Figure 1.--Egypt has one of the longest recorded histories of any country because it was one of the original river valley civilizations and was at the forefront of developing written language. The Nile Valley was, however, settled before the development of civilization and recorded history. One source of information on this early era is the etnicity of the Egyptin people. This portrait is one of a series of ethnic studies taken by a phoographer named Reiser.

Egypt has one of the longest recorded histories of any country because it was one of the original river valley civilizations and was at the forefront ofv developing written language. The Nile Valley was, however, settled before the development of civilization and recorded history. One source of information on this ealy era is the etnicity of the Egyptin people. Hustorians were unsure, for example, just how the ancient indeginous people of the Nile Valley differed from those of Mesopotamia. DNA research has opend up new avenues of resaerch. DNA data suggests that ancient Egyptians were closely related to the other peoples of the Near East, particularly from the population of the Levant--a large area in the Eastern Mediterranean and core territory of what we think of today as the Middle East. The term Greater Syria is often used. The countrues concerned are primarily Cyprus Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, anhd Syruia. Aras of eastern Egypt (away from the Nile), south-central Turkey/Anatolia, and western Iraq (away from the Euprates) are sometimes included. The population of Egypt is highly concentrated in Nile valley and the delta. The population there is largely homogeneous which includes the indigenous population of ancient Egypt mixed with the Arabs following the Islamic invasion (7th centurry). Modern Egyptians define themselves as Arab, but this is more of a cultural and linguistic afinity than ethnic similarity. There is some variation in the northern delta cities like Alexandria. Here foreigners (Persians, Romans, Greeks, European Crusaders, Turks, and Circassians) have mixed with the indigenous population. This can be seen in individuals with blond and red hair, blue eyes, and lighter complexions which are more common than in the general Egyptian population. The rural population or fellahin are less likely to have been affected by the foreigners in the northern delta. Throughout the Nile Valley the population is relatively similar. the Sa'idi (Upper Egyptians) live in the area south of the Delta, from Cairo to Aswan. They are ethnically and culturally little different from the people of Lower Egypt (south of Aswan). In the extreme south, Nubians do differ etnically and culturally from other Egyptians. They have ethnic features of sub-Saharan Africa. This reflects the Sahara barrier which until the developoment of modern technology was virtually impossible to cross until the arrival of the came (about 300 AD), but even then required a condiderable effort meaning that the Sahara continued to be a major barrier. Here there are many variations. The Nile is an important transportation route and thus there has been considerable mixing of population. It was virtually the only route that allowed sub-Sahasran Africasn peole from crossing the Sahara. The relative small nimber of sun-Saharan Africns in Egypt tells us that gew made this journey. The existence of hostile kingdoms was probably a factor here. It is, however, why the general Egyptian population is so homogeneous. The Saharan Desert extends from the Nile west to the Atlantic. In Egypt it is referred to as the Western Desert. The Western Desert includes an ethnically destinct people. They were once nomads, but many have now settled down. There is also an even smaller population in the Sinai. Some of these people are of non-Arab ethnic groups, but many are ethnic Arabs whose ancestry date from the Arab conquest. Egypt is among the least ethnically diverse countries in the world. There are ethnic mibiorities, but they are very limited. Onne of thise minorities, gyhe Jews, were driven from the country as part of the Aran-Isreali conflict after World War II.

Egyptiasns

The Egyptiam population in dominated by what may be called 'Egyptians'. Egyptians make up about 95 percentb of thev populastion, depending on wheter you include Africans and Copts intto this group. The population of both the Nile valley and delta wher the vasst majority of Egyptians live are a homogeneous group primarily based on the indigenous Levant with those of a relatively small number of Arabs (meaning the people of the Arasbian Penininsula). To this has been and admixture of foreign invaders (Persians, Romans, Greeks, Crusaders, Turks, Circassians and others). The foreign admixture is most prominent in the northern cities. Rural areas in the Delta and much of upper (southern Egypt) where the peasantry dominate have been less affected by the foreign admixcture and closer to the indienous Levant population of ancient Egypt. The people of the middle Nile valley (Cairo to Aswān are the Ṣaʿīdī, or Upper Egyptians. In ethnic terrms, they are little different than Lower Eguptuians. There is less foreign admixture, up even in the Delata, this is a minor part of the ethnicity. There are cultural differences such as being somewaht more culturally conservative. They are basically ethnically similar to the people of the Delta. DNA studies have found that the genetic variant frequencies of North African populations are intermediate between those of the Near East, the Horn of Africa, Southern Europe and Sub-Saharan Africa, but with the strongest links are with the people of West Asia being to West Asia. 【Cavalli-Sforza, Menozzi, and Piazza.】 Of course the closest connection would bewith Leventines. Other reserchers report, "Present-day North Africans share a majority of their ancestry with present-day Near Easterners but not with sub-Saharan Africans. .... Thus,from a genetic perspective, present-day NorthAfrica is largely a part of Eurasia." 【van de Loosdrecht, et.al.】

Arabs

Most of the Egyptian people see themselves as Arabs, but this sis a cultural identity. As an ethnic grouo, Arabs are the people of th Arabian Peninsula. The reason somany people in the Middle East and North Africa identify as being Arab is that the region was conquered by Arab warrietrs fired with Islam (7th century) Levantines and Arabians have different origins. 【Schuster】 DNA reaschers report that Arabians have deeper DNA inheitance from Africa, while the Levantines' roots come more from Europe and Anatolia in today’s Turkey. They also differ in levels of DNA as well.

