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Egypt

Egypt (GB)
Egitto (I)
Egipto (ES)
Égypte (F)
Egipto (PO)
Egypte (N)

The semi-presidential Republic of Egypt (Arabic مصر) in north-east Africa with its capital Cairo covers 1,001,449 km². It borders Sudan to the south, Libya to the west and Gaza and Israel to the north-east. The northern border is the easternmost part of the Mediterranean Sea (Levantine Sea). The island of Cyprus is 380 kilometres from the coast. In the south-east, Egypt has an extensive coastline to the Red Sea with its two arms of the sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba or Eilat. Saudi Arabia and Jordan lie opposite the latter Gulf, to which there are ferry connections.

Ägypten - Landkarte, Flagge, Wappen

History

Viticulture is many thousands of years old, even if this region is not counted among the cradles of viticulture such as Mesopotamia or Transcaucasia. According to one hypothesis, Greek colonists introduced viticulture to the oasis of Al-Fayoum south of Cairo at the time of Alexander the Great (356-323 BC). An early Egyptian wine culture is documented by numerous paintings in burial chambers with wine motifs and depictions of wine production. Such finds date back to 2500 BC. In the painting of the tomb of Chaemwese in Thebes around 1450 BC, various wine-making steps such as the grape harvest and fermentation in containers, as well as the loading of a ship with amphorae, are depicted:

Malerei aus dem Grab des Chaemwese in Theben um 1450 v. Chr. mit Motiven der Weinlese und Weinbereitung

Other paintings show the pounding of the grapes with feet, with the labourers holding on to poles attached just above head height. Most of the finds come from Luxor in Upper Egypt, the ancient capital of the empire, which the Greeks called "Hundred-gated Thebes". A vineyard is described in inscriptions from the tomb of Metjen, a high official in the 4th Dynasty (2620 to 2500 BC). He owned a large complex with vineyards in Sakkara in the Nile Delta, which are described in the inscription as follows: 'A very large pond was created, figs and grapes were planted. Trees and grapes were planted in large quantities and a great deal of wine was made from them.

In the pharaoh's tomb of Tut-Ench-Amun (around 1350 BC), 36 amphorae with dried wine residues were found. Of these, 26 were labelled with the vintage, origin (vineyard), owner and top winemaker (the winemaker, so to speak). For example, a "western river" is mentioned as the origin, which most likely refers to the western arm of the Nile Delta, where the best wine regions in Lower Egypt near Behbeit el-Hagar, Memphis and Sile were located at the time. In 2004, US scientists discovered a substance in the remains of the Tut-Ench-Amun jugs that is found exclusively in red wines. This is proof that it was possible to produce both white and red wine.

Various texts describe the close connection between wine and the diverse world of Egyptian gods. According to Egyptian belief, wine was referred to as the "sweat of the sun god Re", the "tear of Horus" (son of Re) or the "child of heaven". Osiris, the god of the afterlife and rebirth, was considered the "lord of winemaking" or "lord of wine in abundance". The goddess Hathor, who was responsible for love, peace, beauty, dance, art and music, was offered wine in jugs at the annual "Festival of Drunkenness", as wine was considered a symbol of blood and the power of resurrection after death. She was therefore known as the "Lady of the Wine Jars" and the "Lady of Drunkenness".

Ägypten - Pyramiden von Gizeh

Wine was mainly the favoured drink of the upper classes, while the poor population mainly enjoyed beer, which was easier to make. The staple foods were bread and beer. They were also used to pay the labourers in the quarries and on large construction projects such as the pyramids. The Greek scholar and historian Herodotus (482-425 BC) also visited Egypt during his travels and also reported on wine and viticulture and the drinking culture of the time. During the Roman Empire, large quantities of Egyptian wine were exported to Rome.

Viticulture today

In 2022, the total area under vines was 91,633 hectares. However, only 53,000 hectolitres of wine were produced- mainly by state-owned companies - due to the Islamic ban on alcohol. The land is mainly used for the cultivation of table grapes, which are grown in the fertile Fayoum basin. The most common variety is Muscat d'Alexandrie. The desert-like, dry climate makes artificial irrigation, especially from the Nile, unavoidable.

Text source 1st paragraph: WIKIPEDIA Egypt
Map: © Goruma
Flag: Public domain, Link
Coat of arms: Public domain, Link

Viticulture in ancient Egypt: By Egyptian painter around 1500 BC Public domain, Link
Pyramids of Cheops: by Pete Linforth on Pixabay

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Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg

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