Modern Egypt

Written in the tradition of historians like Stacy Schiff and Amanda Foreman who find modern lessons in ancient history, this provocative narrative explores the lives of five remarkable pharaohs who ruled Egypt with absolute power, shining a new light on the country's 3,000-year empire and its meaning today.

Africa may have given rise to the first human beings, and Egypt probably gave rise to the first great civilizations, which continue to fascinate modern societies across the globe nearly 5,000 years later.

In the last year, Egypt has undergone a revolution that expelled its authoritarian leader of nearly 30 years, and implemented elections that have pitted the Egyptian military in a power struggle with the Muslim Brotherhood, the long-time Islamic opposition group with ties to Hamas and elements of al-Qaeda. Making everything that much more surreal, the events have played out before well placed television cameras with continuous "real time" coverage of the revolution, and ongoing turmoil, and foreign nations around the world eagerly await or dread the end result.

Founded by Alexander the Great and built by self-styled Greek pharaohs, the city of Alexandria at its height dwarfed both Athens and Rome. It was the marvel of its age, legendary for its vast palaces, safe harbors, and magnificent lighthouse. But it was most famous for the astonishing intellectual efflorescence it fostered and the library it produced. If the European Renaissance was the "rebirth" of Western culture, then Alexandria, Egypt, was its birthplace.

Shyima Hall was born in Egypt on September 29, 1989, the seventh child of desperately poor parents. When she was eight, her parents sold her into slavery. Shyima then moved two hours away to Egypt's capitol city of Cairo to live with a wealthy family and serve them eighteen hours a day, seven days a week. When she was ten, her captors moved to Orange County, California, and smuggled Shyima with them. Two years later, an anonymous call from a neighbor brought about the end of Shyima's servitude - but her journey to true freedom was far from over.

THE DELTA DILEMMA "Choose! Your wife in ancient Egypt, or now?" What if our ‘love’ of the ancient past were personal? Not just a fascination with a mysterious civilization. But a desire for someone. A beautiful young woman painted on a tomb wall that we somehow remember from another lifetime. A lost, ‘Old Flame’ from three-thousand years ago? And could that attraction across the ages tear us apart from our love of someone new today? An archaeologist’s ache for the ancient brings heartbreak and dilemma for his love of today. The Delta Dilemma is a suspenseful, fantasy romance ...

This absorbing account of the political and social reformations that transformed the lands of Islam during the 19th and early 20th centuries offers a game-changing assessment of the Middle East. Beginning his account in 1798, de Bellaigue demonstrates how the Middle East has long welcomed modern ideals and practices, including the adoption of modern medicine, the emergence of women from seclusion, and the development of democracy.

Praise for the Meredith Pink series: "An ancient Egyptian mystery wrapped up in a modern adventure story." "Fast-paced and action-packed." "A fantastic romp of a book." "Egypt ancient and modern brought to life." When English tourist Meredith (Merry) Pink finds herself inadvertently locked in the Howard Carter museum in Luxor for the night, she has no idea about the thrilling Egyptian adventure she's about to embark upon. The museum was once Howard Carter's home, where he lived during the historic years of his discovery and clearance of Tutankhamun's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. ...

This audiobook is read by the author, Jeremy Bowen. Now updated with a new chapter on the 7 October attacks and more. A Sunday Times Paperback of the Year A Spectator and New Statesman Book of the Year ‘An illuminating and riveting read’ – Jonathan Dimbleby 'Arresting . . . excellent...

Discover a rugged American borderland where ancient river empires and fierce coal wars forged an unbreakable region. Perfect for your daily commute, this gripping historical journey takes you into the heart of the Mississippi and Ohio valleys. Hear the brutal boom-and-bust cycles of a deeply...

It was a Sunday evening when the Prime Minister of Great Britain bought a key to the world—without telling Parliament. In 1875, the Suez Canal was the most strategic waterway on Earth, slashing the journey to India by weeks. It was owned by the Khedive of Egypt, Ismail Pasha, a ruler with dreams of modernizing his country into a "part of Europe." But "The Financial Enslavement of Egypt" reveals how those dreams turned into a nightmare of debt that would cost a nation its freedom. This gripping work of economic history takes readers inside the opulent court of Cairo, where Ismail Pasha ...

A monumental new history of the twentieth-century Arab world, told through Arab voices. Western commentators have long described the Arab world as uniquely disordered, defined by fanaticism, ignorance, and the cruelties of war and autocracy. The Modern Arab World provides a much-needed...

From brilliant young polymath Andrew Rader—an MIT-credentialed scientist, popular podcast host, and SpaceX mission manager—an “engaging” (Tim Marshall, New York Times bestselling author) chronicle showcasing our human desire to continually explore new and uncharted territory, from...

Africa is a vast continent whose waters, fertile lands, minerals, and diverse wildlife nurtured humankind since ancient times until European colonization and exploitation caused immeasurable suffering and loss. To understand how Africa developed, thrived, suffered, and emerged into the rich tapestry of peoples that it is today, take a trip back to the ancient River Nile and the East African coast.

Gamal Abdel Nasser has been called many things. The father of modern-day Egypt. The founder of Arab nationalism. The leader of the Egyptian Revolution. The second president of the Egyptian Republic. The creator of his own brand of political and social governance - Nasserism. Anthony Eden, the former British prime minister, called him the "Mussolini of the Nile".

Step into the epic mythology of ancient gods and pharaohs to uncover the mystical secrets of the Egyptian underworld. Perfect for your daily commute or unwinding at night, this vivid historical narrative transports you directly to the sun-scorched banks of the Nile. Experience the dramatic rise...

'Fantastically tart and readable' Sarah Waters 'An important 20th-century writer who paints a complex relationship between gender and power with wit and sensitivity' Lauren Elkin 'These books are clearly among the very best fiction about the Second World War' The Sunday Times 'One of the most...

A city was destroyed not by an enemy army, but by a debt collector. On a sunny morning in July 1882, the citizens of Alexandria, Egypt, woke to find the horizon filled with the dark shapes of British Royal Navy ironclads. Their massive cannons were aimed at the city—not to fight a war of conquest, but to enforce a mortgage payment. "How a Mortgage Payment Led to the Burning of Alexandria" tells the shocking true story of how sovereign debt turned a dream of modernization into a nightmare of occupation. This gripping work of historical nonfiction traces the rise and fall of Khedive Ismail,...

Three thousand years ago, Ptahmose sealed the Sands of the Damned and the prisoners in it. Now he is free. Awakening in modern Cairo after centuries of imprisonment within the Sands of the Damned, the former high priest of Thutmose III finds a world transformed. The old cults are gone. The gods are silent. Yet strange signs are appearing across Egypt as fragments of divine power begin resurfacing among the living. As the Burned Man searches for those touched by the ancient, divine gold, Ptahmose follows a trail of impossible clues through libraries, visions, and forgotten histories. What he...

Plunge into the gripping military history and high-stakes diplomacy that fractured the Middle East in a mere six days. Perfect for an educational commute, this objective exploration breaks down the rapid escalation of the 1967 Arab-Israeli conflict. Discover how split-second leadership...