Republic of Egypt
Egypt, 1953 to today.
The monarchy was abolished in 1953. Leaders from the army have led the state since, through eras of Arab nationalism, war, peace with Israel and economic opening.
Seat of power: Cairo
Rulers
Gamal Abdel Nasser
President, 1954–1970
Led the 1952 revolution and ruled as a charismatic one-party leader. He nationalised the Suez Canal in 1956, carried out land reform and promoted Arab unity, but defeat in the 1967 war damaged his project.
Portrait of Gamal Abdel Nasser: Stevan Kragujević, CC BY-SA 3.0, file
Anwar Sadat
President, 1970–1981
Broke with the Soviet Union, launched the 1973 war to regain Sinai and then signed the Camp David peace with Israel. His open-door economic policy invited foreign investment. He was assassinated in 1981.
Portrait of Anwar Sadat: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Hosni Mubarak
President, 1981–2011
Ruled for 30 years under emergency law, keeping the peace with Israel and close ties with the United States. Mass protests in January 2011 forced him to resign.
Portrait of Hosni Mubarak: Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, file
Abdel Fattah el-Sisi
President, 2014 to today
A former army chief who removed President Mohamed Morsi in 2013 and was elected president in 2014. His government focuses on large state projects such as a new administrative capital, with tight control over political life.
Portrait of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi: Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt, CC BY 4.0, file
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Culture
- The Aswan High Dam, finished in 1970, ends the yearly Nile flood and creates Lake Nasser.
- Naguib Mahfouz wins the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature, the first Arab writer to do so.
- The Grand Egyptian Museum opens beside the pyramids of Giza.
Picture
The Aswan High Dam and Lake Nasser.
Image: NASA, Public domain, file
