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Let My People Go! – The History and Historicity of the Biblical Account of the Exodus

Khalid Elhassan May 31, 2025 17 min

13. Who Were the Hyksos?

The Hyksos were Semitic-speaking peoples who migrated into Egypt and eventually rose to power during the Second Intermediate Period, circa 1650 – 1550 BC. Their name comes from the Egyptian term heqa khasut, meaning “rulers of foreign lands.” The Hyksos established the 15^th Dynasty and ruled from the city of Avaris in the eastern Nile Delta, which they developed into a major administrative and trade center.

The Hyksos were traditionally depicted as violent invaders, but modern archaeology shows that they probably rose to prominence gradually, taking advantage of a weakened central government. They adopted many aspects of Egyptian culture, including religious practices and royal titles. However, they maintained some distinctive cultural traits from the Levant, such as Canaanite deities and architectural styles.

Written by

Khalid Elhassan

A lifelong history buff, I developed a particular passion for WW2 history as a child, when I spent hours listening to my grandfather, enraptured, as he recounted his wartime experiences in the British East African Campaign and with the British 8th Army in North Africa.

I graduated with a history BA from George Mason University, then went on to get a JD from the University of Virginia School of Law. After lawyering for a decade, I moved to sunny Rio de Janeiro and a less demanding career, opening a tourism agency in Copacabana.

A big chunk of my free time is spent blogging (you can follow me on Quora https://www.quora.com/profile/Khalid-Elhassan ) or freelance writing, mostly about my favorite subject, history.