Ahmed Osman (Arabic: أحمد عثمان; born 1934) is an Egyptian-born author known for his controversial theories linking figures from the Bible with Egyptian history. Osman's positions often conflict with mainstream Egyptology, with some Egyptologists dismissing them as unacademic conjecture.
Osman's Key Hypotheses
Ahmed Osman has proposed several hypotheses that challenge conventional understandings of biblical and Egyptian history:
- Identification of Joseph with Yuya: His first hypothesis was that Joseph was the father-in-law of Amenhotep III, Yuya. Osman identified the Semitic-born Egyptian official Joseph with the Egyptian official Yuya.
- Moses and Akhenaten as the Same Person: Ahmed Osman has also claimed that Moses and Akhenaten were the same person, supporting his belief by interpreting aspects of biblical and Egyptian history.
- Atenism and Judaism: He alleges that Atenism can be considered monotheistic and related to Judaism, and includes other similarities, including a ban on idol worship and the similarity of the name Aten to the Hebrew Adon, or "Lord".
A number of Osman's positions are in conflict with mainstream Egyptology, including conventional Egyptian chronology. Some Egyptologists have gone as far as rejecting them as unacademic conjecture while others do not consider them worth refuting.
Who’s Moses? Is Moses and Akhenaton is one person?
Criticism of Osman's Work
Donald B. Redford wrote a scathing review of Stranger in the Valley of the Kings for Biblical Archaeology Review in which he wrote "The author treats the evidence as cavalierly as he pleases. He presents himself as a sober historian, yet when it suits him, the Biblical evidence is accepted at face value and literally..."
He also argues that Jesus was not Jewish but was actually the Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun and that there was no Joshua, just a confusion between the names Jesus and Joshua: "Up to the 16th century, when the Old Testament books were translated from the Mesoretic Hebrew text into modern European languages, Jesus was the name of the prophet who succeeded Moses as leader of the Israelites in Egypt.
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Slavery in Ancient Egypt
According to Osman, if the story of Joseph in the Pentateuch is giving a factual report of his being sold into Egypt as a slave, by merchants for silver, this account could not possibly be accurate unless the transaction took place at some time between the Eighteenth and Twenty-second Dynasties.
Around the middle of the sixteenth century B.C., with the beginning of the Eighteenth Dynasty after the Hyksos expulsion, slaves of Palestinian or Syrian origin began to appear in Egypt in large numbers. This influx was the result of military conquest in Asia where Tuthmosis III's campaigns alone are said to have brought seven thousand captives. These prisoners were regarded as Royal property, and it was the king, as we saw in the case of Ahmose, who could give them to his officers or assign them to the temple. There is also evidence that slaves were bought and sold for silver or property during the Eighteenth Dynasty.
Ahmed Osman: Beyond Belief
Only four letters were used by the scribes and craftsmen who wrote Yuya's name on the objects in his tomb:
- alef phonetic value A
- alef or yodh phonetic value A or Y
- yodh phonetic value Y
- waw phonetic value W
Osman Ahmed Osman: Engineer, Contractor, and Politician
Osman Ahmed Osman (Arabic: عثمان أحمد عثمان) (April 6, 1917 - May 1, 1999) was an Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician. Known commonly as el-mo'alim ("the boss"), Osman founded the Arab Contractors (the largest Arab contracting firm in the whole of the Middle East and the world, between the 1960s and 1980s) and led the Egyptian effort to build the Aswan Dam.
Osman's dream was to build a large, successful contracting firm. At the time, all such firms operating in the Middle East were European. After only 18 months of work experience, Osman founded Osman Ahmed Osman, Engineer & Contractor, which would later become the Arab Contractors. His startup capital was E£180 he had saved up from his earlier job.
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In 1956, Osman returned to Egypt. By this time, the Egyptian revolution, led by Gamal Abdel Nasser, had taken place. Osman returned with a bang, winning a $48 million contract for Nasser's pet project, the Aswan Dam.
Osman and Sadat had very similar views, and were neighbors in El Haram Giza. Osman, as one of Sadat's close friends and political allies, was subjected to much criticism, most of which was ultimately aimed at Sadat.
Defenders of Osman argue that he amassed most of his wealth during the Nasser presidency, mostly outside of Egypt (in other Arab countries). In fact, they argue, most of Osman's wealth was invested in the Arab Contractors, which was nationalized by Nasser.
Osman Ahmed Osman died in 1999. The Arab Contractors still remains one of the largest construction companies in Egypt and the Middle East .
Legacy
The Osman Group is a group of companies privately owned by members of the Osman family. It was founded in 1974, and today is owned / run by Osman Ahmed Osman's four sons - Mahmoud, Ibrahim, Ahmed, and Mohamed.
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In Ramadan 2007, a TV series featuring Nour Al-Sherif was aired on Arabic satellite channels. Many people drew parallels between the main character of the show (Saad El-Daly), and Osman Ahmed Osman, but the creators of the show have denied basing that character on Osman.
Sarah and Pharaoh
The Book of Genesis gives no explanation of the reasons which prompted Terah and his family to set out on the great trade route to Canaan. Nor, as is usual in the Bible, is there any indication of the date when this migratory journey began.
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