At the turn of the 20th century, Egypt was a British Protectorate. Egypt was administered by the British and the French, and the Egyptians had very little say in the matter. The dual-control system was intended to oversee the Egyptian economy so that the Europeans could make sure that its debt was paid. The Europeans repeatedly promised to leave Egypt once affairs were in order, but the promises were never kept.
In 1906 a group of British soldiers decided to use a small village in the delta called Denshawai as a forum for engaging in pigeon shooting. Villagers raised pigeons for sale and depended on the profits for their livelihood. Previously, the soldiers had done this sort of thing many times, so the villagers attacked them with sticks when they returned. However, one of the British soldiers died of heatstroke after running back to camp to tell his officer what had happened. Four of the villagers were hanged, two were sentenced to life in prison, and most of the rest were forced to be flogged in public in front of their entire village. In villages across Egypt, there was an outcry against the occupation. Liberals governed the British Parliament, and they allowed the creation of an Egyptian parliament elected by the people. Many parliamentarians opposed the occupation, and they started calling for a British withdrawal from Egypt, which was now twenty years overdue. This Incident prompted many neutral Egyptians to join the nationalist movement.
In 1908 Prince Yusuf Kamal founded Egypt’s first school of fine arts initiating the region’s first contemporary art movement. Several other schools and institutions were also opened, focusing on academic, Renaissance-based training; the Orientalist. The British occupation of Egypt ended with Hussein Kamel’s installation as sultan in 1914, but the British military presence there persisted until 1956.
Here are some stunning historical photos that will take you back to Egypt in the early 1900s.
#1 Scene in Wady Feiran, Sinai, Egypt, 1900
#2 Church of the Transfiguration and the mosque [Monastery of St. Catherine], Egypt, 1900, Egypt
![Church of the Transfiguration and the mosque [Monastery of St. Catherine], Egypt, 1900, Egypt](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_2.jpg)
#3 Pyramids with palm grove, Egypt, 1900.
#4 Bitter spring in Wady Taiybeh, Egypt, 1900.
#5 Scene at the Springs of Moses, Egypt, 1900
#6 Near view of one of the Springs of Moses, Egypt, 1900.
#7 Well at el-Buweib, Egypt, 1900.
#8 Greek inscriptions in Wady Mokattab, Sinai, Egypt, 1900.
#9 The wilderness of Sinai, Egypt, 1900.
#10 Scene at el-Wad, Sinai, Egypt, 1900.
#11 Suez Canal at the Gulf of Suez, 1900
#12 General view of Ras Safsaf, Sinai, Egypt, 1900.
#13 Suez Canal dredger at work, Egypt, 1900.
#14 Italian workers engaged in the embankment construction of the Aswan Dam, Egypt, 1902
#15 Italian workers in granite quarries during the construction of the Aswan Dam, Egypt, 1902
#16 C. Rhodes, L. Starr Jameson and C. Metcalfe, 1902
#17 The facade of the Graeco-Roman Museum of Alexandria in Egypt, 1902
#18 The Aswan Dam, which was built with the contribution of Italian labour, Egypt, 1901
#19 Laying the last stone of the Aswan water reservoir, Lord Cromer receiving the Khedive Abbas Hilmi II and the Duke of Connaught, Egypt, 1903
#20 Inauguration of the Aswan water reservoir Egypt, 1903
#21 Construction of the Aswan Dam with the contribution of Italian labour, Egypt, 1908
#22 Inauguration of the Umberto I hospital in Cairo, Egypt, 1903
#23 Construction of the Aswan Dam with the contribution of Italian labour, Egypt, from L’Illustrazione Italiana, 1908
#24 City of the Dead, Cairo, 1900s
#25 Water tower in Faiyum Oasis, Egypt, 1900s
#26 South face of Turkish fort on top of Hagag el Sollum, Egypt, 1907.
#27 Water tower in Faiyum Oasis, filtration system for Nile water, 1900s
#28 Necropolis of tebe, deir el-medina, the site of the discovery of the tomb of Kha and his wife Merit, 1906
#29 Necropolis of tebe, deir el-medina, the site of the discovery of the tomb of Kha and his wife Merit, furnishings funeral, 1906
#30 National Bank of Egypt at Khartoum, 1906
#31 Karnak: Gate of Khonsu, 1903
#32 Archduke of Austria-EsteCrown Prince of Austria-HungaryWith baron Rummerskirch at the ascent of a pyramid in Gizeh- 1903
#33 Inauguration of the Aswan dam in 1902.
#34 Embankment work, shortly before the Aswan dam was completed.
#35 The Aswan Dam at the Start of the Century, 1902
The Aswan Dam (Built Between 1898 And 1902), An English Colonist, A Young Egyptian Man And The Nile Valley Pictured Around 1902-1920. The Dam is made of Granite Blocks coming from the Quarries of Aswan, which were used during the Construction of The Pyramids. It Is Over 2Km Long And 50M High.
![Colossal statue of Rameses [i.e., Ramses] II, Memphis, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_120.jpg)
![Near view of statues of Rameses [i.e., Ramses] II in the Ramesseum, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_128.jpg)
![Thebes. Pavilion of Rameses [i.e., Ramses] III, Medinet Habu, Egypt, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_149.jpg)
![Details of the Church of the Transfiguration [Monastery of St. Catherine], Egypt, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_152.jpg)
![The monk-artist [Monastery of St. Catherine] in Sinai, Egypt, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_163.jpg)
![Sinai via the Red Sea, Tor, and Wady Hebran. Monk climbing up to his cell-chapel [Monastery of St. Catherine] in Sinai, Egypt, 1900](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_164.jpg)
![Sinai via the Red Sea, Tor, and Wady Hebran. The old well [Monastery of St. Catherine] in Sinai, Egypt, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_165.jpg)
![The famous library [Monastery of St. Catherine] in Sinai, Egypt, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_166.jpg)
![Firing an antique gun for the new year [Monastery of St. Catherine] in Sinai, Egypt, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_167.jpg)
![Interior of the church seen from the apse [Monastery of St. Catherine] in Sinai, Egypt, 1900.](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_175.jpg)
![The Crescent and the Cross; belfry and minaret [Monastery of St. Catherine] in Sinai, Egypt, 1900](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_178.jpg)
![Entrance gateway [Monastery of St. Catherine]in Sinai, Egypt, 1900](https://www.bygonely.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Egypt_at_the_Turn_of_the_20th_Century_179.jpg)
