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Egypt

country in Northeast Africa and Southwest Asia

252 dated entries naming Egypt, drawn from 207 separate years between 1786 BCE and 2025 CE. Nothing here is written by us: each line is the sentence a Wikipedia year article used, and the link beside it opens the exact revision.

Also written as Arab Republic of Egypt in the source articles; Wikipedia redirects those to the same subject, so their entries are on this page.

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18th century BC

  • 1786 BCE1786 BC: Egypt: Queen Sobekneferu dies. End of Twelfth Dynasty, start of Thirteenth Dynasty, start of Fourteenth Dynasty.source

16th century BC

  • 1567 BCE1567 BC—Egypt: End of Fifteenth Dynasty, end of Sixteenth Dynasty, end of Seventeenth Dynasty, start of Eighteenth Dynasty.source
  • 1545 BCE1545 BC—Ahmose I, Pharaoh and founder of the 18th Dynasty of Egypt, dies, according to the High Chronology.source
  • 1522 BCE1522 BC—Jacob migrates to Egypt, settling in the Land of Goshen, according to the Hebrew calendar.source

15th century BC

  • 1500 BCEc. 1500 BC: Queen Hatsheput in Egypt (18th Dynasty).source
  • 1500 BCEc. 1500 BC: The element Mercury has been discovered in Egyptian tombs dating from this decade.source
  • 1491 BCE1491 BC—According to James Ussher's chronology, this is when Moses led the Hebrews from Egypt. This was called the Exodus.source
  • 1469 BCEc. 1469 BC—In the Battle of Megiddo, Egypt defeats Canaan. It is the first battle recorded in history.source

14th century BC

  • 1398 BCE1398 BC—Birth of Tiy to Egyptian nobleman Yuya and his wife Tjuyu. She later becomes the Chief Queen of Pharaoh Amenhotep III of Egypt and the matriarch of the Amarna family (approximate date).source
  • 1346 BCE1346 BC—Amenhotep IV of Egypt begins his Cult of Aten and begins construction of Amarna intended to be his new capital.source
  • 1345 BCE1345 BC–Amenhotep IV of Egypt renames himself to Akhenaten.source
  • 1341 BCEc. 1341 BC - Tutankhamun, Pharaoh of Egyptsource
  • 1338 BCE1338 BC: Queen Tiy of Egypt, Chief Queen of Amenhotep III and matriarch of the Amarna family, vanishes from the historical record. Presumed death.source
  • 1337 BCE1337 BC: Queen Nefertiti of Egypt vanishes from the historical record. Presumed death.source
  • 1336 BCE1336 BC: Pharaoh Akhenaten of Egypt names Smenkhkare as a co-ruler.source
  • 1336 BCE1336 BC: Tutankhaten becomes Pharaoh of Egypt and marries Ankhesenpaaten, his half sister and cousin as well as a daughter of his predecessor Akhenaten.source
  • 1334 BCE1334 BC: Death of Akhenaten, Pharaoh of Egypt. Alternative date is 1333 BCsource
  • 1334 BCE1334 BC: Death of Smenkhkare, Pharaoh of Egypt and co-ruler with Akhenaten. Alternative date is 1333 BCsource
  • 1331 BCE1331 BC: Pharaoh Tutankhaten of Egypt renames himself to Tutankhamun and abandons Amarna, returning the capital to Thebes.source
  • 1323 BCE1323 BC – Death of Pharaoh Tutankhamun of Egypt. Ay succeeds him as pharaoh.source

13th century BC

  • 1280 BCEc. 1280 BC—The Torah is believed to have been fully composed around this time. (Assuming the Exodus from Egypt took place c. 1450 BCE)source
  • 1263 BCE1263 BC—The approximate date traditionally offered for the biblical Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt under the leadership of Moses.source

12th century BC

  • 1160 BCE1160 BC—Ancient Nubia regains independence from Egypt, after long having served as its vice-royalty since its annexation by Pharaoh Ahmose I.source
  • 1154 BCE1154 BC—Medinet Habu (temple): records a people called the P-r-s-t (conventionally Peleset) among those who fought with Egypt in Ramesses III's reign.source
  • 1153 BCE1153 BC—Death of pharaoh Ramesses III of Egyptsource

11th century BC

9th century BC

8th century BC

  • 800 BCEc. 800 BC—Earliest surviving sundial is in use in Egypt.source

7th century BC

  • 674 BCEEsarhaddon puts down a revolt in Ascalon supported by Taharqa, king of Kush and Egypt. In response, the Assyrians invade Egypt, but Taharqa is able to hold them off.source
  • 669 BCEEsarhaddon dies in Harran while on his way to recover Egypt from the Kushites.source
  • 656 BCEPsamtik I extends his control over all Egypt. The Twenty-fifth Dynasty, and subsequent Nubian period, end in Ancient Egypt.source
  • 610 BCENaucratis, a city in Egypt, is founded, eventually becoming one of the more prominent cities of that nation.source
  • 605 BCEBattle of Carchemish: Crown Prince Nebuchadnezzar defeats the allied armies of Egypt and former Assyria, securing the Babylonian conquest of Assyria (approximate date).source

6th century BC

  • 592 BCE592 BC—Early history of Sudan: An Egyptian army sacks Napata, compelling the Cushite court to move to a more secure location at Meroë near the sixth cataract of the Nile.source
  • 570 BCEAmasis II drives Apries from the throne of Egypt.source
  • 510 BCEAryandes, Persian satrap of Egypt (executed by the Persian king Darius I)source
  • 502 BCEDecember 4—A solar eclipse darkens Egypt (computed, no clear historical record of observation).source

