Egyptian Greeks

TheEgyptian Greeks,also known asEgyptiotes(Greek:Αιγυπτιώτες,romanized:Eyiptiótes) or simplyGreeks in Egypt(Greek:Έλληνες της Αιγύπτου,romanized:Éllines tis Eyíptou), are theethnic Greek communityfromEgyptthat has existed from theHellenistic perioduntil the aftermath of theEgyptian coup d'état of 1952,when most were forced to leave.

Egyptian Greeks

Έλληνες της Αιγύπτου
Total population
200,000 (1920)300,000+ (c. 1940)estimates vary between 5,000–60,000(today)
Regions with significant populations
Alexandria,Cairo
Languages
Greek·Egyptian Arabic·French·English
Religion
Coptic Orthodox Church·Greek Orthodox Church·Greek Catholic Church·Sunni Islam·Shia Islam
Related ethnic groups
African Greeks·Ethiopian Greeks,Sudanese Greeks·Roman Africans

Antiquity

Greeks have been present in Egypt since at least the 7th century BC.Herodotusvisitedancient Egyptin the 5th century BC and claimed that the Greeks were one of the first groups of foreigners that ever lived there.Diodorus Siculusclaimed thatRhodianActis,one of theHeliadae,built the city ofHeliopolisbefore thecataclysm;likewise theAtheniansbuiltSais.Siculus reports that all the Greek cities were destroyed during the cataclysm, but the Egyptian cities including Heliopolis and Sais survived.

First historical colonies

According toHerodotus(ii. 154), KingPsammetichus I(664–610 BC) established a garrison of foreign mercenaries atDaphnae,mostlyCariansandIonianGreeks.

In 7th century BC, after theGreek Dark Agesfrom 1100 to 750 BC, the city ofNaucratiswas founded in Ancient Egypt. It was located on theCanopicbranch of the Nile river, 45 mi (72 km) from the open sea. It was the first and, for much of its early history, the only permanent Greek colony in Egypt; acting as a symbiotic nexus for the interchange of Greek and Egyptian art and culture.

At about the same time, the city ofHeracleion,the closest to the sea, became an important port for Greek trade. It had a famous temple ofHeracles.The city later sank into the sea, only to be rediscovered recently.

From the time of Psammetichus I onwards,Greek mercenary armiesplayed an important role in some of the Egyptian wars. One such army was led byMentor of Rhodes.Another such personage wasPhanes of Halicarnassus.

Hellenistic times

Main article:Hellenistic period

Rule of Alexander the Great (332–323 BC)

Alexander the Greatconquered Egypt at an early stage of his conquests. He respected the pharaonic religions and customs and he was proclaimedPharaohof Egypt. He established the city ofAlexandria.After his death, in 323 BC, his empire was divided amonghis generals.Egypt was given toPtolemy I Soter,whose descendants would establish Egypt's last royal dynasty. This dynasty was composed solely of ethnic Greeks and produced dynasts such asCleopatra.Its capital was Alexandria. Ptolemy added legitimacy to his rule in Egypt by acquiring Alexander's body. He intercepted the embalmed corpse on its way to burial, brought it to Egypt, and placed it in a golden coffin in Alexandria. It would remain one of the famous sights of the town for many years, until probably destroyed in riots in the 3rd century AD.

The Ptolemaic Empire (323–30 BC)

Main articles:History of Ptolemaic EgyptandPtolemaic dynasty

Ptolemaic soldiers intunic,100 BC, detail of theNile mosaic of Palestrina.

The initial objective of Ptolemy's reign was to establish firm and broad boundaries to his newly acquired kingdom. That led to almost continuous warfare against other leading members of Alexander's circle. At times he heldCyprusand even parts of mainlandGreece.When these conflicts were over, he was firmly in control of Egypt and had strong claims (disputed by theSeleucid dynasty) toPalestine.He called himself king of Egypt from 306 BC. By the time he abdicated in 285 BC, in favour of one of his sons, thePtolemaic dynastywas secure. Ptolemy and his descendants showed respect to Egypt's most cherished traditions – those of religion – and turned them to their own advantage.

