Rashīd - Raschīd

The egyptian Port city Rasheed (Arabic:رشيد‎, Rashid, English Rashid or Rasheed), also rosette or Rosetta (French: "little rose"), is located in the west of the Nile deltas in the governorate el-Buheira. The city is located about 65 kilometers east of the city center of Alexandria, 50 kilometers north of Damanhūr, the capital of the governorate el-Buheira, and eleven kilometers above the confluence of the western arm of the Nile with the Mediterranean Sea. Around 70,000 people live in the city.^[1] The town houses from the 16th to 19th centuries with their characteristic brickwork made of red and black bricks are worth seeing in the old town.

background

The city was founded in 870 and built on the west bank of the western arm of the Nile. This gives it an exposed location comparable to that of the city Dumyāṭ (Damietta) on the second, eastern branch of the Nile. The area has been inhabited since prehistoric times. The pharaohs named their settlement Rehyt. The first inhabitants of the Coptic faith to settle here called this city Rikhit, from which the later Arabic name Rashid derived.

Your first Boom experienced the city in the Coptic (9th century) and Fatimid times (10th-12th centuries). The reason for this and the following upswings is the exposed and military strategic location of the city.

Similar to in Alexandria let Qait Bey (1416–1496), Sultan of the last Mamluk dynasty, 7 kilometers north of the city in the area of ​​what is today Rashid Castle a strategically important place in 1479 fortress to be able to defend themselves against the rising Ottoman power in Asia Minor. Under the Ottoman rulers Selim I. the Mamluks were defeated in 1516/1517, even if the Mamluk system of rule continued to exist in the period that followed. The city of Rashīd remained an important port city because it had the shortest connection to it Istanbul bot. It subsequently became the most important Mediterranean port city in Egypt until its in the 19th century Alexandria the rank expired.

Even if Arabs have settled here since the 10th century, it was not until the Ottoman period that their share of the population increased considerably. In the 17th century, Rashīd became the second largest city after Cairo. About 19,000 people lived in it at that time. More and more European, mainly Greek, and Turkish as well as local traders settled in the city.

The fortress in the north of the city regained importance in 1799 when it was here Napoleon Bonaparte on the ruins of the old fortress a new fortress that Fort St. Julien or. Fort Rosetta, built. The new construction of this fortress made the city world famous, not because of the Napoleonic military expedition - this was a disaster - but because of the discovery of the Steins from Rosetta by the French lieutenant Bouchard in 1799. This stone contains a trilingual inscription (hieroglyphics, Demotic (hieroglyphic script) and Greek) with praise Ptolemy ’V. and is now in the British Museum in London. With him succeeded in 1822 Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832) made the breakthrough in deciphering the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The plant of the Maḥmūdīya Canal from the western arm of the Nile to Alexandria in 1819 Muḥammad ʿAlī but meant a deep cut. With the rise in importance of Alexandria, that of Raschīd decreased, the population of which fell from 35,000 at the beginning of the 19th century to 15,000 in 1848. But the city did not become completely insignificant: at the end of the 19th century there were still 2300 houses, 600 shops, 25 mosques, 52 spice mills, 13 oil mills, 10 rice mills and 30 hotels.

Numerous mostly three-storey, rarely four-storey buildings still tell of the city's wealth Town houses from the 16th to 19th centuries with their characteristic brickwork made of red and black bricks. The windows hide the size of the houses; it is not uncommon for two rows of windows to be found on one floor. The layout of the houses and their construction are similar: the ground floor was used for trade, fountains, stables and storehouses. The second floor was reserved for men, here was the reception room and kitchen, while the third floor was reserved for women, and here was also the bathroom, the Ḥammām. If there was a fourth floor, it was where the bedrooms were. The windows were often provided with maschrabīyen, wooden window grilles, and in the 19th century also with iron bars. Nowadays these houses are abandoned because they no longer appear contemporary or comfortable, and are in disrepair.