5th century BC

  • 464 BCEEgypt seizes the opportunity created by the murder of Xerxes I to revolt against Persia. The revolt is led by Inaros, a Libyan, who gains control of the Delta region and is aided by the Athenians.source
  • 455 BCEThe Athenians suffer a severe defeat in Egypt at the hands of the Persians. After being cut off in the Nile Delta, the Athenian fleet is defeated, and the Athenian army retreats across the Sinai Desert to Byblos before its remnants are rescued. The Egyptian rebel Inaros is crucified by the Persians. The Athenians decide against any further military activity in Egypt.source
  • 454 BCEPersian rule in Egypt is finally restored by Megabyzus, satrap of Syria, after a prolonged struggle which has included dealing with a military intervention by Athens. The leader of the revolt, Inaros II, is crucified by the Persians.source
  • 450 BCEAthenian general Cimon sails to Cyprus with two hundred triremes of the Delian League. From there, he sends sixty ships to Egypt to help the Egyptians under Amyrtaeus, who are fighting the Persians in the Nile Delta. Cimon uses the remaining ships to aid an uprising of the Cypriot Greek city-states against Persian control of the island. He lays siege to the Persian stronghold of Citium on the southern west coast of Cyprus. However, the siege fails and Cyprus remains under Phoenician (and Persian) control.source
  • 449 BCEThe Greek city-states make peace with the Persian Empire through the Peace of Callias, named after Callias II, the chief Greek ambassador to the Persian Court, an Athenian who is a brother-in-law of Cimon. Athens agrees to end its support for the Egyptian rebels still holding out in parts of the Nile Delta, while the Persians agree not to send ships of war into the Aegean Sea. Athens now effectively controls all the Greek city states in Ionia.source
  • 404 BCEAmyrtaeus of Sais successfully leads a revolt against the Persian Empire's control of the Egyptian delta. He becomes the first (and only) pharaoh of the Twenty-eighth Dynasty.source

4th century BC

  • 399 BCEKing Amyrtaeus of Egypt is defeated in battle by his successor, Nepherites I of Mendes, and executed at Memphis. King Nepherites I, or Nefaarud I, founds the Twenty-ninth dynasty of Egypt. He makes Mendes his capital.source
  • 393 BCEUpon the death of King Nepherites I, two rival factions fight for the throne; one backing Muthis, son of Nepherites I, and the other supporting Psammuthes. Psammuthes is successful, but he only manages to reign as King of Egypt for part of the year.source
  • 393 BCENepherites I or Nefaarud I, Pharaoh of Egyptsource
  • 391 BCEEvagoras of Salamis and the Persians battle each other for control of Cyprus. Aided by the Athenians and the Egyptians, Evagoras extends his rule over the greater part of Cyprus and to several cities of Anatolia.source
  • 390 BCEThe Pharaoh of Egypt, Hakor (Akoris), concludes a tripartite alliance with Evagoras, king of Cyprus, and Athens.source
  • 388 BCEPlato, having left Athens on Socrates' death to visit Megara and possibly Egypt, travels to Syracuse at the invitation of Dionysius I's brother-in-law Dion.source
  • 386 BCEFreed from Spartan attacks by the Peace of Antalcidas ("King's Peace") of the previous year, Persia turns to quieting Cyprus and Egypt. Owing to the skill of King Evagoras of Cyprus and of Egypt's Greek mercenary general Chabrias, these wars drag on for the rest of the decade.source
  • 380 BCEPersia forces the Athenians to withdraw their general Chabrias from Egypt. Chabrias has been successfully supporting the Egyptian Pharaohs in maintaining their independence from the Persian Empire.source
  • 380 BCEThe Egyptian Pharaoh Hakor dies and is succeeded by his son Nepherites II, but the latter is overthrown by Nectanebo I within the year, ending the Twenty-ninth dynasty of Egypt. Nectanabo (or more properly Nekhtnebef) becomes the first Pharaoh of the Thirtieth Dynasty of Egypt.source
  • 373 BCEThe Persian King Artaxerxes II launches an invasion of Egypt to bring that country back under Persian rule. The invasion is led by Pharnabazus. After initial successes, the Greek mercenaries fighting for the Persians push on towards Memphis. However, King Nectanebo I is able to gather his forces and repulse the Persian invasion.source
  • 363 BCEThe Egyptian pharaoh Teos (or Tachos) succeeds his father Nectanebo I to the throne. Planning a great attack on Persia, he invites Sparta to help him.source
  • 362 BCEKing Agesilaus II of Sparta arrives with 1,000 men to assist Egypt in its fight with Persia.source
  • 361 BCEThe Egyptians under their King Teos and the Spartans under King Agesilaus II, with some Athenian mercenaries under their general Chabrias, set out to attack the Persian King's Phoenician cities. However, they have to return almost at once due to revolts back in Egypt. Subsequently, Agesilaus II quarrels with the Egyptian king and joins a revolt against him.source
  • 361 BCECallistratus of Aphidnae, an Athenian orator and general, and the Athenian general, Chabrias, are brought to trial in Athens on account of the refusal of the Thebans to surrender the city of Oropus, which on Callistratus' advice the Thebans have been allowed to occupy temporarily. Despite his magnificent oration in his defence (which so impresses Demosthenes that he resolves to study oratory), Callistratus is condemned to death. He flees to Methone in Macedonia, where he is accommodated by King Perdiccas III who draws on his financial expertise. Chabrias is acquitted and then accepts a command under the King of Egypt, Teos, who is defending his country against Persian attempts at reconquest.source
  • 360 BCEWith the help of King Agesilaus II of Sparta, Nectanebo II deposes Teos and becomes king of Egypt. Teos flees to Susa and makes peace with the Persians. Nectanebo II pays the Spartans 230 talents for their help.source
  • 360 BCEThe King of Sparta, Agesilaus II, dies at Cyrene, Cyrenaica, on his way home to Greece from Egypt. He is succeeded by his son Archidamus III as Eurypontid king of Sparta.source
  • 351 BCEEncouraged by a failed effort at invasion of Egypt by King Artaxerxes III, Phoenicia and Cyprus revolt against Persia.source
  • 343 BCEThe King of Persia, Artaxerxes III, personally leads the Persian forces invading Egypt. The Persians are keen to access Egypt's gold and corn supplies. The town of Pelusium in the Nile Delta puts up resistance, but Pharaoh Nectanebo II is forced to retreat to Memphis. As the situation deteriorates, Nectanebo II leaves for exile in Nubia. His departure marks the end of the 30th Dynasty, the last native house to rule Egypt.source

