Reduction of damage in earthquake-prone areas requires modern building
codes that should be continuously updated to reflect the improvement in our understanding of the physical effects of earthquake ground shaking on buildings and the increase in the quality and amount of seismological and tectonic studies, among other factors. This work reviews the published seismic hazard assessments available for Egypt as well as the seismic actions included in the building codes, in order to show the state-of-the-art of the seismic hazard assessment studies for the country. The review includes the history and development of seismic hazard assessments and the adoption of seismic building codes in Egypt. All the previous studies were analyzed in order to conclude that a new seismic hazard assessment according to the state-of-the-art is desirable, as well as a change in the hazard description for the actual Egyptian building code.