Nasser's Funeral - Shots from One of the Most Amazing Days in Egypt

1st of October 1970, …one of the most fanciful days of Egypt's modern history. In the most amazing funeral held in the 20th century, millions of Egyptians went after the public burial of President Gamal Abd El-Nasser -who died on 28th September -in one of the biggest crowds in the world.

They went out in millions to show their sorrow, crying, racing, collapsed and fighted to get near the convoy, and disrupted the schemed liturgies. The leaders and Presidents who had flown to Cairo got no more than a few yards along the route before they had to give up their trials to lead the crowds.

Shortly before ten o'clock, a green helicopter flew over the city center bearing the body from Kubbeh Palace, where it had lain in state, to the headquarters of the Revolutionary Council on Gezira Island. The funeral began in the cool gardens of the headquarters. Here, in a stately edifice among the lawns and palm trees running down to the edge of the Nile, the young President and his "free officers" ruled the country early in the beginning of the revolution. Here they governed Egypt during the Suez crisis of 1956. Here superior mourners had assembled from 70 countries.
In the distance one could hear the vague murmur of countless thousands, women wailing, men chanting. Then the coffin of the late president descended from the sky and one saw how fragile the surface calm was.

The coffin was placed on a flower-smothered catafalque surrounded by mourners. King Hussein stood in tears next to Emperor Haile Selassie. It was transferred to a gun carriage for the procession. A soldier on the roof of the Revolutionary Council building broke into wild shouts, "Farewell, Gamal, farewell, Gamal", and hurled his grief at the dignitaries below. From then on decency was thrown to the wind. It seemed that a million Egyptians were weeping at once. A deep sadness was imprinted on the faces of the soldiers lining the route.

To see some shots from that great funeral...I've chosen for you a video which have been showed at the seventies on the Egyptian television, and I'm sure you will get impressed of these scenes.

Egypt's Napoleon: Thutmosis III

Though a lot of Pharaoh's kings of the 18th and 19th dynasties were martial chiefs, but Thutmosis III was absolutely one of the greatest leaders through the ancient Egyptian history.
Thutmosis III was the son of Thutmosis II and a queen called Isis. After the death of his father, Thutmosis III became the king at the age of 2 or 3 years old. Because he was evidently still young to resign, he was married to his stepmother Hatshepsut, the widowed Great Regal Wife of Thutmosis II.
Thutmosis III spent his childhood and teenage years training in the army, until the death of Hatshepsut in year 22 of their reign. At this time, he took over the throne as a fully grown adult and military leader. When Hatshepsut died, Thutmosis III was still only 24 or 25 years old and took over the rule of Egypt as the legitimate king.
At the beginning of his sole rule, Thutmosis III started re- definition to the borders of his land and control that Egypt had over the Near East, starting with a great campaign to Megiddo, territory of the Hittites. With great bravery, Thutmosis marched into Megiddo via the most difficult way, catching the Hittites off guard. The Egyptians, however, lost their advantage when they stopped to spoil the Hittite camp. The Hittites were able to withstand the Egyptians for more than seven months, and the Egyptians eventually returned home.
Thutmosis didn’t give up though. During his 50 years or so of sole rule, he made 17 additional campaigns into Syria, as well as further campaigns into Nubia – some when he was in his 80s. Through his efforts, he firmly re-established Egypt as a power to be reckoned with.
Egyptologists often refer to Thutmosis III as the Egypt's Napoleon because he spent most of his life fighting and claiming land in the name of Egypt. He left some very detailed military records in the Hall of Annals at Karnak temple, telling of the glorious deeds in Syria that earned him this title.