Since the beginning of the nineteenth century, Egyptian society has experienced deep changes, consisting mainly in the destruction of its traditional framework and, to some lesser degree, in the creation of modern institutions. This books deals with such developments as the settlement and detribalization of the Bedouins, the dissolution of the village community, the development of private property, the transition from Islamic criminal law to a secular westernized code, the decline and disappearance of the artisan and commercial guilds, the abolition of slavery, as well as urbanization and the beginnings of municipal government.

This is Volume XI of eighteen in a collection on the Sociology of Development. Originally published in 1964 the book is based on lectures were conceived as an introduction to the study of modem Middle Eastern history, economy, or politics; their aim was to present the main facts of population structure and the problems and trends of development of Middle Eastern Arab society. The book was written in 1958 and published in Hebrew early in 1960.

This volume deals with the history of the "common people" in the Middle East, both villagers and urban dwellers. It investigates some of the characteristic traits of the structure and development of urban and rural society in pre-modern and modern Middle Eastern history.