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New to Egypt? You may have grabbed this newspaper because you probably wanted to know about Egypt’s many wonders. Another reason could be that you are beginning a career as an Egyptologist seeking information on this African country. Whether you just need necessary or interesting informational insiders on Egypt, you came to the right place!

The Egypt InsiderEgypt’s Control Center

Egypt’s control center… huh… well in other words, Egypt’s government.

Egypt’s government is based on an “Arab Republic.” The constitution itself calls it that when it was adopted in 1971. This republicanism consists of three branches: the executive, legislative (the People’s Assembly), and judicial branches of government. The Egyptian president may serve an unlimited number of six-year terms. The president also leads the nation’s armed forces. The nation’s legal system is based on Islamic, English, and French law. Egyptian currency goes by the pound. (gineih) Think of it this way: One Egyptian pound = 0.14 US dollars. Very little huh? On the left side, there are

Writer and editor: Kevin Gonzalez

Egyptian pounds are used as currency. Displayed are 1, 5,100, and 200 Egyptian pound gineihs. (Name of their pounds)

Coins are each one pound and they show Egypt’s pride in Tutankhamun.

Table of ContentsNew to Egypt.............................. 1

Egypt’s Control Center……………. 1

Traditions, Communities, Events, Celebrations, FUN! ...................... 2

What about Their Religion or Beliefs........................................ 3

The Five Pillars of Islam………….. 3

Coptic Christmas and Coptic Easter……………………………………. 3

Education, Literacy, and Studies… 4

Weather, Climate, Environment, Economy, Clothing, and Meals….. 4

Continued……………………………….. 5

Treasured Artifact: How to Make

Your Own Paper……………………… 6

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Traditions, Communities, Events, Celebrations, FUN!What more can an Egyptian ask for if they already have lots of fun? Just like every

country has its own traditions and celebrations and what not, so does Egypt! If you’d like to participate in them, do these easy steps:

1) Learn them.2) Practice them.3) Participate in them!

Doing these steps can lead you to… you guessed it, FUN!!! Let’s see some basic, important community events. They are listed with a very short description from modern day to ancient day.

Modern Day Al-Sayida Zeinab

Millions of people come to Cairo for two weeks of music and celebration.

Mulid En-Nabi

This is the birthday of Muhammad the prophet; celebrated by all Muslims.

Abu El-Haggag

This festival is one of the biggest in Egypt. People dress up for evenings of horseracing, music, and visiting with friends.

Eid Al-Adha

The last month of the Islamic Year is very emotional for the Egyptians. (Month of “Big Feast”)

Sham En Nesseem

Celebrating the time of spring or “Sniff the Breeze”

Ancient Day The name is unknown, but the ancient Egyptians celebrated the most

important festival to the Sun God Ra, who “traveled” across the sky in his boat every day.

Egypt also has common sayings for celebrations and everyday life.

Hello: As-salaamu aleikum How are you? : Izziak? My name is: Ismi Goodbye: Ma’a salama Thank you: Shukran

Egyptian flag shaped in Egypt shows the care they (Egyptians) have in their territory. In most festivals, the Egyptian flag is

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What about Their Religion or Beliefs?

Egypt does in fact have religious beliefs and religious groups. There isn’t any specific country without any form of religious thoughts. Egypt’s major religion is that of Islam. Most Egyptians are Sunni Muslims. About 94.7% of the people living in Egypt are Islamic as of 2010. There are Egyptian Copts, Christian groups, and an even smaller number of Jews. Ramadan is celebrated during the Muslim month of fasting. This is also the period when the Koran and the religion of Islam were revealed by God to the prophet Muhammad.

The Islam religion has the Five Pillars of Islam so that every Muslim may do these cornerstones of their lives and live to be strong Muslims. They are as follows and are required for every believer in the Islamic religion.

1. Shahadah 2. Salat3. Sawm4. Zakat5. Hajj

There is a nomadic clan called the Bedouin near the Sinai Peninsula and the suburbs of Cairo.

The Five Pillars of Islam1. To believe that there is

only one God (God) and Muhammad is God’s messenger.

2. Ritual prayer five times a day.

3. Fasting and self-control during the blessed month of Ramadan.

4. Giving 2.5% of one’s savings to the poor and needy.

5. Pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if he/she is able to do so.

The food for fasting during Ramadan

The picture on the left side shows the Five Pillars of Islam. The words are unreadable but every picture in each pillar gives you an idea of what they are about. The description in words for each pillar is at the top.

Coptic Christmas and Coptic Easter

Coptic Christmas is celebrated by Egyptian Copts. They have Christmas on January 7. It is just like regular Christmas except it is later than the normal day and for Copts.

Coptic Easter is also celebrated by Egyptian Copts. It is in memory of Christ’s resurrection.

