From an ancient African civilisation which developed writing and agriculture, Egypt underwent several periods of foreign domination: starting with Alexander the Great in 330 BCE, cycling through the Ptolemaic Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mamelukes, Ottoman Turks, and French, and ending up under British authority until independence was achieved in 1936.
The Library of Congress Country Study for Egypt provides an excellent and fairly detailed history of the country. This information was originally compiled for the US Department of Army in case of potential deployment -- examining the historical, social, economic, and political background the country. (The only problem with this site is the awkwardness of navigating so many pages.)
A useful potted history is included with these US Department of State Background Notes on Egypt. Also included is a range of political, economic, and geographical data, as well as information on its people, defence, and relations with the US.
A quirky, colloquial presentation of Egypt’s history presented by LonelyPlanet.com. Makes awfully good reading and may galvanise your interest in Africa’s regional history. Not only suitable for travellers.
An extremely brief historical overview accompanies this BBC Country Profile of Egypt. Of particular interest are the simplified regional map (see where the country is in Africa/Middle East), a photograph of Egypt’s current Chief of State, and details about the countries media.
A chronology of important events in the history of Egypt given by year (and for more recent events by month also).
A useful map and a range of geographical, political, and economic facts which are mostly up-to-date. Unfortunately this country profile lacks historical information (except for independence date), but the population statistics are probably the best available.
Updated weekly, this list of Egypt's Chief of State and Cabinet Ministers is provided by the Central Intelligence Agency of the United States of America.
Amnesty International report on human rights violations and media restrictions in Egypt.
As well as the usual Country Profile information available on the web, AlertNet offers up to date news headlines about humanitarian efforts and crises in Egypt.
