Damanhūr - Damanhūr

Ahmed Orabi St. in Damanhūr
Damanhūr · ‏دمنهور‎
Hermopolis mikra
GovernorateBuḥeira
Residents
244.043 (2006)
height
9 m
no tourist info on Wikidata: Add tourist information
location
Location map of the Nile Delta in Egypt
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Damanhūr

Damanhur (also Damanhour, Arabic:دمنهور‎, Damanhūr) is a city in the western Nile Delta in Egypt with about 244,000 inhabitants (2006). It is the administrative seat of the governorate el-Buḥeira. The colonial-era buildings in the city center from the first half of the 20th century are of particular importance.

background

location

Damanhūr is located in the western Nile Delta about 160 kilometers northwest of Cairo and 70 kilometers east-southeast of Alexandria. The center of the city is west of the el Buḥeira irrigation canal, which was built in the 19th century, in Arabic:الرياح البحيرة‎, ar-Raiyāḥ al-Buḥaira, located, which branches off to the west just before the delta dam north of Cairo and to the north of Damanhūr north of the village of esch-Sheikh Aḥmad in den Maḥmūdīya Canal joins. The Maḥmūdīya Canal branches off at the village of el-Maḥmūdīya from the Rosetta arm of the Nile and runs approximately in a westerly direction to after Alexandria.

Naming

The city was under the name in Pharaonic times Dmỉ-n-Ḥr.w, the Village / city of Horus, known and formed the capital of the 7th Lower Egyptian Gaus, the Harpunengausthat in Greek times Menelaitēs was called. The name of the city lives in the Coptic name Tmenhor (Ⲧⲙⲉⲛ ϩ ⲱⲣ) and the current Arabic name. In Greek times the place became Greek Hermopolis mikra (Ἑρμοῦ πόλις μικρά) or Latin Hermopolis parva[1] called, so has a reference to the god Hermes, who was equated with the Egyptian scribe god Thoth.

history

Pharaonic lion sphinx at Damanhūr train station
Fragment of an ancient Egyptian temple from el-Qalʿa

Despite the importance of the city with its relation to the god Horus, there is hardly any evidence from Pharaonic times. Since the modern city rises above the level of the surrounding area, it is assumed that the ancient city was built over with the modern one. The few finds such as four "Hyksos" heads, a granite statue of King Psametich II and a naos (shrine) of the goddess Neith made of black granite mostly date from the String Age (26th Dynasty) and are possibly from the then Egyptian capital city Sais has been brought here.[2]

More is known about the city from numerous papyri in Greco-Roman times, in which it was the capital of a Gaus in the area of ​​today Alexandria has been.[3] In addition to Horus, the god Thoth was also worshiped here. During this time various Greek geographers worked here as well Stephanos of Byzantium, Strabo and Claudius Ptolemy.

The earliest Pharaonic gold coin, which is now in the possession of the mint department of the Saint Petersburg Hermitage and dated to the 30th Egyptian dynasty.[4]

Damanhūr was and is the bishopric of the Coptic Church. Some of the early bishops such as Dracontius, Isidore and Dioscorus are known by name.[5] In addition, Damanhūr was the titular seat of the Catholic Church.

Napoleon chose in July 1798 during his Egypt campaign to march via Damanhūr to Cairo, where he won the battle of the pyramids against the Egyptian Mameluke army on July 21. Four years later, the Mamluks were also able to achieve a victory over the Turkish army in Damanhūr. Damanhūr was also the terminus of the first Egyptian railway line, which was inaugurated in 1854 and the city with Alexandria connects.

In 1885 the city had about 25,000 inhabitants, in 1928 about 48,000.[6] The earliest district is el-Qalʿa (Arabic:القلعة‎, „the citadel"). In the 19th and first half of the 20th century, the city expanded mainly to the north between the railway line and the Maḥmūdīya Canal. Since the second half of the 20th century, it has continued to grow in a westerly direction beyond the railroad tracks. It now has a population of around 244,000 (2006).[7]

Nowadays the city and the associated governorate is the center of food and agriculture. There are several factories where the cotton is ginned on site. Machines for processing cotton and potatoes are also manufactured in the city.

