Egypt History Trivia

1. The city of Alexandria, Egypt was founded by its namesake, Alexander the Great. But what was the name of the Greek architect of the city?

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: Dinocrates

Dinocrates was one of Alexander's chief architects who also designed the Temple of Artemis. Unlike many other ancient and newer cities, the founding of Alexandria is extremely well documented. Alexander and Dinocrates designed the city together. According to legend, Alexander drew out of his plans for the city in the sand using a piece of grain. Other more fanciful and less likely legends also developed as Alexander's legendary hero status became more widely known. Despite founding the city, Alexander never returned to it once he left. His body is commonly believed to be buried somewhere in the city, although its location is long forgotten despite once being a popular visiting place.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: Babylon

The Babylon Fortress was the first major permanent settlement in the area that is now Cairo. At that point in time, Memphis was a separate city (today some parts of Memphis are considered to be part of Cairo). Memphis was the seat of the pharaohs when the area was conquered by the Romans. Memphis was declining in favor of Alexandria so the Romans built up Babylon around the Nile River as a new place of strategic importance. Parts of the Roman built fortress are still in existence today. There was once a Persian built fortress in the area as well but the Romans knocked it down as it was inferior in design.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: Fustat

The name Fustat (also called Misr al-Fustat) literally means City of Tents. It was the military headquarters for Amr Ibn al-As who led the conquest and was a close friend to the Prophet Mohammed. Amr Ibn al-As was also the first governor of Egypt during this era. He is also well known for building Africa's first mosque: Mosque of Amr Ibn al-As.

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: Antony and Cleopatra

During this time in Alexandria's history, the Romans began exerting control over Egypt. This led to several battles and sieges for control of Alexandria that produced mixed results. In the 30 BC, Octavian initially lost the city to Mark Antony and his lover Cleopatra but returned to invade. He defeated the forces of Antony, whose troops were quickly deserting him even after his initial victory. Antony committed suicide in Cleopatra's tomb shortly after by stabbing himself with a sword. Cleopatra's life was to be spared by Octavian. However, Cleopatra refused to be seen as a trophy to be paraded around by Octavian in Rome. She committed suicide likely via a poisoned needle or ointment (not by a snakebite). Antony and Cleopatra's death all but formalized Roman control over Egypt in Octavian's possessions.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: The nave hangs over a street

Since at least the third century AD, a church has been at the location of the Hanging Church. It was Coptic Pope Abraham who rebuilt the church into its now famous design which gave it its name. The church was built above the Babylon Fortress and the nave of it hangs above the street. The Hanging Church is also sometimes called the Suspended Church for that reason or the Staircase Church because of its many steps. Pope Abraham wrote extensively about the many visions of Mary he received in the Hanging Church after it was rebuilt. For three hundred years, beginning in the mid 11th century, this church was the seat of the Coptic Church.

From Quiz Egypt - Ancient and Modern

Answer: Orion

The arrangement of the three pyramids resembles the arrangement of the three stars in Orion's belt.

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: Tsunami

In 365, a massive earthquake struck the Greek island of Crete which is nearby Alexandria. The earthquake caused a massive earthquake which destroyed much of Alexandria and killed thousands. A record of the damage was taken by Ammianus Marcellinus, a Roman historian who apparently witnessed the entire event. The tsunami further exacerbated Alexandria's trouble. In the prior two centuries, the city because a learning and cultural center for Christianity. However as time went on, Romans upped their persecution of Christians which led to Alexandria being something of a black sheep within the empire. The tsunami which damaged the city only sped up the city's decline.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: The Second Crusade

In the years leading up the Second Crusade, Cairo was a growing city but Fustat (which at this time was still a separate city from Cairo) remained the capital and center of business. Shawar, the vizier, set Fustat on fire so its treasure would not be taken by crusaders and to protect Cairo from invasion. The plan worked. After the Crusade, Saladin became vizier and then sultan and made Cairo his capital. Under his rule, Cairo became a center of learning and a stop along the spice route.

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: Amr ibn al-As

Alexandria was briefly taken by Persian forces earlier in the seventh century but the Byzantines quickly reclaimed it. They never reclaimed it from the Arabs led by Amr ibn al-As who seized control of the city after a long siege. Alexandria was of strategic importance because it was seen as the Mediterranean's easternmost city of finance. After losing Alexandria, the Byzantines controlled no substantial part of the economy along the Mediterranean. This allowed the Arabs, under the government of the Rashidun Caliphate to prosper.

From Quiz Egypt - Ancient and Modern

Answer: Saqqara

Until recently, the oldest pyramid was believed to be the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, although recent evidence suggests that another structure at Saqqara could be older.

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: Mark the Evangelist

Mark the Evangelist is said to have founded the Church of Alexandria in the year 49 AD. The church is considered the most important in all of Africa. Mark was laid to rest within the Church but Christians feared its destruction or vandalization while Alexandria was under Muslim rule. Greek monks stole the body, hid it under pork (to prevent Muslim inspection) and brought it to Venice where it now lays in St. Mark's Basilica.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: France

Napoleon invaded Cairo in 1798 but was forced out by 1801. After losing Cairo, the French retreated into Alexandria which they also soon lost. In order to defeat the French forces, the Ottomans aligned with the British. The French surrendered after they were overwhelmed and outnumbered by the British-Ottoman alliance. The alliance occupied Cairo for two years until the British withdrew.

