A big cultural edifice, GEBO has been established in stages, taking a variety of forms, under many names : GEBO today is the official State Publishing House. Its life started in 1961, pursuant to a number of presidential decrees. These may be summed up as follows

* Presidential Decree No. 1813/1961 establishing “The General Egyptian Organization for News, Publishing, Distribution and Printing”; with the Decree specifying that it had an economic nature, and that it was directly affiliated to the Presidency.
* The second stage saw the amalgamation of those publishing and printing houses already operational into a single cultural entity to be called “The General Egyptian Organization for Writing, Translation, Printing and Publishing”. Such printing presses included the Bank Misr Press; Al-Mabyadah Press, Sahel; Taurus Press; Al-Qalam Publishing House; and others.
* Another presidential decree, 451/1966, transferred the responsibility for the new entity from The Presidency to the Ministry of Culture.
* Yet another Presidential Decree, 54/1969, split the said Organization into two corporations : Dar al-Kitab Al-Arabi (The Arabic Book Publishing House), solely concerned with printing and publishing, and “The National Distribution Corporation”, solely concerned with the distribution of the books printed and published by the said Organization, whose name was therefore changed, in accordance with the same Presidential Decree, to “The Egyptian Establishment for Writing and Publishing”.
* A fifth Presidential Decree, 1781/1969, stipulated that the Minister of Culture should oversee the newly established entity.
* In 1969 Egypt organized the first ever international book fair. It was called “Cairo International Book Fair”, under Dr. Saheer al-Qalamawi, Chairperson of the Establishment.
* A sixth Presidential Decree, 2826/1971, established the “General Egyptian Book Organization” which amalgamated the “Egyptian National Library” with the said establishment, specifying that it has its head office at its present site, Corniche El-Nil, Cairo, and that it is part of the Ministry of Culture.
* The most recent, and last Presidential Decree, namely 176/1993 separated The Egyptian National Library, stipulating that the General Egyptian Book Organization be an independent establishment.
* The said decree was carried out on July 1, 1994. The Organization has been, since, a cultural, enlightening establishment, concerned with all aspects of book production; in fulfilment of its objectives.