This long-overdue first history of Egypt in Islamic times allows for a fascinating rediscovery of the country beyond the era of the pharaohs and highlights why Egypt continues to play a leading role intellectually, culturally, and politically to this day. Since the Middle Ages, Egypt has been a cultural center of the Islamic East. Johanna Pink vividly narrates the history of the country from late antiquity and the Islamic conquest through the glorious period of the Fatimids, as well as the Ottoman and British rule, up to independence under Nasser in the 20th century and the Arab Spring. Her particular focus is on Arabization and Islamization, the power of the military, and the fiercely contested social modernization.