Egyptians

Egyptians are a Semitic ethnic group who live in the Nile Valley in Egypt. Their homes are in a narrow strip of fertile land along the Nile River, surrounded by desert on both sides. This special land has shaped the way Egyptians live and work for thousands of years, since antiquity.

Most Egyptians speak a local version of Arabic, especially the famous Egyptian Arabic. In some areas, people speak Sa'idi Arabic. The majority of Egyptians are Muslims, mostly Sunni, with some following Sufi traditions. A smaller group are Christians called Copts, who still use the ancient Coptic language in their prayers.

Terminology

Egyptians are known by several names. The ancient Egyptian name for themselves was "rmṯ n Km.t", meaning "people of the Black Soil" of the Nile Valley. In Greek, they were called "Aiguptioi", from "Aiguptos", a name that Ancient Greek writer Strabo said came from a phrase meaning "Below the Aegean [sea]".

Today, Egyptians are called "Masryeen" in Egyptian Arabic. This name comes from an ancient Semitic word for Egypt. It originally meant "Civilization" or "Metropolis". Over time, it came to refer to all Egyptians.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Egypt

A map of Egypt's population density

There are about 105 million Egyptians. Most live in Egypt, where they make up almost the whole population. Most Egyptians are Muslim, and many are Coptic Christian. They mainly live near the Nile River, where many people live close together. The country has many young people, with most under age 30.

Egyptians who live in other countries send money to help their families back home. Many work in Arab countries like Saudi Arabia and Libya, and some live in the United States and Canada. Egyptians feel very connected to their homeland, especially the Nile River, which is very important to them.

History

Main articles: Population history of Egypt, North Africa, and Northeast Africa

Further information: History of Egypt

Ancient Egypt

The Narmer Palette depicts the unification of the Two Lands.

Main articles: Ancient Egypt and History of ancient Egypt

Ancient Egypt changed a lot over many years. It grew along the Nile River, with times of strong leaders and times when other groups took over. Leaders called pharaohs helped guide the country through changes in culture, religion, and everyday life.

Sometimes, Egypt was ruled by people from other places, like the Hyksos and later the Persians. After Alexander the Great took control in 332 BC, Greek leaders called the Ptolemies ruled Egypt. They brought new ideas from Greece but kept many Egyptian traditions.

The ancient Egyptians built amazing tombs, including the famous pyramids, to honor their dead. They also enjoyed festivals, music, and pets like cats and dogs. The Nile River was very important, giving water for farming and shaping the land.

Limestone head of an early Egyptian king, The Petrie Museum. Modern scholars have considered the stone bust to depict an Early Dynastic or Old Kingdom pharaoh.

Graeco-Roman period

Main articles: Ptolemaic Kingdom and Egypt (Roman province)

After Alexander the Great died, new leaders from Greece took control of Egypt. They tried to act like traditional Egyptian rulers but often thought more about their own needs. Many Egyptians kept their own language and customs, especially in the countryside.

When the Romans took over in 30 BC, they kept many Greek ways but also made changes. Egyptians faced higher taxes and harder work. New religious ideas spread, including Christianity, which became important to many people over time.

Egyptian peasants harvesting papyrus, as depicted in the tomb of Sennutem, dating from the 13th to 11th centuries BCE.

Late antiquity and Middle Ages

Before Muslims took over Egypt, the country saw many changes with different rulers. New religious ideas kept developing, and Egyptians adapted to new leaders while holding onto parts of their own traditions.

Ottoman period

Under Ottoman rule from the 1500s to the 1700s, Egyptians lived with foreign leaders in charge. Local religious leaders helped protect some rights for the Egyptian people. Sometimes, Egyptians rebelled against foreign control.

Modern history

Main articles: History of Egypt under the Muhammad Ali dynasty and History of modern Egypt

Modern Egypt started to take shape after Napoleon's French invasion in 1798. This brought new ideas and changes that inspired Egyptians to think differently about their country. Leaders like Mohammed Ali worked to modernize the country through better farming, education, and industry.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, Egyptians began to want more independence from foreign powers. Movements led by leaders like Saad Zaghloul pushed for self-rule, leading to protests and finally a new constitution in 1923. Egypt faced challenges under kings and later leaders, but kept developing its own national identity through changes in government and society.

Languages

Main articles: Languages of Egypt, Egyptian Arabic, and Coptic language

Further information: Egyptian language

The people of Egypt have spoken many languages over thousands of years. Long ago, they spoke the ancient Egyptian language. This later changed into the Coptic language. Today, the official language of Egypt is Modern Standard Arabic. But most people speak Egyptian Arabic every day. Egyptian Arabic has been influenced by other languages, like French, Turkish, Italian, and Greek. It is very popular across Arabic-speaking countries because of Egyptian movies and music.

