Dakahlia is an Egyptian governorate lying northeast of Cairo. 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 (Arabic: دقهلة, from Coptic: ⲧⲕⲉϩⲗⲓ, lit. ‘shrine’) which is located in the modern Damietta Governorate.

History According to the Egypt’s Ministry of Antiquities, in February 2020, Egyptian archaeologists have uncovered 83 tombs dating back to 4,000 B.C known as Naqada III period. Various small pottery pots in different shapes and some seashells, makeup tools, eyeliner pots, and jewels were also revealed in the burial. In April 2021, Egyptian archeologists announced the discovery of 110 burial tombs at the Koum el-Khulgan archeological site. 68 oval-shaped tombs of the dated back to the Predynastic Period and 37 rectangular-shaped tombs were from Second Intermediate Period. Rest of them dated back to the Naqada III period. The tombs also contained the remains of adults and a baby (buried in a jar), a group of ovens, stoves, remnants of mud-brick foundations, funerary equipment, cylindrical, pear-shaped vessels and a bowl with geometric designs.

Population According to population estimates, in 2015 the majority of residents in the governorate lived in rural areas, with an urbanization rate of 28.2%. Out of an estimated 5,949,001 people residing in the governorate, 4,271,428 people lived in rural areas as opposed to 1,677,573 in urban areas.[12] By 2018, the population had increased to an estimated 6,577,000.

Industrial zone According to the Egyptian Governing Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), in affiliation with the Ministry of Investment (MOI), the following industrial zones are located in this governorate:

  • Southwest Gamasa
  • Asafra

Agricultural activity Dakahlia Governorate is considered one of the major agricultural governorates in Egypt, where the cultivated area in it reaches 683 thousand feddans. It is famous for the cultivation of traditional crops such as: cotton, rice, wheat and maize. Furthermore, the government is considered among the areas rich in water potentialities, and fish wealth. It is also famous for the production of red and white meat, and dairy products.