Auguste Mariette (1821–1881), Frenchborn archaeologist.
Saad Zaghlul (1857–1927), early nationalist leader.
Taha Husayn (1889–1973), controversial historian.
Naguib Mahfouz (b. 1911), Nobel Prizewinning novelist.
Abbas al-Aqqad (1889–1964), poet.
Tawfiq al-Hakim (1898–1987), playwright and leading figure in modern Egyptian literature.
Yusuf Idris (1927–1991), groundbreaking playwright and short-story writer.
King Faruk (1920–1965), Egypt's last ruling monarch.