ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book is an inquiry into the image and interpretation of the culture of Ancient Egypt in medieval Arab sources, from the Moslem annexation of Egypt in the 7th century CE until the Ottoman conquest in the 16th century. The discipline we call Egyptology, the study of Egyptian archaeology, is held to be a product of modern Western scholarship. While Haarmann suggests that medieval Egyptians had indeed some interest in Ancient Egypt, he summarised their general attitude towards Egyptian antiquities as destroyers, treasure hunters and curious tourists. The situation was made worse by the colonial educational authorities, who excluded Egyptian history from the curriculum. Under Lord Cromer and his colleagues, the sole aim of education policy was to produce Egyptians who would be suitable only for the lower echelons of government bureaucracy.