Coptic Christmas cookies eaten as a desert on January 7

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Education, Literacy, and Studies

Learning is very important for everyone! How would you get your job? How would you earn to make a living? Education is necessary if you want to be successful in life! All schools in Egypt are government controlled and free of charge, including universities. Everyone is required to go to school (boys and girls), but the boys are more likely to be educated than girls. Those who don’t have skills in education often work as laborers. Half of adult Egyptians can read and write. Egypt’s literacy rate is 73.9%. The male literacy rate is 81.7% and the female literacy rate is 65.8%. The GDP (gross domestic product) of Egypt is estimated at $540 billion USD (United States dollars).

An Egyptian’s workbook saying “I

Love Arabic”One of the oldest medical scriptures is written in Arabic.

Weather, Climate, Environment, Economy, Clothing, and Meals

I know that it’s a huge topic! Believe it or not, all of this leads to a chain effect in Egypt! They all link together in so many ways which also lead to impacts of society, politics, and nature in Egypt.

Most Egyptians live near the Nile River or the Suez Canal mostly because it is an easier way to trade and get necessary resources and materials for the everyday life. It also benefits of getting a good amount of water. Almost half of the people live in cities. The other half are in about four thousand villages in the deserts and mountains. The way these people live and where they live may tell an observer of Egypt that great wealth and poverty exists and is shared in Egypt’s cities and villages. Poor people in cities and villages tend to wear mostly traditional Egyptian clothing. Life in Egypt is both modern and traditional. In Cairo, you will see people wear jeans and sneakers as well as traditional clothing. Many people ask, “Why does traditional clothing in Egypt cover most of the body of an Egyptian if it is so hot there?” The reason is simple: the rules of Islam say that the shoulders and knees of all followers are required to be covered. Traditional dress for men is a galabayya. This is a long, cotton robe. Traditional dress for women is a black dress over their house clothes

These are the

traditional clothes worn by

Egyptians.

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Weather, Climate, Environment, Economy, Clothing, and Meals Continued

The weather in Egypt is very dry and hot. This is because Egypt is located in the Sahara Desert. This is the biggest desert (not counting Antarctica) in the world and countries here tend to be hotter. The Sahara Desert is near the equator, which is the main reason for why it is the hottest. Egypt gets little rainfall each year, but most of the people live near the Nile River or the Suez Canal. This is their number one way of getting water. The good thing is that it is the world’s longest river. Some people have referred to Egypt as “The gift of the Nile” because it is dependent on the many lives needed to survive in Egypt. The climate consists of deserts and a small area of land that was once fertile centuries ago but desertification happened in that area. Although annual flooding of the Nile makes fertile land, this can help a little with planting crops and agriculture.

As you may already know, Egypt doesn’t have an excellent environment source for the people living there and for the wellness of the land itself. There are many problems in agriculture; one example is that half of the food has to be imported because there isn’t enough fertile land for crops to be grown. Egypt has had to borrow money from other countries. This is one extent that Egypt has had because their agricultural problems are affecting many areas there. Some farmers use a shadoof to irrigate the land. A shadoof has a long, suspended rod with a

The economy in Egypt faces difficulties in industry and business today. The unemployment rate is 12.3%. Egypt’s lack of progress in advancing economic freedom has led to poverty and economic stagnation to many citizens. Egypt is in the 135th rank for economic freedom to all people there. Their currency is told in the first section of this newspaper.

A graphic of an Egyptian shadoof used for irrigation.

The food in Egypt is unique from other types of food eaten elsewhere. A wide variety of Egyptian food includes several fruits, vegetables, and fish. Many people have “ful medames” for breakfast. They have cooked dried beans mashed into a paste with olive oil and spices. Bread is served almost in every meal. It is usually made from corn, barley, or rice instead of wheat. Egyptian people don’t eat a lot of meat, milk, or dairy foods. When meat is eaten, it is usually beef, lamb, rabbit, or goat. Many citizens enjoy sweet coffee and sweet tea when chatting face to face.

Ful Medames served with

bread, pickled vegetables, and fresh

rocket leaves on the side.

This is a typical

breakfast eaten by

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Treasured Artifact: How to Make Your Own Paper

Let’s face it; paper isn’t really “treasured” in the United States or in modern days. Paper is very common and is easily found in stores nowadays. But did you know that to the ancient Egyptians, paper was extremely hard to find and difficult to make? Eventually, they found a way to make paper and they used a water plant called papyrus. They named the result after the water plant in honor of their creation. Follow these steps to make your own piece of “papyrus.”

Step one:

“Tear eight pages of the newspaper into small pieces and place them in a tray or basin with water. Soak for two hours, stirring and breaking up the paper with your fingers.”

