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Egypt

Egypt has a rich history; ruled by a series of dynasties for three millennia, the last native dynasty fell to the Persians in 341 B.C. The Greeks, Romans, and Byzantines followed after the Persians, and in the seventh century, the Arabs, who ruled for the next six centuries, introduced Islam and the Arabic language to the country. The Mamluks and Ottoman Turks have also had their share of power over Egypt. Britain was the last to seize control of the country in 1882. Egypt’s partial independence from the UK in 1922 became full independence in 1952, after the overthrow of the British-backed monarchy. Egypt is a republic, with a mixed legal system based on Napoleonic civil law and Islamic religious law. Its total area is 1,001,450 sq km, making it slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico. Egypt experiences hot dry summers with moderate winters. Its natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, rare earth elements, and zinc. The capital of Egypt is Cairo. Its official language is Arabic, though English and French are widely understood by the educated classes, and 90% of the population is Muslim (mostly Sunni). The golden eagle is Egypt’s national symbol.

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  Steven Buchman M.D.

  Professor, Surgery and Neurosurgery
  Director, Craniofacial Anomolies Program
  Chief, Pediatric Plastic Surgery

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  Juan Cole

  Professor, History

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  Trevor LeGassick

  Professor, Near Eastern Studies

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  Laura MacLatchy

  Associate Professor, Anthropology

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  Sofia Merajver M.D.

  Professor, Internal Medicine
  Director, Breast & Ovarian Cancer Risk & Evaluation Program
  Co-Director, Breast Cancer Research Program

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  Mansoor Moaddel

  Visiting Research Professor, Population Studies Center
  Professor og Sociology, Eastern Michigan University

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  Janet Richards

  Associate Professor, Near Eastern Studies
  Associate Curator, Kesley Museum of Archaeology

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  Amr Soliman

  Assistant Professor, Epidemiology

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  Mark Tessler

  Vice Provost, International Affairs
  Samuel J. Eldersveld Collegiate Professor, Political Science
  Director, International Institute
  Research Professor, Center for Political Studies

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  Arland Thornton

  Professor, Sociology
  Director, Population Studies Center
  Research Professor, Survey Research Center

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  Mark L. Wilson

  Professor, Epidemiology
  Professor, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
  Director, Interdepartmental Concentration in Global Health