Belqas (, ) is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

located in the north-western corner of the

Dakahlia Governorate Dakahlia ( ', ) is an Egyptian governorate lying northeast of Cairo, Egypt. Its area is approximately 3,500 km2. Although the capital of the governorate is Mansoura, it got its name from the ancient town of Daqahlah (, from ) which is locat ...

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 ...

Etymology

The towns older name is al-Mima wa-l-Maaskar () points out that the modern name probably comes from . It is also a site of the old Coptic monastery called Deir al-Mema or Deir al-Askar.

Economy

One part of the town's economy is the resort of Gamasa. The town also depends on its

natural gas Natural gas (also fossil gas, methane gas, and gas) is a naturally occurring compound of gaseous hydrocarbons, primarily methane (95%), small amounts of higher alkanes, and traces of carbon dioxide and nitrogen, hydrogen sulfide and helium ...

fields in the region of ''Abu Mady''. Belqas remains a mainly agricultural region, although it contains some industrial activities such as sugar, rice and plastic productions. Belqas also depends on its car maintenance and restoration facility, restoring vehicles to factory standards (especially for the Peugot and Mercedes Benz).

Location

Belqas is located near the city of

Mansoura Mansoura (; ', , rural: ) is a city in Egypt located on the eastern bank of the Damietta branch of the Nile river. The city is the capital of the Dakahlia Governorate and has a population of 621,953 as of 2021. Etymology ''Mansoura'' in Arabic ...

and the town of Gamasa. Belqas is in the governorates of Dakahlia and

Kafr el-Sheikh Kafr El Sheikh ( ) ("village of the Sheikh") is an Egyptian city and the capital of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, about 134 km north of Cairo, in the Nile Delta of lower Egypt. As of November 2006, the town had a population of around 500 ...

, and is located in the center of Sherbin, Garaida,

Talkha Talkha ( ) is a city in Dakahlia Governorate, Egypt. The city is located on the west bank of the Damietta, a distributary of the Nile in the Delta region. Is about 120 km northeast of Cairo. Talkha is situated opposite the city of Mans ...

and Gamasa. Belqas is located on the coordinates .

Sites of interest

Belqas is home to ancient palaces and

villa A villa is a type of house that was originally an ancient Roman upper class country house that provided an escape from urban life. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the f ...

s which were once owned by princes and merchants. One of these tourist attractions in the jurisdictions of Belqas is the

Coptic Orthodox The Coptic Orthodox Church (), also known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, is an Oriental Orthodox Churches, Oriental Orthodox Christian church based in Egypt. The head of the church and the Apostolic see, See of Alexandria i ...

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of Saint Demiana.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in Dakahlia Governorate Towns in Egypt

Etymology

Economy

Location

Sites of interest

See also

References