Alexandria became the centre of the Greek andHellenisticworld and the centre of international commerce, art and science. TheLighthouse of Alexandriawas one of theSeven Wonders of the Ancient Worldwhile during the reign ofPtolemy II Philadelphus,theLibrary of Alexandriawas the biggest library in the world until it was destroyed. The last Pharaoh was a Greek princess,Cleopatra VII,who took her own life in 30 BC, a year after thebattle of Actium.

Roman and Byzantine Egypt

Further information:Egypt (Roman province)

Mummy portraitof a youth with the Greek inscription "Artemidorus, Farewell", 2nd c. AD.

Mummyportrait of a boy named Eutyches(Εὐτυχής), 2nd c. AD.

Under Greco-Roman rule, Egypt hosted severalGreeksettlements, mostly concentrated inAlexandria,but also in a few other cities, where Greek settlers lived alongside some seven to ten million nativeEgyptians.Faiyum's earliest Greek inhabitants were soldier-veterans andcleruchs(elite military officials) who were settled by the Ptolemaic kings on reclaimed lands.Native Egyptians also came to settle in Faiyum from all over the country, notably theNile Delta,Upper Egypt,OxyrhynchusandMemphis,to undertake the labor involved in the land reclamation process, as attested by personal names, local cults and recoveredpapyri.

Coptic Greeks

Further information:Copts

Mummy portrait of a woman named Isarous (Ἰσαροῦς), late 1st c. AD.

It is estimated that as much as 30 percent of the population of Faiyum was Greek during thePtolemaicperiod, with the rest being native Egyptians;theFaiyum mummy portraitsreflect the complex synthesis of the predominant Egyptian culture and that of the elite Egyptian Greek minority in Faiyum.

By the Roman period, much of the "Greek" population of Faiyum was made up of eitherHellenizedEgyptians or people of mixed Egyptian-Greek origins,and by the time of Roman emperorCaracallain the 2nd century AD, ethnic Egyptians could be distinguished from Egyptian Greeks only by their speech.

Egyptian Greek is the variety of Greek spoken in Egypt from antiquity until theIslamic conquest of Egyptin the 7th century. Egyptian Greek adopted many loanwords fromEgyptian language;there was a great deal of intracommunitybilingualismin Egypt.

The following is an example of Egyptian Greek language, used in theCoptic Church:

ⲇⲟⲝⲁ ⲡⲁⲧⲣⲓ ⲕⲉ ⲩⲓⲱ: ⲕⲉ ⲁ̀ⲅⲓⲱ ⲡⲛⲉⲩⲙⲁⲧⲓ: ⲕⲉ ⲛⲩⲛ ⲕⲉ ⲁ̀ⲓ̀ ⲕⲉ ⲓⲥ ⲧⲟⲩⲥ ⲉⲱⲛⲁⲥ ⲧⲱⲛ ⲉ̀ⲱ̀ⲛⲱⲛ ⲁ̀ⲙⲏⲛ

Δόξα Πατρὶ κὲ Υἱῷ κὲ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, κὲ νῦν κὲ ἀῒ κὲ ἰς τοὺς ἐῶνας τῶν ἐώνων. Ἀμήν.

Glory to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

According to Walker, early Ptolemaic Greek colonists married local women and adopted Egyptian religious beliefs, and by Roman times, their descendants were viewed as Egyptians by the Roman rulers, despite their own self-perception of being Greek.The dental morphology of the Roman-period Faiyum mummies was also compared with that of earlier Egyptian populations, and was found to be "much more closely akin" to that of ancient Egyptians than to Greeks or other European populations.Victor J. Katz notes that "research in papyri dating from the early centuries of the common era demonstrates that a significant amount of intermarriage took place between the Greek and Egyptian communities".

