- Sa'idi
A Sa'idi (Lang-ar|صعيدي) is a person from
Upper Egypt (Lang-ar|صعيد "Sa'id"). [cite book | last = Abu-Lughod | first = Lila | authorlink = Lila Abu-Lughod | title = Local Contexts of Islamism in Popular Media | publisher = Amsterdam University Press | date =2006 | pages = 24 pages | isbn = 9053568247] The word can also refer to a form of music originating there, [cite book | last = Zuhur | first = Sherifa | title = Colors of Enchantment | publisher = American University in Cairo Press | date =2001 | pages = 456 pages | isbn = 9774246071] or to the dialect spoken by Sa'idis. The word "Sa'id" in Arabic means "level", "plain ", "surface", and can also have the added sense of "ascending". Thesuffix "-i" denotes the adjective.Sa'idis and their dialect are the subject of numerous Egyptian
ethnic jokes . They are popularly assumed to be physically stronger but less clever than otherEgyptians . An example of such stereotyping is the box office hit "Sa'eedi fil gamaa el amrekeia" (1998) starringMohamed Henedi . [imdb title|0389340|Sa'eedi fil gamaa el amrekeia ]Until the
Aswan High Dam was built, Sa'idis were less apt to suffer from waterborne diseases such asbilharzia than Delta peasants.Gamal Abdel Nasser was of Sa'idi extraction (he was from the town ofBeni Mur ), which may have made him more sensitive to criticism and more secretive. Although Upper Egypt has 60 percent of Egypt's land area, it contains only 17 percent of its population. [cite book | last = Goldschmidt Jr. | first = Arthur | coauthors = Robert Johnston | title = Historical Dictionary of Egypt | publisher = American University in Cairo Press | date =2004 | pages = p. 349 | isbn = 9774248759]Upper Egypt is less developed than the rest of Egypt, a fact that has contributed to the development of
Islamic fundamentalism there. The region also has a large Coptic population and a richCoptic history . For instance, Sahidic was the leading Coptic dialect in the pre-Islamic period. In the last few decades, the rise of Islamic fundamentalism combined with the high concentration of Copts has led to morecommunal violence in small Upper-Egyptian towns than in any other part of the country. On the other hand, the high proportion of Copts in Upper Egypt has enabled some Christians to hold prominent political posts there. For instance,Qena Governorate is currently headed by a Coptic governor.ee also
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Upper Egypt
*Sa'idi Arabic (the dialect spoken by Sa'idis)References
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