In mind of a common Ukrainian Egypt is the backward country where Pharaohs constructed pyramids once, and now it is possible to go there to have a rest on resorts, but it is necessary to take care of religious fanatics. But, as I expected, everything turned tout to be not the way noisy mass media state. I often came across facts and phenomena about which Ukraine and Ukrainians should learn.
The barbarous case which took place recently in the Dresden court, when in the course of consideration of a household case an accused, the native of Russia, killed the respectable Egyptian citizen who defended her right not to be called "Islamic terrorist", became the catalyst for fast writing of this article. For inhabitants of Dresden, the big scientific, cultural and historical centre of incorporated Europe, it was a real shock, nobody can understand till this time, whence come roots of such an aggression and human-hatred. The event caused a sharp resonance in the world; corresponding statements were made by heads of Egypt, Germany and some other countries. Especially it is necessary to pay attention that Germany after the World War II washes away its guilts, and any displays of Nazism and fascism (which happen, too!) here they try to liquidate in a germ.
It happened so that during the events described above I was in Egypt where I came for the first time in my life under the invitation of University of Sohag and my kind friends with whom we got acquainted in Dresden. In mind of a common Ukrainian Egypt is the backward country where Pharaohs constructed pyramids once, and now it is possible to go there to have a rest on resorts, but it is necessary to take care of religious fanatics. But, as I expected, everything turned out to be not the way noisy mass media state. I often came across facts and phenomena about which Ukraine and Ukrainians should learn. Besides it is necessary to distinguish features of life and traditions in the tourist centers of Egypt and in its remote places. I had remarkable possibility to make for myself a picture (certainly, the incomplete one!) of life in both parts of Egypt, being in Sohag, Alexandria and Cairo.
Geographical Position, Climate
If to look at a map it is possible to find out that Egypt is located in 22-320 of northern widths. Such a position together with remoteness from the big marine/ ocean territories define dry hot climate for the largest part of the country. The temperature exceeds in the afternoon 40С in a shade in the summer, though it's easy enough to endure such a heat because of low relative humidity of air. Night comes very quickly, less than in an hour. The sun promptly rolls down in the evening, and twilight is very short.
Unlike Ukraine or Europe, absorbed by receiving of heat, for Egypt this problem is not actual, more likely on the contrary. Egypt with its almost 80 million population catastrophically lacks water, access to which is vital. More or less normal situation with rains have the territories close to the sea. Absence of rains found the display in local architecture as the majority of houses have no usual for us roofs.
The main source of water in Sohag is deep and prompt river Nile. Through the developed network of channels and with application of pumps, the water is delivered to fields on both banks of the Nile. However, this strip of agriculture is rather narrow, for Sohag it is not more than 6 km from each side, and increases somewhere to 100 km in the lower current of Nile. All the rest is desert.
It is necessary to pay attention to one indicative moment of the respectful treatment to water and to passers-by in the streets, suffering from heat. In crowded places you can see smart jugs with cool water inside from which everyone can satisfy thirst. What is a secret? The jug is made of clay in such a manner that its walls have porous structure. Water filters through walls, slowly flows down and evaporates, essentially cooling water inside. For successfully made vessels cooling in comparison with environment can reach 15-200 C! The jugs are filled with water by inhabitants or owners of nearby houses and shops, considering it as an honor to help a passer-by who visited their land!
Society
In remote places of Egypt the traditions originating in depth of centuries, are still preserved, though in tourist places there is their gradual destruction to please modern civilization with all following consequences. Society bases are family and religion which strongly cement public relations, make them more expected and reliable.
Under a family here they understand not simply a man and a woman who are married and have children, but the kin, a lot of relatives united by family relations. Close relatives, for example, brothers together with their wives and children, can live in one house, occupying different floors, carry on management together. To identify the person completely, one can use a genealogical tree by male side, which includes own name of the person, names of the father, the grandfather, the great-grandfather, etc. In the course of the dialogue with my acquaintances I found out that in case of need they can track similar sequence up to the relatives of the Prophet Mohamed, books with corresponding records are accessible for this purpose. Mutual relations inside of the kin are regulated, but in case of any problems everyone can rely on support of their relatives.
