History of North Africa

Rise of Egypt People have been living on the banks of the Nile for over 8,000 years. Rich flood waters allowed people to produce enough food for everyone. About 5,000 years ago two kingdoms along the Nile combined into one. The next 3,000 years pharaohs (Kings) ruled the land. The Pharaohs put the people to work on projects which led to the Egyptians becoming master craftsmen.

Expansion of Europe Egyptians traded with the people in neighboring lands. They traded for gold, ivory, and incense. They even traded for wood. Around 1500BC Egypt decided to expand their kingdom. Conquered lands to the South for gold and ivory. Gained lands along Red Sea that had myrrh = a substance that gives off a pleasant scent. Conquered the eastern shores of the Mediterranean.

Religion and Culture The pharaoh was seen as the center of Egyptian society. People viewed him as the child of the Sun God. The Egyptians practiced Polytheism (belief in multiple gods) The Sun God was seen as the most important deity. His warmth grew crops and provided light to the people. Egyptians believed in life after death – Because of this pharaohs would construct large tombs to house their bodies in death. Anubis Horus Pharaoh

Egyptians made many advances in Math and Science: Influence of Egypt Egyptians made many advances in Math and Science: Math was used to measure fields and taxes Studied stars to advance astronomy Masters of engineering as demonstrated by their pyramids. Built one of the first libraries in 200BC

Middle Ages Carthage and Rome Western North Africa was visited by other cultures in 600BC. People from Lebanon sailed out and built new settlements, in what is now Tunisia. It was called Carthage. In the 200BC and 100BC Carthage fought 3 wars with the Roman Empire In the last war Rome defeated Carthage and eventually Egypt. Romans converted many North Africans to Christianity.

Rise of Islam Rome fell in 400AD – several kingdoms arose afterward. In 632AD Islam was founded by the prophet Muhammad. Muslims began to conquer other lands Egypt was conquered in 642AD All of North Africa was ruled by 705AD Muslim empire was ruled by the caliph.

Foreign Rule In the 1500’s North Africa fell under foreign rule. Portugal and Spain took control of Morocco. The Ottoman Empire controlled the rest. After the Ottoman Empire fell France came in to control the area in the 1800’s. Egypt remained independent for much of the 1800’s by building a modern state. One accomplishment is the Suez Canal being completed in 1869. Because of the vital importance of the Canal the British sent troops in 1882 to control the country.

Independence Many North Africans resisted the control of other countries. Resistance movement gained strength after WWII when European counties were weakened. Egypt was the first to break away in 1952 – Egyptian Army officers took control of the country. Algerians fought long and hard for independence from 1952 – 1962. Libya was taken over by military leaders led by Gaddafi in 1969. He controlled the oil wealth of the country for 40 years.

Recent Decades Not all independence movements have worked out. Algeria has been plagued with unrest by Islamic Groups. Libyan leader Gaddafi had a harsh regime (style of government) by controlling all aspects of life and supporting terrorists. High Populations growth strained their nations economies. Corrupted governments fueled unrest. Muslim Fundamentalists have led people and governments to follow strict laws of Islam.

Arab Spring A series of revolts in the Spring of 2010 called the Arab Spring. Revolts forced the Tunisia President to step down. Egyptians took to the streets to protest for two weeks until the President Hosni Mubarak was removed from power. Egyptians voted in Mohammed Morsi who was part of the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi was soon removed from office over fears of connection to fundamentalists. Arab Spring Revolt reached Libya, where the Gaddafi lead government tried to crack down on the protests. This only caused more violent protests. In October 2011 protesters found Gaddafi and publicly killed him in the streets.