Bargain River Cruises

In the days since its ancient glory, Egypt has been part of ancient Greece, ancient Rome, Byzantium, Persia, Arabia and the Ottoman Empire. In the mid-14th century, the Black Death came to Egypt, killing approximately 40% of the population. Christianity was established in Egypt by the 4th century and the Egyptian Coptic Church firmly established in the middle of the 5th century.

The French invasion of Egypt in the late 18th century, led by Napoleon Bonaparte, had a profound impact on the Egyptians. Three years later the French had been ousted and the Ottomans, Mamluks and Albanians were vying for control of the country. Muhammad Ali, a Turkish pasha born of Albanian parents, emerged victorious and became known as the founder of modern Egypt. The dynasty he established ruled Egypt (eventually as a British colony) until the Egyptian revolution of 1952. This military coup led to the overthrow of King Farouk I and the ouster of the British, and eventually established Egypt as a republic. Jamal Abdel Nasser became president in 1954 and declared Egypt’s independence from Britain in 1956. During his rule the Suez Canal was nationalized, the Aswan Dam completed and the 1967 war with Israel took place. After Nasser’s death in 1970, his close confidant Anwar Al Sadat became president, serving from 1970 until his assassination in 1981. Sadat is known for switching Egypt’s Cold War alliance from the USSR to the United States, for launching the October War against Israel in the Sinai and Golan Heights in 1973 (resulting in a cease-fire agreement), and brokering a 1979 peace agreement with Israel in which Egypt regained the Sinai. He was succeeded by Hosni Mubarak, who served as president from October of 1981 until February of 2011.

Meanwhile, the sands of the desert covered over much of Egypt’s former glory, hiding and preserving it. For the past century or so, archeological interest in ancient Egypt has run high, especially following Howard Carter’s 1922 discovery of the tomb of King Tutankhamen in Luxor’s Valley of the Kings. Many temples and monuments have been unearthed since then—including the temple of Luxor and Karnak.