It was established in 1955 by Osman Ahmed Osman, an Egyptian entrepreneur and politician who served as Egypt's Housing Minister under Sadat's presidency.

[2][3] It has been involved in the construction of several government buildings in Egypt.

The company also owns a football club, El Mokawloon SC, that plays in the Egyptian Premier League.

Since the late 1970s, the company has diversified its business to include banking, insurance, agriculture, food processing, hotel services and health care.

[4] Today, El-Mokawloon El-Arab is one of the largest companies in the Middle East and North Africa with projects not only in Egypt, but also Morocco, UAE, Algeria, Libya, Uganda,[5] Lebanon, Kuwait.