Copts

Egypt was Cristianized during the Roman era. The term Copt originallwas a trm referring to the Egyptian peole. After success in the Levant, Arab armies next targeted Christian Egypt (639-46). At the time the Egyptian language was Coptic, the last incarnation of the ancient Egyptian language. It was both the everyday language of the population as ell the language used in Christian services. After the Arab conquest, Arabic gradually replaced Coptic as the every language of the population along with Islam replacing Christianity. Islamic rulers were more tolerabnt than Christian rulers in Europe, but only in relative terms. Eras of toleration were punctuted with periods of severe persecution. The Copts became a minority hanging on to their Christian faith, but not their language. Coptic today survives as the a liturgical language of the Coptic Orthodox Church, mnuch like Latin until the late-20th century was used in Catholic religious services. We see Copts described as an ethno-religious group. However, DNA studies only very minor ethnic differences between between Copts and the overall Egyptian population. 【Hassan, et. al.】 This is because the base Egyptian popultion is the non- Arab pre-Islamic conquest population. The minor differences probably relate to the smaller Arab admixture among Copts. There were and continue to be are socio-economic differences. Copts in modern Egypt have a higher level of education, greater wealth, and a stronger partocipation in white-collar job. In contrast they have much more limited representation in the military and security agencies. In most matters, howevr, there are few notable dufferences between Copts and Egyption in general. 【Mohamoud】

Jews

Egypt was a major refuge for the Jews of the Dispora following the revolt against Rome (1st century AD). Egypt had one of the most dynamic Jewish communities in the Diaspora. Jews living in Egypt remained Jewish after the Islanic conquest. After the Arab conquest Jews were tolerated to a varying degree. During the Caliphate Jews were subjected to major periods of persecution by different caliphs (9th-11th centuries). Finally the large Jewish quater in Cairo was destoyed and the Jews there murrdered in mass (1012). Conditions in Egypt varied at thewhim of local rules after the destruction of the Caliphate. There were periods of relative tollerance and periods pf percecution. The Ottomans seized Egypt (1517). Again treatment of the Jews varied depending on the attitude of the various sultans. Ottoman rule weakened in the 19th century and local rulers began to exert indepedence. The French and British took an increasing interest in Egypt at mis-century with the construction of the Suez Canal. During the late 19th century there were at least six blood libel persecutions in Egyptian cities (1870-92). Egypt was affected by European anti-Semtism. The Tsarist secret police published the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. It was a forgery, but widely deseminated. Most Egytians to this day regard it as a historical document. Egyptians nationalists were influenced by the anti-British and anti-Semetic writings and broadcasts of the Grand Mufti of Jeursalem in Palestine. Both the Free Officers movement and the Muslim Broytherhood were heavily influenced by anti-Semitism. At the end if World War II (1945), there were about 75,000 Jews in Egypt. Most lived in Alexandria and Cairo. Unlike the other Jews in North Africa, the Fascists in never occupied Egypt, exceot for the Western Desert. Thus Egyption Jews did not experience the NAZI Holocaust. After Israel declared independence and Arab armies attacked, Jews in Egypt were targeted (1948). Arabs carried out bomb attacks in Cairo, killing about 70 Jews. Authorities arrested prominent Jews, tirtured the males, and confiscated their property. They then expelled the Jews. Jews were both a relgigious and ethnic group. In ancient times they w0ukd have been some ethnic similarity to the Egyptian population as theywould have been of levantine origins. Much of this population was killed or ebnslaved by the Romans and yhen suffered from Egyptine attacks during the Islamic era. The population was replaced by Sephardic Jews after Spain expelled the Jews (1492).

