Lifting the Veil: British Society in Egypt, 1768-1956

by Anthony Sattin

From James Bruce’s intrepid journey up the Nile to the departure of the last British troops from Suez, Lifting the Veil portrays the shifting interests, dreams and failures, passions and intrigues of an extraordinary cast of characters. From Napoleon Bonaparte with his schemes to control the overland route to India, to tomb raiders such as Giovanni Belzoni; from scholars such as hieroglyph-decoder Champollion to Thomas Cook and his wide-eyed tourists and Cromer and his bureaucrats, this fast-paced and richly described narrative illuminates a bygone world and charts the end of imperialism and the advent of Egyptian independence

Genres: Egypt, Africa

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Anthony Sattin (1956- ) is a British journalist, broadcaster and travel writer. His main area of interest is the Middle East and Africa, particularly Egypt.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

The subtitle of Anthony Sattin’s Lifting the Veil, at least in the original edition, is British Society in Egypt, 1768-1956, which gives it a pretense as an academic work. Yet there is not a footnote to be found in the book and the author’s narrative takes the form of a series of travel anecdotes from Britons who visited Egypt during the period under consideration. As such, the text is intended not to advance a particular argument about Egypt, but to relate a story about Britain’s history and its two-century relationship with an unlikely international partner.

Sattin begins by arguing that, in the 18th century, Egypt held little appeal for Britons, although a steady trickle of travelogues began to change this. The most influential narrative of the period was that of James Bruce, whose published account of his attempt to find the source of the Nile drew renewed attention to and interest in Egypt. The next turning point was Napoleon’s 1798 invasion, which brought the savants, as well as western ideas, to the country. Buttressed by new, western-style educational centers established by Muhammad Ali, British academic interest in the nation was reinvigorated, while soldiers who returned after expelling the French brought back artifacts and stories that made Egypt “fashionable”. The excavations of Giovanni Belzoni, meanwhile, created an interest in Egyptian antiquities.

Beginning in the 1820s, strategic concerns led Egypt to be seen as a potential route to India and other parts of the empire, which led to regional economic development, particularly in the form of transportation improvements. This had the side-effects of making the country more accessible to Britons and the development, by the mid-1850s, of a tourist industry catered towards the wealthy, particularly those seeking to escape the harshness of England’s winters. Among the most famous of these was Lucie Duff-Gordon, who produced one of the era’s rare sympathetic portrayals of the indigenous population, since she was one of the few to interact with it on a frequent and personal basis. Meanwhile Edward Lane, seeking to challenge British society’s overemphasis on pre-Islamic heritage, became the first westerner to produce a comprehensive account of contemporary Egyptian culture. The author ends the first part of his book by examining the Sudan through the lens of Charles Gordon, who was the first Briton to take the region seriously and champion its potential. Mention is also made of the Urabi Revolt, which culminated in a British occupation.

Sattin’s second section consists primarily of chapters that focus on particular cities, although it begins with a description of the rise of the travel and tourist industry in Egypt, which was spearheaded by John Mason Cook and patronized by many famous individuals. Alexandria is conceptualized as a city possessed of a long-history of non-native residency, beginning with the Greeks and the Romans. The theme of this part of the narrative, therefore, is one of the waxing and waning fortunes of the foreign population that culminated in strong anti-foreign sentiments after World War I. The author laments that this led to a decreased international presence after centuries of activity. Cairo, on the other hand, was more about tourism than long-term occupancy, although it too began to develop in terms of its relationship to the international community, to the detriment of the native population. The story here, therefore, is one of a growing distinction between wealthy westerners and increasingly marginalized Egyptians.

Luxor, meanwhile, stands as the almost polar opposite of Alexandria, since its economy has long been tourist-based and there are very few residents not connected to the industry. Like other cities, it has suffered based on the fluctuations of Egypt’s political situation, but its importance as a center for antiquities has allowed it to maintain a modicum of stability in terms of its development and foreign presence. Sattin’s final body chapter examines Aswan and the Sudan, the former of which became an important site for foreigners due to the construction and maintenance of the Aswan Dam, while the latter was disparaged until interest in it was generated by Charles Gordon. The author’s conclusion takes an unexpected turn, as it suggests that a recurring theme of the book has been the unwillingness of visitors to take the opportunity to genuinely get to know Egyptians, of whom he thinks highly. Instead, most were content to accept stereotypes and live separately from, and in better conditions than, the country in which they resided. This, he argues, is why the destruction in the lead-up to the 1952 Revolution was aimed primarily at foreigners and their spaces.

One might be tempted to accuse Sattin of the very charges that he lays against previous generations of travellers to Egypt, as his narrative is told entirely through the lens of foreigners, high politics, and charismatic figures and does not undertake a genuine attempt to understand the society. Yet he can be forgiven if one considers this work to be a history of Britain told as a function of its relationship to Egypt, rather than vice-versa, and takes into account that his audience was likely not academic specialists, but more casual readers. From this perspective, Lifting the Veil can be considered a critique of the narrative, as well as the individuals, that it engages, which would mean that my biggest criticism would be that the book presents itself as academic, when it is more accurately a journalistic work. To the author’s credit, the most recent edition of this text is subtitled “Two Centuries of Travelers, Traders and Tourists in Egypt”, which is a more accurate description, although I cannot speak to any changes in terms of the content, or whether he makes more of an attempt to engage Egyptian society. All of this means that, while I do not have a particular grudge against this work, I would not be certain as to who I could recommend it, as the content is geared towards more casual readers, yet the message is not presented clearly and would be difficult to discern outside of an academic perspective.

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A definititve look at (British) colonialism in Egypt. Very well-written and engaging, encompassing all sorts of perspectives from a particularly (I would think) objective stance. Recommended for anyone interested in the roots of a lot of the debate between the Middle East and British Empire, not just Egypt.