Banha ( ) is the capital of the Qalyubiyya Governorate in north-eastern

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. Between the capital of

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 ...

and the city of

Tanta Tanta ( ' ) is a city in Egypt. Tanta had a population of 658,798 in 2018, making it the fifth most populous city in Egypt. Tanta is located between Cairo and Alexandria: north of Cairo and southeast of Alexandria. The capital of Gharbia Gove ...

, Banha is an important transport hub, as rail lines from Cairo to various cities in the Nile Delta pass through it. Benha is a part of

Greater Cairo The Greater Cairo () is a metropolitan area centered around Cairo, Egypt. It comprises the entirety of the Cairo Governorate, the cities of Imbaba and Giza in the Giza Governorate, and the city Shubra El Kheima in Qalyubia Governorate. Its def ...

. Banha was founded as a city in 1850.

Etymology

The city's modern name derives from ''Banaho'' () from ''Per neha'' (), which means 'House of Sycamore ()'.

Geography

It is located north of

. located on the east bank of the

Damietta Damietta ( ' ) is a harbor, port city and the capital of the Damietta Governorate in Egypt. It is located at the Damietta branch, an eastern distributary of the Nile Delta, from the Mediterranean Sea, and about north of Cairo. It was a Cath ...

Branch of 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 ...

in the rich farmland of the southern part of the river's delta. Banha is a major junction in the rail network that radiates north from

and it has the 6th biggest train station in Egypt. The north of Benha is the site of one of several ancient cities called Athribis, the capital of the tenth nome (province) of

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 ...

in about 1500 BC. The site has never been systematically investigated by archaeologists. Over the years, peasants digging in the area have uncovered a large hoard of silver. Athribis was the center of worship of the black bull and enjoyed the most popularity during the Roman period of rule in Egypt. Not much still stands of this ancient capital except some remains from the 18th to the 26th Dynasties. Though not a popular tourist destination, there are such sites here as a Greco-Roman cemetery and silver ingots discovered at the Athribis site currently on display at the Egyptian Museum. About southwest of Banha is Tall al Yahudiya, the site of Leontopolis, famed for its glazed tiles in ancient times. Population is around 2,479,347 (2005) and total area is 16.105 km².

Climate

Köppen-Geiger climate classification system classifies its climate as hot desert (BWh).

Economy

Well-irrigated by canals leading off the Delta Barrage, a

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, aqua ...

upstream, the surrounding farmland produces

wheat Wheat is a group of wild and crop domestication, domesticated Poaceae, grasses of the genus ''Triticum'' (). They are Agriculture, cultivated for their cereal grains, which are staple foods around the world. Well-known Taxonomy of wheat, whe ...

and long-staple

cotton Cotton (), first recorded in ancient India, is a soft, fluffy staple fiber that grows in a boll, or protective case, around the seeds of the cotton plants of the genus '' Gossypium'' in the mallow family Malvaceae. The fiber is almost pure ...

. Since ancient times, Banha has been known for the production of attar of

rose A rose is either a woody perennial plant, perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred Rose species, species and Garden roses, tens of thousands of cultivar ...

s, an ingredient in

perfume Perfume (, ) is a mixture of fragrance, fragrant essential oils or aroma compounds (fragrances), Fixative (perfumery), fixatives and solvents, usually in liquid form, used to give the human body, animals, food, objects, and living-spaces an agre ...

. Today it is the center of Egypt's electronics industry.

Education

Banha University

Banha University was established in November 1976 as a branch of

Zagazig University Zagazig University () is a public university located in the city of Zagazig, Egypt. History Zagazig University began as a branch of Ain Shams University in 1970. On April 14, 1974, it gained independence through a decree, becoming a stand ...

in the governorate. It became an independent University in 2005 incorporating several facilities and departments with around 60,500 graduates per annum. The Faculty of Medicine is notable for research and management of 2 main hospitals in Banha. Naser mosque

Districts

Banha consists of several districts : Bata, Kafr Bata, Al-Vilal, Banha El-Gedida (New Banha), Attrib, El-Manshiyyah, Kafr Manakr (El-Shdiya), West El-Balad (Downtown Area), El-Haras El-Watani, Manshiyyet El-Nur and Hayy El-Zehour(Flowers Suburb), Kafr El-Saraia, Ezbet El-Moraba'a, Kafr El-gazzar, Batta, Ezbet Elmanyawi, Ar Ramla, Ezbet El-Ziraea.

Notable people

* Yahya El Mashad, Egyptian nuclear scientist * Fouad Qandil, Egyptian novelist *

Ahmed Fathy Ahmed Fathy Abdelmonem Ahmed Ibrahim (; born 10 November 1984) is an Egyptian former professional association football, footballer who played as a full-back (association football), full-back. Considered by some as one of Africa's best-ever ful ...

, footballer * Ahmed Helmy, actor * , one of the greatest poets and writers in

Isma'il Pasha Isma'il Pasha ( ; 25 November 1830 or 31 December 1830 – 2 March 1895), also known as Ismail the Magnificent, was the Khedive of Egypt and ruler of Sudan from 1863 to 1879, when he was removed at the behest of Great Britain and France. Shari ...

era, born in Marsafa and died on 1889. * Saad Samir, footballer * Gamal El-Araby, Former Minister of Education and Technical Education of Egypt

References

External links

Qalyubia Governorate's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:governm Governorate capitals in Egypt Populated places in Qalyubiyya Governorate