Medieval Islamic and Ottoman era

Greek culture and political influence continued and perhaps reached some of its most influential times during the Ottoman Caliphate, which witnessed many Ottoman Sultans and Pashas of Greek ancestry rule over the Ottoman Empire in general, and Egypt in particular. Other notable Greeks in Egypt during the Ottoman period includedDamat Hasan Pashafrom theMorea,a governor of Egypt.Raghib Pasha,born in Greece to Greek parents, served as Prime Minister of Egypt. During the Ottoman Caliphate,Pargalı Ibrahim Pasha,Grand Vizier toSuleiman the Magnificentfrom 1520 to 1566, is perhaps the best known.

At the end of the 18th century,Ottoman Egyptwas home to a small community of Egyptian Greeks who numbered from under a thousand to 5000 people. At the time Egyptian Greeks were split into two distinct communities that rarely intermingled. The first was composed of Arabic speaking descendants of early Greek settlers and Greeks who immigrated to Egypt after 1517, most of whom were merchants.During the course of theWar of the Second CoalitionFranceoccupied Egypt.The new French authorities established cordial relations with the Greek community. This resulted in the recruitment of Greek mercenaries who once served the Mamluks.On 27 June 1800, a regular army unit composed of ethnic Greeks was established under the nameLégion Grecque(Greek Legion). Commanded byNikolaos Papazoglouit numbered 577 officers and soldiers.After the end of the French occupation of Egypt a part of the Greek Legion continued their service in the French military as part of theBataillon Chasseurs d'Orientand other small units.

ManyGreek Muslimsfrom Crete (often confusingly calledCretan Turks) were resettled in Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, and Syria by SultanAbdul Hamid IIafter theGreco-Turkish Warof 1897 that resulted in theautonomy of Crete(see the example ofal-Hamidiyah,a largely Cretan Greek Muslim village in Syria).

Modern times

Greek community

In 1920, approximately 200,000 Greeks lived in Egypt. Byc. 1940,the Greeks numbered about 300,000. The Greek community in Alexandria lived around the church andconventofSabbas the Sanctified.In the same area there was a guest house for Greek travelers, a Greek hospital and later a Greek school. TheGreek Orthodoxbishop was based inDamiettain the church ofNikolaos of Myrna.

InCairo,the first organised Greek community was founded in 1856, with the community based in three main neighbourhoods: Tzouonia, Haret el Roum (Street of the Greeks), and in Hamzaoui. The patriarchate was based inSaint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, Hamzaoui.The monastery ofSaint George,inOld Cairostill survives. The monastery is surrounded by a huge wall and topped by a stone tower. Within its walls there was a Greek hospital, a school and housing for the elderly and poor.

In addition to the Greek communities of Alexandria and Cairo, there were the organised Greek communities ofMansoura,founded in 1860,Port Said,founded in 1870,Tantain 1880, and the community ofZagazigin 1850. There were fifteen smaller communities across Egypt and mainly around Cairo and Alexandria. InUpper Egypt,the oldest ancient Greek community was the one ofMiniawhich was founded in 1812.

The first banks in Egypt were crafted by Greeks, including theBank of Alexandria,the Anglo-Egyptian bank (Sunadinos family / Συναδινός), and the General Bank of Alexandria. Also, it was the Greek agriculturists and farmers that first systematically and with scientific planning, cultivatedcottonandtobacco.They improved the quantity and quality of production and dominated cotton and tobacco exports. Notable families in tobacco commerce were the Salvagos (Σαλβάγκος), Benakis (Μπενάκης), Rodochanakis (Ροδοχανάκης) and Zervoudachis (Ζερβουδάκης).The tobacco cultivars used for cigarette manufacturing, e.g., byKyriazi Freres,were of Greek origin. A thriving commerce between Greece and Egypt was thus established. Other areas of interest for the Greeks in Egypt were foods, wine, soap, wood crafts, printing.