3rd century BC

  • 267 BCEBerenice II, queen and co-regent of Egypt (or 266 BC)source
  • 266 BCEBerenice II, queen and co-regent of Egypt (or 267 BC)source

2nd century BC

  • 199 BCEAncient Egyptian Pharaoh Ankhwennefer succeeds Horwennefer in Upper Egypt, Egypt.source
  • 120 BCEBerenice III, reigning Queen of Egypt (died 80 BC)source

1st century BC

  • 92 BCE92 BC Levant earthquake, earthquake mentioned in catalogues of historical earthquakes. An earthquake and a tsunami reportedly affected areas of the Levant, including the modern states of Cyprus, Egypt, Israel, and Syria.source
  • 36 BCEOctober – Antony abandons the siege of Phraaspa (near Maragheh, Iran). He retreats, loses many men to disease and starvation in the subsequent retreat to Egypt, and marries Cleopatra VII while still married to Octavia.source
  • 29 BCERevolt of Thebes suppressed in Egypt.source
  • 27 BCENorthern statue of the Colossi of Memnon is shattered by an earthquake in Egypt (according to Strabo).source
  • 25 BCEGalatia becomes a Roman province after the death of its king. The Roman troops stationed there are relocated to Egypt.source

1st century

  • 40Christianity comes to Egypt as a church is founded in Alexandria. Mark the Evangelist founds the Church of Alexandria as the first Patriarch (traditional date).source
  • 54Two centurions are sent to the south of Egypt to find the source of the Nile, and possible new provinces. They report that while there are many cities in the desert, the area seems too poor to be worthy of conquest.source
  • 70Expedition by the Roman Septimius Flaccus to southern Egypt. He probably reaches Sudan.source

2nd century

  • 128Hadrian begins his inspection of the provinces of Greece, Asia Minor and Egypt.source
  • 132Legio X Fretensis must evacuate Jerusalem, returning to Caesarea. The Jews enter the city, and re-establish their system of sacrifices. They strike coins to celebrate their independence, which will last for only 30 months. Legio XXII Deiotariana, which advanced from Egypt, is completely destroyed.source
  • 172Avidius Cassius, governor of Syria, suppresses an agrarian revolt in Egypt and is made supreme commander of the Roman army in the East.source
  • 172The Bucolic War broke out in Egypt. The Egyptians, led by Isidorus, fought against the Roman Empire under Marcus Aurelius.source
  • 190Egypt (under Roman rule) is impoverished due to an inflation rate of 100% during the previous decade.source
  • 200The Severan Tondo, depicting Septimius Severus, Julia Domna and their children Geta and Caracalla, from Fayum, Egypt, is made. It is now kept at Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Preußischer Kulturbesitz, Antikensammlung.source

3rd century

  • 250An epidemic begins in Ethiopia, moves into Egypt and the Roman colonies in North Africa, and spreads through the Roman Empire (named the Plague of Cyprian, after St. Cyprian, bishop of Carthage).source
  • 270Anthony the Great, a Christian saint from Egypt, regarded as "Father of All Monks", enters the wilderness to become ascetic.source
  • 292The Upper Egypt revolts of (292–293) outbreak in Egypt, centralized in the city of Thebes, primarily involving other Egyptian cities such as Busiris and Coptos. A precursor to the much larger national Egyptian rebellion that followed a few years later.source

4th century

  • 377Valens concludes a peace with the Persian Empire and leaves enough troops to defend the eastern frontier. The Saracens under Queen Mavia revolt and devastate a swath of territory stretching from Phoenicia and Palestine as far as the Sinai (Egypt). Valens successfully brings the uprising under control.source
  • 380The annexation of western provinces by Chandragupta II gives him commerce with Europe and Egypt.source
  • 384An edict of Theodosius I closes pagan temples in the Nile Valley (Egypt).source
  • 385The Roman synod exiles the prophet Jerome, who has incorporated ideas first propounded by the Roman statesman Cicero. He departs for Egypt, Bethlehem, and Jerusalem, accompanied by the Christian ascetic Paula, who will edit Jerome's translation of the Bible, which becomes the Latin Vulgate.source
  • 390Theodosius I brings an obelisk from Egypt to the Hippodrome of Constantinople.source
  • 394The last known hieroglyphic inscription, known as the Graffito of Esmet-Akhom, is written in Philae, Egypt.source

5th century

  • 442The Monastery of St. Shenouda the Archimandrite (White Monastery) near Sohag (Egypt) is built.source
  • 452Last known usage of Demotic script in Egypt.source
  • 460The Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt) splits from the Chalcedonian Orthodox Church of Alexandria.source
  • 482Emperor Zeno promulgates an Edict of Union (Henotikon), in an unsuccessful effort to soften the decision made at the Council of Chalcedon (451), and resolve differences between the Eastern and Western Churches. Zeno wishes to placate the Monophysite churches of Egypt, Palestine and Syria for political reasons.source

