut. Pharaoh of the eighteenth dynasty, one of the few female rulers of ancient Egypt; while warfare occured early in her reign, she ushered in a long and peaceful era, re-established trade networks and left behind a rich country. Her successor and stepson tried to wipe out her memory of history, but thankfully did not succeed.

2) Hypatia of Alexandria. Philosopher and mathematician. "There was a woman at Alexandria named Hypatia, daughter of the philosopher Theon, who made such attainments in literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her own time. Having succeeded to the school of Plato and Plotinus, she explained the principles of philosophy to her auditors, many of whom came from a distance to receive her instructions. On account of the self-possession and ease of manner, which she had acquired in consequence of the cultivation of her mind, she not unfrequently appeared in public in presence of the magistrates. Neither did she feel abashed in going to an assembly of men." (Socrates Scholasticus, a contemporary historiographer.) Brutally murdered by a Christian mob.

3) Moses ben Maimon aka Maimonides. As opposed to the previous two not born in Egypt (he came from Cordoba, Spain), but spent the majority of his life there. One of the most famous scholars and physicians of the 12th century, Nagid or leader of the Egyptian Jewish community, court physician to Saladin. His contemporary epitaph: From Moshe (of the Torah) to Moshe (Maimonides) there was none like Moshe.

4) Rifa'a el-Tawtawi, 19th century writer, teacher, translator, and arguably the first Egyptian Egyptologist. He founded the school of languages, wrote what could flippantly be called the first Arab tourist guide to Paris (where he had spent five years), saw Islam and European modernity as entirely compatible. His history books on the pharaonic period were the first by an Egyptian scholar and reclaim Egyptian history for Egypt at a time when the Turkish rulers were busy selling the remains to various European powers. His most famous book on education - "The trustworthy guide for girls and boys" - demanded education for women as well. In January of the year of his death (1873), the first Muslim's girl school had opened its doors in Cairo.

5.) Constantine Cavafy, journalist and poet from Alexandria (quite often a topic of his work) where he was born and died, probably the most famous Greek poet of the 20th century (and a few earlier centuries besides). His poetry covers history (especially the Hellenistic era of Egyptian history), present, his own homosexuality and the present; even if you're not into poetry, you may or may not know Leonard Cohen's adaption of one of Cavafy's most famous poems, "The God forsakes Antony" into "Alexandr(i)a Leaving".

Which brings me to the stuff below the cut: some favourite music describing Egypt, to wit, the Cohen song plus Omar Khairat's pieces about Egypt in general and Alexandria in particular.



Omar Khairat is one of the most famous current day Egyptian composers. Here's his Egyptian Overture:

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And his Alexandria:

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Second Meeting, still by Omar Khairat, performed by Ali al-Haggar & Hanan Mady

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And now for the Cohen adaption of Cavafy, as covered by Jenny Gear:

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egypt, history, meme

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