The history of Egypt is long and rich, thanks to the Nile River and the accomplishments of its people and outside influences. Egypt's ancient history was largely unknown until the discovery and deciphering of the Rosetta Stone, which allowed the deciphering of Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Great Pyramid of Giza is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.

Ancient Egyptian civilization began around 3150 BC with the unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under King Narmer. Native Egyptian rule lasted until the conquest by the Achaemenid Empire in the sixth century BC.

In 332 BC, Alexander the Great conquered Egypt, leading to the establishment of the Hellenistic Ptolemaic Kingdom in 305 BC. The Ptolemies faced native rebellions and wars, leading to the kingdom's decline and eventual annexation by Rome. Egypt then became a Roman province after the death of Cleopatra.

Roman rule in Egypt lasted from 30 BC to 641 AD, with a brief period of control by the Sasanian Empire between 619 and 629. After the Muslim conquest of Egypt, it became part of successive Caliphates and other Muslim dynasties. In 1517, Egypt was absorbed into the Ottoman Empire.

Egypt remained under Ottoman control until 1805, except for a brief French occupation from 1798 to 1801. In 1867, Egypt became a nominally autonomous tributary state called the Khedivate of Egypt, falling under British control in 1882. After World War I and the Egyptian Revolution of 1919, the Kingdom of Egypt was established, with the United Kingdom retaining control over foreign affairs, defence, and other matters. British occupation lasted until 1954.

The modern Republic of Egypt was founded in 1953, and with the complete withdrawal of British forces from the Suez Canal in 1956, President Gamal Abdel Nasser introduced many reforms and created the United Arab Republic with Syria. Anwar Sadat, Nasser's successor, departed from Nasserism, re-instituted a multi-party system, and launched the Infitah economic policy. Sadat also led Egypt in the Yom Kippur War of 1973 to regain the Sinai Peninsula, leading to the Egypt–Israel peace treaty.

Recent Egyptian history has been dominated by events following nearly thirty years of rule by former president Hosni Mubarak. The Egyptian revolution of 2011 deposed Mubarak and resulted in the first democratically elected president in Egyptian history, Mohamed Morsi. Unrest after the 2011 revolution and related disputes led to the 2013 Egyptian coup d'état, Morsi's imprisonment, and the election of Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as president in 2014.