Originally, Egyptians wrote with hieroglyphics. In 1799, the Rosetta Stone was found. This stone had the same message in three scripts: hieroglyphics, Demotic, and Ancient Greek. This helped scholars understand the ancient symbols.

Identity

Further information: Pan-Arabism, Pharaonism, Coptic identity, and Islamism

Ancient Egyptians sorted people into four groups: Egyptians (Remetu), Asiatics (Aamu), Nubians (Nehsey), and Libyans (Themehu). They believed all these groups could travel together in the afterlife.

Over time, many Egyptian Muslims started calling themselves Arabs and speaking Arabic. This change came after Islam spread. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, people worked to build a shared Egyptian identity because of British rule. Leaders like Ahmed Orabi helped create feelings of nationalism, showing pride in being Egyptian. Today, many Egyptians see themselves as both Egyptian and Arab, with some focusing more on Egypt's own history and independence.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Egypt

Surnames

Egyptians have names from many different places and times. These can be from ancient Egyptian, Arabic, Turkish, or Western origins. Many names tell us about a person's family, their job, or where they come from. For example, the name Minyawi comes from the city of Minya. Names like El Naggar mean “the carpenter”.

Egyptians often do not use just one family name. Instead, a person's full name can include their given name, their father's name, and their grandfather's name. Sometimes, it even includes more generations! Over time, many Egyptian names have changed to fit Greek or Arabic languages. For example, the name Pakhom became Pakhomios in Greek and later Bakhoum in Arabic. Some names also come from Coptic, an ancient language used by Christians. These names might be connected to old Egyptian gods or places.

Genetic studies

Autosomal DNA

Maternal lineages

mtDNA haplogroups of Egypt

Research in 2009 looked at the mitochondrial DNA from 277 Egyptian people. The results showed a mix of lineages. Many came from both African and Asian origins.

Paternal lineages

Y DNA Haplogroups of Egypt

Two important haplogroups for Egyptians are E1b1b and J. The E-M78 part of E1b1b likely started in Northeast Africa, around Egypt and Libya. It is very common in Egypt. Both E1b1b and J are also found a lot in the Middle East and North Africa.

Population	Nb	A/B	E1b1a	E1b1b1 (M35)	E1b1b1a (M78)	E1b1b1b1 (M81)	E1b1b1b2 (M123, M34)	F	K	G	I	J1	J2	R1a	R1b	Other	Study
Egyptians	110	0	3.5%	0	36%	0	8.5%	0	0	7.5%	0	24.5%	2%	2.8%	8.4%	6.5%	Fadhloui-Zid et al. (2013)
Egyptians	370	1.35%	2.43%	3.24%	21.89%	11.89%	6.76%	1.08%	0.27%	5.68%	0.54%	20.81%	6.75%	2.16%	5.94%	9.21%	Bekada et al. (2013)
Egyptians	147	2.7%	2.7%	0	18.4%	5.4%	0	0	8.2%	8.8%	0	19.7%	12.2%	3.4%	4.1%	2.1%	Luis et al. (2004)
Egyptians from El-Hayez Oasis (Western Desert)	35	0	5.70%	5.7%	28.6%	28.6%	0	0	0	0	0	31.4%	0	0	0	0	Kujanová et al. (2009)
Berbers from Siwa Oasis (Western Desert)	93	28.0%	6.5%	2.2%	6.5%	1%	0	0	0	3.2%	0	7.5%	6.5%	0	28.0%	8.3%	Dugoujon et al. (2009)
Egyptians	87	1%	3%	10%	31%	0	2.5%	0	0	2%	0	20%	15%	5%	2%	8.5%	Pagani et al. (2015)
Northern Egyptians	44	2.3%	0	4.5%	27.3%	11.3%	0	6.8%	2.3%	0	0	9.1%	9.1%	2.3%	9.9%	6.8%	Arredi et al. (2004)
Southern Egyptians	29	0.0%	0	0	17.2%	6.8%	0	17.2%	10.3%	0	3.4%	20.7%	3.4%	0	13.8%	0	Arredi et al. (2004)

Population	N	E-M78	E-M78*	E-V12*	E-V13	E-V22	E-V32	E-V65	Study
Egyptians (sample includes people labeled as "berber" and people from the oases)	370	21.89%	0.81%	7.03%	0.81%	9.19%	1.62%	2.43%	Bekada et al. (2013)
Southern Egyptians	79	50.6%		44.3%	1.3%	3.8%		1.3%	Cruciani et al. (2007)
Egyptians from Bahari	41	41.4%		14.6%	2.4%	21.9%		2.4%	Cruciani et al. (2007)
Northern Egyptians (Delta)	72	23.6%		5.6%	1.4%	13.9%	2.8%		Cruciani et al. (2007)
Egyptians from Gurna Oasis	34	17.6%	5.9%	8.8%			2.9%		Cruciani et al. (2007)
Egyptian from Siwa Oasis	93	6.4%		2.1%				4.3%	Cruciani et al. (2007)