The city center had many shops and trades that are still located here today. Today the city is the center of the Food, tobacco and textile industries. The "city of a million palms" is a supplier of dates. The rice mills at the entrance to the village process rice from large parts of the Nile Delta. The fishing industry that was once located here has declined noticeably with the construction of the Aswan Dam. The catches fell from around 300 tons per day to 20 tons today.

getting there

By train

Rashīd does have one 31.40816330.419481 Rashid Railway Station in the Shariʿ geish. However, only one pair of trains per day runs between Alexandria and Rashīd. At 3:30 p.m. the train leaves for Alexandria. The train takes two hours to get there.

In the street

Raschīd can be reached by minibuses, among others. of Alexandria, el-Ma'mūra at Abu Qir (el-Ma'mūra is itself from Alexandria reachable from), Cairo, Port Said and Damanhūr out. The 31.40138930.4183332 Train station for the minibuses and service taxis(31 ° 24 ′ 5 ″ N.30 ° 25 ′ 6 ″ E) lies at the western end of the Shariʿ ʿAzzūz Sama west of the Kūhīya house, Arabic:منزل كوهية‎, Manzil Kūhīya. From the minibus station in Raschīd you walk in a south-easterly direction to the Corniche (embankment) and from there to the north until you have reached the city center with the museum.

In Alexandria, the minibuses leave the new bus station (Arabic:الموقف الجديد‎, al-Mauqif al-Hadid) in the south of the city. For the one-hour trip to Raschīd you pay LE 3 (status 9/2010), for the taxi ride from downtown Alexandria to the new bus station about LE 10 (status 9/2010). The travel destinations are legible in the bus station with signs labeled in Arabic. The stop to Rashīd is almost at the northern end of the central street.

If you have more time, you can also take the service taxi (minibus) to el-Ma'mūra Abu Qir drive. You start in Alexandria in the Shariʿ Ahmad Muharram (in the city center) east of the Midan Orabi near the tram line to Abu Qir. You have to change to the service taxis to Rashīd well take place shortly before Abu Qir in el-Ma'mūra.

mobility

Most of the sights can be reached on foot. Otherwise there are numerous yellow-green taxis.

Due to the narrowness of the streets in the old town, it makes sense to walk. The roads run parallel or perpendicular to the Nile, which runs roughly from south to north.

It is quite likely that you will be accompanied by tourist police during the city tour. But you know the way ...

Tourist Attractions

The main attraction of the city is its old town center, which is around 1 square kilometer in size. There are around 50 mosques, two churches, 24 town houses and a bath. Many mosques have existed since ancient times or are on the site of previous mosques.

Most of the town houses have not been used since the 20th century because the lifestyle of the population changed and they fell into disrepair. That is why the Egyptian Antiquities Administration bought 22 houses in 1951. They have been restored since 1978, but the restoration work is still ongoing today because some of the errors in the earlier restorations have to be eliminated.

Most of the houses are now empty inside, so they can only be viewed from the outside.

A good starting point for sightseeing is the city's main square, the 31.40472230.4230561 Midan el-Hurriya, Arabic:ميدان الحرية‎, Mīdān al-Ḥurrīya, „Freedom Square". There is a memorial on it, which is supposed to commemorate the military history of the early 19th century and the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.

ʿArab Killī House

The windows on the second floor have iron grilles, all others are provided with Maschrabīyen, wooden ornamental grilles.

The museum houses around 200 local finds and 600 finds from Cairo from the Islamic, Coptic and Gayer-Anderson Museum. These include coins, ceramics, dishes, weapons, carpets, furniture and clothing. Some of the rooms are used as exhibition rooms, while the remaining rooms reflect their original use, such as the reception hall, bedroom, kitchen and bathroom in Ottoman times.

in the ground floor a corridor leads to a first exhibition room. Uniforms, combs and vessels made of Bohemian glass are displayed in the corridor. A room to the right of the corridor presents photographs and certificates. The documents include one for the evacuation of British troops and a marriage certificate of a third commander of the French army with Zubeida el-Bauwab (Arabic:زبيدة البواب). At the end of the corridor there is an exhibition room with a focus on Rosetta stone. At this in the fortress of Rashid Castle found trilingual stone in ancient Egyptian, Demotic and Ancient Greek could from the French Egyptologist Jean-François Champollion (1790–1832) the basic rules of ancient Egyptian are deciphered. In this room there is a replica of the Rosetta Stone - the original is in the British Museum in London exhibited - a bust of Champollion, a model of the Qait Bey fortress in Raschīd Castle, several swords and black ceramic vessels.

