Egypt experienced a turbulent decade in the 1970s. Almost every aspect of society underwent significant changes. Nasser died on September 28, 1970, and Anwarel-Sadat succeeded him immediately. In May 1971, the “Corrective Revolution” solidified his position. The new era began with the end of the October 1973 war and the introduction of a policy of infitah (opening up the Egyptian economy and society to the rest of the world, accompanied by economic liberalization). Nasser moved away from physical planning, the main instrument of economic management, favoring a greater use of market mechanisms to direct the economy. By an act of parliament identified as Law 43, 1974, the “October Paper” was given statutory content.
Another element entered the picture in late 1978 or early 1979. Foreign exchange suddenly became abundant. Egypt began exporting significant amounts of crude oil and refined petroleum products overnight. In addition to oil exports, the recently reopened Suez Canal operation, the remittances of foreign exchange from Egyptians working in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and other oil-rich countries, and the earnings of a flourishing tourist industry helped to dissolve any constraint imposed by foreign exchange supplies.
The strategy of 1978-80 was to import large amounts of consumer goods. Among these imports were basic foodstuffs and luxury items. Many investments were also underway, and several new investments were announced every day. From 1970 to 1979, agriculture produced just over 22% of GDP, down from about a third Agriculture’s growth accelerated after 1974 and continued through 1979. Over time, the country’s petroleum production multiplied, and by 1978, Egypt had become an oil-dependent economy.
#1 Aerial View of Luxor Temple of Thebes, Egypt, 1977.
#2 Apartment complex with their inhabitants in Cairo.
#3 A group of women selling jugs in their village, 1970s
#4 A jar factory on the banks of the Nile river, 1970s.
#5 A man on his tractor, 1970s
#6 River Cruise Boat on the Nile in 1977.
#7 Men building boats in a shipyard by the Nile River.
#8 A jar factory on the river bed of the Nile.
#9 City of Cairo, Egypt, 1977,
#10 Temple of Pharaoh Ramesses II, Abu Simbel, Egypt, 1977.
#11 Nile river Aerial view in 1977.
#12 Handcrafted Jug factory in an Egyptian village next to the Niles river.
#13 A farmer and his son pushing the wheel for the water pump to water their field next to the Nile river.
#14 Egyptian man holding the Pharonic symbol, called the Ankh. Egypt, Abu Simbel, 1977.
#15 A man washing his horse carriage standing in the river bed of the Nile.
#16 Felucca sail boat on the Nile river, 1977.
#17 A water pump next to the Nile river.
#18 Men transporting goods on their boat on the Nile river.
#19 Zawiyat Al Amwat, City Of The Dead, Minya, Egypt, Muslim Cemetery, 1977
#20 A family in Cairo in December 1977, Egypt.
#21 President of Cadillac with President Anouar el-Sadat in 1977
#22 Moshe Dayan during the peace process between Israel and Egypt in Isamilia in December 1977, Egypt.
#23 A view of an Aqueduct bringing water to Egypt, 1975
#24 Port Said, Egypt, 1977
#25 Clearance divers during a mine clearance operation carried out by the French Navy in the Suez Canal on September 24, 1974, Egypt
#26 Egyptian President Anwar al-Sadat and US President Richard Nixon wave to crowds aboard a train in Cairo in June 1974
#27 Crews take turns on board ships while waiting for the reopening of the canal, January 3, 1974, Egypt.
#28 Cargo ships stranded in the Suez Canal in 1974
#29 Destroyed Egyptian military vehicles in a deserted Suez street, 1973
#30 Supplying the Egyptian Third Army during the Yom Kippur War in November 1973 near Suez, Egypt.
#31 An Egyptian plays the role of an Israeli prisoner during training in 1973.
#32 Egyptian soldiers on the Suez Canal front during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973, Egypt.
#33 Egyptian soldiers on a tank captured from the Israeli army near the front at the Suez Canal during the Yom Kippur War in October 1973
#34 Feluccas on the Nile in Cairo in October 1973, Egypt.
