Events in the year 2021 in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

Incumbents

* President of Egypt:

Abdel Fattah el-Sisi Abdel Fattah Saeed Hussein Khalil El-Sisi (born 19 November 1954) is an Egyptian politician and retired military officer who has been serving as the sixth and current president of Egypt since 2014. After the 2011 Egyptian revolution and 201 ...

* Prime Minister of Egypt:

Moustafa Madbouly Mostafa Kamal Madbouly (born 28 April 1966) is an Egyptian politician who serves as the 54th and current Prime Minister of Egypt. He was appointed by President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to succeed Sherif Ismail following his government's resignation ...

Events

Ongoing –

COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt The COVID-19 pandemic in Egypt was a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). The virus was confirmed to have reached Egypt on 14 February 2020. Background On ...

January and February

*12 January – An appeals court acquits Haneen Hossam and Mawada al-Adham imprisoned for "attacking society’s values" over videos they published on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

. Hossam, 20, still faces charges of

human trafficking Human trafficking is the act of recruiting, transporting, transferring, harboring, or receiving individuals through force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. This exploitation may include forced labor, sexual slavery, or oth ...

. *18 January – Direct flights between Egypt and

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

are renewed for the first time since 2017. 300,000 Egyptians live in Qatar. *19 January – A female baker is arrested for ″violating family values″ for allegedly baking sexually-suggestive

cupcake A cupcake ( AmE, CanE), fairy cake ( BrE), or bun ( IrE) is a small cake designed to serve one person, which may be baked in a small thin paper or aluminum cup. As with larger cakes, frosting, icing and various other cake decorations such as ...

s. The arrest became the hottest topic on

social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...

and is the most recent incident in a struggle for increased freedom of expression. *24 January – COVID-19 pandemic: Egypt begins vaccinating healthcare workers. More than 300 doctors have died. *4 February – The government frees journalist Mahmoud Hussein of

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera Media Network (AJMN; , ) is a private-media conglomerate headquartered in Wadi Al Sail, Doha, funded in part by the government of Qatar. The network's flagship channels include Al Jazeera Arabic and Al Jazeera English, which pro ...

after five years in prison on charge of spreading false news. *17 February – Egypt buys 168

RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile The RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) is a small, lightweight, infrared homing surface-to-air missile in use by the German, Japanese, Greek, Turkish, South Korean, Saudi Arabian, Egyptian, Mexican, UAE, and United States navies. It wa ...

s for USD $197 million. *18 February – President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Mohammed Dbeibah meet in

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

March and April

*6 March – President El-Sissi meets with Sudanese general

Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdel Fattah al-Burhan Abdelrahman al-Burhan (; born 11 July 1960) is a Sudanese army general who has been the ''de facto'' List of heads of state of Sudan, leader of Sudan since 2019. Following the Sudanese revolution, Sudanese Revolution in Ap ...

Khartoum Khartoum or Khartum is the capital city of Sudan as well as Khartoum State. With an estimated population of 7.1 million people, Greater Khartoum is the largest urban area in Sudan. Khartoum is located at the confluence of the White Nile – flo ...

. *11 March – 2021 Cairo clothing factory fire *23 March – The

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

is blocked as the , 224,000-ton ''

Ever Given ''Ever Given'' () is one of the List of largest container ships, largest container ships in the world. The ship is owned by Shoei Kisen Kaisha (a ship-owning and leasing subsidiary of the large Japanese shipbuilding company Imabari Shipbuilding) ...

'' runs aground during a sandstorm. *24 March – 15 killed and 12 injured in a multi-car crash at a checkpoint. *26 March – Sohag train collision: Thirty-two killed and 66 injured. A later report was that 19 were killed and 165 injured. *27 March – An apartment

building collapses Structural integrity and failure is an aspect of engineering that deals with the ability of a structure to support a designed structural load (weight, force, etc.) without breaking and includes the study of past structural failures in order to ...

in Gesr Suez district, killing 25. *28 March **

2021 Suez Canal obstruction The Suez Canal was blocked for six days from 23 to 29 March 2021 by the , a container ship that had run aground in the canal. The , 224,000-ton, vessel was buffeted by strong winds on the morning of 23 March, and ended up wedged across the w ...

***Prime Minister Abdel Fatah al-Sissi orders officials of the

Suez Canal Authority Suez Canal Authority (SCA) is an Egyptian state-owned authority which owns, operates and maintains the Suez Canal. It was set up by the Egyptian government to replace the Suez Canal Company in the 1950s which resulted in the Suez Crisis. After ...

