Maṭrūḥ - Maṭrūḥ

The egyptian Governorate Matruh (Arabic:محافظة مطروح‎, Muḥāfaẓat Maṭrūḥ) is in the northern part of the Western desert. It borders on that in the north Mediterranean Sea, in the east to the governorates Alexandria, el-Buḥeira and Gīza, in the south to the governorate New valley and in the west Libya. The administrative center is Marsā Maṭrūḥ. The high points for travelers include the beaches on the Mediterranean Sea and the landscapes and culture in the valley Siwa.

places

• 31.336927.25951 Marsā Maṭrūḥ is the capital of the governorate. With its extensive beaches, it is a popular holiday destination, especially among the Egyptians. Also Cleopatra could not ignore the charm of the landscape.

• 30.816728.952 el-ʿAlamein is a city that made world history as the site of a decisive battle in World War II with several war cemeteries. At Marina el-ʿAlamein there is a settlement from Greco-Roman times.

• 30.85628.90563 New-el-ʿAlamein, New Alamein, ‏العلمين الجديدة, Is a planned city to the west of el-ʿAlamein, 34 kilometers west of Alexandria. 2 million people will live here in the future.

• 30.96728.73714 Sīdī ʿAbd er-Raḥman (Arabic:سيدي عبد الرحمن) Is a village about ten kilometers west of el-ʿAlamein.

• 31.0328.44025 Eḍ-Ḍabʿa (Arabic:الضبعة) Is a city.

• 31.600225.92986 Sīdī Barrānī (Arabic:سيدي براني) Is a small town with a large number of sedentary Bedouins in the population, about 135 kilometers west of Marsā Maṭrūḥ.

• 31.552425.15757 Es-sallūm is the last village before the border to Libya with a small Commonwealth Troops cemetery at the eastern entrance to the village.

Regions

• Sink 29.225.51671 Siwa in the Western desert is the most remote of the Egyptian depressions and is also culturally different from the rest of Egypt.

Other goals

Mediterranean coast

• 30.830529.00552 Mārīnā el-ʿAlamein, also Porto Marina, is a holiday resort with a marina immediately northeast of el-ʿAlamein.

• To the south of Mārīnā el-ʿAlamein is an archaeological site on the site of the ancient settlements 30.8244529.0115613 Leukaspis (Leucaspis) and Antiphrae. These sites are not yet open to tourists.

• 30.890828.69524 Marseille pyramid refers to an aviator memorial from the Second World War.

• 31.396527.04455 Zāwiyat Umm er-Racham is a hamlet with a fortress town of Ramses ’II about 25 kilometers west of Marsā Maṭrūḥ.

• There are several beaches east and west of Marsā Maṭrūḥ. The best known are the Cleopatra bath or beach (7 kilometers), the el-Ubaiyi Strand beach (12 kilometers) and the 31.414627.00696 ʿAgība Beach (24 kilometers). The most famous beach in the east of Marsā Maṭrūḥ is the Almaza Bay (Alamza Bay, 35 kilometers), which in the north by the Cape Raʾs Ḥawala (Arabic:رأس حولة) Is limited.

• Archaeological sites and rock tombs from Greco-Roman times can be found at various locations along the Mediterranean coast. B. in Ḥaqfa Karīm (Arabic:حقفة كريم), Sīdī Barrānī, Abū Lahw (Arabic:أبو لهو), El-Maṭārīḥ (Arabic:المطاريح), ʿAlam er-Rūm (Arabic:علم الروم), Biʾr Sakrān (Arabic:بئر سكران), Raʾs el-Ḥikma (Arabic:رأس الحكمة) And Sīdī Ḥaneisch (Arabic:سيدي حنيش). East of Marsā Maṭrūḥ were in es-Sawānī el-Baḥrīya (Arabic:السواني البحرية) Found rock tombs that served as a church in the 5th century.

Western desert

• Darb Siwa connects Siwa with the valley el-Baḥrīya and passes the uninhabited depressions 28.894926.40447 el-ʿArag, 28.677326.52928 el-Baḥrein, 28.705326.73189 en-Nuweimisa and 28.735226.959110 Sitra.

• 3027.511 Qaṭṭāra Depression is the largest valley in Egypt. Destinations like Qārat Umm eṣ-Ṣugheir are mainly on the edges of the depression.

• 30.253428.932512 el-Mughra is a small depression east of the Qaṭṭāra depression.

• Egyptian sand lake is a sand dune field south of Siwa in the Western Desert.

background

In the middle of the 20th century, the former “Western Desert” governorate was divided up and Maṭrūḥ now forms its northern part. Marsā Maṭrūḥ has always been the capital. It starts at about kilometer 41 west of Alexandria and extends to the Libyan border.

The governorate has very different landscapes. These are the fruitful coastal strip on Mediterranean Sea, vast desert areas and the foothills of the Libyan Plateau. In the desert there are z. B. with Siwa, el-Qaṭṭāra, el-Mughra and Qārat Umm eṣ-Ṣugheir several depressions, but only the Qaṭṭāra depression extends below sea level. In part of the depressions, water for agriculture and settlement could be obtained with the help of artesian wells.

World history has always been written in the area of ​​today's governorate, at the interface between Libya and Egypt. Both peoples have been in contact since the 6th ancient Egyptian dynasty. Around the beginning of the 20th dynasty, there were increased disputes, and Ramses ii had a chain of fortresses built up to here. This area served as a trading center from that time until the Greco-Roman period. Here were several ports for the Mediterranean trade, mainly with Crete.