6th century

  • 527Justinian I outlaws pagan religious practices in Egypt, and dispatches Byzantine missionaries to southern territories (approximate date).source
  • 532February 23 – Emperor Justinian I orders the building of a new Orthodox Christian basilica in Constantinople – the Hagia Sophia. He chooses Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles as architects. The material for the construction is brought from all over the empire, such as large stones from quarries in Porphyry, Egypt. More than 10,000 people are employed.source
  • 541Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague appears suddenly in the Egyptian port of Pelusium, spreading to Alexandria and, the following year, to Constantinople. This is the beginning of a 200-year-long pandemic that will devastate Europe, the Middle East, and North Africa.source
  • 542Plague of Justinian: Bubonic plague, spread from Egypt, kills at least 230,000 in Constantinople (modern Istanbul; before counting stops), and perhaps two million or more in the rest of the empire. Emperor Justinian I contracts the disease but recovers.source
  • 549c. 549–564 – Transfiguration of Christ, mosaic in the apse, Church of the Virgin, Saint Catherine's Monastery in Egypt, is made.source
  • 565Saint Catherine's Monastery in Mount Sinai, Saint Catherine, South Sinai Governorate, Egypt by Justinian I, which contains the oldest active library, being Ebla tablets (c. 2500–2250 BC) in the city of Ebla, Syria, discovered by Italian archaeologist Paolo Matthiae and his team in 1974–75, the first, if not the oldest, inactive library.source
  • 577The Temple of Dendur, dedicated to the Egyptian gods Isis, Harpocrates (Horus) and Osiris, is converted for use as a Christian church (approximate date).source

7th century

  • 641The city of Fustat (later Cairo) is founded in Egypt. It becomes the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule.source
  • 642Battle of Dongola: 'Amr ibn al-'As sends an Arab expedition of 20,000 horsemen, under his cousin Uqba ibn Nafi, to Makuria (Southern Egypt). The Nubians strike hard against the Muslims near Dongola with hit-and-run attacks. The Arab incursions into Nubia are temporarily halted.source
  • 646Battle of Nikiou: The Rashidun army (15,000 men) under Amr ibn al-'As defeats a smaller Byzantine force, near the fortified town of Nikiou (Egypt).source
  • 652Uthman ibn Affan establishes a treaty (the Baqt) between the Christian Nubians and the Muslims in Egypt, that lasts for six centuries, including the tribute of 400 slaves annually.source

8th century

  • 716Arab-Byzantine Wars: Umayyad Caliph Sulayman ibn Abd Al-Malik begins the preparations for his campaign on Constantinople; he orders new ships be built in the port-cities in Palestine, Egypt & Ifriqiya. General Umar ibn Hubayra raids southern Anatolia by sea and conquers Lycia, where another Arab fleet joins him, and they spend winter. As the navy advances, Sulayman sends land armies into Anatolia, which settle at Caesarea.source
  • 718Spring – A Muslim supply fleet of 760 ships under Sufyan arrives from Egypt and North Africa, concealing itself along the Asiatic shore. The Byzantines learn of the fleet's location from defecting Christian Egyptian sailors. Emperor Leo III sends the Byzantine navy again; his Greek fire ships destroy the enemy vessels in the Sea of Marmara and seize their supplies on shore, denying the sieging army vital provisions. On land the Byzantine troops ambush an advancing Arab army, and destroy it in the hills around Sophon, south of Nicomedia (modern Turkey). The Arab besiegers are still suffering from hunger and pestilence.source
  • 725In Egypt, resentment of the Copts against Umayyad taxation (called jizya) leads to a revolt (approximate date).source
  • 737Egypt: Christians invade from the south, with the aim of protecting the patriarch of Alexandria (approximate date).source
  • 742The Great Berber Revolt: Muslim forces under Handhala ibn Safwan al-Kalbi, governor of Egypt, break out of besieged Kairouan (Tunisia). He scatters the Berbers, the western and central Maghreb remained under the control of the Berber Kharijites.source
  • 746Arab–Byzantine Wars – Battle of Keramaia: The Byzantine navy scores a crushing victory over the Umayyad Egyptian fleet.source
  • 748An earthquake strikes the Middle East from northern Egypt to northwestern Mesopotamia, destroying many remnants of Byzantine culture (approximate date).source
  • 750January 25 – Battle of the Zab: Abbasid forces under Abdallah ibn Ali defeat the Umayyads near the Great Zab River. Members of the Umayyad house are hunted down and killed. Defeated by his rivals, Caliph Marwan II flees westward to Egypt, perhaps attempting to reach Al-Andalus (Iberian Peninsula), where there are still significant Umayyad armies.source
  • 770Caliph al-Mansur orders the closing of the Canal of the Pharaohs (Egypt). The only remaining land routes to transship camel caravans' goods are from Alexandria to ports on the Red Sea, or the northern Byzantine termini of the Silk Road.source

9th century

  • 806Arab–Byzantine wars: Caliph Harun al-Rashid leads a huge military expedition, assembling men from Syria, Palestine, Persia, and Egypt. The invasion army (reportedly 135,000 men) departs from Raqqa, residence of Harun, and enters Cappadocia through the Cilician Gates, sacking several Byzantine fortresses and cities. Heraclea is captured after a month-long siege (August/September). The city is plundered and razed; its inhabitants are enslaved and deported to the Abbasid Caliphate.source
  • 828A Coptic revolt breaks out in Egypt (approximate date).source
  • 837The city of Naples (modern Italy) is attacked by Saracens from Egypt demanding an annual payment (approximate date).source
  • 853May 22 – A Byzantine fleet (85 ships and 5,000 men) sacks and destroys the port city of Damietta, located on the Nile Delta in Egypt. A large quantity of weapons and supplies intended for the Emirate of Crete are captured.source
  • 883The Zanj Rebellion: Abbasid general Al-Muwaffaq brings in Egyptian forces, to help him in his two-year siege of the Zanj capital Mukhtara. He captures the city, and crushes the revolt that has devastated Chaldea (modern Iraq) since 869.source

10th century

  • 920Georgios I, ruler of Makuria (Egypt)source
  • 970Construction is completed on Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, Egypt (the world's oldest Islamic university).source
  • 990Construction of the Al-Hakim Mosque by orders of the Fatimid vizier Gawar Al-Siqilli begins in Cairo (modern Egypt).source
  • 996October 14 – Caliph Al-Aziz Billah dies at Bilbeis in Egypt after a 21-year reign in which he has expanded his Shiite caliphate at the expense of the Byzantines, using Turkish mercenaries (Mamelukes). He is succeeded by his 11-year-old son Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah as ruler of the Fatimid Caliphate (until 1021).source

