The Pharaonic Village - Napoleon's Conquest of Egypt Exhibit

The Pharaonic Village:

Napoleon's Conquest of Egypt

by Dr. Abdel H. Ragab

Napoleon in Egypt

Napoleon's conquest of Egypt (1798-1800) did not last more than two years. Yet its consequences to the area were spectacular.

This latest museum in the Pharaonic Village attempts to capture this. It highlights some of the main historic events, including:

The Battle of the Pyramids: This is the battle where Napoleon and his army defeated the Mamelukes - warlords of Egypt. The battle was fought at Imbaba, 13 miles north of the pyramids.

Battle of the Pyramids

The Battle of the Nile: This was the famous battle fought in Aboukir bay - 11 miles east of Alexandria. The British Navy, under Horatio Nelson, defeated the French Armada.

Battle of the Nile

A copy of the Rosetta Stone in its original size. This, discovered by a French soldier, Pierre Bouchard, in Rashid (Rosetta) was instrumental in the decipherment of the hieroglyphics. The Rosetta was written in two languages - Egyptian and Greek. Egyptian was written in hieroglyphics and demotic (people's writing).

The story of the decipherment of hieroglyphics by Thomas Young and Jean Francois Champollion is described. Once the hieroglyphics were deciphered, the entire Pharaonic history of Egypt became easy to understand. Thus the oldest and most advanced civilization became comprehensible.

French army in military uniforms

The French Scientific Expedition: Napoleon brought with his army 167 Scientists ("savant"). They did a remarkable job of describing, drawing and cataloging all the ancient Egyptian temples, antiquities - as well as the fauna and flora of the country. This was eventually published in 1828 as "Le description de L'Egypt" in 28 volumes.


Napoleon inspecting a mummy

Last Updated: June 1st, 2011