Egypt
Egypt has a very diverse landscape. Hugging the Nile, the land is fertile and traditionally, Egypt’s wealth is in its agricultural output. The land is very sacred in Egypt; there is a deep respect for what it produces: wheat, grapes, corn, rice, fava beans (very famous in Egypt). The land’s production, historically, has been the source of a lot of cultural habits as well, like a mostly-vegetarian diet, a calendar based on the floodings of the Nile (the Coptic calendar, which is the oldest solar calendar in the world), and clothing.
Beyond the Nile’s embrace, Egypt is arid, but even in the deserts, Egyptians have made a home. In the deserts, you can find dozens of monasteries and their libraries, Amazigh peoples living in oasis, and trading centers to ease the traveler. Although the land can be mountainous near Saint Catherine’s Monastery in the Sinai, the desert can also be flat near the Red Sea and Saint Antony’s Monastery.
Cairo
There are also several cities in Egypt worthy of note—particularly Cairo. With a population more than New York City, Cairo is crowded and mystical in the chaos. There are bazaars that are thousands of years old with traditional pottery and jewelry and papyrus works. Then, there are even more ancient Roman walls and even modern opera houses for amazing concerts. In the heart of Cairo, there is Tahrir Square, where the amazing revolutions of 2011 and 2013 occurred, with millions of Egyptians pouring on the streets to voice their opinions against military tanks and soldiers. Cairo is a city of legacy–of ancient and modern, of tiny, distinct residential neighborhoods that are veins to the city’s heartbeat, as legendary national author Naguib Mahfouz writes. In Cairo, there are coffee shops where poets and revolutionary writers met, and there are streets where presidents’ funeral processions were witnessed, and there are concert halls of great regard.
Another great city is Alexandria. Not based on the Nile, Alexandria is based upon the Mediterraean Sea, and has deep influences from its siblings north of it in Greece, Turkey, and Italy. Alexandria is the port of migrants and the port of fusion. Her rebuilt library stands tall against the waves, and historically, Alexandria is well-known as a port of refuge from her lighthouse, a symbol of safety.
There is also Aswan, one of Egypt’s most-southern cities, on the Nile with its brightly colored, domed houses that hug the River’s edge. Aswan’s beauty is well-known as locals pride themselves on being the city of the Nile, mimicking the River’s blue colors on their houses, and keeping the tradition of painting what it seen as the ancient Egyptians did before them. Overall, there is so much to see and do in Egypt–from the centuries-old monasteries to the first mosques in the world, to generations of city gates, to the Nile, to bookstores, to kiosks of good food. The ancient and the modern meet in Egypt
Languages Spoken
Arabic (Egyptian) is mostly spoken in Egypt, but because there are millions of refugees in Egypt from Yemen and Sudan, there are many dialects of Arabic spoken in Egypt.
Favorite Sport
Definitely soccer!
Currency
The Egyptian pound is the currency of Egypt. It is divided into 100 piastres, or ersh or 1,000 milliemes. The Egyptian pound is frequently abbreviated as LE or L.E., which stands for livre égyptienne (French for Egyptian pound).
Favorite Foods
Molokhiyya (a plant-based, green, garlicky soup; usually served with rice and some form of protein)
Ful (fava beans steamed and then cooked however you like it–sesame dressing or vegetables, or eggs; ful is also used in Egypt to make falafel)
Egyptian Restaurants in Nashville
National Bird
Eagle
Did you know?
There are thousands of Egyptian Christians (Copts) living in Nashville, Tennessee, making Nashville one of the Coptic centers of the United States. We are proud to call Nashville home and hope that we gain the visibility one day to fully participate and advocate.
Visit one of our dozen communities/churches in Nashville >
The vast majority of Egyptians in Nashville are Christian, which is the opposite of the reality in Egypt. Therefore, Nashville is in a very special position as a Coptic center for Coptic churches, residents, businesses, and cultures.
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