El Mahmoudia (, ) is an Egyptian city on the connection point between the

Nile The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the List of river sy ...

and Mahmoudiyah canal. It is a city with a history despite its modernity. It was one of the most important trade ports on the

Nile River The Nile (also known as the Nile River or River Nile) is a major north-flowing river in northeastern Africa. It flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The Nile is the longest river in Africa. It has historically been considered the longest river i ...

. Trading ships traveling from

Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...

and

Lower Egypt Lower Egypt ( ') is the northernmost region of Egypt, which consists of the fertile Nile Delta between Upper Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea, from El Aiyat, south of modern-day Cairo, and Dahshur. Historically, the Nile River split into sev ...

Alexandria Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...

passed through its

lock Lock(s) or Locked may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainme ...

and up the Mahmoudiyah Canal. Trading ships from

also carried imported merchandise to

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

through the port.

Special location

The city's special location made it a major trade center in the region. As ships stopped in its natural mooring in the Nile the city had a major activity in markets.

History

Mahmoudiyah was built over Al-Atf () village, which was called Balhib (, ) in

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, and it was a police station belonging to the Rashid Center. It is distinguished by its great mosque that was built during the reign of Muhammad Ali. It was named after Mahmoudiyah after Ottoman Sultan

Mahmud II Mahmud II (, ; 20 July 1785 – 1 July 1839) was the sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1808 until his death in 1839. Often described as the "Peter the Great of Turkey", Mahmud instituted extensive administrative, military, and fiscal reforms ...

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

. Egypt was a vassal of the Ottoman Empire, during which time Muhammad Ali Pasha was the governor of Egypt. Its name is associated with the name of a nearby canal, and the city is characterized by a hydraulic system of locks, whose waters patch the boats from the Nile and lower them from the canal to the level of the Nile. The city is surrounded by water, especially in the south. It reaches from the Mahmudiyah Canal to the Rashidiyya Canal, which Is used to supply Rashid and Idku with water for drinking and irrigation.

Modern

The city of Mahmoudiya was occupied by garrisons, like other strategic cities during the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The British garrison consisted of Indian, Irish,

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

n and English soldiers. The city was a strategic site and target for the Germans in

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Because the city is located at the mouth of the Mahmoudiyah Canal, it was considered a key naval transport route for goods and the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

weaponry from

to enter boats to the Nile. In December 1916, local people of the city were celebrating the wedding of a couple, marching in a procession, carrying lamps and torches, and shouting. The city garrison's leader mistook this for a rebellion so ordered the garrison to attack the residents. This prompted fighting between the locals and the garrison, and culminated in a request from the garrison commander for the leaders of the city to negotiate with them. The mayor of the city, Darwish al-Wailili, headed a delegation and met with the garrison commander, requesting an apology to the people for the attack. In the 1919 revolution, the people of Mahmudiya damaged the Delta Railroad tracks and set the main station on fire. From July 11, 1942, and throughout

, Mahmoudiyah received thousands of displaced people fleeing bombing in

, Kafr el-Dawar, Khorshid, and al-Baida. The city provided shelter and food despite its own targeting in air raids. During World War II, the Al-Atf power station was used to generate electricity for Lower Egypt and the Ahmouda Canal canal, which connects drinking water to Alexandria, Abu Homs, and Kafr al-Dawwar, and was therefore a desirable target.

Geography

River and sea-going craft along this coast are sometimes exposed to rough sea conditions. As a result, boats were often crowded along the canal opening by the intensity of the commercial traffic on the coast by the island of Ful Al-Madina. The city therefore promoted commercial and navigational agencies to govern water traffic, especially during the First and Second World Wars. Mahmoudiyah Center was famous for the cultivation of rice and cotton transported through the Mahmoudiyah Canal to be exported to Europe. This city was one of the major commercial cities in Lower Egypt for its unique geographical location. The Nile to its north was as wide as a natural harbor, and to its east is the mouth of the Mahmoudiyah Canal. In addition, there is a pump station to raise the Nile water to the canal that supplies several cities in the West Delta, including Alexandria.

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh), but due to its closeness to the

northern coast of Egypt The Northern Coast of Egypt (, , . ''"The Northern Egyptian Coast"'' extends for about along the Mediterranean Sea, it covers entirely the northern territory of Egypt. It is one of the longest Mediterranean coastlines, and is popularly known o ...

, its temperatures are moderated by the

prevailing winds In meteorology, prevailing wind in a region of the Earth's surface is a surface wind that blows predominantly from a particular Wind direction, direction. The dominant winds are the trends in direction of wind with the highest speed over a partic ...

of the

Mediterranean Sea The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...

Notable people

Hassan al-Banna Hassan Ahmed Abd al-Rahman Muhammed al-Banna (; 14 October 1906 – 12 February 1949), known as Hassan al-Banna (), was an Egyptian schoolteacher and Imam, best known for founding the Muslim Brotherhood, one of the largest and most influential g ...

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Beheira Governorate Populated places on the Nile Port cities and towns in Egypt