Dahabeah - Egypt

The Nile River is the longest river in the world. From its remotest head stream, the Ruvyironza River in Burundi, the Nile flows for 6,500 kilometers to reach the Mediterranean Sea. The river basin has a drainage area of 3,350,000 square kilometers. The water resources provided by the Nile are shared by 11 African countries.

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A dahabeah is a type of boat used primarily on the Nile River to transport cargo and passengers. These shallow bottomed boats have been in use for thousands of years and continue to sail the Nile River. The earlier vessels carried two lateen-rigged masts. The forward sail, also known as the trinkeet, was three times the size of the aft sail, the ballakoon. Aside from sails, the crew used punting poles, tow ropes, and oars when the wind was lacking. The modern version has kept to the basic design, but has incorporated engines.

Egyptian Vulture - Egypt

Neophron percnopterus - To stay clean and avoid contamination from rotting food, most vultures are void of feathers in the head and neck regions. The Egyptian vulture, a small Old World vulture, is an exception to this design. Feeding mainly on carrion, the Egyptian vulture will also take on small mammals, reptiles, and other birds. It is also one of the few birds able to use tools. Using a large rock as a hammer, an Egyptian vulture can crack open even the tough shell of an ostrich egg.

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The written records of ancient Egypt provide detailed descriptions of three distinct eras: Old Kingdom, Middle Kingdom, and New Kingdom with several transitional periods between these eras. There is disagreement among Egyptologist in naming the founder of the first dynasty, the king responsible for the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt. Most scholars agree it may have been Menes or Narmer, while others suggest Menes and Narmer may have been one and the same.

The Egyptians

The history of ancient Egypt spans three millennium. It began in 3200 BC when Lower and Upper Egypt were unified during the Early Dynastic Period and ended with the conquest of Egypt by Macedonia under Alexander the Great in 332 BC. This immense time span recorded the rise and fall of 30 dynasties ruling over one of the most enduring and powerful empires the world had ever seen. The Egyptians took pyramid building to new heights, were able to make paper from papyrus, created a system of hieroglyphics, used alphabetic, syllabic symbols, and ideograms to record their history, and they were able to design a remarkably accurate calendar. The Egyptians were the first to harness oxen to plow their fields and the first to rig their boats with sails for traveling up and down the Nile River. Their accomplishments are impressive and set standards for further innovations..

Historical Flags of Egypt

Despite having to regain his title as sultan twice after being disposed by rivals, Sultan an-Nasir Mohammad managed to lead the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt to its furthest territorial conquests by 1317. The Ottomans absorbed Egypt into their empire as an eyalet after defeating the Mamluks in 1516 during the Battle of Marj Dabiq. An eyalet was a term used to describe a province under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultanate of Egypt was a short-lived protectorate state established over the country by the British after they took full control of the area from the French and the Ottoman Empire. The Kingdom of Egypt was established by the British in 1922 as a means of placating Arab demand for an independent state, but it allowed Great Britain to retain control of Egypt’s foreign policy and military affairs until Egypt declared itself a republic in 1953.