Egypt

Context

The melody comes from a speech by Mustafa Kamil, an early Egyptian nationalist, with music composed by Sayed Darwish, considered the father of Egyptian popular music. Egypt has had four different national anthems since 1923, with this version adopted after the Camp David Accords in 1979 to replace the pan-Arab anthem that no longer fit Egypt's new diplomatic direction.

Lyrics

Interesting facts

• • Sayed Darwish, the composer, died at age 31 but revolutionized Arabic music; he is considered the father of modern Egyptian music
• • Egypt changed its anthem four times in the 20th century, each time reflecting a dramatic political shift from monarchy to pan-Arabism to peace with Israel
• • The previous anthem 'Walla Zaman Ya Selahy' ('Oh My Weapon') was replaced partly because its militant tone clashed with the peace treaty with Israel