(SCA) to begin preparations for the removal of containers. Efforts continue to refloat the ship during

high tide Tides are the rise and fall of sea levels caused by the combined effects of the gravitational forces exerted by the Moon (and to a much lesser extent, the Sun) and are also caused by the Earth and Moon orbiting one another. Tide tables ...

with the aid of

dredgers Dredging is the excavation of material from a water environment. Possible reasons for dredging include improving existing water features; reshaping land and water features to alter drainage, navigability, and commercial use; constructing dam ...

and an excavator on land. ***The ''Ever Given'' is liberated and moved to the

Great Bitter Lake The Great Bitter Lake (; transliterated: ''al-Buḥayrah al-Murra al-Kubrā'') is a large saltwater lake in Egypt which is part of the Suez Canal. Before the canal was built in 1869, the Great Bitter Lake was a dry salt valley or basin. Madl, ...

for inspection. *30 March – Renaissance Dam: President el-Sissi warns that Nile River waters are “untouchable". *2 April – Roads are shut down as twenty-two mummies, mostly from the

New Kingdom New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

, are moved to the

National Museum of Egyptian Civilization The National Museum of Egyptian Civilization (NMEC) is a large museum located in Old Cairo, a district of Cairo, Egypt. Partially opened in 2017, the museum was officially inaugurated on 3 April 2021, with the moving of 22 mummies, including 1 ...

Fustat Fustat (), also Fostat, was the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule, though it has been integrated into Cairo. It was built adjacent to what is now known as Old Cairo by the Rashidun Muslim general 'Amr ibn al-'As immediately after the Mus ...

. *18 April – Toukh train accident

November

*13 November - Scorpions have infested Egypt’s southern city of Aswan, killing three people and stinging more than 400. According to local media, the mass scorpion attack was caused by severe thunderstorms in the city in recent days. Reports state the scorpions were washed into the streets and peoples’ homes, where they were seeking refuge from the intense weather conditions.

Sports

*13 to 31 January –

2021 World Men's Handball Championship The 2021 IHF World Men's Handball Championship was the 27th event hosted by the International Handball Federation and held in Egypt from 13 to 31 January 2021. Starting with this edition, the World Championship was expanded from 24 teams to 32. I ...

*25 August to 6 September – Egypt at the 2020 Summer Paralympics

Deaths

January to March

*2 January –

Wahid Hamed Wahid Hamed (; 1 July 1944 – 2 January 2021) was an Egyptian screenwriter. Personal life Hamed was born in Beni Quraysh, Sharqia Governorate. He moved to Cairo in 1963 to study in the Department of Sociology at Cairo University. He was marr ...

, 76, Egyptian screenwriter (''

Terrorism and Kebab ''Terrorism and Kebab'' (, transliterated: Al-irhab wal kabab) is a popular 1992 Egyptian black comedy film starring Adel Emam. Plot The action primarily takes place at the Mogamma in Cairo, a well-known mammoth-sized government building that ...

'', ''

Ma'ali al Wazir Ma'ali Al Wazir () is a 2003 Egyptian film written by Wahid Hamed and directed by Samir Seif. It stars starring Ahmed Zaki. The film is produced and distributed by Egyptian Media Production City, and released on 2 February 2003. Plot Rafat ...

'', ''

The Yacoubian Building ''The Yacoubian Building'' ( ''‘Imārat Ya‘qūbyān'') is a novel by Egyptian author Alaa-Al-Aswany. The book was made into a film of the same name in 2006 and into a TV series in 2007. Published in Arabic in 2002 and in an English trans ...

''). *13 January –

Sylvain Sylvain Sylvain Mizrahi (February 14, 1951 – January 13, 2021), known professionally as Sylvain Sylvain, was a Syrian-American rock guitarist, most notable for being a member of the New York Dolls. Early years Sylvain was born in Cairo, Egypt, to a S ...

, 69, Egyptian-born American guitarist (

New York Dolls New York Dolls were an American rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1971. Along with the Velvet Underground, the MC5, and the Stooges, they were one of the first bands of the early punk rock scenes. Although the band never achieved ...

); cancer. *14 January –

Safwat El-Sherif Mohamed Safwat El Sherif (; 19 December 1933 – 13 January 2021) was an Egyptian politician who served as chairman of the State Information Service, minister of information, speaker of the Egyptian Shura Council, and secretary general of the r ...

, 87, politician,

Minister of Information An information minister (also called minister of information) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with information matters; it is often linked with censorship and propaganda. Sometimes the position is given t ...

(1981–2004); leukemia. *24 January – , 72, preacher, Laws academic and social worker; COVID-19. *29 January –

Mahmoud Abdel-Ghaffar Mahmud is a transliteration of the male Arabic given name (), common in most parts of the Islamic world. It comes from the Arabic triconsonantal root Ḥ-M-D, meaning ''praise'', along with ''Muhammad''. Given name Mahmood *Mahmood Ali (1928� ...

