To the ancient Egyptians themselves, their country was simply known as Kemet, which means 'Black Land', so named for the rich, dark soil along the Nile River where the first settlements began.
What was the name of Egypt before it was named Egypt?
In the early period of Egypt, during the Old Kingdom, Egypt was referred to as Kemet (Kermit), or simply Kmt , which means the Black land. They called themselves "remetch en Kermet", which means the "People of the Black Land". The term refers to the rich soil found in the Nile Valley and Delta.
Why was Egypt called Kemet?
The Egyptians called their country Kemet, literally the "Black Land" (kem meant "black" in ancient Egyptian). The name derived from the colour of the rich and fertile black soil which was due to the annually occurring Nile inundation. So Kemet was the cultivated area along the Nile valley.
Has Egypt changed its name?
While other researchers suggest “Misr” is originally an Arabic word which means in English “the country” and first Arabs widely used this name to refer to Egypt as they didn't know a specific name for the land of Egypt at this time. And since this time, this name has never been changed again.
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