“In a separate bowl, mix one tablespoon of instant starch with two cups of water. Add the starch and water mixture to the tray or basin containing the dissolved paper. Mix thoroughly with the electric mixer and add 10-15 liters of water, to create a pulp mixture. You can also add straw, leaves or pieces of

Materials needed:

Fine mesh wire screen (size: slightly bigger than a piece of A4 paper)

2 pieces of blotting paper Basin or tray Bowl Laundry starch Newspaper Electric mixer Rolling pin Electric iron

Step two:

“Dip the wire screen into the tray with the pulp mixture. Remove slowly and allow the water to drain through the bottom of the screen. If you want, you could even build your own paper mould with a wooden frame to hold the wire screen.”Step three:

“Dry the screen and wet sheet of pulp between two pieces of blotting paper. The pulp sheet will stick to the blotting paper, allowing you to remove the wire from the sheet. Press or squeeze out excess water with the rolling pin.”Step four:

“Set your iron on a low setting. With the sheet still between the blotting papers, dry the paper carefully with the iron. Trim the edges of the sheet.”

Congratulations! You now have a piece of your very own homemade paper! Want an example? On the left side, there is a piece of paper created by me, with shredded pieces of money. If you want, carefully and gently touch it. Look at the “papyrus” that the ancient Egyptians created and treasured!

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Traveling From Curb to Curb

Yes, traveling from curb to curb is an everyday aspect of an Egyptian’s life. Transportation is important here because there are a lot of sand dunes and deserts that take hours and hours to cross. With a better manner to get around streets and deserts, it is easier and saves a lot of time. But how do they get around? Well, let’s see…

Egypt has several methods of transportation and they include: Airplanes, over sea, trains, cars, taxis, buses, bicycling, walking, carriages, riding on camels, subway/metro, vans, and ferries.

It costs about $923 to get an airplane ticket to Cairo, Egypt.

There are 25 airports in Egypt. Camel rides cost about 100

Egyptian pounds which would equal to $14

With 10 Egyptian pounds you can buy 100 pieces of gum, 2 liter bottles of Pepsi, 3 kilograms of rice, 3 kilograms of lemon, 3 kilograms of sugar, 10 kilograms of tomato, 2-3 cups of tea or coffee at café shop, etc.

Egypt exports petroleum, raw cotton, cement, rubber products, and other manufactured goods.

Egypt imports machinery, fruits, vegetables, and fish.

A camel is used to

transport Egyptians around the

land. There

have also been

special camel races.

Fish ready to eat, yum!

Petroleum is exported from

Egypt and some oil is imported.

A microbus from Egypt

d

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Political Cartoon: Egypt Revolution

In this cartoon, you can see that there are 4 steps to it. These steps tell you the revolution that happened in Egypt in 2011. The first step tells you that Egypt had the enemy down and they are stuck. The second step tells you that the enemy has thought of a way to attack Egypt. Egypt gets worried for the outcome. The third step tells you that just when the enemy is about to succeed, Egypt strikes back, leaving the enemy weakened. This leads to the final step of the cartoon. The enemy is defenseless and cannot get up. The result is

Interesting…Very Interesting!These are a handful of interesting facts pertaining to Egypt that you may have not

known. Some of them may surprise you and some may not be news to you!

Soccer is a sport mostly played in Egypt. (they also enjoy handball, squash, and tennis)

Saint George is the patron saint of Egyptian Christians. There’s a festival in Cairo on April 23 in honor of him.

Hieroglyphs: Egyptians wrote with “picture symbols” as early as 3000 BCE. By 300 BCE, the Egyptian alphabet contained more than seven hundred hieroglyphic

symbols. Khufu, a dynasty pharaoh, built the largest pyramid, called the Great Pyramid, around

2500 BCE. Pharaohs are otherwise known as Egyptian Kings. The gold burial mask of Tutankhamun is now in the Cairo Museum. Tutankhamun is famous for being the youngest pharaoh to rule. King Tut began to

rule at the age of 9. He ruled during the 18th dynasty (1332 BCE- 1323 BCE) and died at the age of 18 because of infections he developed from a broken leg. His tomb contains precious gems and stones, fabulous treasures, amulets, and his golden mask. It (the tomb) was discovered during the 20th century (1922) by British archaeologists.

The Rosetta stone was discovered by a French officer in 1799. It was like a dictionary for Jean-Francois Champollion, the person who figured out the language.

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Mancala board a game.

Burial mask of Tutankhamun

Rosetta stone

Last Impressions Land area: 385,229 square

miles Population: 84,458,000 The Nile is the longest

river. Highest mountain:

Mt.Catherine at 8,668 ft Cairo is the largest city in

Africa. Currency: Egyptian pound

(Gineih) Language: Arabic Religion: Islam People live in cities and

villages

Bibliography

o Paul, Tessa Egypt. Danbury, Connecticut: Grolier Educational, 1999

o Landau, Elaine. A True Book: Egypt. Canada: Grolier Publishing, 2000

o “2014 Index of Economic Freedom: Egypt” heritage.org/index/country/Egypt The Heritage Foundation, 2014.

o “Egypt” oocities.org/teacherkab/countries/Egypt.htm 1999-2003

o “Make Your Own Paper” paperonline.org/education/make-you-own-paper European Paper and Packaging Industries, 2014.

o “Why is Tutankhamun so Famous” ask.com/question/why-is-tutankhamun-so-famous Ask.com, 2014.