The Arab Republic Of Egypt - 1044 Words

In the late 1950’s when Gamel Abdel Nasser was president of Egypt, my grandparents lived in Alexandria. Being that my great grandparents were from Jerusalem, my grandparents were extremely proud to be born and raised as a Jew in Egypt. Around the age of 18 years old, my grandparents and their families were kicked out of Egypt because of their religion. Nasser insisted that all Jews flee Egypt immediately or they would be thrown in jail. Since my family had no other choice but to leave their home country, they decided to come to New York to try and start a new life. Although it was extremely difficult for them to start over in a foreign country without any property or money, they moved to the U.S. with hopes to become successful. Egypt,†¦show more content†¦Egyptian Music has always been an important part of the Egyptian culture since ancient times. The ancient Egyptians credited the gods Amun,Hathor, Isis, and Osiris for the original creation of music. The earliest evidence of this music in Egypt was dated back to the predynastic period where remains of old instruments were found. This ancient music from Egypt was always linked to religious rituals or entertainment. It was seen as a skillful, rich and diverse type of entertainment, which was greatly influenced, by religion, politics, trade, conquest and invasion. One aspect of ancient Egyptian music that has survived throughout the years consists of the lyrics, or words, of a number of the songs which were sung by the vocalists who accompanied the musicians. Many of these songs were hymns which was a religious song meant to honor the god. These hymns really display how dedicated the Egyptians are to their religion. The New Kingdom Pharaoh Akhenat on composed one of the most famous examples of a hymn. As most men in ancient Egyptian society had administrative positions, women were known for taking care of their children and being a house keeper. In addition to being a caretaker, women were able to gain prestige and status through music. These upper-class women were greatly influenced by the earliest known composer Enheduanna. Although Arab music is extremely prominent in Egypt, especially Cairo, there are many other genres of music