The head office of the Suez Canal Authority is located in Ismailia at the shore of Lake Timsah.

During World War I the British had an air base there and the Battle of Romani took place nearby.

Ismailia War Cemetery was designed in 1919 by Sir Robert Lorimer marking the casualties of the battle.

In October 2023, a massive fire broke out in the security directorate of the city, leaving the building fully burned with 38 injured and 1 dead.

In the early 1950s, Ismailia hosted the British Military HQ and the Civilian Administration Centre of the Canal Zone.

An attack on an Egyptian government building and army barracks manned by auxiliary policemen by a British Army force on 25 January 1952 was a key event leading to the overthrow of King Farouk I later that year and the Egyptian Revolution that followed.

Suez Canal University now is one of the fastest growing educational institutions in Egypt with many students studying abroad.

The club's performance is considered a major political issue, and can tend to dictate the city's mood.