Thursday, May 24, 2007

from Port Said with love


CategoryCity with significant attractions

Position 31°17'N
32°18'E

AirfareCompare Lowest Airfares

Description

Apart from commerce and shipping the main elements in the city's economy are foodstuffs and chemical industries and the production of salt.

Port Said (Bur Said; named after Viceroy Said, 1854-63), chief town of a governorate, Egypt's fourth largest city and after Alexandria its largest port, lies in a barren and desolate setting on a narrow strip of land which is gradually increasing in width by the deposit of silt between Lake Manzala and the north entrance of the Suez Canal, to which the town owed its foundation in 1859.

In November 1956 much of what was then a thriving town was destroyed by air bombardment during the Suez War. It made a rapid recovery, but suffered another severe blow when the Suez Canal was closed to traffic in 1967 and the Sinai Peninsula was occupied by Israeli forces, some 70% of the population being evacuated. Reconstruction has been under way since 1974, and it is planned to develop the port into a major center of trade with the Near East and East Asia, with free port facilities and an international airport.



Port Said is a town of European style architecture with a regular layout in the form of a right angled triangle, which has little in the way of tourist attractions apart from its fascinating mixture of races and the lively and colorful Oriental bustle of its streets.



Discover Nearby Attractions


PhotosEgypt photos 249 Egypt pictures

Tips ACCESS. By road from Cairo (125mi/200km southwest), crossing the Eastern Desert to Ismailia, then north along thewside of the Suez Canal. By rail from Cairo via Ismailia. By air from Cairo, Alexandria or Suez.

MapsMap Port Said / Bur Said Map (Port Said)
Map Port Said / Bur Said Map (Egypt)
Egypt Maps 75 Egypt maps

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map taken from planetware.com.

descriptions taken from encarta.msn.com

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