Art - Morristown-Beard School

Hi! I’m Sarah, more commonly known as the Sahara Desert. I am going to tell you a little bit about my [ahem]
interesting life as a desert!
The first thing I can remember as a desert is way back in 3000 B.C., when a great civilization began to grow along
the Nile River and its delta. These Egyptians adapted surprisingly well! They built a series of kingdoms, and built many
pyramids and other monuments, many of which are still marveled at today. They were really skilled architects! Along with
these well-built pyramids, these people also had innovations which led to Earth’s civilization being the complex society it is
today. They created the 365-day calendar, and were skilled astronomers. Later, in 1570 B.C. to 1085 B.C., Egypt expanded
its society to what is now known as Syria, Israel, and Libya.
As with most civilizations, eventually the luck of the Egyptians began to plummet. The Egyptian power eventually
lessened, and foreigners began to control much of North Africa. In 332 B.C., a Greek army began to invade, led by Alexander
the Great, and founded the city of Alexandria in Egypt. The Roman Empire became a great North African power, and
when they began to weaken, other invaders would begin to take over.
In the 600’s and early 700’s, Arab armies from Southwest Asia conquered much of North Africa. As a result, many
North Africans became Muslims, and Arabic became their main language. This can still be seen today in the people around
me.
Later, between the 1830s and 1912, the Europeans “hopped on the bandwagon” and conquered North Africa. This
was the last straw for my fellow North Africans! They had enough of being pushed around! So, they began to fight for
independence. To start this revolt, Egypt fought for independence from Great Britain, which was granted to them in 1922.
But this did not motivate the rest of North Africa enough to fight for their freedom. But after World War II ended in 1945,
the fight for freedom became stronger. In 1952, a group of Egyptian military officers led a revolution against British rule.
France granted Tunisia and Morocco independence in 1956. But the French still clung on to Algeria, resulting in a bloody
war. But you know those Frenchmen, anyway the wind blows, and in 1962 they granted Algeria its independence. Finally,
to put violent icing on the government cake, Mu’ammar Gadhafi led military officers to overthrow the monarchy.
Well, there you have it! My long life as those around me rise and fall.
Whitley Horn
9
Elizabeth Pellicane