Egypt’s Ambassador to Singapore reflected on the country’s 6,000-year civilisational continuity, cultural diversity, and global influence, underscoring Egypt’s role as a crossroads of cultures and a lasting source of soft power
Speaking on the multifaceted nature of Egyptian culture and civilisation, His Excellency Ahmed Mostafa, Ambassador of Egypt to Singapore, described Egypt’s history not as a sequence of isolated eras, but as “a continuous, 6,000-year-old river of culture that has both irrigated the world with knowledge and absorbed the tides of foreign influence.” This perspective frames Egypt as a living civilisation, one shaped by interaction, adaptation and resilience rather than a static relic of the past.
Ambassador Mostafa emphasised that Egypt is often referred to as the “gift of the Nile,” but argued that it is more accurately defined as a cultural crossroads. In his address, he explained that studying Egypt does not mean examining a single frozen timeline, but rather uncovering layers of a palimpsest, where earlier cultural narratives remain visible beneath newer ones. Understanding this diversity, he said, is essential for appreciating how civilisations survive, adapt, and influence the world over time.
Reflecting on continuity and change, the Ambassador pointed out that Egypt offers a unique case study of civilisational persistence. Despite transformations in language, from Ancient Egyptian to Coptic, Greek, and Arabic, and in belief systems, from polytheism to Christianity and Islam, he noted that a distinct cultural “DNA” has endured. He observed that modern Egyptian folk traditions and everyday expressions can still be traced back to Pharaonic times, illustrating how societies absorb external influences while maintaining a coherent identity.
Geography, Ambassador Mostafa noted, has been central to Egypt’s historical role as a bridge between Africa, Asia, and Europe. He recalled that during the Greco-Roman era, Alexandria served as the intellectual capital of the ancient world, where Hellenistic philosophy merged with Egyptian mysticism, mathematics, and astronomy. Later, during the Islamic Golden Age, Cairo emerged as a global centre of trade and scholarship, synthesising Persian, Arab, and Mediterranean knowledge. These periods, he said, demonstrate that history should be viewed as a global web of interaction rather than isolated civilisational paths.
Religious pluralism also featured prominently in the Ambassador’s remarks. He highlighted Egypt’s long record of religious evolution, noting that the country is home to some of the oldest Christian monastic traditions within Coptic Christianity, as well as influential Islamic institutions such as Al-Azhar. Studying how these communities have coexisted and shared artistic and social spaces, he said, offers important lessons for contemporary interfaith dialogue and social cohesion. In this context, he recalled the words of Pope Shenouda III: “Egypt is not a country we live in, but a country that lives within us.”
Beyond its ancient monuments, Ambassador Mostafa drew attention to the diversity of Egypt’s people. He pointed to communities such as the Nubians in the south, the Bedouins of Sinai, and the Siwi people of the Western Desert, noting that focusing solely on the Pharaonic legacy risks overlooking the country’s rich social and cultural complexity. This diversity, he explained, holds scientific value for fields such as anthropology, linguistics, and the study of human migration.
Turning to Egypt’s ancient foundations, the Ambassador described how civilisation developed along a fertile strip of land bordered by inhospitable desert, fostering early cultural cohesion. He highlighted Ma’at, the concept of truth, balance, and cosmic order, as the central philosophy shaping Egyptian society for thousands of years. He also noted Egypt’s early scientific contributions, including the 365-day solar calendar, advances in medicine, and the applied geometry that enabled large-scale irrigation and monumental construction.
Ambassador Mostafa further traced Egypt’s cultural synthesis through the Greco-Roman and Islamic periods. He noted that Greek rulers adopted Egyptian traditions rather than dismantling them, creating hybrid religious and political structures, while the spread of Christianity gave rise to Coptic culture and monasticism. Following the Arab conquest, Egypt retained its central position in the Islamic world, with Cairo flourishing as a centre of scholarship, architecture, and global trade connecting the Silk Road to the Mediterranean.
In addressing modern Egypt, the Ambassador described the country as Om El Donya, the “Mother of the World”, and characterised contemporary Egyptian culture as a mosaic shaped by history, language, and global engagement. He observed that in the 20th century, Egypt became a cultural leader of the Arab world through cinema and music, with figures such as Umm Kulthum and a thriving film industry shaping regional identity. And, he added, Egyptians often navigate a “triple identity”: Pharaonic in heritage, Arab in language and politics, and Mediterranean or global in outlook.
Concluding his remarks, Ambassador Mostafa reflected on Egypt’s enduring soft power. From ancient art and architecture that influenced classical Greek and Roman styles, to modern media, music, sports, and heritage diplomacy, Egypt has long exercised influence through attraction rather than coercion. He noted that contemporary symbols,from global sporting icons to major cultural projects such as the Grand Egyptian Museum, continue to project Egypt’s identity internationally, reinforcing its role as a living civilisation that remains deeply connected to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern worlds.
