Ismaïlia
Ismaïlia (Arabic: الإسماعيلية) is the capital of Egypt's Al Isma'iliyah Governorate. It has a population (including surrounding rural areas) of approximately 750,000. It is located on the west bank of the Suez Canal, approximately half way between Port Said to the north and Suez to the south. The Canal widens at that point to include Timsah, one of the Bitter Lakes linked by the Canal. It is an administration center for the Suez Canal and still has a large number of Colonial housing dating from British and French involvement with the Canal. Most of these buildings are still used by Canal employees and officials.
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Education
Ismailia is the home of Suez Canal University, established in 1976 to serve the region of Suez Canal and Sinai. Suez Canal University now is one of the fast growing educational institutes in Egypt with many students studying abroad.
Tourism
Ismaïlia does get tourists from within Egypt, but is not a major tourism destination for international tourists. The city is approximately a ninety minute automobile drive from Cairo. From Ismaïlia it is approximately a four hour drive to Sharm el Sheikh in South Sinai. Driving to the Taba Border Crossing at Taba and the Rafah Border Crossing at Rafah are both approximately four hour drives.
Sports
Ismaïlia's Sporting Club's soccer team Ismaily SC enjoys broad support from within the city and governorate, with fan bases extending to other Egyptian cities. The club's performance is considered a major political issue, and can tend to dictate the city's mood. The team enjoys brief stints of competition for local and international competition, but its financial situation prevents these stints from extending beyond a few years. The team has won the Egyptian League three times (1967, 1991, 2002), the Egyptian Cup twice (1997, 2000), and the African Champions League once (1969).
Notable natives
- Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917.
- Claude François, a famous French pop singer and songwriter, was born in this town on 1 February 1939.
- Louis Chedid, a famous French singer and songwriter son of writer Andrée Chedid and father of Matthieu Chedid (better known as -M-) was born in this town on 1 January 1948.
- Adel Marzouk, famous football player from 1986 to 1990.
Military
Ismailia is the base for the Egyptian primary army named "the second field army".
References
- Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. "Geographical information on Al Ismailiyah, Egypt" (in English). Retrieved on 2008-03-23.
External links
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