Women in Egypt, as men believe, occupy honorable position. A man after his wedding should properly support the wife financially; very often she does not work and is the keeper of the family, looking after her house and children. An indicative example of honoring a woman - golden jewelry in Egypt can be worn only by women, men use jewelry from much cheaper silver (Islam forbids men to wear golden jewelry, and also clothes from silk. - Editor's comment) Unusual for Europeans is possibility for men to be married to more than one woman. But under the statement of my acquaintances, it is possible only when a man is capable to give to the second wife as much warmth and support, as to the first one. Other case is a widowed woman (how many of them appeared after a war!) Then to have the right to enter without infringement of traditions into the house and to support orphaned children, a neighbor man or a relative should marry her and hold her as equals with his first wife. So it is hard to define, what would overweight here - pleasure or responsibility. But these are traditions of remote places of Egypt which somehow stabilize the society, giving everyone confidence and support. Besides, from the given example it follows that in Egypt the privacy of any woman is very much appreciated. Once, using the underground in Cairo, I nearly got into trouble. By ignorance I nearly dropped into the car intended only for women. Certainly, I would not be killed, but I should pay the penalty at a rate of 10 Egyptian pounds (~15 Hrivnas) for infringement of an established order, and it is a considerable sum for Egypt as the fare in the underground makes 1 pound. Here it is necessary to place accents: to be in such a car is not a must for women, but their right. I met many women without their husbands who by their will went together with men in the mixed car.
Traditionally, Muslim women wear Hijab which should cover the whole body of a woman except for hands and face; sometimes women cover their face, too. The roots of this custom go into depth of centuries long before the coming of Islam. Today you can easily establish the faith of a woman (certainly, if she not a tourist!) by her Hijab. Christian women go bare-headed, but in other household traditions Egyptian believers of both creeds have much in common.
Undoubtedly, the heart of the society in Egypt are mosques. If surrounding houses can be constructed in any way, mosques are real masterpieces, in which creation the whole community takes part.
Muslims make the majority in Egypt (~90 %), the others are mainly Christians. The devout Muslim observes 5 prayers daily, the most important takes place in a mosque at midday, and its beginning in each city corresponds to the moment when the sun is in the highest point of the heavenly sphere. The mosque is actual meeting place of people who live nearby, but may not be relatives. It creates the additional factor of support in the society as all know about problems of neighbors and in the case of need are ready to help the near. It is their duty, as each Muslim should give a part of the income as the aid for the needy. When I was in Berlin at the main railway station together with my friend from Sohag, I became the witness of an instructive story which happened with him and one Iraqi. Seeing appearance of my friend, he approached him and complained that the money on his bank card finished and he has no money to get home, therefore he asked to borrow him 25 Euros. I convinced him that in my opinion he will take money without return, but my friend decided to give the money to the Iraqi (because he asked!), and even if he will not return them, it will be considered as a help to the needy. The Iraqi wrote down the phone of my friend and to my surprise he sent the borrowed money a month later! Here it is necessary to notice that in the Egyptian society it is strictly forbidden to draw interest from the borrowed money (usury is strictly forbidden in Islam. - Editor's comment).
Christians, who appeared in Egypt before the coming of Islam, feel themselves in Egypt rather comfortable. As it is known, the Alexandria church existed in Egypt in the beginning of a Christian era. For today, unlike expectations of some, relations between Christians and Muslims here are better than in Ukraine between Christians of different confessions. Usually Christians and Muslims live as good neighbors, often communicate and go to each other for holidays. Even customs sometimes are common: on entering a church or a mosque visitors should remove their footwear and leave it outside. As my friend confirms, all adhere to the principle "Belief is different for everyone, but the country is one for all" that allows people with different creeds to live in peace and consent. Certainly, eager for sensations mass-media try to inflate to the unprecedented sizes of problems which sometimes appear between Christians and Muslims, but it did not pass dangerous border yet. The inhabitants of Egypt know very well the consequences of the rule "Divide and dominate". For stability of not the latest country in the Middle East the public consent is extremely important.
