Sources of Egyptian History: General overview

1. Pharaonic period (4,000 B.C. - 330 B.C.): The sources of history for this period of time are derived not only from antiquities such as temples, pyramids, obelisks, necropolises, statues, and various works of art, but also from papyri that carry inscriptions written in Hieroglyphs, the ancient Egyptian language.



2. Greek, Roman and Byzantine period (330 B.C. - 637 A.D.): During this thousand-year period, historical sources are also derived from such antiquities as temples, statues, and works of art as well as papyri written in the Coptic or Greek languages. Moreover, there is a number of important books written by historians, travelers and explorers in Greek and Latin, as well as books and texts that date back to the establishment of the Coptic Church in Egypt. Sources also include paintings of various themes drawn during these eras.



3. Islamic period (637 A.D. - 1517 A.D.): Here the kinds of antiquities that are useful to historians include: citadels and small forts, city walls, mosques, private houses, palaces, fountains and caravansrals, a wealth of books are available, written by historian, travelers and explorers who have lived through the events of the period and have documented their observations and impressions; among them are Ibn Abdel Hakam, Ibn Khaldoun, and Al-Maqrizi. There are also papyri remaining from this period, including contracts of sale purchase, marriage, divorce, Waqfs (inalienable endowments) and other legal acts as well as personal letters and official correspondence. The National Archives of Egypt's holdings of islamic-period are especially valuable, particularly those belonging to the Fatimid, Ayyubid and Mamluk states. The Islamic period documents are considered the oldest collection of documents at NAE and are entitled the "Deeds of Sultans and Princes", considered by UNESCO to be amongst the world's rare human heritage deserving specail preservation care.



4. Ottoman period (1517 – 1798): The sources of history for the Ottoman period are derived from such antiquities such as mosques, caravanserais, fountains, private dwellings and palaces, as well as from books written by contemporary historians such as Ibn Iyas, Al-Ishaqi, Ahmed Shalabi Abdel-Ghani and Al-Jabarti. Yet this is the first historical era in which documents can be relied upon as a primary source. NAE holds a great collection of documents that pertain to this era, most significant of which are records of the Shar'iyya courts (applying Islamic legislations), the roznama (daily book) Diwan, the al-'litizam and Al-tawari' (al-misaha – cadastral survey) government records.



5. French Occupation period (1798 - 1801): The most important sources on the French Invasion are books written by historians Al-Jabarti and Nikula At-Turk, the French-Published Description De L'Egypte (Wasf Masr), records of the Shar'iyya courts and periodicals printed in both French and Arabic by the French authorities during the occupation. The NAE also holds copies of many documents that are held in French archives.



6. Nineteenth century (1801 - 1882):
   Mohammed Ali Pasha (1220 A.H/1805 A.D - 1265 A.H/1848 A.D)
   Abbas Helmi I Pasha (1848 – 1854)
   Mohammed Said Pasha (1854 – 1863)
   Khedive Ismail (1863 – 1879)
   The Urabi Revolution (1879-82)
   
   As of this century, documents become the primary, and sometimes the only, source for writing Egypt's history. The National Archives of Egypt holds a wide range of documents that pertain to the nineteenth century. This century witnessed the establishment of many diwans and Nidharas (ministries) that have left behind numerous documents that were in turn kept at the Egyptian House of Documentation (Daftarkhana) before being moved to NAE. The documents cover the histories of: Mohammed Ali (1805 – 1848), Abbas Helmi I (1848 – 1854), Said Pasha (1854 – 1863), Khedive Ismail (1863 – 1879) and Khedive Tawfiq and the Urabi Revolution (1879 – 1882). Moreover, the National Archives of Egypt holds a wide range of records and individual documents that date from this century including Al-Ma'iyya Diwan (Royal Diwan) archive, Khedivi Diwan, School Diwan, Finance Diwan, Council of Rules, and records of the regional councils.



7. British Occupation and the Twentieth century (1882-Present): This period encompasses the British Occupation that started in 1882, through what was left of the reign of Khedive Tawfiq (1882 – 1891), the reign of Khedive Abbas Helmi II (1891 – 1914), World War I which broke out during the reign of Sultan Hussein Kamel (1914 – 1917) and the reign of Sultan Fouad (1917 – 1922) which included the 1919 Revolution. This century also includes the period of the Egyptian Kingdom under the reign of Fouad I and Farouk I as well as the 23rd July Revolution and the Republican period. What makes this century unique is its many relevant sources including: newspapers, Egyptian periodicals and British and American documents. As for the Egyptian documents on the history of this century, these include: documents of the Majlis An-Nudhar (cabinet), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Abdeen palace ocuments in addition to a wide range of archival units for the post 23rd July 1952 Revolution period.