My Teenage Life in Egypt

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A type of bread called pita is the most common food in Egypt. People eat it at nearly every meal. They even use it as a utensil, wiping up sauces on their plates. Islamic law forbids eating pork, and not many people raise cattle. Therefore the most common meat dishes are sheep and chicken. Fish from the sea or Lake Nasser (formed by the Aswan High Dam) are also popular. Some typical dishes are s hishkebab , falafel (deep-fried patties made of ground chickpeas or fava beans), and koshari , which some people consider as the national dish (a mixture of rice, lentils, and macaroni). Language The Rise of Islam

About the year 610, a prosper- ous merchant named Muham- mad said the angel Gabriel appeared to him in a vision. Gabriel told Muhammad to be the messenger of Allah. Allah is the Arabic word for God. Gabriel ordered him to preach the word of Allah to the people of the city of Mecca, in modern-day Saudi Arabia. Most Meccans believed in numerous gods, and they op- posed Muhammed and his new religion of Islam. Muhammad and his followers fled to Medina in 622. Eight years later Mu- hammad’s forces were strong enough to return to Mecca. Though Muhammad died in 632, his followers quickly began expanding Islam throughout the region.

Besides bringing Islam to Egypt, the Muslim invasion had another effect. It introduced the Arabic language, which has become the primary language of Egypt. Nearly everyone in the country speaks a type of Arabic known as Egyptian Arabic. Before the arrival of Muslim forces, most Egyptians spoke Coptic. It had descended from the ancient Egyptian language. Today Coptic is mainly spoken during services of the Coptic Church. Many Egyptians also speak English and French. Street signs are often printed in both Arabic and English. Art and Literature Egyptians are very proud of their artistic past. Many statues and sculptures honor the gods and pharaohs. People today are still very

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