orientation

Corniche on the Buḥeira Canal in Damanhur

To the east of the train station is the Bahnhofsplatz Mīdān el-Maḥaṭṭa (Arabic:ميدان المحطة) With the monument to the Islamic reformer Muḥammad ʿAbduh. Two blocks to the east, near the Et-Tūba Mosque, begins the Ahmed Orabi St.which over a length of about 700 meters in a northeasterly direction to the 1 Mīdān en-Nāfūra, Arabic:ميدان النافورة, Leads. Halfway down a road branches off to the 2 Mīdān el-Gumhūrīya, Arabic:ميدان الجمهورية‎, „Republic Square“, Near which the opera house and the city council are located. In a north-north-westerly direction the el-Gumhūrīya St. further. After about 150 meters at Banque Misr, the branches El-Sign St. (El Segn St., Arabic:شارع السجن‎, „Prison street“), Which is also called Sa'ad Zaghlul St., in a north-northeast direction. The prison that gives it its name is located south of the Jabashi mosque.

In an easterly direction one always comes to the Maḥmūdīya Canal. A wide promenade was laid out on its west side.

The old town center, el-Qalʿa, located east and southeast of the train station.

getting there

By car

City map of Damanhūr

The easiest way to get to Damanhūr is by turning off Highway 1 from Cairo to Alexandria, the Route agricolethat happened to the city in the west. About two kilometers southeast of the city there is one 1 Street cross(31 ° 0 ′ 30 ″ N.30 ° 28 '58 "E.). Coming from Cairo, turn left next to the bridge approach. The road that branches off in this way leads to the city center of Damanhūr.

The 2 central bus stop(31 ° 1 ′ 16 ″ N.30 ° 28 ′ 10 ″ E), i.a. also for long-distance buses, is located in the south of the city.

Service taxis depart from the stops in Damanhūr Kūbrī ʿAlawī, Arabic:كوبري علوي, In the south of the city and 3 Kūbrī Iflāqa, Arabic:كوبري إفلاقة, The latter for the direction Rashid. The taxi fees for the journey to the train station or between the bus stops are around LE 2 (as of 9/2010).

By train

Damanhūr is on the railway line from Cairo to Alexandria above Ṭanṭā. The 4 Damanhūr Railway Station(31 ° 2 ′ 9 ″ N.30 ° 28 ′ 9 ″ E), Tel .: 20 (0) 45 330 8115, 331 7288) is located in the city center, about one kilometer west of the Maḥmūdīya Canal. Not all express trains from Cairo to Alexandria stop in Damanhūr. The journey time from Cairo is around two hours, the fare in second class LE 20 (as of 9/2010).

mobility

Green and white taxis operate in the city. A trip within the city costs around LE 2 (as of 9/2010).

In the area of ​​the train station a bridge leads over the tracks.

Tourist Attractions

Ancient Egyptian buildings

Monument to Muḥammad ʿAbduh

Nowadays there are no visible buildings from Pharaonic times in the urban area. The oldest part of town, el-Qalʿa (Arabic:القلعة), East and southeast of the train station, is on a hill that buries ancient Egyptian structures. In the case of new buildings in this area, the Antikendienst examines the site and retrieves the finds. Large architectural fragments are occasionally stored in front of the Antiquities Service building.

Monuments

This is on the station square 3 monument for the Islam reformer, religious and legal scholars as well Grand Mufti of Egypt, Muḥammad ʿAbduh (1849-1905). The one in the village Maḥallat Naṣr (Arabic:محلة نصر) In the district Schubrāchīt (Arabic:شبراخيت) ʿAbduh, who was born and raised on a farm, is one of the greatest sons of the el-Buḥeira governorate. Already through his uncle, Sheikh Darwish, he came with the teachings of Sufism in touch. At the age of 17 he began studying theology at el-Azhar University in Cairo, which he graduated in 1876. From 1870 he was from Gamāl ed-Dīn el-Afghānī (1838–1897), a representative of Islamic modernism. In 1878 he took up the position of a history professor at the Dār el-Ulūm College.

His teachings were shaped by reconciling the scientific and technical progress of the western world with the return to the true Islam of the pious forefathers. He is one of the most important thought leaders in the Salafism.

As a supporter of the Urabi revolt he was exiled by the British for six years in 1882. He stayed in Beirut, Paris and Tunis on. On his return to Cairo in 1889 he took the position of one Qāḍī, an Islamic judge. Ten years later he became the Grand Mufti appointed by Egypt. He carried out this office until his death.