Nubians (Africans)

Nubians include the population of Lower Egypt and northern Sudan. Nubians differ ethnically and can differ culturally from other Egyptians. One observer writes, "Their kinship structure goes beyond lineage; they are divided into clans and broader segments, whereas among other Egyptians of the valley and of Lower Egypt only known members of the lineage are recognized as kin." Although Nubians have mixed and intermarried with members of other ethnic groups, especially in the Delta and Cairo area. Nubians were seen as a different people in ancient Egypt whicgh can be seen in Egyptian art, especiall the ancient tomb art. And many were slaves, the impact of captives fron the wars with the Nunian kindom. We are not sure how many were enslaved as a result of trade between Egypt and Numbia, but there ws an ethnic component. More is known about enslaved Nubians as a result of the Arab slave trade which brought even more captured Africans from East Africa to Egyptin slave markets. The first photography was brought to Egypt by Europeans. And this photographic reciord shows Sun-Sharan Africans as a subserviant part of the population. Slavery was not ended in Egypt until the arrival of the British (1880s), although slavery persisted culturally in rural areas. The Democratic Party and the rest of the woke-left. would have us believe that racism is a uniqely American problem. In factracism is a factor in many countries and oftern more pronounced that in the United States. Egyptians of sub-Saharan African ethnicity tend to have lower incomes and are not well represented in the Egptina upper class and political structure. There is a continuing relucrance of ligh-skiinned Egyoptins to marry dark-skinned Egyptians. The reaction of Netflik's claiming that Cleopatra Cleopatra was black--appearntly on sonething that someone's grandmother said and the afct that Egypt is located on the African continent. Many Egptians wwre furious. In fact the ehnicity of ancient Egyptians and Cleopatra;s family (the Ptolemys) is known in great detail. We know this because of (DNA). Any one who talks about the ethnicity of ancient Egyptians with our reference to DNA is incompetent. Studies actually show that gthere modern Egyptina have more sub-Sahran ancestry than ancient Egyptians.

Desert People

The Egyptian people are oveewhealming found in the Mile Valley and delta, bcause that is where the arwee is--the same as the Fertile Crerssent. The Egyptian dserts are, however, not empty. The population is small, but not ansent.Even in ancien times, nomadic people loved there and were knon to raid the settled people of the Nile Valley. Tioday there are fewer nomadic people, but they are semi-nomadic, and sedentary (formerly nomadic) populations. These people have distinct, but not a unrelated ethnic heritage to majority Egyptians. And here there are difference between the eastrern (Sianai) abd western (Sharan) deserts,

Eastern deserrt: Sianai

The inhabitants of the Sinai Desert and the northern area of the Eastern Desert are people who in relatively recent times have migrated from the Arabian Peninsula. While relatively recently, his was before oil was discovered and the Arab nimads kived in abject poverty, Theare this related to Bedouin. They are a tribalmpeople. Each tribe seesc itself as being connected by a bond of blood and common ancestry a concept of considerabkle imprtance. They survived as nomadic herders living in tents. In recent years, these people have become seminomadic and in some cases totally sedentary. There are aslso a few non-Arab tribal groups and and sone of mixed etnicity in urban populations.

Western desert: Bedouins

Bedouins are a tribal originayted in the Arabian Peninsula. Today they are found scaered across North Africa all the way to the Morocco and the Atlantic Ocean. Bedouins groups in Egypt are composed of different tribes from desert regions of Egypt. Few Bedouin tribes in Egypt are sill nomadic, although some still live in tents. This makes it easier to move. Bedouin women have a dfifferent status than Arab women in settled communities. It is the women who were traduitionally responsible for dismantling and setting up the tents. Most Bedouins today live settled lives with permanent homes. Modern culture changed the lifestyle of the Bedouins. The children wear Wesern clothing, allthough many women still dress traditionally. The change began after World war II when Egypt began to modernize.

Western desert: Berbers

The Berbers are another tribal people. And like the Bedouins are found throughout North Africs, but rlatively few in Egypt, largely because of the harshness od the Western Desert. They have descended from the indigeous people of North Africa before the desertification of thgec region and the appearance of the Sahara Desert. Berber is a name to these people by the conquering Arabs and Islamicized over time. They are now called Amazighen. Berbers developed their own language group with many related dialects.

Sources

Cavalli-Sforza, L.L., Paolo Menozzi, and Alberto Piazza. History and Geography of Human Genes (1996), 432p.. According to the author, "The intermediacy of North Africa and to a lesser extent Europe is apparent."

Hassan, Hisham Y., et al. (2008). "Y-chromosome variation among Sudanese: Restricted gene flow, concordance with language, geography, and history" American Journal of Physical Anthropology. Vol. 137, No.3, (2008) pp. 316–23.

Mohamoud Y.A., D.F. Cuadros, L.J. Abu-Raddad. "Characterizing the Copts in Egypt: Demographic, socioeconomic and health indicators," QScience Connect (2013).

Schuste, Ruth. "Levantines and Arabians have different origins, Middle East genomic study finds," Haaretz (August 4, 2021).

Van de Loosdrecht, Marieke, et.al. "Pleistocene North African genomeslink Near Eastern and sub-Saharan African human populations," Science Vol. 360, (2018), pp. 548-52.

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Created: 11:57 PM 12/9/2007
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