Constantine P. Cavafy

In the food industry, the macaroni industries of Melachrinos (Μελαχροινός) and Antoniadis (Αντωνιάδης) were well known. Another example was the cheese and butter production of Argyriou (Αργυρίου), Roussoglou (Ρουσσόγλου) and Paleoroutas (Παλαιορούτας). Chocolate-Biscuits and Toffee producers were: Daloghlou (Δαλόγλου), Russos (Ρούσσος), Repapis (Ρεπάπης); Oil-soaps-vegetable fats (Salt & Soda) producers like Zerbinis (Ζερμπίνης) were based in Kafr al-Zayat. There were many Greek theatres and cinemas. Major Greek newspapers wereTa grammata(Τα Γράμματα),Tachydromos(Ταχυδρόμος), andNea Zoe(Νέα Ζωή).The Greek community in Egypt has produced numerous artists, writers, diplomats and politicians, the most famous being the poetConstantine P. Cavafy(Κωνσταντίνος Καβάφης), also the painterKonstantinos Parthenis(Κωνσταντίνος Παρθένης).

During theBalkan Wars,the Greek communities of Egypt sent volunteers, funded hospitals, and accommodated families of the soldiers. DuringWorld War II(1940–1945), more than 7000 Greeks fought for theAlliesin theMiddle East;142 died. Their financial contribution reached 2500 million Egyptian pounds.After theSuez Crisis,theBritishandFrenchlaborers left while the Greeks stayed.

Patriarchate of Alexandria

Main article:Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria

Benefactors

Dionysios Kasdaglis,ethnic Greek Egyptian tennis player at theAthens Olympics in 1896

The emergence of a Greek aristocracy of rich industrialists, merchants and bankers created the legacy of Greek-Egyptian philanthropism. These benefactors donated large amounts for the building of schools, academies, hospitals and institutions in both Egypt and Greece.Michail Tositsasdonated large amounts for the building of theAthens University,the Amalio Orphanage and theAthens Polytechnic.His wifeEleni Tositsadonated the land for theNational Archaeological Museum of Athens.George Averoffalso contributed to the building of theNational Technical University of Athens,theEvelpidon Military Academyand the donation of the cruiserAveroffto theHellenic Navy.Emmanouil Benakiscontributed to the building of theNational Gallery of Athens,while his sonAntonis Benakiswas the founder of theBenaki Museum.Other major benefactors include Nikolaos Stournaras, Theodoros Kotsikas, Nestoras Tsanaklis, Konstantinos Horemis, Stefanos Delta,Penelope Delta,Pantazis Vassanis and Vassilis Sivitanidis.

Exodus from Egypt

See also:1956–57 exodus and expulsions from Egypt

The exodus of Greeks from Egypt started before thecoup d'état of 1952.With the establishment of the new sovereign regime ofGamal Abdel Nasser,rise ofPan-Arab nationalism,and the subsequent nationalisation of many industries in 1961 and 1963, thousands of Greek employees decided to emigrate. Many of them emigrated toAustralia,theUnited States,Canada, South Africa, Western Europe, and Greece. Many Greek schools, churches, small communities and institutions subsequently closed, but many continue to function to this day. The Nasser regime saw a big exodus of the Greeks from Egypt, but most of the minority left the country either before or after the period 1952–1970. The Arab-Israeli wars of1956and1967contributed to the uprooting of the sizeable Greek community in theSuez Canalcities, especiallyPort Said.

