Egypt terminates daylight saving time

The Egyptian cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, has endorsed a decree law that cancels daylight saving time from 2011 onwards. Summer time in Egypt used to start at midnight on the last Thursday of April and end on the last Thursday of September.^[1][2]

Some people do enjoy the benefits of daylight saving time. Mahmoud Asaad, a physician, says that he enjoys the extra hour of daylight in the afternoon. “I can use this extra hour to go out with my family or run personal errands,” Asaad said.

Egypt first used daylight saving time in 1940, during the Second World War, and brought it back in 1957.^[2][3] The Ministry of Electricity and Energy has submitted a study to the cabinet showing that daylight saving time has no effect on electricity consumption.^[1]

Correction, 26 October 2026: The article first said that daylight saving time was first adopted in Egypt in 1988. Egypt first used it in 1940.^[2][3]

In Egypt, standard time is GMT+2, and during daylight saving time it is GMT+3.^[1][2]

Update, 26 October 2026: Egypt used summer time again in 2014, but not in 2015, and a return planned for July 2016 was cancelled a few days before it was due.^[2][3] Since 2023, Egypt has summer time again, from the last Friday of April to the last Thursday of October; in 2026 it began on 24 April and ends on 29 October.^[2] See also: Egypt reintroduced DST in 2014 to ease its energy crisis and Egypt introduces daylight saving time starting 7 July 2016.