The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is located in Al-Fustat, Egypt’s first capital after the Arab Islamic conquest in 641 A.D, and it was a natural choice for the museum because the area is rich in Coptic churches and monasteries, as well as the Coptic Museum, the Ibn Ezra Synagogue, and Egypt’s first mosque, the Amr Ibn Al-Aas Mosque. The Saladin Citadel can also be seen from the museum’s outdoor spaces, which highlights the museum’s unique location overlooking Lake Ain El-Sira, Cairo’s last natural lake.
The museum, which opened in stages in 2017, will house a collection of 50.000 items depicting Egyptian civilization from prehistoric times to the present. The permanent collection is split into two areas, one chronological and the other thematic. Archaic, pharaonic, Greco-roman, Coptic, Medieval, Islamic, modern, and contemporary will be the chronological areas. The following will be the thematic areas: The Nile, writing, state and society, material culture, beliefs and thinking, and a museum of royal mummies are all featured in this exhibition. In a Royal parade in 2021, the royal mummies were transported to the museum.
PREHISTORIC PERIOD 35000 YEARS AGO
Since man lived in caves and rock shelters, prehistory has witnessed the evolution of humans and their experiences. As a scavenger and hunter, the prehistoric man fashioned stone tools to assist him in meeting his requirements and protect him from harm. Egypt has the world’s earliest known man-made lithic tools, which date back more than two million years. These artifacts support the existence of humans in Egypt, as it was the route used by human migrations from Africa to the ancient world. Man has relied on producing pebble tools from the Eolithic era, which have developed into stone hand-axes over time. According to the nature of the Flintstone’s use, artisans used to slice the edges to remove the flints from the core. The oldest traces of human existence on Egyptian soil may be found there. The earliest known skeleton in Egypt comes from the Qena Governorate, and it confirms the civic presence in Egypt from prehistoric times to the present.
This skeleton was discovered near Nazlet Khater in the Sohag Governorate. It is for a young guy who lived 35 thousand years ago, and it seems from his bones that he had a distinctive height and a muscular body; one of his stone tools was discovered alongside him, indicating that he was a sane human.
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THE PREDYNASTIC PERIOD (3800-3200 BC)
The predynastic period is the final stage of the Neolithic epoch, preceding the development of writing and the foundation of the state in the Dynastic epoch. Sedentary communities on the Nile’s banks and the rise of cultural centers define this period. Egyptians understood how to farm in the 6th millennium BCE, and they built grain storage silos. Furthermore, they created ceramics in a variety of styles to differentiate each stage of this time. The Egyptians built dwellings out of reeds and mud bricks and created tombs with funerary furnishings in the 5th millennium BCE. It was also around this time that the first evidence of keeping the corpses of the deceased surfaced. The Egyptians discovered and smelted minerals around the 4th millennium BCE, and developed the first known writing system in history, which was one of the predynastic period’s major achievements.
The earliest political combines of Upper Egypt formed from aggregations of independent towns and urban centers between 4500 BCE and 4500 BCE and succeeded in creating numerous nomes with political and economic significance. The Egyptians then succeeded in uniting Upper and Lower Egypt under one governmental authority about 3600 BCE, building the first united state capital, and established a ruling hierarchy based on royal inheritance, which is known as the “Dynastic period.”
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THE DYNASTIC PERIOD (3100-2686 BC)
When the ancient Egyptians succeeded in uniting the nation prior to the founding of the Egyptian state in the third millennium BCE, they established a system of government that was passed down through numerous Egyptian royal dynasties. From the commencement of the Dynastic Period in 3200 BCE to Alexander the Great’s conquest in 332 BCE, the Egyptians divided their government into thirty governing dynasties. Throughout its lengthy history, this dynasty period was characterized by relative stability, despite many periods of governmental breakdown, internal wars, and foreign aggressions. The Egyptians believed that all of their virtuous rulers were descended from one divine seed and that the king was the image of God and his descendent on earth, according to ancient Egyptian theology. As the keeper of God’s heritage on earth, the king ruled the state according to the Maat, as he was responsible for the wellbeing of the people and the preservation of the boundaries. The Dynastic Period also saw the formation of the world’s earliest administrative apparatus. The army maintained internal security and extended the country’s boundaries, while ministers represented the administrative power in the state and supported the king in administering the country’s affairs and managing its resources. Egypt’s advancement in the disciplines of medicine, astronomy, and engineering, as well as wisdom and literature, reached its pinnacle during the Dynastic period. Indeed, each of these stages had distinct architectural and artistic qualities, as well as art styles developed by Egyptian artists in reliefs and sculptures that lasted until the end of the Roman Empire.
The Dynastic Period
- The 1st dynasties of the Archaic Period (3100 – 2686 BCE). During this time, Upper and Lower Egypt were united, the state was founded, and it evolved into more complex cultural characteristics.
- The Old Kingdom (2686 – 2181 BCE): The 3rd through 6th dynasties. The construction and evolution of the pyramids throughout the time of civic renaissance. It also witnessed the creation of the “Pyramids Texts,” the world’s earliest collection of religious literature.
- The First Intermediate Period (2181-2055 BCE): From the 7th to 10th dynasties. Egypt was in a condition of weakness and political conflict, which contributed to the country’s collapse.
- The Middle Kingdom: From the 11th to the 13th dynasties (2055-1650 BCE). Egypt recovered its unity and saw a rebirth in agriculture and art, as well as the expansion of its southern and eastern boundaries. During this time period, “The Coffin Texts,” the biggest collection of Egyptian funeral literature, emerged.
- The second intermediate era (1650-1550 BCE): the 14th to 17th dynasties. In response to the local dynasties in Upper Egypt, Asian migrations known as the “Hyksos” gained control of the Delta and expanded their dominance to Middle Egypt.
