Veniukov, M.I.: Notes on Contemporary Egypt

Title

Zametki o Sovremennom Egipte, Moskva 1894

Notes on Contemporary Egypt

Keywords

Summary

The author of these notes, presented in the form of an essay, asserts that the primary objective of this text is to represent contemporary Egypt. Deliberately avoiding historical landmarks, the author intends to concentrate his observations on recent locations and constructions. This focus not only extends to the post-Suez Canal era, but also encompasses the period subsequent to British occupation. The journey begins in Port Said, where a recently constructed railway marks the starting point. Subsequently, the author explores Ismail and travels to Cairo, making a pit stop in Zagazig. Afterwards the text provides an overview of the years spanning from 1799 to 1882, a crucial period leading up to the establishment of British occupation in Egypt. Post-occupation, according to the author’s observations, the country underwent significant transformations and revolutionary modernization, drifting away from the old tradition, and affecting key areas of civilisation such as justice, education, industry, and agriculture.

Bio

Mikhail Veniukov was a Russian geographer, ethnographer, traveller, and publicist. He studied at Saint Petersburg University from 1852 to 1854; consequently, he successfully graduated from the Military Academy in 1856. A member of the Russian Geographical Society, he embarked on numerous journeys (Amur, Transbaikal, Altai, the Caucasus, China, Japan), publishing essays and travel notes. He resigned from the military in 1877 and moved permanently to Europe, settling in France and continuing to travel (Turkey, Northern Africa, Senegambia, Brasil, Uruguay, Panama, etc.). He contributed with numerous articles to both Russian and European periodicals, offering insights into the situation in Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt, East Africa, and Madagascar. His extensive list of publications includes several works on the African nations and the historical context of European colonisation in Africa, which Veniukov characterised as completely alien from the Russian expansion towards the East.

Sources

Entsiklopedicheskii slovar’ Brokgauza i Efrona, t. XI, Sankt-Peterburg 1904, p. 404;

Voennaia Entsiklopediia Sytina, ed. by V. Novitskii, t. V, Sankt-Peterburg 1911-1915, p. 313;

M. Bassin, Russian Geographers and the ‘National Mission’ in the Far East, in Geography and National Identity, ed. by D. Hooson, Oxford-Cambridge [MA] 1994, p. 112-132.

M.E.