EGYPT National Flag and Emblem Locator Map TEXT HIGHLIGHTS: Diaries updates, key events, brief analysis and relating news articles in timeline Overview It’s name derived from Greece word ‘Aegyptus’ meaning for “dark soil” Long known for its pyramids and ancient civilization, Egypt is the largest Arab country and has played a central role in Middle Eastern politics in modern times. Arabs introduced Islam and Arabic in 7th century and ruled the hitherto predominantly Christian country for six centuries. Mamlukis took control around 1250. Egypt was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in 1517. After completion of the Suez Canal, Egypt became a transport hub but also fell in debts. Britain took over control of Egypt in 1882. Egypt received in 1922 nominal independence from the UK. Kingdom of Egypt (1922–53) held an enthronement rite for its last ruling king, Farouk I. Headship since independence: King Farouk Monarchial Head King Farouk I of Egypt (Fārūq al-Awwal) (11 February 1920 – 18 March 1965), was the tenth ruler from the Muhammad Ali Dynasty and the penultimate King of Egypt and the Sudan, succeeding his father, Fuad I of Egypt, in 1936. His full title was "His Majesty Farouk I, by the grace of God, King of Egypt and Sudan, Sovereign of Nubia, of Kordofan, and of Darfur." He was overthrown in the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 and forced to abdicate in favor of his infant son Ahmed Fuad, who succeeded him as Fuad II of Egypt. He died in exile in Italy. In 1952 the Egyptian military staged a coup and overthrew the British backed monarchy acquired full sovereignty. President Gamal Abdul Nasser pioneered Arab nationalism and the non-aligned movement, while his successor Anwar Sadat made peace with Israel and turned back to the West. Egypt nationalized the Suez-canal four years later, in 1956. President Gamal Abdel Nasser sought to create his own brand of Arab socialism and nationalism and propagated it as a secular Pan-Arab ideology. Using an extensive intelligence apparatus and an elaborate propaganda machine, he promoted a cult of personality projecting himself as the “Man of the People.” He built the Aswan High Dam with the Soviets financial aid. He ruled Egypt in a one-man, one-party dictatorship and crushed all dissent, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood. Today the Muslim Brotherhood is in power and Nasserism is in the dustbin of history. Nasser left a legacy of military dictatorship in Egypt and inherited the wind. President Gamal Abdel Nasser died of heart attack on the 28th of September, 1970, his sudden death was an outpouring of national grief in Egypt, the funeral procession in Cairo drew more than five million mourners as many others mourned throughout the Arab world. October, 1970 VP Anwar El-Sadat, sworn into office as president. President Anwar El-Sadat assassinated by an army assassins fire while he musters military parade in Cairo on the 6th October, 1981, held in honor of the October, 1973 war against Israel. Air Marshal Mohammed Hosni Mubarak the former Captain in the Egyptian Air Force, the latter an Air-Marshal in the Egyptian Air Force succeeded. Air Marshal Mohammad Hosni Mubarak, came into in the death of President Anwar El-Sadat on the 15th October, 1981, reaffirmed in office by a Yes-No referendum vote for a six-year term, events to go the Anwar El-Sadat ways until he forcibly resigns in early February, 2011. President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak survived several assassination attempts, the one when he appears as OAU guest in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa in May, 1995 was the most serious attempts of all. On the 11th of February, 2011 - The Nasser (1952) to Mubarak (2011) era usually known as the ‘Republic Era’ is ended due to the depth of resentment over Hosni Mubarak three decades of authoritarian rule, he finally resigned, and handed over power to a High Command of the Armed Forces (HCAF). Arab Republic at Northeastern corner of Africa. Egypt: is a country situated mainly within North Africa, with its Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia, making it a transcontinental state. It's name derives from an ancient name Ht-ka-ptah, which meant House of the Ka of ptah. Ptah was one of the early Egyptian gods. According to historians, it is the Greeks who modified the name Ht-ka-ptah to Aegyptus to refer to the Egyptian god as they had difficulty pronouncing the h at the beginning of the original name. Egypt is home to one of the world's oldest, continuous, and the forbearer of world civilization. It's history backdates about 5000 years, a unified kingdom arose about 3200 B.C and a series of dynasties ruled in Egypt for the next millennium. The Pyramids: believed to have been constructed between 3000 BC and 1800 BC, the pyramids located west of River Nile are testimony to ancient Egyptian knowledge and engineering skills. The pyramids of