11th century

  • 1006April 30 – The brightest supernova ever recorded, SN 1006, occurs in the constellation of Lupus. It is observed and described in China, Japan, Iraq, Egypt, and Europe and possibly depicted in North American rock art. Modern astronomers now consider its distance at about 7,200 light-years. The supernova provides enough light to read by on a night with a dark moon.source
  • 1023January 16 – (21 Shawwal 413 AH) The Grand Vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt is executed only nine months after succeeding Khatir-al-Mulk.source
  • 1077Pope Christodolos ends his reign as leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria (modern Egypt).source
  • 1099August 12 – Battle of Ascalon: The Crusader army (some 10,000 men) decisively defeats the Fatimids who are sent to relieve Jerusalem. Vizier Al-Afdal is forced to retreat to Egypt.source

12th century

  • 1108Baldwin I marches out against Sidon, with the support of a squadron of sailor-adventurers from various Italian cities. A Fatimid fleet from Egypt defeats the Italians in a sea-battle outside the harbour.source
  • 1134Count Hugh II (du Puiset), in alliance with the Egyptian city of Ascalon, revolts against King Fulk V of Jerusalem, attempting to take Jaffa. Hugh submits to Fulk and is exiled for three years. While awaiting for a boat to Italy he is attacked by a Breton knight, but survives the attempted murder. Hugh retires to the Sicilian court of his cousin, King Roger II, who appoints him to the lordship of Gargano, where he dies soon afterwards.source
  • 1164Spring – Saladin accompanies his uncle, General Shirkuh, with an army sent to the Fatimid Caliphate (modern Egypt) by Nur al-Din, ruler (atabeg) of Syria.source
  • 1195The Abbasid Caliph, Al-Nasir, takes military action against the Ayyubid Sultan, Al-Aziz Uthman, who controls Egypt and Syria. The Caliph mobilizes his forces and marches into Mesopotamia, directly challenging Ayyubid authority in the region of Iraq.source

13th century

  • 1250April 8 – Battle of Fariskur: Louis IX (the Saint) is captured by Baibars' Egyptian Mamluk army while he is in Egypt conducting the Seventh Crusade; he later has to ransom himself.source
  • 1250July 21 – Aybak becomes ruler of Egypt, beginning the Bahri Dynasty of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. After 5 days he stands down and the six-year-old Al-Ashraf Musa is nominally proclaimed sultan.source
  • 1251April – The first Shepherds' Crusade, a domestic French uprising in response to events in Egypt during the Seventh Crusade, occurs.source
  • 1260October 24 – Saif ad-Din Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egypt, is assassinated by Baibars, who seizes power for himself.source
  • 1260October 24 – Saif ad-Din Qutuz, Mamluk sultan of Egyptsource
  • 1265The Mamluk Sultanate Bahri dynasty of Egypt captures several cities and towns from Crusader states in the Middle East, including the cities of Haifa, Arsuf, and Caesarea Maritima; these events eventually precipitate the Eighth Crusade in 1267.source
  • 1280June 18 – Battle of al-Jassora: Syria attempts to secede from the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, but Al Mansur Qalawun defeats the rebels and keeps Syria within the Egyptian sultanate.source
  • 1293December – Mamluk sultan of Egypt Khalil is assassinated by his regent Baydara, who briefly claims the sultanate, before being assassinated himself by a rival political faction.source

14th century

  • 1322July 1 – Al-Nasir Muhammad, the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, asks for aid from the Ikhanate Mongol ruler of Iran, Abu Sa'id Bahadur Khan, for help in modern-day southern Turkey. Al-Nasir has started a campaign against the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, led by King Oshin, and Pope John XXII has recently dispatched troops to aid the Armenians. By the time the Ikhanate troops arrive, a ceasefire has been negotiated between the Muslims and the Christians.source
  • 1363The Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan is completed in Cairo, Egypt.source
  • 1365October – Alexandrian Crusade: The city of Alexandria in Egypt is sacked by an allied force of Peter I of Cyprus and the knights of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem.source
  • 1369July 9 – Lusignan of Cyprus leads the Cypriots in an unsuccessful attack on Alexandria in Egypt, then retreats, attacks Sidon again on July 19 and then is force by the weather to return to Cyprus, landing back at Famagusta on July 22.source
  • 1375April 14 – The Mamluks from Egypt complete their conquest of the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia. King Levon V is imprisoned for several years in Cairo, until a ransom is paid by King John I of Castile.source
  • 1381May 21 – Al-Salih Hajji succeeds his older brother, Al-Mansur Ali II as the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt. The Egyptian government continues to be controlled by rebel leader Barquq.source
  • 1389Hadji II is restored as Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, after overthrowing Sultan Barquq.source
  • 1390Barquq is restored as Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, after overthrowing Sultan Hadji II.source
  • 1393King James I of Cyprus inherits the title of King of Armenia, after the death of his distant cousin Leo VI (although the Mamluk conquerors from Egypt remain the true rulers).source

15th century

  • 1406January 22 – Abū al-Faḍl Al-Musta'in becomes the new Abbasid caliph of Cairo, spiritual leader of the Muslim faith in the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt, succeeding his father, Al-Mutawakkil I.source
  • 1455June 15 – In Egypt, the Sultan Sayf al-Din Inal confronts a revolt of 500 of his ethnic Circassian slave-troops (mamluks) after rejecting the soldiers' requests for camels to accompany them on an expedition against Bedouin invaders in the Nile Delta. After attempting to assassinate the Sultan's secretary, Yunus al-Aqba'i, the rebels join discontented Zahiri troops and besieged the Cairo Citadel. Facing a withdrawal of support from the Egyptian Caliph, the Sultan eventually meets the rebels' demands.source
  • 1482May 27 – Cem Sultan, who briefly reigned as the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire for several weeks in 1481 before being deposed by his half-brother, Bayezid II, invades the Turkish mainland and besieges the city of Konya, but is defeated and forced to withdraw to Ankara. Upon trying to retreat to Cairo in Egypt, he finds that all the roads are under Bayezid's control.source
  • 1491May – The Ottoman–Mamluk War (1485–1491) between the Ottoman Empire and the Egyptian Mamluks ends.source

