AL-MANSURAH

The dual minarets of the town’s central mosque can be seen from a great distance. This is the capital city of Daqahliyyah province. Railway station (Maydan al-MaJ::iattah) and bus station for local and national buses.

Unlike most Egyptian cities, al-Man~iirah is of comparatively recent foundation. It began as a camp built by Sul~an al-Kamil during the Siege of Damietta in 1220. During the invasion of the Sixth Crusade it was a crucial target and battle raged around it. After the Mamluk triumph King Louis IX was imprisoned here. Since then it has grown into perhaps the most important city in the Delta and it is the centre of the raw cotton trade. An elegant city with tree-lined avenues beside the Nile, it has a university and several higher institutes. One of the particular local delicacies is buffalo-milk ice-cream.

Bayt luqmanv Beside the Muwafi Mosque is the l;larat Muwafi and the Bayt Luqmin. This is the house of Qadi Ibrahim ibn Luqman, a minister of Sultan al-~al~ Ayyfi.b, in which Louis IX was imprisoned between 7 April-7 May 1250, although little of the medieval fabric is evident. It was opened by President Nasser in 1960 and contains furniture of some age.

From al-Mansiirah the HlO runs SE. At 3km the H12 leads off to the E. Taking this road, after 6km a track leads Sand then E for 12km to the
site of two ancient cities. Just N of the road is Tell Timai (Timay), ancient Anpet Djedet, Gk Thmuis, much disturbed by the sabakhin and the only visible remains are of Ptolemaic and Roman houses. It gradually eclipsed Mendes as the capital of the 16th nome of Lower
Egypt. About 700m to the N is Tell al-Rube, ancient Pr Banab Djedet, Gk Mendes, a large site covering four-fifths of a square kilometre. On the West Bank of the Nile opposite Man~iirah is Talkha (Rte 44). E, the H12 passes Barq al-clzz, Tanih, al-Nassimiyyah and (22km) Mil
Faris where it turns N into Dikirnis. Beyond the junction with the H12, the HlO continues SE to al-Baqliyyah and SinbilJawayn (Rte 43). From NE of al-Ma:ri~iirah a road runs through ·sallam’iin al-Qumish (6km) and Dikirnls (13km). Joining the H7 NE, it passes Blrlmbil
(lOkm), al-Gamillyyah (22km) al-Manzalah (7km) and al-Matariyyah