Ismaïlia

Ismaïlia الإسماعيلية
Administrative building
Flag Seal
Nickname(s): The City of Beauty and Enchantment
Ismaïlia Location in Egypt
Coordinates: 30°35′N 32°16′E / 30.583°N 32.267°E / 30.583; 32.267
Country	Egypt
Governorate	Al Isma'iliyah
Area
• Total	210 km2 (80 sq mi)
Elevation	13 m (43 ft)
Population (2012)
• Total	366,669
• Density	1,700/km2 (4,500/sq mi)
Demonym	Ismailiata
Time zone	EST (UTC+2)
Area code(s)	+69 +64

Ismaïlia (Arabic: الإسماعيلية‎ al-Ismāʻīlīyah  Egyptian Arabic pronunciation: [lesmæʕiˈlejjæ]) is a city in north-eastern Egypt. Known in Egypt as "The City of Beauty and Enchantment" Ismaïlia is situated on the west bank of the Suez Canal, it is the capital of the Ismailia Governorate. The city has a population (including surrounding rural areas) of approximately 750,000 inhabitants. It is located approximately half way between Port Said to the north and Suez to the south. The Canal widens at that point to include Lake Timsah, one of the Bitter Lakes linked by the Canal.

Virgin Mary Church known as "Guardian of the Canal", is one of many examples of French architecture in Ismaïlia

History

Ismaïlia was founded in 1863, during the construction of the Suez Canal, by Khedive Ismail the Magnificent, after whom the city is named. The head office of the Suez Canal Authority is located in Ismaïlia at the shore of Lake Timsah. It still has a large number of buildings dating from British and French involvement with the Canal. Most of these buildings are still used by Canal employees and officials.

Politics

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Ismaïlia by Hassan al-Banna in March 1928. An underground paramilitary wing was established in the 1940s, primarily to fight British occupation forces. In the early 1950s, Ismaïlia hosted the British Military HQ and the Civilian Administration Centre of the Canal Zone. British suppression of an uprising by rebellious Egyptian police there on 25 January 1952 was a key event leading to the overthrow of King Farouk I later that year and the Egyptian Revolution that followed. British forces pulled out of Ismaïlia in 1954.

Education

Schools

Ismaïlia has several public and private schools.They face educational problems schools all around Egypt face. Private tutoring is widely accessible and is almost an unofficial requirement for all students. Two international schools, Manar Language School and Educational Language Complex School (E.L.C) offer American Diploma and I.G.C.S. teaching systems.

Universities

Ismaïlia 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 fastest growing educational institutions in Egypt with many students studying abroad. The new university of Suez Canal University was established with the help of the Chinese Government.

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

Club logo

Ismaïlia owns the 3rd most successful club in Egypt in the field of Football, Ismaïlia's Sporting Club. 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).

Climate

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

The hottest recorded temperature was 47 °C (117 °F) on June 14, 1944 while the coldest recorded temperature was −2 °C (28 °F) on February 9, 1991.^[1]

Ismailia's railway station

Notable natives

• Osman Ahmed Osman, a famous and influential Egyptian engineer, contractor, entrepreneur, and politician, was born in this town on 6 April 1917.
• Tahiya Karioka, a famous Egyptian belly dancer and film actress, was born in this town on 22 February 1919.
• 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.

References

• Falling Rain Genomics, Inc. "Geographical information on Al Ismailiyah, Egypt". Retrieved 2008-03-23. 

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ismaïlia.

• Ismaïlia governorate official website
• Suez Canal University official website
• Short animation festival in Ismaïlia

Coordinates: 30°35′N 32°16′E / 30.583°N 32.267°E / 30.583; 32.267

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