From Quiz Egypt - Ancient and Modern

Answer: New York City and London

One is in Central Park, New York City, the other on the Thames Embankment in London. There is also a Cleopatra's Needle in Paris on the Place de la Concorde, but it comes from a different Egyptian site.

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: During the Crusades

Alexandria's location in Egypt along the Mediterranean made it a convenient stop for crusaders from all over. In addition, it was the perfect trading post as it was located near several different empires. During the 1150 years from about 650 to 1800, Alexandria was mostly in decline. Earthquakes ravaged the city on a somewhat regular basis and invaders from all over arrived to conquer or destroy the city. By the time of Napoleon's departure in 1800, Alexandria was home to only about 8,000 people, a paltry amount for what used to be a grand city.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: Muhammad Ali

Muhammad (or Mehmet) Ali Pasha ruled Egypt starting in 1805 first as Pasha and then as Wali (basically a king). However, Mamelukes or Mamluks (Ottoman slave soldiers who occupied Cairo since the 13th century) were still in the city and posed a great threat to Muhammad Ali. Mameluke leaders were invited to a procession at a citadel in Cairo where they were murdered by firing squads. Other Mamelukes were rounded up and murdered or departed. This event was called the Massacre at the Citadel and it allowed Muhammad Ali to gain nearly total control over Cairo and Egypt.

From Quiz Egypt - Ancient and Modern

Answer: Amenhotep IV

He was also known as Akhenaten.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: The Cairo Fire

The Cairo Fire started in response to the killing of Egyptian police officers by British forces. Britain had invaded Egypt in the 1880s but Egypt was independent by 1922. However, British forces still occupied Egypt well into the 1950s. There was tension between the British and Egyptians that erupted with the killing of the police officers. The fire started during a riot in which Egyptians targeted British owned business and buildings. Hundreds of buildings, mostly restaurants and coffee houses, were destroyed and over two dozens people were killed.

From Quiz Egypt - Ancient and Modern

Answer: Upuaut

Both robots were given the name Upuaut. Upuaut was a Jackal-God known as the 'opener of the ways' in ancient times and had a significant role in funeral rites.

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: King Farouk

King Farouk was the Egyptian monarch during World War II. Despite having a close relationship with both the British and Germans, he remained neutral during the war. He was an immensely popular figure in Egypt with the common people until the war. Farouk never abandoned his lavish lifestyle even during blackouts and bombings that greatly affected his people. Notably, he refused to turn the lights off in his palace at Alexandria. This, coupled with his manic belief his queen was having an affair and unable to produce son which led to some unusual behavior, caused his popularity to decline dramatically. By 1952, the King was widely considered as corrupt and, perhaps, mentally unstable. Gamal Abdel Nasser and Muhammad Naguib led the Egyptian army against Farouk. Farouk was cornered in the Ras El Tin Palace where he was forced to abdicate the throne in favor of his six-month old son Faud II. He was exiled to Italy and the Egyptian monarchy was completely overthrown shortly afterward.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: Cairo Tower

Nasser's Pineapple is a nickname for the Cairo Tower, Egypt's tallest building. When it was built, it was the tallest building in all of Africa. It is called Nasser's Pineapple because its lattice work looks like the spikes of a pineapple. The tower was built with money donated by the U.S. Government (which Nasser claims was either a gift or a bribe). The building provides the Cairo skyline with a modern piece of architecture that contrasts itself with the antiquity Cairo is usually associated with such as the Pyramids at Giza and the Sphinx.

From Quiz Egypt - Ancient and Modern

Answer: The Sphinx

He believed that the effort would help him one day become Pharaoh, which it apparently did.

From Quiz History of Alexandria

Answer: Khaled Mohamed Saeed

Khaled Mohamed Saeed was in an internet café when two police officers entered the café and beat him to death. It has been alleged that Saeed had incriminating evidence that Alexandria police were engaging in the drug trade. His death outraged the city and photos of his beaten face were widely circulated on the internet. His death led to massive protests in the city in what are considered one of the first protests in the 2011 Egyptian Revolution that eventually led to the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak. This event was part of the larger Arab Spring that rocked the Middle East in the early 2010s and which led to some democratic reforms in the region. Another even in the Revolution that struck Alexandria was the January 1, 2011 bombing of the Saints Church which killed 23 Coptic Christians and injured almost one hundred others. The bombing brought together the different religious groups in the city, especially Christians and Muslims.

From Quiz History of Cairo

Answer: Tahrir Square

Tahrir Square was always a place of protest in Cairo. It's name means Liberation Square in English and is also sometimes called Martyrs' Square. It became internationally known during the Arab Spring and during the Egyptian protests of 2011. The protests were against the presidency of Hosni Mubarak and against police brutality. Other issues were crackdowns on freedom of speech and civil rights. The protests were started by students, women and other typically liberal-leaning groups. The protests expanded to other cities and groups, including the more conservative Muslims. Mubarak resigned in February 2011, two weeks after the protests began. He was replaced by Mohamed Morsi in 2012 who was then overthrown in 2013.

From Quiz Egypt - Ancient and Modern

Answer: Zahi Hawass

A very interesting person. He is seen in most television documentaries about archaeology in Egypt.

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