Death of Gamal Abdel Nasser

Gamal Abdel Nasser died on 28 September 1970 in Cairo, aged 52. An Egyptian army officer and statesman, Nasser was a leader of the Free Officers who overthrew King Farouk in the revolution of July 1952. He became president in 1956 and held office until his death. That year he nationalized the Suez Canal, provoking an invasion by Britain, France and Israel that ended in a political victory for him. He promoted Arab nationalism, formed a short-lived union with Syria, carried out land reform, and built the Aswan High Dam with Soviet support. He was a founding figure of the Non-Aligned Movement. Egypt's defeat by Israel in the Six-Day War of 1967 damaged his prestige, and he died of a heart attack in 1970, succeeded by Anwar Sadat.

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