Egyptian Daily Life
A brief overview of the traditional lifestyles, food, clothing, and housing of Egypt.
Traditional Lifestyles of Egypt
Egypt is one of the great agricultural centers of history. Although it lies at the edge of a vast desert, its farmlands are fed every year by an influx of water, soils, and nutrients from the Nile floodplains. This cycle of renewal allowed it to grow into one of the most advanced civilizations of antiquity. As a Roman province, its grains were a crucial source of stability for the empire. Ancient Egypt’s consistent food base powered a society of small farmers, craftsmen, merchants, warriors, and priests. Over thousands of years, this same general structure persisted through Persian, Greek, Roman, Arab, Ottoman, French, and British control. While empires came and went, the floodwaters of the Nile have never deserted Egypt.
Egyptian Cuisine
Fitting its major crops of wheat and barley, the historic staple food of Egypt is bread. Common people rarely ate meat, with the exception of fish and hunted fowl. They might have access to dairy products, and families also grew vegetables like onions, beans, garlic, celery, lettuce, and cucumbers. In addition, people consumed fruits like figs, dates, grapes, olives, and melons. All of these ingredients were prepared with a variety of spices for flavor. Grains could also be fermented into beer, which likely originated in Egypt. The upper classes could afford more expensive wine and imported luxury foods from foreign lands as well.
Over time, other cultures have introduced many new elements to Egyptian cuisine. Crops like eggplant, spinach, tomato, and corn are now popular ingredients in modern dishes. Ottoman rule brought favorites like kebabs, baklava, and stuffed grape leaves. Coffee and tea are common drinks, and vendors serve portable snacks and meals on city streets.
Traditional Egyptian Housing
Besides its stone monuments and tombs, the preferred building material of Egypt was mud brick, or adobe. Houses needed to shelter their inhabitants from both hot days and cold nights. They typically featured an open courtyard with gardens, a covered sitting area, and rooms for sleeping, working, and dining. Farmers also built grain silos and living areas for their livestock. Egyptian homes ranged from crude huts, urban apartments, and farmhouses to the vast palaces of the nobility. All prioritized the circulation of cool breezes to make life more comfortable, and those who could afford it built second stories.
Historic Egyptian Clothing
Male Egyptian workers often wore simple loincloths or a kilt to cover themselves on a hot day. More elaborate clothing, usually in white linen, consisted of shirts, skirts, and long, unisex tunics or dresses. The Egyptians made liberal use of cosmetics among both men and women and wore a variety of accessories like jewelry, ribbons, and headwear. They emphasized the human figure in their clothing, and it was normal for slaves to work in the nude. Cotton, later a major crop of Egypt, was not a preferred textile until the Roman era and later.
The ruling classes of Egypt influenced its clothing more than its food or housing. Arab dominance in the region brought more modest clothing, covering more of the body. The standard article of clothing in later times is the gallibaya, a long outer robe somewhat similar to the Arab thawb. This can then be worn beneath a kaftan or a shorter binish coat. The traditional headwear of Egypt is the turban or a tarbush similar to the fez of North Africa. Women may cover their hair and faces with veils, according to cultural and religious preferences.
Modern Lifestyles of Egypt
Modern Egypt has undergone many changes over the last few centuries. Alongside independence, the nation has experienced industrial growth within its cities. Urban workers and professionals tend to live in apartments, shop at supermarkets, and pursue typical city existences. Traditional lifestyles, however, remain the norm. According to the CIA World Factbook, about 58 percent of its population live in rural areas. Around 95 percent are still within 20 kilometers, or 12.4 miles, of the Nile River.
References
Asante, Molefi Kete. Culture and Customs of Egypt. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2002.
Brier, Bob and A. Hoyt Hobbs. Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians. Greenwood Publishing Group. 2008.
Goldschmidt Jr., Arthur. A Brief History of Egypt. Infobase Publishing. 2008.
Petry, Carl F, ed. The Cambridge History of Egypt. Vols. 1-2. Cambridge University Press. 2008.
Romer, John. A History of Ancient Egypt: From the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid. Macmillan. 2013.
“The World Factbook: Egypt.” Central Intelligence Agency, Central Intelligence Agency, 30 Oct. 2018, www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/eg.html.
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