The following first floor once served as a salamlik, as an area for the men. A central corridor with a window to the courtyard leads to three rooms on the left and three on the right, which are used as exhibition rooms. The central aisle and the rooms have flat wooden ceilings. There are candlesticks and stools on the sides of the aisle, and historical photographs on its walls. In the foremost room on the left, vessels, mostly made of ceramics, wooden spoons and a bronze box, all of which date from the 17th century, as well as historical photographs are shown. There are carpets hanging on the walls of the middle room. There is also a bust of the Ottoman governor in this room Muḥammed ʿAlī (Reign 1805-1848). The rearmost room is intended for Ottoman weapons and armor. In the first room on the right, ceramic vessels as well as gold, silver and copper coins from the 17th century are shown. In the next room there is a Koran manuscript from the hand of Hasan Halmi, student of Muhammad Moaus Zada, from 1294 AH (1877). In the rearmost room there is a bust of ʿAlī Bek el-Salānkalī (Arabic:علي بك السلانكلي), The general of the people of Rashīd in the battle of 1807 against a British army under General Alexander Mackenzie Fraser, rifles, pistols and two battle paintings showing the defense of Rashīd in the said battle.

Also in First floor the rooms on the side can be reached via a central corridor. The central aisle has a wooden ceiling with a light dome. Examples of faience tiles hang on its walls. At the end of the corridor, a staircase leads to a low platform with seat cushions and two windows with mashrabiya, which reveal a view of the courtyard. There is a chandelier in the area of ​​the stairs. On the left side of the aisle you get to the kitchen and the bedroom, on the right side to an office, the reception room and a winch.

South of the house is the Museum garden. In the future there will be a bookshop, a café and lecture and administrative rooms here. The Antiquities Service is also located opposite the museum.

Church of St. Markus

About 100 meters west of the ʿArab Killī house is the 31.40514630.4207723 Church of St. Markus(31 ° 24 ′ 18 ″ N.30 ° 25 ′ 15 ″ E), Arabic:كنيسة مار مرقس‎, Kanīsat Mār Marqus named after the founder of the Coptic Church. Today's Coptic Orthodox Church was probably used by the Greek Orthodox community until around the 1970s. The church is in the southwest of a large courtyard.

The four-aisled church was built from exposed brickwork. It is possible that the northern nave was added later. The domes mostly rest on brick pillars and two columns made of rose granite. There are light openings in the domes, some of which have been filled with colored glass. A gallery rises to the west of the church.

On the east side there are four altar rooms, from the left for St. Virgin and St. Abā Nūb, for the Archangel Michael, for St. Mark, as well as St. George. The sanctuary for St. Virgin and St. Abā Nūb is only screened from the meeting room by a curtain. St. Abā Nūb lived in the time of the emperor Diocletian. He had been a staunch Christian since the age of 12 and died in the same year as a martyr under the then Alexandrian governor Armianus as part of the Diocletian persecution of Christians. The altars for St. Michael and St. Georg only have a wooden screen wall. The screen wall of the altar for St. Mark, on the other hand, bears the images of the twelve apostles, the representation of the Last Supper and the cross of Christ.

To the Church of St. Markus also owns a hospital.

Old town buildings

Most of the old town's bailey houses are empty today. Three of the houses and the bathroom can be viewed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. The required, LE 40 ticket (LE 20 for foreign students, as of 11/2019) can be obtained from the el-Amasyali house. It is possible that only the Abu Shahin Mill and the ʿAzzuz Bath can be viewed from the inside.