Mosques

  • 4  Et Tūba Mosque (‏مسجد التوبة‎, Masǧid at-Tūbā, "Mosque of Penance") (at the southwest end of Ahmed-Orabi-St.). The third largest mosque in Africa and the oldest mosque in the city has a minaret. The mosque was built in the middle of the old cemetery of Sakanīda village.(31 ° 2 ′ 11 ″ N.30 ° 28 ′ 9 ″ E)
Et Tūba Mosque
East facade of the Jabashi Mosque
Inside the Jabashi Mosque
  • 5  Jabashi mosque (‏مسجد الحبشي‎, Masǧid al-Ḥabashī), Sa'ad Zaghlul St. (El Sign St.). The Ḥabaschī mosque is probably the most beautiful mosque in the city and is in the tradition of Mamluk and Ottoman architects. The foundation stone for this mosque was laid by the king in 1917 Fuʾād I. it was opened in 1922. The mosque was named after the prince ʿAbd er-Raḥmān al-Ḥabaschī (Arabic:عبد الرحمن الحبشي) Named. The mosque has three aisles. The central dome rests on arches supported by round columns. The side aisles are closed with flat ceilings. The entire mosque is painted in color. The light streams into the mosque through windows in the dome and through large windows on the wall. There is also a sabil, a well house, on the site of the mosque. A small hospital is attached to the mosque, where poor believers are treated free of charge.(31 ° 2 ′ 42 ″ N.30 ° 28 ′ 9 ″ E)
  • 6  Nāṣir mosque (‏مسجد ناصر‎, Masǧid Nāṣir). The mosque in the Schubrā district is only surpassed in size and age by the et-Tūba mosque.(31 ° 1 '56 "N.30 ° 27 '54 "E.)

Churches

  • 8  Church of the Archangel Michael (‏كنيسة الملاك ميخائيل‎, Kanīsat al-Malāk Mīchāʾīl). The oldest church in the city was founded in 1848.(31 ° 2 ′ 3 ″ N.30 ° 28 ′ 14 ″ E)
  • 10  Cathedral of St. Virgin Mary and St. Athanasius the great (‏الكاتدرائية القديسة العذراء مريم والقديس اثناسيوس الرسولي‎, al-Kātidrāʾīya al-Qiddīsat al-ʿAḏrāʾ Maryam wa-l-Qiddīs Athnāsiyūs ar-Rasūlī). The cathedral is the church of the diocese of el-Buḥeira.(31 ° 2 ′ 1 ″ N.30 ° 28 ′ 25 ″ E)
  • 11  Coptic Evangelical Church (‏كنيسة الأقباط الأنجليين‎, Kanīsat al-Aqbāṭ al-Anǧliyīn) (31 ° 2 ′ 23 ″ N.30 ° 28 ′ 6 ″ E)
Terra Santa Church
View of the Mīdān el-Gumhūrīya
Sūq el-Bandar
Residential and commercial building on Mīdān el-Gumhūrīya

Secular buildings

Opera House in Damanhur

The processing of cotton brought greater wealth to the city. In the realm of today Mīdān el-Gumhūrīya Several splendid administrative and residential buildings were erected in the first half of the 20th century.

On November 8, 1930 the king laid down Fuʾād I. the foundation stone for a double building that was to house a theater, a music school, a library and the municipality's administration. The western of the two buildings formed that Damanhur Opera House. It is noteworthy that at that time there were only opera houses in Cairo and Alexandria.

Both buildings are three-story. Architectural elements from Andalusia and Egypt were mixed on the facade. The lobby was designed in the Ottoman style.

European stages such as the Vienna State Opera and the old Cairo Opera, which has now been destroyed, served as a model for the opera house. In addition to the auditorium, the box, a balcony and two other tiers, it can accommodate around 1,500 people. A large chandelier hangs from the dome ceiling.

The cinema and theater was initially named after the king Faruq named. In 1952 it was shown in communal cinema (Arabic:سينما البلدية‎, Sīnimā al-Baladīya) and 1977 in en-Nasr Winter Cinema (Arabic:سينما النصر الشتوي‎, Sīnimā an-Naṣr ash-Shatawī) renamed. The library in the eastern building was initially named after King Fuʿad I. After the revolution, it was renamed after the Egyptian writer Taufīq el-Ḥakīm (1898–1987).