#35 Temple of Hatshepsut in Thebes 1973
#36 Women and children in a village near Cairo, 1972
#37 Fellach women with their children in a field near Cairo, 1971
#38 Merchants and transport port workers wait with their pack animals for customers at a bazaar in Cairo, 1972
#39 Young mothers with their children in front of a house in Cairo, 1972
#40 Small sailing boats, so-called feluccas, on the banks of the Nile near Aswan, Egypt, 1972
#41 A vendor carries a basket of household goods on his head at a bazaar in Cairo, 1972
#42 Fellah women in a field in front of the pyramids near Cairo, 1972
#43 Two young women without veils shopping in a bazaar in Cairo, 1972
#44 A mother with her daughter on their way to go shopping in a bazaar in Cairo, 1972
#45 A baker carries a woven basket with flatbread on his head to a stall in a bazaar in Cairo, 1972
#46 Visitors at the tomb of Gamal Abdel Nasser in Cairo, 1972
#47 A fruit wither in front of its scales at a stand in the Khan El Khalili bazaar in Cairo, 1972
#48 Peasant children working in the fields, photographed in a village near Cairo, 1972
#49 Veiled women from a village near Luxor (Egypt) carry water jars on their heads, 1972
#50 Men sit on the banks of the Nile near Aswan (Egypt) in front of small boats, so-called feluccas, 1972
#51 Woman in festival clothes in a village near Cairo (Egypt), 1972
#52 A grandfather with his grandchildren in a village near Cairo, 1972
#53 A girl carries a woven basket with fruit on her head to a stall at a bazaar in Cairo, 1972
#54 A carpet weaver with her children at work in a village near Cairo, 1972
#55 View over the Nile near Aswan (Egypt) with the mausoleum of the Aga Khan on a mountain on the west bank, 1972
#56 Pupils near Aswan (Egypt) on their way to the new school, 1972
#57 Tourists in Sharm el-Sheikh in May 1971, Egypt
#58 Night street scene in Sharm el-Sheikh in May 1971, Egypt
#59 American psychologist and author, Timothy Leary with his associate Martin Kenner in Cairo, Egypt in October 1970
#60 Egyptians overcrowd a train during President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s funeral, Cairo, 28th September 1970.
#61 Mllions of Egyptians attending the funeral of their leader Gamal Abdel Nasser who died of a heart attack in Cairo 28 September 1970.
#62 Gamal Abdel Nasser and members of the RCC. welcomed by cheering crowds in Alexandria 1954.
#63 View of damaged lock gates at Port Tewfik, Suez Port at the southern end of the Suez Canal in Egypt on 8th September 1970.
#64 Suez Canal Zone Damage, 1970
#65 The Aircraft Hijacked by the Fplp at the Caire, 1970
#66 Haim Bar-Lev, David Elazar, Ariel Sharon and Moshe Dayan in Egypt 1970
#67 Egyptian Man Working in an Oilfield, Near Al Alamein, 1970
#68 Funeral of Gamal Abdel Nasser, 1970
#69 Aswan High Dam and Power Station, 1970
View of the Aswan High Dam hydroelectric power station in operation with water from the newly created Lake Nasser rushing through turbine pipes under the dam to rejoin the river Nile downstream after its opening on 18th January 1970. The power plant and turbine hall can be seen in the foreground with the high dam earthworks behind.
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#70 A general view of a group of Egyptians near the Pyramid of Kheops, 1970s
#71 A square in downtown Cairo with a poster of President Anouar el-Sadat, 1970
#72 Under a large banner that depicts Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, pedestrians, some with children, walk on a city street, Cairo, Egypt, 1970.
#73 View of pedestrians on a crowded street, Cairo, Egypt, 1970.
#74 Nilo, Cairo, 1970s
#75 Alexandria of Egypt, 1970s
#76 Suez Canal Blockade, 1970s
A British Leyland lorry waiting to unload supplies at a Red Cross base next to a ferry landing stage on the Suez Canal in Egypt in 1970. The Suez Canal is currently closed to all shipping after the Egyptian government imposed a blockade following the 1967 Six Day War.