At the level of the museum garden you can walk to the west and after about 60 meters you will reach the Shāriʿ el-Maḥallī (Arabic:شارع المحلّي). Here is the on the west side 31.40416730.4211114 el Mahalli mosque(31 ° 24 ′ 15 ″ N.30 ° 25 ′ 16 ″ E), Arabic:مسجد المحلّي‎, Masǧid al-Maḥallī, the second largest mosque in the old town. In the mosque there is also the tomb of Saint Sīdī el-Maḥallī, which can only be visited by men. El-Maḥallī was a legal scholar and trader in fish and roses, but also known as a self-confident citizen of the city for his resistance to the governor. It is reported that he was once asked by the governor which school of law he belonged to, to which he replied: "To the Hanaschi" (Arabic:الحنشي), Thus descending from the snakes, certainly to the law school of Hanafites alluding to. As soon as he was spoken, the governor was bitten by a snake and fell dead.^[2]

If one were to follow the road at the el-Mahalli mosque to the south, the road into the Shāriʿ Zaghlūl (Arabic:شارع زغلول), On the east side of which there is the largest mosque in the old town, the Zaghlūl Mosque. Usually one turns immediately to the south of the el-Mahalli mosque into a side street to the west, at the southwest end of which the one from 1754 (1168 AH) originating 31.40364930.4196335 ʿAsfur House, Arabic:منزل عصفور‎, Manzil ʿAṣfūr, is located.

You are now in the Shāri Sch esch-Sheikh Qandīl (Arabic:سارع الشيخ قنديل), Which you follow about 100 meters to the south. In the south of a small square you come across that 31.40361130.4194446 el-Amasyali house(31 ° 24 ′ 13 ″ N.30 ° 25 ′ 10 ″ E), also Amasili house, Arabic:منزل الامصيلي‎, Manzil al-Amaṣyalī, of ʿUthmān Aghā el-Amaṣyalī, Arabic:عثمان أغا الامصيلي, From 1808 (1223 AH). Here you can get the tickets. Special architectural details are the decorated lintel above the house entrance and a column from the Coptic period that adorns the north-west corner of the house.

The neighboring building to the east is the Abu Shahin's Mill (Arabic:طاحونة أبو شاهين‎, Ṭāḥūna Abū Shāhīn), which in the 19th century by ʿUthmān Aghā aṭ-Ṭōpǧī (عثمان أغا الطوبجي) And forms an architectural unit with the el-Amasili house. The two millstones were driven by horses whose stables were in the back of the mill.

After the visit, you return to Shari'esh Sheikh Qandil. In the south there are other houses on the western side of the street, the Thābit- (Arabic:منزل ثابت‎, Manzil Thābit) and the eighteenth-century el-Qanādīlī house (Arabic:منزل القناديلي‎, Manzil al-Qanādīlī).

After about 40 meters you reach another intersection, you now walk east and see it el-Māzūnī house on the south side of the street. The house of el-Mazuni (also House of el-Meizuni in Arabic:منزل المازوني‎, Manzil al-Māzūnī) was established in 1740 (1153 AH) erected by ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Bauwāb al-Māzūnī. In the front room on the first floor there is a large, walk-in closet on the back wall of the room. The kitchen with a cooker with an extractor and the bedroom are on the second floor. The bathroom and the summer room are on the third floor.

After the visit, one returns to the Shari'esh Sheikh Qandil. About 30 meters further south, follow the next side street to the east. You can find this on the north side of the street el-Toqatli house (Arabic:منزل التوقاتلي‎, Manzil et-Tūqātlī), further east on the south side that Farahat house (Arabic:منزل فرحات‎, Manzil Faraḥāt) and further east and also on the south side of the street the Dimiqsis Mosque. Immediately west of the mosque is that el-Baqrawali house (Arabic:منزل البقراولي‎, Manzil al-Baqrāwalī).

The 1704 (1116 AH) Ottoman built by Ṣāliā Aghā Dimiqsīs (Dumaqsīs) 31.40179630.4224337 Dimiqsis Mosque, Arabic:مسجد دمقسيس المعلق‎, Masǧid Dimiqsīs al-Muʿallaq, „the floating Dimiqsīs mosque“Is two-story. On the lower floor there are storehouses and stables and on the upper floor the actual mosque. The mosque has a covered wooden veranda on the north side and an octagonal minaret on the east side. The wooden roof of the mosque rests on marble columns in the prayer room.

