Arthur Goldschmidt Jr. taught at Penn State from 1965 to 2000. He has received several teaching awards, most notably the Mentoring Award from the Middle East Studies Association. His other published works include A Concise History of the Middle East, A Brief History of Egypt, and Biographical Dictionary of Modern Egypt.

Acknowledgments

Reader's Note

Acronyms and Abbreviations

Maps

Chronology

Introduction

The Dictionary

Appendixes I: Political Leaders

Bibliography

About the Author

Egypt is the world's oldest continuous country, with a recorded past of over 6,000 years. Often invaded, conquered, and occupied by foreign armies, Egypt has never lost its identity. The Egyptians of today, although they have changed their language once and their religion twice, descend mainly from the Egyptians who built the Giza Pyramids and the Temple of Karnak, who served Alexander the Great and his heirs, who submitted to Augustus Caesar and raised much of the grain that fed the Roman Empire, who started Christian monasticism and the veneration of the Virgin Mary, and who advanced and sustained Muslim learning in what is now the world's oldest functioning university. It was and is one of the most important countries in the world.
Historical Dictionary of Egypt, Fifth Edition contains a chronology, an introduction, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has more than 600 cross-referenced entries on important personalities as well as aspects of the country's politics, economy, foreign relations, religion, and culture. This book is an excellent resource for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Egypt.