The theater began to decline in the 1980s. Parts of the dome also collapsed. At the beginning of the 21st century, the Egyptian Ministry of Culture had the house restored. It was released on May 9, 2009 with a performance of Figaro's wedding by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as Damanhūr Opera House (Arabic:دار أوبرا دمنهور‎, Dār Ubirā Damanhūr) reopened.[8]

The music events have taken place regularly since then and are carried out by Cairo orchestras and stages.

The eastern of the two 13 building is now used exclusively by the city council. The former library was moved to the 14 Egyptian Public Library, Arabic:مكتبة مصر العامة‎, Maktabat Miṣr al-ʿĀma, relocated and also opened on May 9, 2009. In addition to the library building, another building with seminar rooms and conference halls was built.

It is not possible to take photos inside the opera house or the city council.

In the city center, mainly on the east side of Mīdān el-Gumhūrīya, there are a number of colonial times Residential and commercial buildings.

Hydraulic structures

There is a movable bridge under the bridges over the Mayamūdīya Canal.

activities

Culture

Sports

In the western part of the city there is a football stadium (2 31 ° 2 ′ 15 ″ N.30 ° 27 '26 "E.).

Adoration of saints

There are two important ones in Damanhūr Mūlids celebrated:

The Mūlid of Sheikh Abū Rīsch takes place at the end of October / beginning of November in the el-Qalʿa district. It is a Sufi mulid.

The Mūlid of Abu Hatzeira took place on two days in January, on the 19th Tevet of the Jewish calendar, in the village of Dimityūh (Arabic:دمتيوه) In the east of Damanhūr. Abu Hatzeira (also Yaakov Abuhatzeira, Avir Yaakov, Arabic:أبو حصيرة‎, Abū Ḥaṣīra) was a leading Moroccan rabbi and lived from 1805 to 1880. During his pilgrimage to the Holy Land in 1879/1880 he fell ill and died here. He is venerated by the Jews for his piety, but also for the miracles attributed to him. His grave shrine (15 31 ° 1 '56 "N.30 ° 29 ′ 9 ″ E) in the south of the village was an annual destination for Jewish pilgrims from Morocco, but also from Israel. His grandson grandson is also given a similar veneration Yisrael Abuhatzeira (1889-1984) in Netiwot, Israel, granted.

You need a permit to access the grave shrine. In December 2014, a court in Alexandria issued an indefinite ban on pilgrimages to Abu Hatzeira's tomb.[9]

shop

There is a market in the city center Sūq el-Bandar (1 31 ° 2 '14 "N.30 ° 28 ′ 12 ″ E, Arabic:سوق البندر‎).

kitchen

  • Caviar Star Restaurant, El Corniche St. (next to el-Sahaba mosque).
  • El Amer restaurant, Ahmed Orabi St.
  • El Shamy Restaurant, Mahmoud El Habrouk St.
  • Gandofli Restaurant for Seafood, Hussein Hegazy St. (towards the Faculty of Science). Tel.: 20 (0)45 336 0032. Fish restaurant.
  • Melokheya restaurant, Ahmed Orabi St.
  • Mutcho, Galal Qoraitam Sq. (near the stadium). Tel.: 20 (0)45 337 3537.
  • Pastry Masr (‏حلواني مصر‎, Hilwānī Miṣr), Ahmed Orabi St. Tel.: 20 (0)45 333 3676. Pastry shop and café.
  • San Giovanni pizza (‏بيتزا سان جيوفانى‎, Bītzā Sān Giyūfānī), Othman Ibn Affan St.. Tel.: 20 (0)45 337 1240.

There are several cafes on the Corniche.

accommodation

Accommodation can be found e.g. in Alexandria, Cairo, Ṭanṭā and Banhā.

Although Damanhūr is a provincial capital, there are only a few, very simple hotels here. According to information from residents, there is this near the train station Funduq el-Maḥaṭṭa (Arabic:فندق المحطة‎, „Station hotel“).

  • Damanhour Hotel (‏فندق دمنهور السياحي‎, Funduq Damanhūr as-Siyāḥī), Corniche St. Tel.: 20 (0)45 333 3904, (0)45 333 3905, (0)45 333 3907. New concrete building with rooms on seven floors. The hall is also suitable for weddings.
  • Oasis Hotel (‏فندق الواحة‎, Funduq al-Wāḥa), El Khairy St. Tel.: 20 (0)45 330 7157, Fax: 20 (0)45 330 7156.