, 60, actor. *5 February –

Ezzat El Alaili Ezzat El Alaili () (15 September 1934 – 5 February 2021) was an Egyptian actor who starred in over 300 films, TV series, and theatre plays since the 1960s. He had his bachelor's degree from the Higher Institute of Theatre Studies in 1960. Award ...

, 86, actor ('' The Land'', '' Alexandria... Why?'', ''

War in the Land of Egypt ''War in the Land of Egypt'' or ''The Egyptian Citizen'' (, translit.Al-Moaten Masry) is a 1991 Egyptian drama film directed by Salah Abu Seif, and starring Omar Sharif. It is based on the 1978 novel of the same name by Yusuf al-Qa'id. The fil ...

''). *25 February – Hussein F. Sabbour, 85, civil engineer and architect. *28 February ** Ahlam Elgretly, 73, actress; heart attack. **

Yousuf Shaaban Yousuf Shaaban may refer to: * Yousuf Shaaban (footballer) * Yousuf Shaaban (actor) Youssef Shaaban Shemis (; 16 July 1931 – 28 February 2021) was an Egyptian actor. Career Shaaban initially studied law at Ain Shams University, but he later ...

, 83, actor (''

There is a Man in our House ''There Is a Man in Our House'', or ''A Man in Our House'' ( ''Fi Baytena Ragul''), is a 1961 Egyptian drama, history, romance film directed by Henry Barakat. It is based on a novel of the same name by Egyptian writer Ihsan Abdel Quddous, and s ...

'', '' Mother of the Bride'', ''

My Wife, the Director General My Wife, the Director General (, translit.Miraty Modir 'Am) is a 1966 Egyptian Comedy film directed by Fatin Abdel Wahab. It stars Salah Zulfikar and Shadia. The film is listed in the Top 100 Egyptian films of the 20th century. Plot Hussein Oma ...

''), COVID-19. *4 March –

Kamal Amer Kamal Amer (; 13 June 1942 – 4 March 2021) was an Egyptian politician and military commander. Biography Amer was trained at the Egyptian Military Academy and Nasser Military Academy. During his military career, Amer ascended to the role of Comm ...

, politician and military officer, governor of

Aswan Aswan (, also ; ) is a city in Southern Egypt, and is the capital of the Aswan Governorate. Aswan is a busy market and tourist centre located just north of the Aswan Dam on the east bank of the Nile at the first cataract. The modern city ha ...

(1999–2001) and Matrouh (1997–1999),

senator A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or Legislative chamber, chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the Ancient Rome, ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior ...

(2012–2013); COVID-19. *6 March –

Sawsan Rabie Sawsan Rabie (; 7 June 1962 – 6 March 2021) was an Egyptian television and film actress. She studied at Ain Shams University. Personal She was married and had two sons. Rabie died on 6 March 2021, at Al Haram Hospital in Giza, from complicatio ...

, 59, actress; complications from COVID-19. *12 March – Malik 'Iismaeil, 84, television presenter. *16 March – , 82, actor and director. *19 March – Mona Badr, 84, actress. *21 March –

Nawal El Saadawi Nawal El Saadawi (, , 22 October 1931 – 21 March 2021) was an Egyptian feminist writer, activist and physician. She wrote numerous books on the subject of women in Islam, focusing on the concerns of third-world women pertaining to sexuality, p ...

, 89, feminist. *31 March –

Kamal Ganzouri Kamal Ganzouri (, ‎; 12 January 1933 – 31 March 2021) was an Egyptian economist who served as the prime minister of Egypt from 7 December 2011 to 24 July 2012. He previously served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999.Fisk, Robert (1996)Visi ...

, 88, politician,

Prime Minister of Egypt A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only ways ...

(1996–1999, 2011–2012). * 9 July –

Jehan Sadat Jehan Sadat (, ; ; 29 August 1933 – 9 July 2021) was an Egyptian human rights activist and the First Lady of Egypt, as the wife of Anwar Sadat, from 1970 until her husband's assassination in 1981. As Egypt's first lady, she greatly influenc ...

, 87, Human Rights Activist, third

First Lady of Egypt First Lady of Egypt () is the official title of the wife of the president of Egypt. History The title was established on June 18 1953 following the abolishment of the monarchy and the declaration of the republic, replacing the Queen Consort of E ...

(1970-1981).

October to December

*3 November –

Hassan Al Alfi Hassan Al Alfi (; 3 March 1936 – 3 November 2021) was an Egyptian police major and politician, who served as governor and interior minister of Egypt from 1993 to 1997. He resigned from office following the Luxor massacre. Career Alfi was the g ...

, police major and politician (born 1936)

References

External links

{{Year in Asia, 2021 2020s in Egypt Years of the 21st century in Egypt