16-07-2008, 08:12 PM
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عضو ماسي
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تاريخ التسجيل: Jul 2007
الدولة: in the middle
المشاركات: 1,715
معدل تقييم المستوى: 3341
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A Visit to Egypt
Today, we explore the buildings of ancient Egyptians in and around Cairo. And, we visit other more modern cultural treasures in the capital city.
Welcome to Cairo, the largest city in Africa and the Middle East. This huge city is home to about seven million people. Cairo is equally great for its many traditions, cultures, and monuments. We begin our visit in the center of the city on the banks of the Nile river.
Looking at the countless buildings, cars, people, and boats it is hard to imagine the historical roots of this modern place. The beginning of Cairo as a city dates to the year nine sixty-nine when Muslim invaders from Tunisia took control of the area. The word Cairo comes from the Arabic word "al-Qahira" meaning "the victorious."
Many rulers, such as the Fatimids, the Ayyubids, the Mamelukes and the Ottomans, controlled Egypt over the centuries. Starting in the late nineteenth century, Britain controlled the country for about seventy years. Each of these cultures left its mark on the culture and building design of Cairo.
In the late eighteenth century, the French general Napoleon Bonaparte briefly took control of Egypt. He brought with him over one hundred and fifty experts and scientists to document the monuments, arts, plants and animals of Egypt. Over several years, thousands of artists worked to put together the collection of books called the "Description de l'Egypte."...........pause 1
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