CEVAP:

The broad fields of the Delta opened out to Libya, to the Mediterranean, and to Asia, whereas the long trough of Upper Egypt was hemmed in by blighted deserts. The agricultural richness of middle Egypt contrasted sharply with the poverty of southernmost Egypt. The two factors of insulation from strong outside influence and of wide internal variety helped explain the tolerant flexibility and genial sophistication. Certainly, the self-assurance, and the active sense of gaiety stood in contrast to an austerity which marked the Asiatic culture.