Kafr El Sheikh ( ) ("village of the

Sheikh Sheikh ( , , , , ''shuyūkh'' ) is an honorific title in the Arabic language, literally meaning "elder (administrative title), elder". It commonly designates a tribal chief or a Muslim ulama, scholar. Though this title generally refers to me ...

") is an Egyptian city and the capital of Kafr El Sheikh Governorate,

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 ...

, about 134 km north 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 ...

, in the

Nile Delta The Nile Delta (, or simply , ) is the River delta, delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's larger deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the eas ...

of lower Egypt. As of November 2006, the town had a population of around 500,000. Kafr El Sheikh was earlier known as Duminqun (), but was officially named Fuadiyah or Fouadiyah () in honour of

King King is a royal title given to a male monarch. A king is an Absolute monarchy, absolute monarch if he holds unrestricted Government, governmental power or exercises full sovereignty over a nation. Conversely, he is a Constitutional monarchy, ...

Fuad I of Egypt Fuad I ( ''Fu’ād al-Awwal''; 26 March 1868 – 28 April 1936) was the Sultan and later King of Egypt and the Sudan. The ninth ruler of Egypt and Sudan from the Muhammad Ali dynasty, he became Sultan in 1917, succeeding his elder brother Hu ...

. After the

1952 Revolution The Egyptian revolution of 1952, also known as the 1952 coup d'état () and the 23 July Revolution (), was a period of profound political, economic, and societal change in Egypt. On 23 July 1952, the revolution began with the toppling of King ...

and the subsequent abolition of the monarchy, the governorate took the name of its capital city Kafr El Sheikh. This name, adopted in 1955, means "the village of the chief". In 2006 the University of Kafr El Sheikh was established.

Etymology

The modern name of the city means "village of the sheikh", and refers to sheikh Talhha at-Tilmisānī, who died here in 1234. The older name of the city, Dumaynaqun (), is reconstructed from Coptic by Engsheden as ("''island''") + a personal name. This pattern is widely represented in Egyptian toponymy, so the name is expected to be Egyptian, but he proposes Nikon (), which is unattested in Coptic sources, unable to find a suitable Egyptian name. In fact, a personal name ''Akon'' () is contained in place names like ''Pmounakon'' () in the Hermopolite nome and ''Tmounakon'' () near

Oxyrhynchus Oxyrhynchus ( ; , ; ; ), also known by its modern name Al-Bahnasa (), is a city in Middle Egypt located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo in Minya Governorate. It is also an important archaeological site. Since the late 19th century, t ...

, the latter of which could share its etymology with Dumaynaqun.

Education

Faculty of Science-Kafr El-Sheikh University 02

The Governorate of Kafr el Sheikh is the holder of prestigious schools. It also has a university that has the following faculties: *Faculty of Medicine * Faculty of Commerce * Faculty of Engineering * Faculty of Agriculture * Veterinary school * Faculty of Arts

Main sights

Museum

The city museum showcases artifacts, mostly from

Buto Buto (, , ''Butu''), Bouto, Butus (, ''Boutos'')Herodotus ii. 59, 63, 155. or Butosus was a city that the Ancient Egyptians called Per-Wadjet. It was located 95 km east of Alexandria in the Nile Delta of Egypt. What in classical times the ...

. Notable exhibits include artifacts depicting the conflict between

Horus Horus (), also known as Heru, Har, Her, or Hor () in Egyptian language, Ancient Egyptian, is one of the most significant ancient Egyptian deities who served many functions, most notably as the god of kingship, healing, protection, the sun, and t ...

and his uncle

Set Set, The Set, SET or SETS may refer to: Science, technology, and mathematics Mathematics *Set (mathematics), a collection of elements *Category of sets, the category whose objects and morphisms are sets and total functions, respectively Electro ...

, as well as a remarkable statue of Horus the Falcon. The museum also highlights the period when the city of Sakha hosted the journey of the Holy Family in Egypt. The city of Fuwwah, known for its Islamic heritage, is also featured. The Kafr El Sheikh Museum was inaugurated by President El-Sisi in 2020.

Mosques

* Talha al-Tlemceni * Abaza * Al Malek * Ibn Taimia * Al Israa * Ebad al Rahman * Al Falaheen * Al Fath (Stadium mosque) * Al Khayat * Abo al Azaem * Sidi Qutb * Al Rahman (Mosque of el 47 square) * Sheikha Zahra Coptan

Churches

* Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Sakha * Evangelical Church * Church of St.Demiana and forty Virgins * Saint George's Church

Industry

Kafr El Sheikh is the home to various factories, including a rice mill, a poultry forage factory and a sugar beet factory.''Kafr Elsheikh Governrate''

sic The Latin adverb ''sic'' (; ''thus'', ''so'', and ''in this manner'') inserted after a quotation indicates that the quoted matter has been transcribed or translated as found in the source text, including erroneous, archaic, or unusual spelling ...

Sport

Kafr El Sheikh owns Kafr El Sheikh SC which competes in the Egyptian second division league.

Climate

Kafr el-Sheikh is classified by Köppen-Geiger climate classification system as hot desert (BWh).

Notable people

* Hamdeen Sabahi, Egyptian politician, the leader of the Dignity Party and one of the leaders of the Egyptian opposition before the 2011 Egyptian revolution * Trezeguet, Egyptian footballer * Osama Anwar Okasha, Egyptian screenwriter and journalist * Saad Zaghloul, Egyptian nationalist and politician

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate capitals in Egypt Populated places in Kafr El Sheikh Governorate Cities in Egypt