The development of Egyptian nationalist historiography is not only ahead of other Arab countries，but also a typical representative of the Middle East nationalist historiography. Rifa’a al-Tahtawi was the first nationalist historian of modern Egypt. He was born in a traditional Muslim family，and studied in France in his early years，and he was valued highly by Mohammad Ali. Takhlis al-Ibriz fi Talkhis Bariz，which is his masterpiece，aims to help Egyptians broaden their horizons to see the world，and al-Waqua’i’ al-Misriyyahis one of the earliest works of nationalist history in the Middle East. Tahtawi focused on the study of ancient Egyptian history and promoted the secularization of Egyptian historiography and Middle Eastern historiography. Meanwhile，he also pushed the westernization of Egyptian culture and the modern transformation of Islamic culture forward. Tahtawi played a pioneering role in Egyptian nationalist historiography and furthered the spread of Egyptian nationalist thought. Tahtawi and Jabarti made distinguished contributions to the writing of Egyptian history，however，their remarks on Muhammad Ali and the historical status of the Ulema class are different. Although Tahtawi and Tocqueville are historians from different states，there are similarities in their historiography and historical views. The fruitful legacy left by Tahtawi is worthy of in-depth study by contemporary scholars.