[2] A remarkable mosaic from Late Antiquity (between the mid-fourth and mid-fifth centuries) was found in Sheikh Zuweid in 1913, known from the archaeological literature as the Sheikh Zouède mosaic (leaning on the French spelling: Cheikh Zouède).

[3][4][dubious – discuss] The 6th century Madaba Map shows a settlement called Betulion (Greek Β[ητ]υλιον) in this location, possibly the Bethulia where Judith beheaded Holofernes in biblical legend.

[5] The town is named after Sheikh Zuweid, a commander of the Rashidun Islamic army who fought during the Muslim conquest of Egypt alongside Amr ibn al-'As.

[6] During the 2011 Egyptian revolution, protests against the government of Hosni Mubarak were held in Sheikh Zuweid.

[6] As many as 300 ISIS affiliated militants using mortars and car bombs attacked fifteen Army checkpoints just north of the city on July 1, 2015.