Page:Statesman's Year-Book 1913.djvu/1449

 RELIGION AND INSTRUCTION

1827

Nature of occupation

Agriculture

Manufactures

Transport

Trade

Public force .......

Public administrations. . ..

Liberal arts

Persons living solely on their incomes Domestics .......

General designation without indication determinate occupation. . ..

Unproductive and unknown occupation. Fresh- water fish and game. . ..

Nomad population

Extraction of minerals

Total. . ..

of a

Male

2,25S,005

356,425

101,026

153,645

57,027

48,534

1.35,733

99,323

67,255

99,544

2,208,580

27,431

50,434

4.112

Female

57,144

19,916

110

7,565

7

353

S,346

13,300

2,291,251

5,781

3,169,496

69

46,947

Total

2,315,149

376,341

101,136

101,210

57,034

48,887

144,079

112,623

2,358,506

105,325 5,378,076

27,500

97,381

4,112

5,667,074 5,620,285

11,287,359

Of the Egyptian .population over 10 years of age, 62-65 per cent, were employed in agriculture ; of the foreign population, less than 1 per cent. Of the Egyptian population, 16-27 per cent, were employed in various indus- tries and trades; of the foreign i^opulation, 47 85 per cent. Of the total number employed in the liberal professions, 48 per cent, were foreigners. ^

The principal towns, with their populations in 1907, are :— Cairo, 654,476 ; Alexandria, 332,246 ; Tanta, 54,437 ; Port Said, 49,884 ; Mehalla el Kobra, 47,955 ; Mansura. 40,279 ; Assiut, 39,442 ; Damanhour, 38,752 ; Fayum, 37,320 ; Zagazig, 34,999 ; Damietta, 29,354 ; Minia, 27,221 ; Sherbin, 25,473; Akhmim, 23,795; Beni-Suef, 23,357; Menuf, 22,316; Shebin el Kom, 21,576 ; Mellawi, 20,249 ; Qena, 20,069.

Religion and Instruction.

In 1907 the population consisted of 10,366,826 Moslems ; 706,322 Copts ; 38,635 Jews. Christians: 12,736 Protestants: 57,744 Roman Catholics; 76,953 Greek Orthodox; 27,937 Eastern Christians; 206 others. Thus Moslen;s formed 91 '84 per cent, of the population ; Christians, 7*81 per cent. ; Jews, 0-34 per cent. ; others, O'Ol per cent. The highest religious and judicial authorities among the Moslems are the Sheikh-ul-Islam appointed by the Khedive and chosen from among the learned class of Ulema, and the Grand Cadi nominated by the Sultan, and chosen from amongst the learned Ulema of Stamboul. The principal seat of Koranic learning is the Mosque and University of El Azhar at Cairo, founded year 361 of the Hegira, 972 of the Christian era. In 1908 it had 329 professors and 9,940 students of Islam and subjects connected therewith. The Mosque of El-Ahmadi at Tanta had 69 professors and 3,607 students.

There are in Egypt large numbers of native Christians connected with the various Oriental churches ; of these, the largest and most influential are the Copts, the descendants of the ancient Egyptians ; their creed is Orthodox (Jacobite), and was adopted in the first century of the Christian era. Its head is the Patriarch of Alexandria as the successor of St. Mark. There are three metropolitans and twelve bishops in Egypt, one metropolitan and two bishops in Abyssinia, and one bishop for Khartum ; there are also arch-priests, priests, deacons, and monks. Priests must be married before ordination, but celibacy is imposed on monks and high dignitaries. The Copts use the Diocletian (or Martyrs') calendar, which differs by 284 years from the Gregorian calendar.