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This fascinating book explores the relationship between Egypt and Ethiopia from early history through the end of the 20th century. By focusing on the significance of the Nile to both of these countries, this study reveals a rare sensitivity to the force of geography on cultural relations. Haggai Erlich offers rich insights into how Ethiopia and Egypt saw each other bilaterally and how each related to Africa and the Middle East in general. For those looking for historical works that explore the often ignored intertwining of African and Middle Eastern history, this work will provide a great deal of information.
Erlich traces several important themes through this history, the most important being that, as he writes, "this is a story of mutual dependence, but it is also a story of broken eye contact." Egypt and Ethiopia had been in close contact with each other since ancient times, and the foundation of the Coptic church tied the two countries together with spiritual bonds. Co-believers, however, did not view the Nile with the same eyes. Because the Nile originated in Ethiopia, Egyptians in the 5th and 6th centuries were often suspicious that their neighbors could and would threaten the flow of the Nile. However, Ethiopians were concerned that...