KONGRE BİLDİRİLERİ
Dr. Khaled AZAB
Central Projects and Services Sector Bibliotheca Alexandrina / EGYPT
MODERN MISIR’IN HAFIZASININ KEŞFİ
Introduction
The study of History is the outcome of the uncountable questions raised by the past, making the
many aspects of learning history itself questionable. Until this day, historians rely on books, scientific
or cultural journals, and newspapers, as means to provide a glimpse of what took place in the past, or
give a detailed explanation of a historical event. With today’s technological breakthroughs, new ways
provide a rich substance that draws more attention to history.
In the past, the main purpose of documenting history was to praise a ruler or glorify a state.
Therefore, historians did not pay much attention to documenting the daily life of human beings, and
history became selective. Today, the definition of the study of history is very progressive, defined as
the science that studies the conditions of past communities, or the study of human evolution and the
achievements of civilizations and their impact.
Books on History are detailed stories narrated by historians, who provide treasures of knowledge,
and take us way back to the past. This is not all that matters to historians today, as the contemporary
definition of History is formed out of need for not only obtaining a documentation of the past, but
presenting an interpretation of its events.
The question is: Why do we care about History?
The study of history can be conducted for sheer scientific purposes, or to know the events of the
past, or to examine the positive and negative sides of the history of mankind, or simply because it is
a vital cultural component of any population. All the above can provide us with a main answer to the
question we face today; in fact, the realistic answer would be that all of the above is only due to our
interest in history.
No matter what the reason, history is a key ingredient in educating societies, and guiding them
to understanding the rules of peace and war, the management of State affairs and planning for the
future. From this point, and because of its connection to State affairs and its components, the concept
of history is transformed from the scope of theoretical sciences to practical sciences.
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