Today

Today the Greek community numbers officially about 5,000 people,Many of Greek origin are now counted as Egyptian, having changed their nationality. In Alexandria, apart from the Patriarchate, there is a Patriarchal theology school that opened recently after 480 years being closed. Saint Nicholas church in Cairo and several other buildings in Alexandria have been recently renovated by theGreek Governmentand theAlexander S. Onassis Foundation.Saint George's church in Old Cairo is undergoing restoration to end in 2014. During the last decade, there has been a new interest from the Egyptian government for a diplomatic rapprochement with Greece and this has positively affected the Greek Diaspora. The Diaspora has received official visits of many Greek politicians. Economic relationships between Greece and Egypt have expanded. As of 2010, Egypt has received major Greek investments in banking, tourism, paper, the oil industry, & many others. In 2009, a five-year cooperation-memorandum was signed among theNCSR DemokritosInstitute inAgia Paraskevi,Athensand the University of Alexandria, regardingArcheometryresearch and contextual sectors.

Census

Number of Greeks according to theCensus in Egypt.

Number of Greeks in Egypt 1907–1960

Egypt	1907	1927	1937	1947	1960	1967
Greeks	62,973	76,264	68,559	57,427	47,673	17,000

Notable Greeks from Egypt

Greeks ofCyrene(theCyrenaicais a region corresponding to modern easternLibya) are also included, as during antiquity it held close relations to the Egyptian kingdoms, and at some points, also used to be a part of thePtolemaic Kingdom.The presence of an asterisk (*) next to a person's name denotes that the person was born outside of Egypt, however the most part of this person's life or most important work occurred while in Egypt.