If you now go to the southern cross street (Schāriʿ Azzuz Sama), you will find more houses, all of which date from the 18th century, at the end of the street that leads to the station of the service taxis. These are the ones on the south side of the street el Gamal house (Arabic:منزل الجمل‎, Manzil al-Ǧamal) and the Ramadan house (Arabic:منزل رمضان‎, Manzil Ramaḍān). This is across the street Abuhum house (Arabic:منزل أبوهم‎, Manzil Abūhum). A few meters further west there is the Kūhīya house on the south side (Arabic:منزل كوهية‎, Manzil Kūhīya).

Now you walk back east to the Schāriʿ Zaghlūl (Arabic:شارع زغلول). After about 300 meters you will find the largest mosque in the old town on the east side, the 31.39893330.421548 Sidi Zaghlul Mosque, Arabic:مسجد سيدي زغلول‎, Masǧid Sīdī Zaghlūl. The mosque, which is now partially destroyed, was built in 1577 (985 AH) built. It is reminiscent of Zaghlūl, a Mamluken under Prince Hārūn. It combines two older mosques and impresses with the prayer niche, the Miḥrāb, the pulpit, the minbar, and the 300 reused columns. Most of the mosque, the arcade around the mosque courtyard, is in ruins. In 1807 the Egyptian flag was hoisted on the mosque as a sign of the beginning of the Rosetta battle against the English troops.

Immediately northeast of the Zaghlul Mosque is that 31.39944430.42259 Bad Azzuz(31 ° 23 '58 "N.30 ° 25 ′ 21 ″ E), Arabic:حمام عزوز‎, Ḥammām ʿAzzūzwhich was built in the 19th century. The main room consists of a round domed hall. In the bathroom you can still see the bath rooms, the remains of the stoves for heating the bath water and a water wheel. If you like, you can climb the roof of the bathroom. Next to the bathroom is the house of the owner of the bathroom.

Monuments south of the city center

In the south of the city, the rises directly on the Corniche 31.39517330.42248610 el-ʿAbbāsī Mosque(31 ° 23 '43 "N.30 ° 25 ′ 21 ″ E), Arabic:جامع العباسي‎, Ǧāmiʿ al-ʿAbbāsī, the 1809 (1224 AH) was built by Muḥammad Bey eṭ-Ṭuppūzāda in the style of inner-city town houses. The brickwork is also characteristic here, even if the bricks used here are smaller. To reinforce the masonry, a double layer of wooden beams with an intervening layer of brick were inserted in every ten brick layers. The bricks are used to create ornaments in the entrance area and above the windows. Above the entrance is the second part of the Islamic creed "Mohammed is the Messenger of God" (محمد رسول الله‎).

The mosque, more precisely the mausoleum of es-Saiyid Muḥammad el-ʿAbbāsī, who gave the mosque its name, is crowned by a large dome, behind which the octagonal minaret is located. The top of the minaret is columnar and is surrounded by a gallery.

When you enter the mosque, you immediately come to the prayer room. Right behind the entrance is the access to the mausoleum. Two rows of arcades, the arches of which rest on marble columns of different shapes, divide the prayer room into three transepts. The arcade arches, which are pierced with hexagonal stars, carry an undecorated wooden flat ceiling, in which there is a light dome at the entrance. In addition, light also comes into the interior of the mosque through the high windows. On the south wall is the ornamentally decorated prayer niche, the Miḥrāb, and to the right of it the pulpit, the Minbar. A wooden gallery rises on the opposite side.

Stroll

If you still have time, you can go along the Corniche Linger on the western bank of the Niilarm. Numerous fishing boats are moored on the bank. On the west side there are modern residential buildings and occasionally a mosque.

