The decision to establish the Supreme Council for Arts and Letters was issued in accordance with Law No. 4 of 1956 to be an independent body attached to the Cabinet whose task is to coordinate and link the efforts of government bodies working in the fields of arts and literature.

 After two years, the council became specialized in supporting social sciences as well. For nearly a quarter of a century, the Supreme Council for Arts, Letters and Social Sciences continued to play its role in the cultural and intellectual life in Egypt .

In 1980, it name was changed to  “The Supreme Council of Culture, with the issuance of Law No. 150 of 1980. The Supreme Council of Culture is headed by the Minister of Culture. It was not just a new name, but the council's role and objectives have developed. It has become responsible for the cultural policy in Egypt through its twenty-eight committees, which include a group of Egyptian intellectuals and creative minds belonging to different generations and trends .

The modern building of the Supreme Council of Culture is located in the Opera Campus Square. The building overlooks the Nile River from the western side of Umm Kulthum Street. It overlooks, from the east side,  the Egyptian Opera House Square .

The building has a public library that can accommodate fifty people. It is a library for references as it includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, and important basic reference books in various fields of knowledge as well as a set of basic heritage references, i.e. a collection that is rarely collected in one library in Egypt .

The library also comprises the publications of The Translation National Center, as well as the publications and conferences held in the council.

The Supreme Council of Culture has many achievements on the cultural and intellectual levels, on the local, regional, and international levels.

Objectives of the Supreme Council of Culture :

 To facilitate the ways of culture for the people and link them to the spiritual values, by reaching the widest sectors of the masses while developing talents in various fields of culture, arts and letters, as well as reviving the ancient heritage and affirming the society's religious, spiritual and moral values .

It seeks to coordinate governmental and non-governmental efforts in the fields of arts and letters, and in this way, the council is the first of its kind on the Arab level, which encouraged many Arab countries to follow the example of Egypt and establish similar councils .