Numerous battles took place here in the 20th century. During the First World War, the British were on one side and the Italians and supporters of the Sanūsī brotherhood on the other opposite. During the Second World War battles took place between the Commonwealth of Nations as well as German and Italian troops, the best known at el-ʿAlamein. From July 21 to 24, 1977 the Egyptian-Libyan border conflict where the air forces on both sides bombed the enemy’s military installations and settlements. This conflict was triggered by Libyans, who on July 20 at es-Sallūm against the rapprochement of Egypt Israel wanted to protest. The conflict was settled through the mediation of various states. However, the two countries did not resume diplomatic relations until 2000.

The important branches of the economy include agriculture, oil production and tourism. Wheat, maize, barley, broad beans and figs are grown in the fertile coastal strip, and olives are grown in the depressions. The most important resorts are el-ʿAlamein and Marsā Maṭrūḥ.

getting there

The places on the Mediterranean coast are connected by paved roads. The asphalt road from Marsā Maṭrūḥ to Siwa was completed in 1982/83.

The towns on the Mediterranean coast are also connected by the rail link from Alexandria Marsā Maṭrūḥ. Marsā Maṭrūḥ also has the international 31.32527827.2216671 Marsa Matruh Airport(IATA: MUH).

mobility

Regular buses and minibuses run several times a day between the individual locations. Taxis are also available in Marsā Maṭrūḥ.

For the journey into the desert areas one is dependent on all-terrain all-wheel drive vehicles. Vehicles and drivers can be found e.g. B. in Siwa and Alexandria.

Tourist Attractions

The governorate offers a variety Landforms both on the Mediterranean coast and in the desert areas and oases. The highlights include: the Egyptian sand sea south of Siwa.

Legacies from Pharaonic and Greco-Roman times can be found both on the Mediterranean coast and in Siwa. Several large military cemeteries commemorate the battles of World War II.

activities

The extensive sandy beaches on the Mediterranean coast are particularly popular among the Egyptians. Numerous holiday settlements were also built here. In Almaza Bay that is Rommel Dive Center (see below Marsā Maṭrūḥ) based, which offers dives to various WWII wrecks.

holiday

The governorate national day is celebrated on August 24th. The holiday commemorates the 1915 battle in the Wādī Māǧid (also Wadi Majid, Arabic:وادي ماجد) Between British occupation forces and Bedouin tribes under the leadership of el-Muǧāhid Ḥusain el-ʿĀṣṣī el-Qanāšī (Arabic:المجاهد حسين العاصي القناشي) Thought.

security

The governorate is one of the safest areas in Egypt.

Vehicle failures must be expected on desert safaris. A trip with several vehicles is recommended. Sufficient food and drinks as well as navigation devices and satellite telephones must be carried.

German and British armed forces laid mines in several places during World War II that have not yet been cleared.

climate

The governorate of Maṭrūḥ has both a coast on the Red Sea and desert areas, in which of course the climate is very different.

Due to their proximity to the Mediterranean Sea, Marsā Maṭrūḥ and Sallūm have a mild climate all year round. In January the average temperature is 14 ° C and in August the average is 26 ° C. From October to March, mainly in January, rain and storms can be expected. The climate in the individual coastal towns differs only slightly. The best travel time is the summer half of the year.

Mersa Matruh	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean highest air temperature in ° C	18	18	20	23	25	28	29	30	28	26	23	19	O	23.9
Average air temperature in ° C	13	14	15	18	20	23	25	26	24	22	18	14	O	19.3
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C	9	9	10	12	15	19	21	21	20	17	14	10	O	14.8
Precipitation in mm	36	19	11	3	2	2	0	1	1	19	18	29	Σ	141
Relative humidity in%	71	69	68	66	73	73	75	73	71	70	68	69	O	70.5
Mersa Matruh, Egypt: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data, accessed November 17, 2009.

Sallum	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean highest air temperature in ° C	19	20	21	24	27	30	31	31	30	27	24	20	O	25.3
Average air temperature in ° C	14	14	16	19	21	25	26	26	25	23	19	15	O	20.3
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C	10	10	12	14	17	20	22	22	21	18	15	11	O	16
Precipitation in mm	21	15	7	6	2	1	0	0	0	13	10	17	Σ	92
Relative humidity in%	59	58	59	58	60	59	62	65	64	62	59	59	O	60.3
Salloum, Egypt: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data, accessed November 17, 2009.

The climate in the desert near Siwa is warm to hot and mostly dry all year round. Rainfalls only occur in winter and early spring. The average rainfall is 10 millimeters per year, but in exceptional cases there is also rainfall of 20 millimeters per day. The best travel time is the winter half of the year.

Siwa	Jan	Feb	March	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Mean highest air temperature in ° C	19	22	24	30	34	38	38	37	35	30	25	20	O	29.3
Average air temperature in ° C	12	14	17	22	26	29	30	29	27	23	17	13	O	21.6
Mean lowest air temperature in ° C	6	7	10	14	18	20	22	21	20	16	10	6	O	14.2
Precipitation in mm	2	1	2	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	1	Σ	9
Relative humidity in%	56	50	46	38	34	33	37	41	44	50	56	59	O	45.3
Siwa, Egypt: Climate, Global Warming, and Daylight Charts and Data, accessed November 11, 2009.

trips

Excursions in Maṭrūḥ governorate can be combined with trips to Alexandria or into the valley el-Baḥrīya connect.