Egypt

							        Egypt

Vocabulary and activities
        Journal Entry 1/3/08
 You probably have a favorite holiday that
  you look forward to all year. Think about
  what you do during the holiday. What
  special foods do you eat? What different
  songs do you sing? Why do you and your
  family celebrate on that holiday?
        Journal Entry 1/4/08
• A Day in Cairo—Suppose that you are
  spending a day in Cairo. Use your
  imagination and the information from
  the text to write a journal entry about
  their day. Describe the sights and
  sounds of the city, the different people
  that live in the city, etc.
                Warm up
 List the differences between living in a city
  and living in a rural area in the United
  States. Compare and contrast the kinds of
  jobs and the types of housing found in the
  two areas.
                  Bazaar
 – traditional open air markets
              Fellaheen
 —Egypt’s rural farmers
                  Fast
 —a period when people go without food
                Muslim
 —people who follow Islam
                     Quran
• —Holy book of Islam
    • Requires that Muslims pray five times a day while
      facing in the direction on Mecca, Saudi Arabia
    • Stresses the importance of honesty, honor, and
      giving to others
    • Requires Muslims to love and respect their families
                     Sharia
• —Islamic law
    • Men and women dress modestly in public—must
      wear loose fitting clothes that cover most of the
      body except hands, face, and feet.
    • Some also believe that women should cover their
      face
                   Cairo
• —the nation’s capital and largest city
         Feast of Eid-ul-Fitr
 —Celebrated at the end of Ramadan. It is
  a celebration of happiness. It marks not
  only the end of a fast, but also the bond
  that has been created though shared
  hardship. Muslims celebrate by
  exchanging gifts with friends and relatives
  and sharing meals.
             Call to Prayer
 —five times each day by muezzins, or
  criers. From the minarets of Muslim
  mosques, muezzins repeat the call four
  times, each time facing one of the four
  cardinal directions. Muezzins begin the
  call to prayer wit the words, ―Allah is most
  great. I testify that there is no God but
  Allah.
    Questions—look them up and we
       will answer them in class
•    What are some of the important practices
     and teachings of Islam?
•    How has Islam affected the way
     Egyptians live?
•    Why do some Egyptian women wear
     veils?
•    Why have many people moved from rural
     areas to cities?
•    What is life like in rural areas of Egypt?
    Map Activity – opening page of 9.1
  Complete individually and we will answer
               them in class
• Which country in the region looks the largest?
• Which country looks the smallest?
• What body of water lies on the regions northern
  boundary?
• Find the major cities of North Africa. How close
  are they to the Mediterranean Sea?
• How do you think that the nearness to the sea
  might have affected North African cultures?
              Write a letter
 Ask students to write a letter from the point
  of view of a rural Egyptian visiting Cairo for
  the first time. Tell students to include in
  their letters observations of things that a
  rural person would find unfamiliar as well
  as things familiar This activity should take
  20 minutes
          Women of Egypt
• –the women of ancient Egypt had higher
  status than women in other parts of the
  ancient world. Women at the top of the
  social hierarchy could own and dispose of
  property as they saw fit, free slaves, and
  bring about lawsuits.
     Biography—Jehan Sadat
• When Anwar Sadat became President of
  Egypt in 19370, his wife Jehan Sadat
  broke with Muslim tradition by taking a
  politically active role in the presidency. As
  ―first lady,‖ she crusaded for more rights
  for Egyptian women. In 1979k when
  President Sadat issued two historic
  women’s rights decrees, they were
  interpreted as the out-come of Jehan
  Sadat’s persistence.
             Jehan Sadat
• Perhaps Sadat’s most important
  achievement, however, has been her
  establishment of the Talla Society, an
  organization that trains women in crafts
  and provides scholarships to high school
  and college students. Sadat is
  internationally recognized for her
  commitment to ―third-world women in their
  struggle against time-worn barriers.
           Critical Thinking
• Discuss ways of identifying central issues.
  Central issues are sometimes stated
  indirectly. Work with a partner to identify
  the central issue of the last paragraph of
  the section. ―Despite their differences,
  however, most Egyptians are unified by
  one thing—their faith In Islam.‖ With your
  partner, restate this central issue in your
  own words.
       Complete 9.1 Review
3. Give two examples of how Islam affects
   everyday life in Egypt.
4. Compare the lives of city and village
   dwellers in Egypt.
5. How have Egyptian Muslims tgried to
   renew their faith?
           Writing to Learn
• In a journal entry, describe how the
  clothes people wear and the music they
  listen to may reflect their beliefs. Use
  examples from your own experience as
  well as from this section.