- The New Kingdom (1550-1069 BCE): The 18th to 20th dynasties. The Egyptian empire epoch: when the Egyptians drove the Hyksos from Egypt and used their military might to build a huge empire, Egypt experienced a unique condition of military might and economic success, which was mirrored in the temple architecture and wealth.
- The Third Intermediate Period (1069–747 BCE): From the 21st to the 25th dynasties. During which time there was a condition of internal schisms. Egypt was attacked by the inhabitants of the Libyan Desert, Upper Nubia, and the Assyrians after losing its possessions overseas.
- The Late Period (747-332 BCE): From the 26th to 30th Dynasties. The Egyptians strive to resurrect the glory of their ancient past during the period of the final awakening. However, until Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, the nation was ravaged by internal strife and Persian invasion.
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GRECO ROMAN PERIOD (332 BC-641 AD)
Egypt became a part of the Hellenistic culture when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BCE, and it was thereafter ruled by Ptolemy I, one of Alexander’s most important leaders. From the year 305 BCE, he declared Egypt an autonomous Ptolemaic state. Many cultural changes occurred during this time period when Alexandria was established as Egypt’s capital. It quickly became a global hub of science, culture, and the arts in the Mediterranean, thanks to its library and museum. The lighthouse of Alexandria, which was one of the ancient world’s seven wonders, and the reconstruction of the Egyptian temples of Philae, Edfu, and Dendara thrived.
Agriculture prospered economically, and advanced irrigation technologies such as water wheels and drums, as well as trade and manufacturing like weaving and papyrus, were known.
In Egypt, the Roman era was divided into two periods: the Roman Imperial period (30 BC – 330 AD) and the Byzantine period (30 BC – 330 AD) (330 – 641 AD). Egypt’s capital remained Alexandria, which was known for its theatres, gymnasiums, and public baths. The art of drawing and painting, particularly portraiture, has progressed dramatically. Egypt was transformed into a food storage and distribution hub for the countries of the Mediterranean.
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COPTIC ART
As early as the reign of Augustus, Egypt had been linked to Christianity because of the Holy Family’s flight to Egypt when Herod I sought out the child in an attempt to kill him. Later, when Saint Mark the Evangelist came to Alexandria, Christianity spread among the Egyptians despite Roman oppression. Furthermore, Egypt had become the center of Christian monasticism when Saint Antony the Greco arrived.
Due to the name “Coptic” deriving from the ancient Egyptian word “Agbet,” which signifies flood and people of the land, Coptic art developed as pure folk art. It also leaned toward symbolism by incorporating numerous unique and foreign creative aspects from many ancient civilizations. Typical of Coptic art is flat faces with round eyes and thick dark brows, as well as foliate and geometric motifs on every available material from stones to pottery to wood to ivory and bone to metals like gold and silver. The artist also excelled in icon-painting on wood covered with plaster or linen in which he depicted the Christ, the Virgin Mary, and themes from the old annals of the church. He also painted on wood covered with gold leaf. Egyptian wall paintings produced in plaster layers with their vivid hues, which are among the rarest artistic specimens in the world, were also unique in tapestry technique because of their clashing colors and elaborate embellishments.
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ISLAMIC PERIOD (641-1517 AD)
In 21 AH / 642 A.D., Egypt became an Islamic state associated with the Rashidun Caliphate’s headquarters in Medina. Since that time, Egypt has served as the wellspring of Islamic culture and civilization, moving through the Abbaside, Tulunid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk Sultanates on its way to the Muhammad Ali dynasty. Furthermore, Egypt became a breeding ground for scientists, academics, and authors, as well as one of the Islamic world’s most important cultural hubs, where architectural and creative features developed: religious, civil, philanthropic, and military. Glass and lamps, woodwork, and lathe wood thrived, as did weaving, ceramics, and pottery. Inlaying, grooving, and bracing were among the metalworking techniques used by Muslim artists.
The Mashrabiya became an architectural and decorative element, as well as one of the most significant sources of natural illumination because it enables sunlight to travel through the structure, providing both lighting and ventilation. It also allows ladies to view outdoors without being noticed by people on the outside. Despite its impact on many oriental and European structures, the Mashrabiyas is one of the features of Egyptian urban architecture that we cannot discover in other nations.
In addition to inlaying, grooving, and bracing, the Muslim artist was a master of metalworking. Various disciplines of science, such as medicine, astronomy, and chemistry, as well as nature, developed throughout the Islamic civilization in Egypt. Many styles of Arabic calligraphy were invented here, including the Kufic, Naskh, and Thuluth, which may be seen on the walls of numerous structures, as well as the decorating of objects and manuscripts.
The Dinar was made of gold and weighed 4.25 mg, the Dirham was made of silver and weighed 2.75 gm, and the Fils was made of copper or bronze and weighed 2.75 gm. Early Islamic coins were inscribed with verses from the Holy Qur’an and religious witness, followed by the coin’s Mintmarks. Sultans’ names and titles have been engraved on it since the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods, and its weight has been measured with glass casts before being distributed.
3rd to 13th century AH / 9th to 19th century A.D / Gold, Silver, Copper, and Glass
Textile manufacturing prospered throughout the Islamic period, particularly in the first Islamic capital (Fustat). The textile products reflected the wealth of the Fatimid period, attracting the attention of style houses at the time. Their design was characterized by embroidered decorative bands, which were typically one or two horizontal rows of Kufi text with medallion and drawings, or two opposite lines (mirror) that carried the Caliph’s name, rank, ancestors, and date, or three embroidered bands are woven with silk towards the end of the Fatimid period, it evolved to four bands, while in Mamluk period, it included the prince’s blazons.
Periods of Fatimid – Mamluk – 5th – 8th centuries AH / 11th – 14th centuries A.D