16th century

  • 1517January 22 – Battle of Ridaniya: The Ottoman army of sultan Selim I defeats the Mamluk army in Egypt, commanded by king Tuman Bay II.source
  • 1592May 7 – The Malta plague epidemic begins when galleys from the Grand Duchy of Tuscany arrive on the island with 100 prisoners of war from Egypt, and 20 ill crewmembers; over the next 18 months, 3,000 people on Malta die of the bubonic plague.source

18th century

  • 1727January 12 – Abd el-Sayed of Egypt is enthroned, as Pope John XVII of Alexandria becomes the leader of the Coptic Christian Church, as the 105th Pope of Alexandria and Patriarch of the Holy See of St. Mark. He will serve until his death on April 20, 1745.source
  • 1773May 8 – In Egypt, Ottoman rebels revolt, killing Ali Bey, Mamluk Sultan of Egypt.source

19th century

  • 1811March 1 – Citadel Massacre in Cairo: Egyptian ruler Muhammad Ali kills the last Mamluk leaders.source
  • 1817November 22 – Frédéric Cailliaud discovers the old Mons Smaragdus emerald mines at Sikait, Egypt.source
  • 1827March 11 – The predecessor of Qasr El Eyni Hospital and Cairo University School of Medicine is established in Egypt under the direction of Antoine Clot as the first medical school in the region.source
  • 1827May 20 – Zarafa, the first giraffe to be seen in Europe for over three centuries, arrives in Marseille as a gift from the Ottoman Viceroy of Egypt, Mehmet Ali Pasha, to King Charles X of France. The giraffe then begins a 50-day journey to Paris, walking with its handlers toward Paris where it will arrive on July 9.source
  • 182720 October - Battle of Navarino: A combined British, French and Russian naval force destroys a combined Ottoman and Egyptian armada.source
  • 1831Scholar Rifa'a at-Tahtawi returns from study in Paris to Egypt, where he will participate in the Nahda.source
  • 1832December 21 – Battle of Konya: The Egyptians defeat the main Ottoman army in central Anatolia.source
  • 183831 August – scene painter David Roberts sets sail for Egypt to produce a series of drawings of the region for use as the basis for paintings and chromolithographs.source
  • 1850May 25 – The hippopotamus Obaysch arrives at London Zoo from Egypt, the first seen in Europe since Roman times.source
  • 185025 May – The hippopotamus Obaysch arrives at London Zoo from Egypt, the first to live in the British Isles since prehistoric times.source
  • 1854July 13 – Mohamed Sa'id Pasha succeeds his nephew Abbas as the Wāli of Egypt and Sudan, then a province of the Ottoman Empire.source
  • 1854November 17 – In Egypt, the Suez Canal Company is formed.source
  • 1865July 7 – Following Abraham Lincoln's assassination on April 14, the four conspirators condemned to death during the trial are hanged, including David Herold, George Atzerodt, Lewis Powell and Mary Surratt. Her son, John Surratt, escapes execution by fleeing to Canada, and ultimately to Egypt.source
  • 1869November 17 – In Egypt, the Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea, is inaugurated in an elaborate ceremony.source
  • 1875September 7 – Battle of Agurdat: An Egyptian invasion of Ethiopia fails, when Emperor Yohannes IV defeats an army led by Werner Munzinger.source
  • 1875November 16 – Battle of Gundat: Ethiopian Emperor Yohannes IV defeats another Egyptian army.source
  • 1875November 26 – The Times newspaper in London reveals that Isma'il Pasha has sold Egypt's 44% share in the Suez Canal to Britain, in a deal secured by Benjamin Disraeli, without the prior sanction of the British Parliament.source
  • 1876August 6 – The first issue of Arabic language newspaper Al-Ahram is published by Saleem and Beshara Takla in Alexandria, Muhammad Ali dynasty (modern-day Egypt).source
  • 1882June 11 – The 'Urabi revolt breaks out in Egypt against Khedive Tewfik Pasha and European influence in that country.source
  • 1882July 11–13 – Anglo-Egyptian War: The British Mediterranean Fleet carries out the Bombardment of Alexandria, its forces capturing the city of Alexandria, Egypt, and securing the Suez Canal.source
  • 1882September 13 – Anglo-Egyptian War: British troops occupy Cairo, and Egypt becomes a British protectorate.source
  • 1889August 3 – Mahdist War: Battle of Toski – Egyptian and British troops are victorious.source
  • 1899November 25 – The Battle of Umm Diwaykarat, a decisive British and Egyptian victory, ends the Mahdist War in the Sudan, as the Khalifa of Sudan, Abdallahi ibn Muhammad, is killed.source

