Casino de Madrid presents the history of Egypt through its architecture 

"Egypt is a rather unknown country. It is a place that surprises you every time you visit it". This was the beginning of the Diplomacy and Civil Society Forum organised by the Casino de Madrid. The event "Egypt from the Ancient Empire to the present day" was attended by Rafael Orbe, President of the Casino de Madrid; Gerardo Seco, Dean of the Board of Directors of the Casino de Madrid and as a speaker, Marwan Zaki, General Manager of "Allways Select", Hippocultural Arab initiatives.

Throughout the event, the extensive history of Egypt was presented, but in an unusual way, through its architecture. Egypt can be considered the cradle of civilization. Egypt's first settlers settled on the banks of the Nile River, thus escaping the harsh and inhospitable desert. The history of Egypt is too long and complex to be summarised in little more than an hour. From the Casino de Madrid they managed to give it another, more interesting, focus and present it through its architecture and how it has changed over time and in tune with history itself. The buildings, sculptures and paintings also tell stories and can perfectly reflect a specific historical moment.

Gerardo Seco, Dean of the Board of Directors of the Casino de Madrid, introduced this talk by highlighting the wealth of this country. The archaeologist and traveller Tito Vivas, highlighted at the time, that only 30% of the tombs in Egypt are known. The Dean also wanted to emphasise this fact, because in November from this same year one hundred new sarcophagi were found intact. The sarcophagi were found in the Saqqara Necropolis, which is located just 50 km south of Cairo. The coffins belonged to high-ranking officials and priests of the 26th Dynasty, but more surprisingly, they have remained intact since their burial some 2,500 years ago.

This is the greatness of Egypt, and this is what they wanted to highlight at the forum that took place yesterday. Broadly speaking, the history of Egypt can be divided into three different stages: Ancient, Middle and New Empire. In the so-called Old Empire, during the third dynasty, with Dyeser (Zoser), we find a domain of art and monumental architecture in stone. "The Ancient Empire, although it sounds ironic, is related to the most advanced stage of Egyptian history," Marwan Zaki explained during his speech. It is at this stage that the first building in history was carried out, the pyramid of Zoser, which served as a prototype for the famous pyramids of Giza and the other Egyptian pyramids. 

The middle empire, as Zaki explained, can be considered to have begun with Thutmosis III, the sex pharaoh of Egypt's 18th dynasty. During his reign, the Egyptian Empire reached its maximum territorial extension. Construction activity was very notable at this time, when wealth was pouring into the country of the Nile. Many temples were built, extended and restored in Egypt and Nubia. During this period, the construction of the largest human figures in history is noteworthy.

This brings us to the time of the New Empire where, being a forum for diplomacy, the first peace treaty in history could not be missed. The Battle of Qadesh took place between the forces of the New Empire of Egypt, ruled by Ramses II, and the Hittite Empire, ruled by Muwatalli II, in the city of Qadesh. This battle between the two nations resulted in the first known peace treaty in history.

We move on to the Persian occupation and the arrival of Alexander the Great who, in order to win over the Egyptians, had to deal with the priests, thus founding Alexandria. After his death, Alexander gave way to the Ptolemaic dynasty and shortly after that, the Christianisation of Egypt. It was not until the 6th century that Islam settled definitively in the region, a series of Islamic cultures landing but with bases in different metropolises. The Umayyads were based in Damascus, the Abbasids in Badgad and the Fatemites in Cairo.

Thus, throughout the forum, the extensive and amazing history of Egypt is explained in broad terms until the coup d'état of Colonel Gamal Abdel Nasser and the establishment of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The construction of the Aswan Dam and the nationalisation of the Suez Canal are highlights of this period.

In broad terms, the meeting aimed to highlight Egypt's importance in the international arena, "as a key place in Mediterranean diplomacy", said Gerardo Seco. Spain, for example, imports a large quantity of Egyptian gas, and is therefore a fundamental player in trade relations for our country.