For acknowledgement of coexistence throughout long time in Egypt of both religions I demonstrate here a photo and an internal frame of the White and the Red Christian monastery which was established about the 5th century AC. A lot of elements from their setting remained up to now.
Stability of the society is also supported by the prohibition of alcohol consuming. Nowadays in Egypt is held a discussion about allowance of smoking as it also destroys a body, and many Egyptians smoke tobacco. In the afternoon even if someone would wish to drink alcohol it will essentially affect him because of heat. And in the evening, when the heat vanishes, nothing, except public morals, prevents it. If somebody ventures to appear drunk in the street, he at least will be the insult for the present, and if a drunk will be noticed by teenagers he risks to run into good kicks, mostly because in the society there are practically no drunkards, everyone can feel himself safe in household and in the evening when night illumination is turned on and the public life revives.
Science and Education
Though surprising, Egypt has 5 Nobel Prize winners who received in due time university education in Egypt: Anwar al-Sadat (the Prize for Peace, 1978), Naguib Mahfouz (the Prize in Literature, 1988), Yasser Arafat (the Prize for Peace for 1994), Ahmed Zewail (the Prize in Chemistry, 1999) and Mohamed El-Baradei (the Prize for Peace, 2005). Among the given list someone can see a political component and doubt about justice of some prizes, but doubtless for me is the quality of university education in Egypt, received by the given winners, which helped them to reach the tops of international recognition and influence.
Certainly, one of the reasons of such a success is that the Egyptian science originates in depth of millennia. It is not necessary to dismiss attention of the governments of all times in respect of support of development of the best students, too. In Egypt throughout the last decades at the state level are given grants which allow the most talented youngsters study abroad for long time. In the society is noticed real respect for the educated people, though, probably, salaries of scientific workers and teachers are not so high comparatively to European. The role in support of education and sciences also play private funds founded by prosperous Egyptians. For example, I noticed such an announcement of competition on training in postgraduate study and post-doctorate position with payment accordingly 12 and 24 thousand of Egyptian pounds annually. It's a notable difference in comparison with salaries of unqualified workers (about 300 Egyptian pounds).
Among the positive moments, in my opinion, is the use of English language for the publication of obtained results which allows to be integrated into a world of science easier. For example, I found a department in the library of the University of Sohag with Master's and Doctor's papers. All of them are written in English, it is a practical condition for obtaining a corresponding degree. Moreover, even unknown in the world Egyptian scientific magazines accept articles only in English. The interesting moment of appreciable support of studying a foreign language: sometimes I saw on local TV that English-speaking films are not translated by voice against the muffled original speech, but accompanied by subtitles that can help the interested spectator with language studying, and to the visitor - the carrier of the language of a film - to feel comfortable in a foreign country. Useful experience, which for some reason is not taken into consideration in Ukraine.
Among the other things, for students' learning and teachers' coming to work, rather useful is running of special University buses which deliver them to educational premises. Like Ukrainian "School bus", but on the top-level. The same buses periodically take students and teachers in various trips and expeditions across Egypt. In general, the scientific life here is active enough, I had possibility to visit the meeting of the Faculty of Chemistry planned on 8 o'clock in the evening where took place preliminary defense of a student's work. Students and teachers of the chair (among them - some women-professors) as equals took part in active discussion.
Vyacheslav Khavrus', p.d. senior scientific employee in the Department of Catalytic Synthesis on the Basis of One-Carbon Molecules, the Institute of Physical Chemistry of L. V.Pisarzhevskiy, NAS of Ukraine, public figure.
(Given in reduction)