20th century

  • 1907April 24 – Al Ahly SC is founded in Cairo by Omar Lotfi, as a gathering place for Egyptian students' unions in the struggle against colonization; it is the first association football club officially founded in Egypt or Africa.source
  • 1911June 28 – The Nakhla meteorite falls in the Abu Hummus region of Egypt, providing evidence of water on Mars.source
  • 19141 November – The first contingent of the First Australian Imperial Force leaves for Egypt.source
  • 1919March 8 – British authorities in Egypt arrest populist leader Saad Zaghloul, exiling him to Malta, triggering the Egyptian Revolution of 1919.source
  • 1919June 26 – British Foreign Office official St John Philby and T. E. Lawrence arrive in Cairo for discussions about Arab unrest in Egypt, having been flown by Canadian pilot Harry Yates in a Handley Page bomber which set off from England on June 21.source
  • 1922February 28 – The Unilateral Declaration of Egyptian Independence by the United Kingdom ends its protectorate over Egypt, and grants the country nominal independence, reserving control of military and diplomatic matters.source
  • 1922November 4 – Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun: in Egypt, English archaeologist Howard Carter and his men find the entrance to the pharaonic tomb of Tutankhamun in the Valley of the Kings.source
  • 19224 November – Discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt: English archaeologist Howard Carter and his men find the entrance to KV62, the tomb of Tutankhamun, a pharaoh of the Eighteenth Dynasty, in the Valley of the Kings. On 26 November, Carter and his sponsor Lord Carnarvon become the first people to see inside the tomb in over 3,000 years.source
  • 1923March 6 – The Egyptian Feminist Union (Arabic: الاتحاد النسائي المصري), the first nationwide feminist movement in Egypt, is founded at the home of activist Huda Sha'arawi.source
  • 1940December 9 – WWII: Operation Compass – British forces in North Africa begin their first major offensive, with an attack on Italian forces at Sidi Barrani, Egypt.source
  • 1945October 24 – The United Nations is founded by ratification of its Charter, by 29 nations including the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Canada, Egypt, Brazil, Haiti, Luxembourg, the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and others.source
  • 194616 June – Night of the Bridges: Ten Palmach members blow up bridges across Palestine which link Palestine to the neighboring countries Lebanon, Syria, Transjordan, and Egypt, in order to immobilize its transportation.source
  • 1948May 15 – 1948 Arab–Israeli War: The British Mandate of Palestine is officially terminated; expeditionary forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria and Iraq invade Israel and clash with Israeli forces after declaring war.source
  • 1948May 15 – Four of the seven countries of the Arab League at that time, namely Egypt, Iraq, Jordan and Syria, backed by Arab volunteers invade the territory of the former British Mandate of Palestine and clash with Jewish forces. The resulting 1948 Arab–Israeli War lasts for 13 months.source
  • 1948May 15 - The British Mandate of Palestine is officially terminated, causing expeditionary forces from Egypt, Transjordan, Syria and Iraq to invade Israel and clash with Israeli forces.source
  • 1950March 22 – Egypt demands that Britain remove all its troops from the Suez Canal zone.source
  • 1951December 6 – A state of emergency is declared in Egypt, due to increasing riots.source
  • 1954February 25 – Lt. Col. Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes premier of Egypt.source
  • 195428 September – The Israeli government's attempt for the Israeli ship "Bat Galim" to traverse the Suez Canal fails after the ship is arrested by the Egyptian authorities. This attempt is made after Egypt prevented other Israeli ships and foreign cargo ships headed towards Israeli ports, of passing through the Suez Canal, in violation with the terms of the Convention of Constantinople.source
  • 1954November 14 – Egyptian president Muhammad Naguib is deposed, and Gamal Abdel Nasser replaces him.source
  • 195528 February – 1 March – Operation Black Arrow: An IDF operation carried out in Gaza (then under Egyptian control) from 28 February through 1 March 1955. The operation is aimed at the Egyptian army. 38 Egyptian and eight Israeli soldiers are killed during the operation and 30 Egyptians and thirteen Israelis are wounded. According to the Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser, this operation was the main motivation for Egypt's major arms deal with Czechoslovakia in 1955.source
  • 1956January 16 – Egyptian leader Gamal Abdel Nasser vows to Liberate Palestine.source
  • 1956June 23 – Gamal Abdel Nasser becomes the 2nd president of Egypt, a post he holds until his death in 1970.source
  • 1956July 26 – Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser nationalizes the Suez Canal, sparking international condemnation.source
  • 195626 July – President Gamal Abdel Nasser of Egypt announces the nationalization of the Suez Canal and Egyptian forces seize control of the canal, moves that precipitate the Suez Crisis and the Sinai Campaign.source
  • 195622 October – Israel, Britain and France secretly meet in Sèvres, France, and make plans to invade Egypt.source
  • 1956October 24 – The Protocol of Sèvres, a secret agreement between Israel, France and the United Kingdom, is signed, allowing the former to invade the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt and occupy the Suez Canal with the support of the other two governments, giving rise to the Suez Crisis.source
  • 1956October 29 – Suez Crisis: Israel invades the Sinai Peninsula and pushes Egyptian forces back toward the Suez Canal.source
  • 1956October 31 – Suez Crisis: The United Kingdom and France begin bombing Egypt to force the reopening of the Suez Canal.source
  • 1957January 1 – The first Canadian peacekeepers arrive in Egypt after the Suez Crisissource
  • 1957January 20 – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula (captured from Egypt on October 29, 1956).source
  • 195722 January – Israel withdraws from the Sinai Peninsula (captured from Egypt on 29 October 1956 during the Suez Crisis), keeping forces in the Gaza Strip and along the eastern shore of the peninsula.source
  • 1957March 8 – Egypt re-opens the Suez Canal.source
  • 1957April 9 – Egypt reopens the Suez Canal to all shipping.source
  • 1958February 1 – Egypt and Syria unite to form the United Arab Republic.source
  • 19594 November – Six Israeli jets and four Egyptian MiG-17s clashed in a dogfight near the border between the two nations. All planes reportedly returned safely and the battle did not lead to further action.source
  • 1960January 9 – Construction of the Aswan Dam begins in Egypt.source
  • 1961September 28 – 1961 Syrian coup d'état: A military coup in Damascus, Syria effectively ends the United Arab Republic, the union between Egypt and Syria.source
  • 1967May 17 – President Gamal Abdal Nasser of Egypt demands withdrawal of the peacekeeping UN Emergency Force in the Sinai. U.N. Secretary-General U Thant complies (May 18).source
  • 1967June 5 – Six-Day War begins: Israel launches Operation Focus, an attack on Egyptian Air Force airfields; the allied armies of Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and Jordan invade Israel. Battle of Ammunition Hill, start of the Jordanian campaignsource
  • 1967June 8 – Egypt severs diplomatic relations with the United States.source
  • 1967October 21 – An Egyptian surface-to-surface missile sinks the Israeli destroyer Eilat, killing 47 Israeli sailors. Israel retaliates by shelling Egyptian refineries along the Suez Canal.source
  • 1970July 21 – The Aswan High Dam in Egypt is completed.source
  • 1971September 2 – The United Arab Republic is renamed to the Arab Republic of Egyptsource
  • 1973October 6 – Yom Kippur War begins: The fourth and largest Arab–Israeli conflict begins, as Egyptian and Syrian forces attack Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights on Yom Kippur.source
  • 19736 October – Yom Kippur War: The fourth and largest Arab–Israeli conflict begins, as Egypt and Syria initiate a surprise attack on Israeli forces in the Sinai Peninsula and Golan Heights on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Hebrew calendar. Jordan, Iraq and other Arab nations support the Epyptian-Syrian war effort but do not take part in the conflict.source
  • 1977November 19 – Egyptian President Anwar Sadat becomes the first Arab leader to make an official visit to Israel, when he meets with Israeli prime minister Menachem Begin, seeking a permanent peace settlement.source
  • 197817 September – The Camp David Accords are signed between Israel and Egypt. The Accords lead directly to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty.source
  • 1979March 26 – In a ceremony at the White House, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign an Egypt–Israel peace treaty.source
  • 197926 March – In a ceremony at the White House, President Anwar Sadat of Egypt and Prime Minister Menachem Begin of Israel sign a peace treaty. Egypt thus becomes the first Arab country to officially recognize Israel.source
  • 1981October 14 – Vice President Hosni Mubarak is elected President of Egypt, one week after the assassination of Anwar Sadat during a parade, by servicemen who belong to the Egyptian Islamic Jihad organization led by Khalid Islambouli and oppose his negotiations with Israel.source
  • 1984December 1 – A peace agreement between Kenya and Somalia is signed in the Egyptian capital Cairo. With this agreement, in which Somalia officially renounces its historical territorial claims, relations between the two countries begin to improve.source
  • 1985November 23 – EgyptAir Flight 648 is hijacked by the Abu Nidal group and flown to Malta, where Egyptian commandos storm the plane; 60 are killed by gunfire and explosions.source
  • 198818 November – Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Egypt, Gambia, India, Nigeria, Seychelles, and Sri Lanka recognizes the State of Palestine. The Czech Republic and Slovakia continue this recognition following the 1992 dissolution of Czechoslovakia.source
  • 1989March 15 – Israel hands over Taba to Egypt, ending a seven-year territorial dispute.source
  • 1989October 17 - Egypt and Libya re-establish diplomatic relations that had been cut off in 1977.source
  • 1990March 1 – A fire at the Sheraton Hotel in Cairo, Egypt, kills 16 people.source
  • 1990August 10 – Egypt, Syria, and 10 other Arab states vote to send military forces to Saudi Arabia to discourage an invasion from Iraq.source
  • 1991December 15 – The Egyptian ferry MV Salem Express sinks in the Red Sea, killing more than 450 people.source
  • 1992January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General.source
  • 19941 July – Palestinian President Yasser Arafat returns to Palestine after 27 years of exile by crossing the border from Egypt to the Gaza Strip, arriving first in Rafah and then Gaza City.source
  • 1995September 1 - Gaddafi orders the expulsion of 30,000 Palestinians living in Libya, as a gesture of his opposition to the Oslo II Accord process between the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and Israel. The expulsion process went badly, with many Palestinians sent to poorly-equipped refugee camps on the Egyptian border or stranded in Cyprus, and the process was temporarily halted in late October 1995. It resumed in 1996, halving the number of Palestinians living in Libya.source
  • 1995November 20 – A car bomb explosion outside the Egyptian Embassy in Islamabad, Pakistan destroys the façade of the building, killing at least 13 people and wounding dozens more.source
  • 1997November 17 – In Luxor, Egypt, 62 people are killed by 6 Islamic militants outside the Temple of Hatshepsut.source

