Egyptian Gods, History
Egypt, formally known as the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental nation that spans the Sinai Peninsula, a land bridge that connects the northeastern and southwest corners of Africa and Asia. The Red Sea to the east, Sudan to the south, Libya to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Gaza Strip of Palestine and Israel to the northeast all abut it. Egypt is located northeast of Saudi Arabia and Jordan across the Gulf of Aqaba. Egypt’s capital and largest city is Cairo, while the country’s second-largest city, Alexandria, is a major industrial and tourism center near the Mediterranean coast. Egypt is currently the 14th most populated country in the world, with almost 100 million people living there.
Egypt boasts one of the longest histories of any nation, dating back to the 6th and 4th millennia BCE around the Nile Delta. The ancient Egyptian civilization is regarded as the birthplace of civilization, having witnessed the inception of writing, agriculture, urbanization, organized religion, and central government. This heritage is reflected in iconic structures like the Great Sphinx and the Giza Necropolis, as well as the ruins of Memphis, Thebes, Karnak, and the Valley of the Kings, which continue to be major subjects of both public and scholarly interest. Egypt’s national identity, which reflects its unusual transcontinental location as being simultaneously Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, and North African, is deeply rooted in its long and rich cultural legacy.
The Osiris Myth’s tribunal was composed of the nine gods worshipped in Heliopolis: Atum, Shu, Tefnut, Geb, Nut, Osiris, Isis, Nephthys, and Set. In the narrative The Contendings of Horus and Set, these nine gods determine who should rule—Set or Horus. The Great Ennead was the name given to them.
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Although it was heavily Islamized in the seventh century and is mostly a Sunni Muslim nation with a sizeable Christian minority and other less prevalent religions, Egypt was an early and significant center of Christianity. Egypt became a modern nation when it broke away from the British Empire in 1922 and established a monarchy. Egypt became a republic after the 1952 revolution and joined forces with Syria to form the United Arab Republic in 1958. The United Arab Republic was dissolved in 1961. Egypt experienced social unrest, religious conflict, governmental instability, and multiple armed confrontations with Israel in 1948, 1956, 1967, and 1973. It also temporarily occupied the Gaza Strip until 1967. These events occurred throughout the latter half of the 20th century.
Egypt recognized Israel and formally withdrew from the Gaza Strip in 1978 when it signed the Camp David Accords. Following the Arab Spring, which precipitated the 2011 revolution in Egypt and Hosni Mubarak’s removal, the nation had a protracted period of political instability. Many human rights watchdogs have labeled Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s semi-presidential republican administration in Egypt as authoritarian or in charge of an authoritarian regime that is to blame for the nation’s dismal human rights record.
Arabic is Egypt’s official language and its official religion is Islam. Egypt is home to more than 100 million people, making it the most populated nation in the Middle East, North Africa, and the Arab world. It is third in Africa, behind Ethiopia and Nigeria, and is ranked fourteenth globally. The vast majority of its population reside in the 40,000 square kilometer (15,000 square mile) region along the banks of the Nile River, which is the only place with arable land.
Egypt is seen as a medium power globally as well as a regional power in North Africa, the medium East, and the Muslim world. With a Human Development Index ranking of 97th, it is classified as a developing nation. Its economy is diversified, ranking third in Africa, 33rd in terms of nominal GDP, and 20th in terms of PPP worldwide. Egypt is a founding member of the World Youth Forum, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Arab League, the African Union, and the Non-Aligned Movement.
