Egypt History and Government In 641, Egypt was conquered by the Arabs. It became a Muslim land, although a group of Christians called Coptic Christians remained. The Muslim rulers made Cairo the capital city. It was ruled by them until Egypt was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The Middle Ages An Egyptian warrior during the Middle Ages Ottomans invading Egypt In 1798, French forces under Napoleon Bonapart invaded Egypt. In 1805, Egyptian forces drove them out. Muhammad Ali Pasha took power and modernized Egypt. He built canals for irrigation and water transportation. The Mohammed Ali Dynasty In 1869, Egypt with France built the Suez Canal, connecting the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. Egypt sold their part to the British, who then took control of the Egyptian government. In 1914, Britain took complete control of Egypt, declaring it a “protectorate” after the Ottomans joined the Central Powers, Britain and France’s enemy during World War I. In 1922, the British Protectorate came to an end. In 1936, King Farouk began his rule of Egypt. In 1941 during World War II, German forces invaded Egypt. They were defeated by British forces. During the war, many Egyptians were angry at King Farouk for living a rich and fancy lifestyle while Egypt was under attack. In 1948, three years after World War II ended, Egypt and other Arab countries invaded the new nation of Israel and were defeated. Egyptians were angry at King Farouk. In 1952, a group of Egyptian soldiers called Free Officers, founded by Gamal Abdel Nasser, and headed by General Muhammad Naguib , overthrew King Farouk, exiled him from Egypt, and took power. Naguib ruled until 1954. Revolution of 1952 and the End of the Muhammed Ali Dynasty Nasser took control in 1954. He expanded education. But Egyptians were not allowed to select their own leaders. Nasser provoked a war with Britain, France and Israel in 1956, and the Six Day War in 1967 against Israel. Egypt lost both wars, but Nasser was very popular in the Arab world for standing up against the west and Israel. Nasser allied Egypt with the Soviet Union, a rival of the United States. Nasser died in 1970 and was replaced by Anwar Sadat, another Free Officer. Sadat broke relations with the Soviet Union and tried to give Egyptians more freedoms. In 1973, Egypt and Syria invaded Israel and were again defeated. In 1977, the prime minister of Israel, Menachem Begin, invited Anwar Sadat to come to Israel to make peace. With the help of American president Jimmy Carter, the two made a peace agreement in 1978 that stands to this day. Many other Arab countries broke relations with Egypt. Anwar Sadat was assassinated in 1981. Hosni Mubarak became Egypt’s president. He tried to restore relations with other Arab countries. He allowed private ownership of businesses and improved Egypt’s economy. But he had tight control of Egypt and his sons were given too much power. In 2011, people began to protest and riot. They were angry about low pay, police brutality, the lack of housing, lack of freedom of speech, and poor living conditions. Mubarak stepped down. In 2011, the people elected Mohamed Morsi president. Morsi was unpopular and was removed by the army. In 2014, Abdel Fattah el - Sisi was elected president of Egypt. He is still president today. Morsi el - Sisi