Upon his visit to the Scientific Academy built by Napoleon Bonaparte during the time of the French Expedition, the great historian Abdur-Rahman al Jabarti describes the books and atlases in addition to the Arab writings that Bonaparte had brought from France, mainly to attract the attention of Egyptian intellectuals and to show his interest in Islamic culture.

                The primary mission of the French orientalists who accompanied the Expedition was to create bridges of understanding and cordiality between the Egyptian people and the French invaders presenting translations of the French leadership instructions understandable by common people. There interests not only included the ancient pharaonic culture and monuments, but the contemporary Arabic culture, as well as the animals, vegetation and geology of Egypt.

                Influenced by their readings of French orientalists, the French Cultural Cohort envisioned Egypt as an earthly paradise. However, as they first stepped into the country they were shocked to face difficulties inconceivable to them, as they were neglected by the military. The scholars lived in harsh conditions, difficult terrain and with scarce water. Worse, the Egyptians looked upon them as invaders.

                Yet, their suffering came to an end as Napoleon Bonaparte moved into Cairo. They had the chance of living in appropriate houses. When he decided to establish the Egyptian Scientific Academy, Bonaparte had in mind the image of its French counterpart. To this end, he selected as members a variety of physicians, engineers, various scientists, artists, journalists, archeologists and economists. Bonaparte had, for the first time, a museum built for Egyptian antiquities that comprised ancient Egyptian coffins and mummies, together with the Rosetta Stone. The museum was initially based in as-Sanary House, a structure that still survives nearby as-Sayeda Zeinab Mosque.

Egypt was a meeting point between Africa and Asia. It was the birth place of arts that included almost an infinite number of monuments. The world was told that Egypt's main temples and palaces, built during the era of the Pharaohs, still existed, and that the latest of those monuments were contemporary to the Trojan war. Homer, Lycorgus, Solon, Pythagoras, and Plato came to Egypt to learn about its sciences, creeds and laws. Moreover, Alexander the Great constructed a wonderful city that remained for long the prime trading harbor. Thus "The Description of Egypt" was typical of European attempts to understand and unravel the mystery of the orient in anticipation of occupying its lands and draining its wealth. "The Description of Egypt" comprises materials that belong more to science than to letters. It is composed of 12 large-size volumes of maps, lists and drawings, and 24 volumes of texts. It is noteworthy that the birth of "Egyptology" owes much to "The Description of Egypt" and was complemented by Champollion's eventual translation of the Rosetta Stone.