21st century

  • 2005September 7 – Egypt holds its first ever multi-party presidential election, which is marred with allegations of fraud.source
  • 2009March 5 - Somali pirates release Egypt's MV Blue Star.source
  • 2009October 24 – The 2009 El Ayyat railway accident occurred in Giza, Egypt, when a passenger train derailed due to stoppage of animals on the train tracks. 50 people were killed and 30 people were injured.source
  • 2010September 14 – A second round of Middle East peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority concludes in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.source
  • 2012June 30 – Mohamed Morsi, a member of the Muslim Brotherhood, is elected 5th President of Egypt, the first elected democratically by the Egyptian people, sparking mixed reactions and protests throughout the country.source
  • 2014September 6 - Egypt charges former president Mohammed Morsi and nine others for leaking sensitive government information to Qatar.source
  • 2015February 16 – The Egyptian military begins conducting airstrikes against a branch of the Islamic militant group ISIL in Libya in retaliation for the group's beheading of over a dozen Egyptian Christians.source
  • 20175 June – Qatar plunges into diplomatic crisis as Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and the internationally recognised government of Yemen sever ties with it, claiming that national security, media incitement and Qatari support for Iran are the cause.source
  • 202112 January – Egypt reopens its airspace to Qatari aircraft, and will allow the resumption of direct flights between the countries, which have been suspended since 2017.source
  • 2024January 1 – Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran and the United Arab Emirates become BRICS members.source
  • 2025February 18 – Egypt announces the discovery of Thutmose II's tomb by a joint British-Egyptian team, the first royal tomb to be discovered since Tutankhamun's in 1922. It is the 15th and final pharaoh tomb from the Eighteenth Dynasty of Egypt to have been found by archeologists.source

Named in the same entries