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Britain colonized Egypt because it wanted to control that country and profit off its economy. It also wanted to secure its access to Asia.
Nevertheless, the French retained a presence in Egypt until 1801, when they were forced out of the territory by joint British- Ottoman forces.
Relations between the two countries have spanned centuries, from the Middle Ages to the present day. Following the French occupation of Egypt (1798-1801), a strong French presence has remained in Egypt. Egyptian influence is also evident in France, in monuments such as the Luxor Obelisk in Paris.
Egypt before the French
Eighteenth century Egypt was officially part of the Ottoman Empire, having been conquered in 1517. Prior to that, she had been ruled by the Mamluks, a dynasty of slave warriors, who had themselves seized control in 1250.
The British occupation saw an increase in archaeological fieldwork, tourism, and irrigation projects to boost Egypt's cotton production and exportation. Egypt declared independence in 1922, although Britain did not withdraw all its troops until after the 1956 Suez Crisis.
The first French-medium schools in Egypt were established in 1836. By the end of the nineteenth century it had become the dominant foreign language in Egypt and the lingua franca of foreigners; this was especially the case in Cairo. French became the primary foreign language in media during the rule of Ibrahim Pasha.
France wanted control of Egypt for two major reasons--its commercial and agricultural potential and its strategic importance to the Anglo-French rivalry. During the eighteenth century, the principal share of European trade with Egypt was handled by French merchants.
Additionally, educated Egyptians tend to speak English and/or French as second languages. There are more than 3 million French speakers in Egypt.
France was still at war with Great Britain, and Bonaparte hoped to disrupt British trade routes to India and establish French domination in the exotic east. He eluded a British fleet, captured the port of Malta, and on July 1, 1798, landed with 35,000 soldiers in Egypt.
Despite the fact that the military Campaign was a failure, when the French Fleet was destroyed by Lord Nelson and the British Navy at Aboukir in the Battle of the Nile (effectively blockading the Army of the Orient in Egypt), the Egyptian Campaign acquired legendary status.
"People of Egypt: You will be told by our enemies, that I am come to destroy your religion. Believe them not. Tell them that I am come to restore your rights, punish your usurpers, and raise the true worship of Mahomet. Tell them that I venerate, more than do the Mamelukes, God, His prophet, and the Koran.
Nelson's victory
They decided to send out a fleet under Rear-Admiral Horatio Nelson. After failing to intercept Napoleon's expedition at sea, Nelson subsequently destroyed the French fleet at anchor during the Battle of the Nile (1-3 August). This left Napoleon's army isolated in Egypt.
Egypt remained entirely Ottoman until 1805, except during French occupation from 1798 to 1801. Starting in 1867, Egypt became a nominally autonomous tributary state called the Khedivate of Egypt. However, Khedivate Egypt fell under British control in 1882 following the Anglo-Egyptian War.
In deference to the growing nationalism and at the suggestion of the High Commissioner, Lord Allenby, the UK unilaterally declared Egyptian independence on 28 February 1922, abolishing the protectorate and establishing an independent Kingdom of Egypt.
The Egyptians are not Arabs, and both they and the Arabs are aware of this fact. They are Arabic-speaking, and they are Muslim—indeed religion plays a greater part in their lives than it does in those either of the Syrians.
Political relations
Bilateral relations between France and Egypt are based on strong, longstanding ties of friendship and confidence, and have developed considerably in all areas over the last four years.
Most scholars believe that Egyptians in antiquity looked pretty much as they look today, with a gradation of darker shades toward the Sudan".
It has been acknowledged that socially, French occupation had caused extensive destruction of property and great loss of human lives, especially of Egyptians. It also exposed the Egyptians to part of the Western culture which was contrary to Islamic teachings.
France did not have enough men to establish sufficient garrisons, which limited its military presence to the capital city and certain areas of the Nile Delta. British naval forces were lurking offshore in the Mediterranean and succeeded in sinking the French fleet stationed off the coast of Egypt in August.
France was in chaos, and Napoleon decided to abandon his position in Egypt to pursue his career in France, in hopes of overthrowing the Directory, which he now referred to as "that bunch of lawyers." Somehow, Napoleon again managed to sneak past Nelson's blockade, and made a surprise appearance in Paris.
Ancient Egyptian is considered to be a branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family, meaning that ancient Egyptian has similarities to Akkadian, Arabic and Hebrew, and is quite different from Indo-European languages like English, French and German.
Egyptian is one of the earliest written languages, first being recorded in the hieroglyphic script in the late 4th millennium BC. It is also the longest-attested human language, with a written record spanning over 4,000 years.
French soldiers in Egypt discovered the Rosetta Stone, which proved instrumental in deciphering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.