There was also one on the Corniche 31.3977130.42286511 cannon(31 ° 23 '52 "N.30 ° 25 ′ 22 ″ E) from the 19th century, the mouth of which today faces inland.

activities

In mid-November there is a festival in Rashīd, a so-called mulid. It is the last of its kind in a series of similar festivals that begin in Aunt to have.

shop

The bazaar in the south of the old town opens in the late morning, but closes in the afternoon. There are fruits, vegetables and freshly caught fish for sale. In the street from the bus station to the Nile is the fish market (Arabic:سوق السمك‎, Sūq as-Samak).

kitchen

There are restaurants in the Rasheed International Hotel.

There is also fūl, falafel (tamiya) and chicken in the bazaar, as well as fish fried on the corniche.

accommodation

Cheap

• 31.40277830.4233331  El Nile Hotel (‏فندق النيل‎, Funduq an-Nīl), El Bahr St., Rasheed. Tel.: 20 (0)45 292 2382. The hotel is located on the Corniche about 300 meters south of Mīdān el-Ḥurrīya Square. The rooms with bathroom and fan cost LE 30 per person (as of 8/2007). There is no breakfast.(31 ° 24 ′ 10 ″ N.30 ° 25 ′ 24 ″ E)last change: not specified

medium

• 31.40416730.42252  Rasheed International Hotel (‏فندق رشيد الدولي‎, Funduq Raschīd ad-Daulī), Shariʿ al-ʿAkari. Tel.: 20 (0)45 293 4399, (0)45 293 4499, Fax: 20 (0)45 293 4399, Email: [email protected]. The 3-star hotel, which opened in 2005, is located in the city center south of the museum garden (Arabic:الحديقة المتحفية‎, al-Ḥadīqa al-Matḥafīya). Its rooms have air conditioning, television, telephone, refrigerator, bathroom and balcony. The prices for B&B are LE 90 in a single room, LE 123 in a two-bed room and LE 157 in a three-bed room (as of 8/2007). The hotel has two restaurants for breakfast, lunch and dinner, the more upscale being the Royal Restaurant. Credit cards are not accepted.(31 ° 24 ′ 15 ″ N.30 ° 25 ′ 21 ″ E)last change: not specified

There are also accommodation options nearby Alexandria.

respect

Visitors should pay attention to appropriate clothing.

Practical advice

• Antique service for Coptic and Islamic monuments (on the edge of the museum garden, opposite the Raschid National Museum). Tel.: 20 (0)45 292 0246. The Antiquities Service for Pharaonic Monuments is located in Damanhūr.last change: not specified

trips

• One shouldn't miss the 31.43916730.3912 Qait Bey fortress(31 ° 26 ′ 21 ″ N.30 ° 23 '24 "E) in Rashid Castle, Arabic:برج رشيد‎, Burǧ Rashīd, and the 31.46277830.36666713 Nile estuary into the Mediterranean(31 ° 27 '46 "N.30 ° 22 ′ 0 ″ E) to pay a visit. You can rent a taxi for about LE 30 in Raschīd. The distances to the fortress and the mouth of the Nile are 7 and 11 kilometers, respectively.

• About 2 kilometers south of the city center, but already outside the city, on the left bank of the river is the 31.38375730.42174314 Mosque of Abū Mandūr(31 ° 23 ′ 2 ″ N.30 ° 25 ′ 18 ″ E), Arabic:مسجد أبو مندور‎, Masǧid Abū Mandūr, From the 18th century. The grave of the local saint of the same name is located in the mosque.

• The visit to Rashīd can be combined with the visit of Abū Qīr connect.

literature

For two of the local mosques, the Dimiqsīs Mosque and the el-ʿAbbāsī Mosque, there are short descriptions in the literature:

• Egyptian Kingdom, Ministry of Waqfs: The Mosques of Egypt; Vol.2. Giza (Orman): The Survey of Egypt, 1949, ISBN 978-1-874371-01-4 , Pp. 128 f., Panels 197-199 (in English).

Web links

• Jenny Jobbins: A merchant’s paradise (Archived version of May 10, 2003 in the Internet Archive archive.org), article in Al-Ahram Weekly, June 28, 2001.
• Nevine El-Aref: The rose of the Nile (Archived version of November 27, 2005 in the Internet Archive archive.org), article in Al-Ahram Weekly, November 24, 2005.

Individual evidence