Giza are the most widely known among the 10 pyramid sites. Ancient Egyptian architecture and art. Valley of the Kings, the royal tombs of Egypt, and the Sphinx. Occupied and made a British colony in 1881/2 and became a protectorate in 1914, received nominal independence in 1922 from the UK when a constitutional monarchy was established, acquired full sovereignty with the overthrow of the British backed monarchy on the 23rd of July, 1952. The Egyptian military staged a coup and overthrew the monarchy in 1952. In the person of the de-facto leader of the coup namely Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser. Both subsequent leaders of Egypt after Nasser, Anwar El-Sadat and Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, the former a Captain in the army, the latter a Marshal in the Air Force, inevitably came from the institution with the most prestige in the country. A revolt against the King Farouqe and the Royal family overthrew the monarchy in a bloodless military coup known as "the 1952 Revolution" within few days. It was led by middle rank officers namely, the "Free Officers Movement", dethroned and sent the King exile to Italy, Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, met with the latter president Anwar El Sadat in Mankabad, who also based there. Colonel Gamal Abdel-Nasser, Mohammed Naguib, Amr, Al-Baghdadi, Zakharia Mohedin, Hussain Al-Shafi, Kameldine Hussain, Ali Sabri and Anwar El- Sadat and other revolutionary army figures formed the clandestine network that founded in January 1939 what came to be known as the "Mankabad oath" and formed the nucleus of the "Free Officers Movement" it was to overthrow the monarchial head, King Farouk, in 1952 then drive out the British, and nationalized the Suez-canal four years later, in 1956. Since then, the Egyptian military has thrived on the windfalls of it's association with Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser, a hero and champion of not only Egyptians, but of all Arabs. Well, Anwar El- Sadat's part in the 1952 revolution was, according to historians, dubious. then General Muhammed Naguib came up to the symbolic headship of the newly Arab Republic of Egypt (ARE), took control of the nation, and heralded a new period of modernization and social reforms in Egypt, two years later he forced to resign and retired from public life by Colonel Gamal Abdel-Nasser, the real architect of the 1952 movement, he was the obvious choice to succeed General Muhammed Neguib, Egypt's post-monarchial head of state on the 17th of November, 1954. Gamal Abdel Nasser, was the second president of Egypt from 1956 until his death. Along with General Mohammed Naguib, the first Egyptian president, he led the Egyptian Revolution of 1952 which overthrew the monarchy. Gamal Abdel Nasser, nicknamed the "the great Arab-African" although his status as "leader of the Arab world", severely tarnished by the Israelis victory over the Arab armies in the six days war, many in the Arab populace still view Nasser as an Architect of the Arab nationalism and symbol of the Arab dignity and freedom. He was also known for his charisma and vision of African unity and Arab grandeur, was instrumental in the establishment of the international non-Aligned movement along with Josip Brozi Tito of Yugoslavia, and Ahmed Sokarno of Indonesia. He is well known for his nationalist policies, and version of pan Arabism, also referred to a Nasserism, which won a great following in the Arab world during the 1950s and 1960s. His vice president Anwar El-Sadat, became a compromise candidate to succeed Gamal Abdel Nasser when he died of sudden heart attack on the 28th of September, 1970, his sudden death was an outpouring of national grief in Egypt, his funeral procession in Cairo drew more than five million mourners as many others mourned throughout the Arab world. Mr. Anwar El-Sadat, he who sworn into office as president in October, 1970, born in the village of Mit Aboul Kom, northwest of Cairo, he graduated from a military academy in 1938 at a time when the nationalist fervor was running high in Egypt. Following Premier Nahas Pasha's "Capitulation" to the British demands to reoccupy the country "In case of international threat of war", he previously was given various posts like president of the National assembly, vice president and secretary general of the single party, the National Union of Popular Forces NUPF, which later became the Arab Socialist Union (ASU). A well deserved nomination to replace the late Mr. Gamal Abdel Nasser, in May 1971, Mr. Anwar El-Sadat launched his "Corrective Revolution" as president and put behind bars the most prominent personalities in the Nasser regime. A year later, he expelled about twenty thousand Russians and started a "de Nasserisation" process that included the nationalization of factories, real estates, and farms "sequestrated" by Gamal Abdel Nasser in acts of such populism, to make way for a socialist society.