	Antiquity 7th - 1st century B.C.E		Roman and Byzantine era 1st - 7th century C.E.		Arab Caliphate & Ottoman era 7th - 19th century		Contemporary 20th - 21st century
	Battus I of Cyrene* Ruler, 7th century B.C.E., Cyrene		Hero of Alexandria Engineer, 1st century B.C.E. or C.E., Alexandria				Jean Dessès Fashion designer, 1904 - 1970, Alexandria
	Theodorus of Cyrene Mathematician, 5th century B.C.E., Cyrene		Philo Philosopher, 20 B.C.E - 50 C.E., Alexandria
	Aristippus Philosopher, 435 - 356 B.C.E., Cyrene		Chaeremon of Alexandria Philosopher, 1st century C.E., Alexandria				Alexander Iolas Art collector, 1907 - 1987, Alexandria
	Aristaeus the Elder* Mathematician, 370 - 300 B.C.E., Alexandria		Menelaus of Alexandria Mathematician, 70 - 140 C.E., Alexandria		George Averoff* Businessman, 1815 - 1899, Alexandria		Kimon Evan Marengo Cartoonist, 1907 - 1988, Zifta
	Ptolemy I Soter* Ruler, 367 - 282 B.C.E., Alexandria		Ptolemy Geographer, 90 - 168 C.E., Alexandria		Emmanouil Benakis* Politician, 1843 - 1929, Alexandria		Nikos Tsiforos Director, 1909 - 1970, Alexandria
	Philitas of Cos* Poet, 340 - 285 B.C.E., Alexandria		Sosigenes of Alexandria Astronomer, 1st century C.E., Alexandria		Ioannis Pesmazoglou* Economist, 1857 - 1906, Alexandria
	Theodorus the Atheist Philosopher, 340 - 250 B.C.E., Cyrene		Thrasyllus of Mendes Mathematician, 1st century C.E., Alexandria
	Euclid* Mathematician, 325 - 265 B.C.E., Alexandria		Clement of Alexandria Theologian, 150 - 211 C.E., Alexandria		Constantine Cavafy Poet, 1863 - 1933, Alexandria		Mary Giatra Lemou Author, 1915 - 1989, Alexandria
	Magas of Cyrene Ruler, 317 - 250 B.C.E., Cyrene		Origen Theologian, 185 - 251 C.E., Alexandria		Antonis Benakis Businessman, 1873 - 1954, Alexandria		Dinos Iliopoulos Actor, 1915 - 2001, Alexandria
	Ptolemy II Philadelphus* Ruler, 309 - 246 B.C.E., Alexandria		Plotinus Philosopher, 203 - 270 C.E., Alexandria		Dimitrios Kasdaglis* Athlete, 1872 - 1931, Alexandria
	Callimachus Poet, 305 - 240 B.C.E., Cyrene		Diophantus Mathematician, ~210 - ~290 C.E., Alexandria		Penelope Delta Author, 1874 - 1941, Alexandria		Voula Zouboulaki Actor, 1924, Cairo
	Ctesibius Engineer, 285 - 222 B.C.E., Alexandria		Catherine of Alexandria Theologian, 282 - 305 C.E., Alexandria		Konstantinos Parthenis Painter, 1878 - 1967, Alexandria		Jani Christou Composer, 1926 - 1970, Cairo
	Conon of Samos* Astronomer, 280 - 220 B.C.E., Alexandria		Pappus of Alexandria Mathematician, 290 - 350 C.E., Alexandria		Konstantinos Tsaldaris Politician, 1884 - 1970, Alexandria		Nelly Mazloum Dancer, 1929 - 2003, Alexandria
	Eratosthenes Mathematician, 276 - 194 B.C.E., Alexandria		Theon of Alexandria Mathematician, 335 - 405 C.E., Alexandria				Constantin Xenakis Artist, 1931, Cairo
	Apollonius of Rhodes Poet, 3rd century B.C.E., Alexandria		Hypatia Mathematician, 370 - 416 C.E., Alexandria
	Sostratus of Cnidus* Engineer, 3rd century B.C.E., Alexandria		Palladas Poet, 4th century C.E., Alexandria				Antigone Costanda Model, 1934, Alexandria
	Hypsicles Mathematician, 190 - 120 B.C.E., Alexandria		Isidore of Alexandria Philosopher, 450 - 520 C.E., Alexandria				Georges Moustaki Singer, 1934 - 2013, Alexandria
	Dionysius of Cyrene Mathematician, 2nd century B.C.E., Cyrene		Hierocles of Alexandria Philosopher, 5th century C.E., Alexandria
	Eudorus of Alexandria Philosopher, 1st century B.C.E., Alexandria		Hesychius of Alexandria Author, 5th century C.E., Alexandria				Manos Loïzos Composer, 1937 - 1982, Alexandria
	Aretaphila of Cyrene Revolutionary, 1st century B.C.E., Cyrene						George Leonardos Author, 1937, Alexandria
	Cleopatra VII Ruler, 69 - 30 B.C.E., Alexandria						Clea Badaro Painter, 1913 - 1968, Alexandria
							Nikos Perakis Director, 1944, Alexandria
							Demetrio Stratos Singer, 1945 - 1979, Alexandria
							Demis Roussos Singer, 1946 - 2015, Alexandria
							Andreas Gerasimos Michalitsianos Astronomer, 1947 - 1997, Alexandria
							Nora Valsami Actress, 1948, Cairo
							Alkistis Protopsalti Singer, 1954, Alexandria
							Alex Proyas Director, 1963, Cairo

Dimos Starenios

theater-cinema actor born 15 Sept 1909 Cairo died 23 Oct 1983 Athens

See also

• Demographics of Egypt
• Egyptian-Greek relations
• Kyriazi freres

Sources

• Dalachanis, Angelos (2017).The Greek Exodus from Egypt: Diaspora Politics and Emigration 1937-1962.London: Berghann.ISBN978-1-78533-447-4.
• Oikonomou, Foivos (2016).Ελληνες Μισθοφόροι στην Υπηρεσία της Επαναστατικής Γαλλίας (1789-1815)[Greek Mercenaries in the Service of Revolutionary France (1789-1815)] (in Greek). Thessaloniki: University Studio Press.ISBN978-960-12-2251-6.

External links

• The Greek community of Alexandria official website
• Egyptian Hellenism Department-Hellenic Literary and Historical Archive
• Greeks in Egypt-Greek communities Blog
• Pyramis - online newspaper of the Greek community in Egypt
• Collection of Books and Documents concerning Greeks in Egypt - ANEMI The Digital Library of University of Crete