The History of Egyptian Cotton
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Andante Sostenuto
Andante Sostenuto has been writing online for three years and offline for even longer than that. Prior to working for Demand Studios, she contracted various freelance gigs from sites such as Textbroker, eCopywriters, eHow, and Helium. Sostenuto has had her work published by CFCP Inc. and Creative Communications Inc. She is currently an English major at U.C. Berkeley.
By Andante Sostenuto, eHow Contributor
Egyptian cotton comes from the species Gossypium barbadense.
Egyptian cotton is derived from the species Gossypium barbadense, a tropical perennial plant with yellow petals and black seeds. It requires full sunlight and high humidity and rainfall to grow properly as a small, bushy tree, and is very sensitive to frost. It is characterized by its unusually long, silky fibers and is less susceptible to insect damage. Egyptian cotton is used worldwide by luxury brands. Today, the term "Egyptian cotton" also refers to the product of another cotton species, Gossypium hirsutum.
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The Original Egyptian Cotton
While Egypt has grown cotton for thousands of years, they relied primarily on linen, which is derived from the flax plant. Men pulled flax directly from the ground. The half-ripe stems would be turned into thread by soaking them for several days and then separating and beating the fibers, attaching a spinner, and twisting the fibers into thread, which would then be placed on a loom and woven into cloth.
Mohammed Ali's Involvement
In 1820, a Frenchman named Jumel convinced the Egyptian head of state, Mohammed Ali, to try out a type of cotton that he dubbed "Maho" and was put in charge of a plantation. In 1822, Mohammed Ali bought a roller gin but preferred to rely on peasants because it was cheaper. He extended his cotton crop all over the Delta and sold it all every year for a fixed price, stimulating Egypt's economy and creating new European interest in Egypt. He helped to turn Egypt into a single crop colonial country, linked directly to the European textile industry. Mohammed Ali continued to control the entire cotton process and reap the enormous profits.
The Credit System
Mohammed Ali and his successors began to borrow from European banks with huge interest rates, introducing to Egypt the credit system in their effort to modernize and industrialize both cotton production and the country. Egypt was in debt to Europe, but continued to produce high amounts of cotton that allowed them to keep the debt manageable. They also modernized Egypt significantly, which increased cotton output.
The American Civil War
In 1861, a civil war erupted in the United States, cutting off European access to Southern cotton production. The price of Egyptian cotton escalated, rising by $50 million in the span of 2 years. With the increased exports, Ismail, Mohammed Ali's grandson, sought to turn Cairo into Paris' rival, creating what would later be known as "Paris on the Nile." Ismail also built the Suez Canal, opening another resource to Egypt. However, when the Civil War ended, Europeans began to import cotton from America again, causing the Egyptian cotton industry to crumble.
Colonization
In 1879, England and France took over Egypt, ordering Ismail to abdicate and colonizing the country. They continued to export cotton out of Egypt and controlled the Egyptian cotton production entirely until Egypt's independence. Cotton is still the major cash crop of Egypt and one of its primary exports.
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