Learn

  • Damanhour University, 27 Galal Qoraitam Sq. (behind the Damanhur sports stadium). Tel.: 20 (0)45 336 8069. The university has long been a branch of the Alexandria University. With the presidential decree of October 26, 2010, it is independent. The twelve faculties are spread across the city. Faculties include natural sciences, humanities, education, engineering, economics and agriculture, medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy and childcare.

health

  • Damanhur General Hospital (Damanhour General Hospital), El Gomhoureya St.. Tel.: 20 (0)45 331 8008, (0)45 331 8457, Fax: 20 (0)45 331 8222, (0)45 331 8961.

climate

Due to its proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, Alexandria has a mild climate all year round. From October to March, mainly in January, rain and storms can be expected.

respect

Damanhūr is not a tourist town and the population is rather conservative. Appropriate clothing is the order of the day. Drinking alcohol in public is anything but welcome.

Practical advice

Tourist information

There is no tourist information office in Damanhūr. You can get help in the following facilities:

  • 2  Antiquities service for pharaonic monuments, Corniche. Tel.: 20 (0)45 333 3207. The antique service for Coptic and Islamic monuments is in Rashid settled.(31 ° 2 '57 "N.30 ° 28 ′ 8 ″ E)
  • The tourist police are housed in the same building as the antique service.

Banks

Passport office

  • Passport Office, Abou El Reesh St. (within the Security Directorate). Tel.: 20 (0)45 330 7337.

Post office

literature

  • Habachi, Labib: Damanhur. In:Helck, Wolfgang; Otto, Eberhard (Ed.): Lexicon of Egyptology; Vol. 1: A - harvest. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1975, ISBN 978-3-447-01670-4 , Col. 988 f.
  • Coquin, René-Georges: Damanhur. In:Atiya, Aziz Suryal (Ed.): The Coptic Encyclopedia; Vol. 3: Cros - Ethi. new York: Macmillan, 1991, ISBN 978-0-02-897026-4 , P. 686 f.
  • Timm, Stefan: Damanhūr (I). In:Christian Coptic Egypt in Arab times; Vol. 2: D - F. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1984, Supplements to the Tübingen Atlas of the Middle East: Series B, Geisteswissenschaften; 41.2, ISBN 978-3-88226-209-4 , Pp. 507-515.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑There was a second city among the Greeks with the name Hermopolis Parva, namely near the present-day village of el-Baqlīya (Arabic:البقلية), About 10 kilometers southeast of el-Manṣūra.
  2. ↑Please refer Porter, Bertha; Moss, Rosalind L. B.: Lower and Middle Egypt: (Delta and Cairo to Asyûṭ). In:Topographical bibliography of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic texts, statues, reliefs, and paintings; Vol.4. Oxford: Griffith Inst., Ashmolean Museum, 1934, ISBN 978-0-900416-82-8 , P. 49; PDF. The finds are now all in Egyptian Museum from Cairo.
  3. ↑Bernand, André: Le delta egyptien d'après les textes grecs; Vol. 1: Les confins libyques. Le Caire: Institut français d'Archéologie orientale du Caire, 1970, P. 30 ff.
  4. ↑Bolshakov, Andrey O.: The Earliest Known Gold Pharaonic Coin. In:Revue d'Egyptology <Paris>, ISSN0035-1849, Vol.43 (1992), Pp. 3-9.
  5. ↑Hermopolis Parva in: Catholic Encyclopedia, New York: Appleton, 1913.
  6. ↑Baedeker, Karl: Egypt: Handbook for Travelers; Part 1: Lower Egypt and the Sinai Peninsula. Leipzig: Baedeker, 1885 (2nd edition), P. 242. — Baedeker, Karl: Egypt and the Sûdan: Handbook for Travelers. Leipzig: Baedeker, 1928 (8th edition), P. 30.
  7. ↑Population according to the 2006 Egyptian census, Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics, accessed November 7, 2014.
  8. ↑El-Aref, Nevine: Opera for all (Archived version of May 18, 2009 in the Internet Archive archive.org), Message from Al-Ahram Weekly, May 14, 2009.
  9. ↑APA: Egypt: court forbids pilgrimages to rabbi's grave, Message in default dated December 29, 2014.
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